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[These policies are currently under review as of 7/2/2026]

Reappointment and Promotion of Teaching/Clinical Faculty��

The criteria for reappointment and promotion noted herein advance the goal of offering a first-rate undergraduate education at a research university (“T1 at the R1”). To realize this goal, the College of Arts and Sciences views teaching or clinical faculty and tenure-track faculty as critical partners in setting the criteria for the professorate of the future.��

Interfaces Among Campus, College, and Unit Policies��

This document follows the information contained in the “Titles, Roles, Appointment, Evaluation, Reappointment and Promotion of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in Teaching, Librarian, Clinical, and Supplemental Positions Policy”, which was approved by the Chancellor on July 1, 2026.��

Criteria

A copy of the Dean-approved criteria for reappointment and promotion of non-tenure track Teaching/Clinical faculty from the unit’s Primary Unit Policies and Procedures must be included in each reappointment and/or promotion dossier.

The College of Arts and Sciences is developing Draft Primary Unit Criteria Templates for Reappointment and Promotion of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty which the unit can use if the unit does not have its own.

Criteria for Reappointment����

The primary unit must establish written criteria for reappointment, which should include criteria for teaching or librarianship and other duties performed by teaching professor-track or clinical faculty in the unit. The components of an individual’s evaluation (e.g., teaching, librarianship, service or clinical duties) are defined by the annual merit formula in the initial letter of appointment. The evaluation of teaching or librarianship must use at least four distinct measures of effectiveness and performance. In the case of teaching, one of those distinct measures must be normed student feedback (such as FCQs or similar, campus-approved mechanisms); an equivalent mechanism may be used for librarianship.����

Primary unit criteria for reappointment must define what constitutes effective performance in each component of evaluation (e.g., teaching, librarianship, service or clinical duties). For successful reappointment, teaching professor-track and clinical faculty members are normally expected to demonstrate effective performance in all components of their annual merit formula.��

Reappointment of teaching professor-track and clinical faculty members will be based on the instructional needs of the unit they are serving as well as the faculty member’s performance. The maximum reappointment period is 5 years under the following policy:��A&S 5-Year Contracts for Teaching Professors.����

Criteria for Promotion����

The primary unit must establish written criteria for promotion within the teaching professor track or clinical track, as appropriate to the unit. These should include criteria for teaching or librarianship, for service, and for other duties typically performed by teaching professor-track or clinical faculty in the unit.��

The criteria for promotion from assistant teaching professor to associate teaching professor or from assistant professor, clinical teaching track to associate professor, clinical teaching track should include criteria for meeting the standard of “successful” in teaching or librarianship. Teaching “success” typically carries the expectation that the individual has made significant contributions to pedagogy, curriculum, and student learning, in the classroom and for the primary unit. Librarianship “success” typically carries the expectation that the individual has made significant contributions in the librarian role(s) occupied by the individual: for example, developing collections, providing intellectual and physical access to collections, library-related instruction, outreach to library users, management and supervision of staff or management of material and financial resources.��

The criteria for promotion from associate teaching professor to full teaching professor or from associate professor, clinical teaching track to full professor, clinical teaching track should include criteria for a record of excellence. A “record of excellence” carries the expectation that the individual has made a major positive impact in the disciplinary unit (e.g., on pedagogy and curriculum) and on its students, typically one that extends to considerable impact at CU 91���Ҹ� generally and a role in national or international discussions related to the individual’s focus of teaching or related to curriculum, librarianship or pedagogy.��

Voting Procedure on Reappointment and Promotion of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty

Eligible faculty vote on all activities that correspond with the annual merit formula of the candidate.

Note: For successful reappointment, teaching professor-track and clinical faculty members are normally expected to demonstrate effective performance in all components of their annual merit formula.

1. Reappointment Ballot [SAMPLE]

_____[NAME]_____ is undergoing review for Reappointment.��

Please review the primary unit criteria on Reappointment of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty and check 1 box in each of the rows or abstain altogether.

If one abstains from voting in any 1 area, one must then abstain from EVERY voting area for that faculty candidate.

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2. Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor Ballot [SAMPLE]

_____[NAME]_____ is undergoing review for promotion to Associate Teaching Professor.

Please review the primary unit criteria on Promotion of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty and check 1 box in each of the rows or abstain altogether.

If one abstains from voting in any 1 area, one must then abstain from EVERY voting area for that faculty candidate.

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3. Promotion to Teaching Professor Ballot [SAMPLE]

_____[NAME]_____ is undergoing review for promotion to Teaching Professor.

Please review the primary unit criteria on Promotion of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty and check 1 box in each of the rows or abstain altogether.

If one abstains from voting in any 1 area, one must then abstain from EVERY voting area for that faculty candidate.

Voting Eligibility on Reappointment and Promotion of Teaching-Stream (Non-Tenure-Track / Instructional Series) Faculty

If Dean-approved unit bylaws do not specify who is eligible to vote on the case, the following campus voting eligibility guidelines shall apply:

• A minimum of five eligible voting faculty members are needed for the review process. In small units without five eligible voting members, the Dean must be consulted regarding supplementation of the primary unit for purposes of the review and this approval must be noted in the chair/director letter.
• In reappointment cases for teaching-stream faculty, all faculty of rank at or above the candidate’s current rank are eligible to vote. This includes all teaching-stream faculty of equal and higher rank as well as all tenure-stream faculty (Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors), unless otherwise specified by the unit in its bylaws.
• In promotion cases for teaching-stream faculty, all faculty of higher rank relative to the candidate’s current rank are eligible to vote. This includes all teaching-stream faculty of higher rank as well as all tenure-stream faculty (Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors), unless otherwise specified by the unit in its bylaws.
• These voting eligibility rules shall also apply to the eligibility for the composition of Primary Unit Evaluation Committees for teaching-stream faculty.
• The primary unit chair/director is eligible to vote unless otherwise specified in the unit policies.

Teaching

Assessment of teaching for reappointment and promotion should take into account multiple measures. The Office of Faculty Affairs has��prepared guidance on multiple measures of teaching��and the��Quality Teaching Initiative��in the College of Arts and Sciences offers a robust set of resources on teaching.

Multiple Measures of Teaching����

The review for promotion must include an evaluation of the faculty member’s teaching record using at least four distinct measures of effectiveness and performance. One of those distinct measures must be normed student feedback (i.e., FCQs); an evaluation of the faculty member’s service; an evaluation of the faculty member’s performance of any other duties specified in the faculty member’s letter of appointment; and a demonstration of the faculty member’s continued currency in the field.��

In its policy on teaching or clinical faculty reappointment and promotion, the Office of Faculty Affairs notes the following measures of teaching can include, but are not limited to:����

A record of classroom teaching, including the following:����

• Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQ) summary (required)
• FCQs, including student narrative sections (required)
• Plus two or more of the following:
  • Peer evaluations of teaching
  • Class interviews with students
  • Randomly solicited letters from students in classes����

Contributions to course and/or curriculum development����

Successful teaching innovations����

Student outcomes (e.g., Quality Teaching Initiative)����

Engagement with students, as evidenced, for example, through mentoring of students and/or service on thesis or dissertation committees����

Letters solicited from students mentored or advised����

Efforts to incorporate diversity and inclusion in teaching����

Contributions to the scholarship��of teaching and learning, including the following:����

• Contributions to local or national workshops on teaching
• Relevant publications such as textbooks, lab manuals, articles on pedagogy, etc.
• Work that improves teaching across multiple units
• Papers, posters, or presentations on pedagogical topics delivered at conferences, invited talks, online, etc.��

Practitioner experience that supplements a teaching career��

Participation in pedagogy workshops (e.g., Center for Teaching and Learning, Arts & Sciences Support of Education Through Technology (ASSETT, etc.)��

Service��

College of Arts and Sciences' units should adopt a capacious understanding of service. Service extends far beyond keeping a seat warm at a committee meeting. Service for teaching and clinical faculty is often curricular in nature, consisting of instructionally related activities. Service can also include service to the discipline through creative work and/or scholarship. Service is central to the value, role and identity of teaching and clinical faculty, and allows them to maintain and further develop their professional currency in their field, and service contributes enormously to the mission of the college and the university.��

In its policy on teaching or clinical faculty reappointment and promotion, the Office of Faculty Affairs notes examples of measures of service that include, but are not limited to:��

Leadership and service that have an impact on the unit, school or college, campus and/or national or international communities.��

Outreach to communities and partners beyond the university, including non-profits or historically marginalized groups, that draws upon the faculty member’s expertise.��

Dossiers��

A dossier for reappointment and/or promotion will typically include the following items, and may be supplemented as appropriate, given the faculty member’s duties and expertise:��

A letter from the chair and, as appropriate, from the PUEC��

One to six supporting letters (which may be from outside the unit or campus)—only needed for promotion cases����

A C.V.,����

A teaching statement,����

A leadership and service statement,����

A scholarly/creative work statement (if applicable), and��

A teaching portfolio that speaks to multiple measures of exemplary performance (see Multiple Measures of Teaching)��

A dossier for reappointment should focus chiefly on accomplishments and activities during the most recent contract period under review, and thus the teaching portfolio may be more “modest” than what would be submitted for a promotion. Dossiers for promotion to teaching or clinical associate professor and to teaching or clinical professor, while highlighting recent work, can address the full range of accomplishments during the faculty member’s career. Thus, the teaching portfolios for promotion will likely become more expansive than those for reappointment, given the arc of that career: a “full” portfolio for promotion to teaching or clinical associate professor, and “significant” for teaching or clinical professor.����

Please use the College of Arts and Sciences Non-Tenure Track Reappointment Checklist as the first page in the dossier.

Supporting Letters for Promotion Cases��

The faculty member can send a list of potential reviewers to their chair or director, and the unit can supply their own list. Please use the A&S letter template in order to solicit external letters of evaluation. The request for letters comes from the unit, usually from the chair/director or the chair of the PUEC.��

For promotion to teaching or clinical associate professor, the dossier must include one to three supporting letters from members of the unit (letters from the campus or beyond are optional but encouraged).����

For promotion to teaching or clinical professor, the dossier must contain three to six supporting letters from the unit, the campus and beyond (at least one letter should come from another academic unit).����

Classroom Observation or Interviews��

Among the multiple measures for assessing teaching in a dossier, peer observation of classroom teaching is a frequent (but not strictly required) component in a dossier. (Such observations may vary in nature according to disciplinary norms: for example, clinical faculty need to observe HIPA requirements.) In conducting classroom observations or interviews, faculty should draw on the resources of ASSETT (Arts & Sciences Support of Education Through Technology) and the Center for Teaching and Learning.����

For reappointment, the dossier should typically include one or more classroom observations and/or interviews by faculty members in the unit who are at or above the rank of the faculty member under review.����

For promotion to teaching or clinical associate teaching professor, the dossier should typically include two or more classroom observations and/or interviews by faculty members in the unit who are at or above the rank of the faculty member under review.����

For promotion to teaching or clinical professor, or for nomination for the honorary title of Teaching or Clinical Professor of Distinction, classroom observations and/or interviews of multiple courses over multiple semesters are highly encouraged. These observations or interviews should come from both faculty members in the unit and faculty members outside of the unit, at or above the rank of the faculty member under review. Some observations or interviews by tenure-track faculty are highly recommended but not strictly required.

Matching Criteria to the Job��

In reappointment and promotion dossiers assembled for consideration by the unit and college, the materials (e.g., chair or director letter and the PUEC report) should articulate the duties and activities that the faculty member has undertaken during the evaluation period, as those duties and activities may vary from faculty member to faculty member, vary across units of the college, and likewise vary across the career trajectory of that faculty member. The PUEC and chair or director should refer to the faculty member’s teaching and service statements for information concerning their duties; some faculty members have an MOU attached to their offer letter which articulates their work expectations.��

Illustrative Examples of Criteria��

To help faculty better understand and meet the stated criteria of their unit, the college provides the following examples. These examples are illustrative, not exhaustive. In articulating unit-level criteria, units should likewise provide examples of how faculty can meet reappointment and promotion criteria that reflect disciplinary activities and expectations. Criteria can relate to pedagogical activities and/or activities related to the faculty member’s area of teaching.��

OFA 9.b.i.2 policy states: The criteria for promotion from senior instructor to principal instructor or from clinical associate professor to clinical professor should include criteria for a record of distinction. A “record of distinction” carries the expectation that the individual has made a major positive impact in the disciplinary unit and on its students (e.g., on pedagogy and curriculum), typically one that extends to considerable impact on the campus generally and a role in national or international discussions related to the individual’s focus of teaching or related to curriculum, librarianship and/or pedagogy.��

College and Campus Impact Examples:��

• Active participation in college or campus governance bodies;
• Active participation on committees, working groups, or task forces that extend beyond the unit (related to pedagogy, curriculum, or the area of teaching);
• Active participation in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities (e.g., Diversity Summit);
• Active participation at professional development workshops/seminars (e.g., ASSETT, Center for Teaching and Learning);
• Authoring of materials, reports, and white papers whose circulation extends beyond the unit;
• Mentorship of the next generation of teaching/clinical faculty; or
• Reviewer of grants and/or award submissions.��

University System/State/Regional/National/International Impact Examples:����

• Presentations or attendance at disciplinary conferences;
• Publications;
• Authoring of materials, reports and white papers whose circulation extends beyond the campus;
• Active participation in organizations extending beyond the campus (e.g., active role in disciplinary listservs; engagement with the Colorado Guaranteed Transfer Program, engagement with the Colorado Council of Foreign Language Teachers);
• Involvement in national disciplinary conversations;
• Authoring of materials whose circulation extends beyond the campus, whether related to pedagogy or the area of teaching;
• Peer review for academic journals and/or for publishers of textbooks;
• Active role or leadership in system/state/regional/national committees and professional organizations;
• Disciplinary outreach projects;
• Mentorship of the next generation of teaching/clinical faculty; and/or
• Reviewer of grants and/or award submissions.��

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Reviewed 7/2/2026��