Instructional Academic Staff Promotions Process

Welcome to the Instructional Academic Staff Promotions page. Within, you will find all information regarding the process and timeline for your application and links to the required application documents. Additionally, you will find the scoring criteria with the scoring rubric link and an explanation of the levels for promotion which have base salary implications. (Information regarding the base salary promotions increases for instructors and faculty.)

• The Instructional Academic Staff Promotion Policy should be reviewed before completing this application.
• In particular, please review the degree and length of service equivalency requirements.
• Any questions on these issues should be referred to Human Resources.
• Completed applications must be electronically submitted to the Personal Application Folder. Please contact ASA at acadstaff@uww.edu to have a personal folder created and assigned to you. That is the folder where you will electronically upload all of your application documents. 
• All electronic applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on the third Wednesday in December of the current academic year.
• NO hardcopy documents will be accepted. Only electronic documents submitted to your personal folder will be accepted for this application.
• Only complete applications that conform to stated specifications will be considered by the Promotions Committee.
• The Academic Staff Assembly’s Promotions Committee will present summarized results to the Academic Staff Assembly. 
• The Chair of the Academic Staff  Assembly will forward all applications and results of committee deliberations to the Provost by the third Friday of February. 
• Applicants receive notification regarding the final promotion decision from the Office of the Chancellor.

Promotion Requirements

• There are four categories of Instructional Academic Staff at UW-Whitewater: Lecturer 1, Lecturer 2, Senior Lecturer, and Distinguished Lecturer.
• All Instructional Academic Staff are considered Lecturer 1 until promoted.
• Applications for promotion may be submitted in the year immediately prior to the years of service requirement having been met.
  • Any questions regarding whether or not the years of service requirement has been met should be referred to the Office of Human Resources.
• If granted, the new promotion shall become effective at the beginning of the subsequent contract year.
• The monetary amount of the base salary increase for promotion to each level will be determined by the Chancellor and is based upon the amount of promotion funds available. (See the Academic Affairs Resources page for more information)
• Promoted Instructional Academic Staff receive a permanent base salary adjustment.
• All applicants receive notification regarding the promotion decision from the Chancellor's Office.

Lecturer 1 to Lecturer 2

• Possess a completed master's degree OR a bachelor's degree plus a professional credential recognized in the field as an advanced level of competence.
• Be in at least the third year of full-time equivalent service with the business title Lecturer 1 (previously Adjunct, Associate Lecturer, or Lecturer with Level 1) at UW-Whitewater. 
• NOTE: There is no minimum service time in Lecturer 1 for Lecturers holding a recognized terminal degree at the time of hire.

Lecturer 2 to Senior Lecturer

• Meet all requirements for promotion from Lecturer 1 to Lecturer 2.
• Be in at least the third year of full-time equivalent service with the business title of Lecturer 2 (previously Lecturer with Level 2-4)  at UW-Whitewater.
• NOTE: There is no minimum service time in Lecturer 2 for Lecturers holding a recognized terminal degree at the time of promotion. However, that applicant must have at least three continuous years of full-time, or the equivalent, service as a Lecturer 1 at UW-Whitewater before being eligible for promotion to Senior Lecturer.

Senior Lecturer to Distinguished Lecturer

• Possess a recognized terminal degree by the time of Promotion.
• Meet all requirements for promotion from Lecturer 2 to Senior Lecturer.
• Be in at least the third year of full-time equivalent service with the business title of Senior Lecturer at UW-Whitewater.

SOURCE: Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

NOTE: Confirmation from the chair and College that the degree in question is treated as a terminal degree in that discipline must be included with the application packet. Please refer to the UW Whitewater Faculty Personnel Rules Section III.H.2.a.ii.

Promotion Application

Before applying for promotion, Instructional Academic Staff should carefully review the above promotion criteria. In particular, close attention should be paid to the degree and length of service requirements. Any questions regarding full-time equivalency (if a potential applicant is not employed as a 100% FTE Instructional Academic Staff) should be referred to the Office of Human Resources.

Submission Process

• No hard copies of applications will be accepted.
• One original complete application package must be electronically submitted to your Personal Application Folder by 11:59 pm on the third Wednesday in December of the current academic year.
• Letters of recommendation from Department Chair(s) and Dean electronically submitted to your Personal Application Folder
  • Department Chair(s) letters to be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on the third Wednesday in January
  • Dean's letters to be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on the first Wednesday in February
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to work with their chair and dean to request letters of recommendation
• If you have any questions regarding submission, contact ASA at acadstaff@uww.edu
• Applicants will receive an email that their application packet has been received
• Promotions Reviewers will begin evaluating application packets in February.

The following application materials must be electronically uploaded to your Personal Application Folder assigned to you by the Promotion Committee Chair no later than 11:59pm on the third Wednesday in December of the current academic year.

• Completed Promotions Cover Sheet
• If applying to move  between categories that were granted in past promotions; i,e, Lecturer 1 to Lecturer 2, etc., include a copy of each  promotion memo you received from the Office of the Provost or Office of the Chancellor, verifying your promotion at the time it was granted. 
• Documentation of your level of instructional FTE: This can be demonstrated through one of the following:
  • Most recent "Academic Staff/Supervisor Distribution of Effort Agreement" form representing the applicant's current promotion cycle.
    • NOTE: Applicants should submit additional "Academic Staff/Supervisor Distribution of Effort Agreement" forms if their work expectations have changed during the current promotion cycle. 
  • A statement from the chair of the department (can be a signed and scanned statement or a pdf copy of an email) noting that the amount of instructional FTE in your position for the current academic year.
    • Example: "I, [Department Chair] agree that your position is 100% instructional for the [current academic year]."
• Three years of Performance Evaluations (as either peer teaching evaluations or departmental performance reviews) or an explanation should one or more be unavailable
• Student Evaluation Summary Page for every course taught at UW-Whitewater in the 3 previous academic years, including the student evaluation comments if available
• Completed IAS Promotions Narrative Form 
  • Activities: Teaching Description Narrative (3 page max)
  • Service Activities if required OR if applicant wants service activities to be included as part of their promotion application  (1 page max)
  • Research Activities if required OR if applicant wants research activities to be included as part of their promotion application (1 page max)
  • Other Activities if required OR if applicant want other activities to be included as part of their promotion application (1 page max)
  • Self-Evaluation Narrative (3 page max)

In addition to the above application packet, a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s Department Chair(s) and College Dean must accompany this application. Guidelines for these letters are given below. These letters must be electronically uploaded to the applicant’s Personal Application Folder assigned by the Promotions Committee Chair (NOTE: different deadlines than the above application). Upon receipt of a completed application, the Promotions Committee will provide access to the applicable chair(s) and dean, along with notification of the timeline. It is the responsibility of the applicant to work with their chair(s) and dean in order to provide any information they need in order to complete these letters.

Due the third Wednesday of January of the current academic year, 11:59 pm

• Letter of Recommendation - Department Chair(s) (2 page max)

Due the first Wednesday of February of the current academic year, 11:59 pm

• Letter of Recommendation - College Dean (1 page max)

Guidelines for the above Letters of Recommendation:   

• Be printed on department letterhead.
• Address the overall quality of applicant’s teaching/job performance and provide explanation if departmental reviews are missing for a given year of the promotion cycle.
• A clear recommendation to promote OR not to promote the applicant, and why the recommendation is such.
• If required, university, college, department and/or program service the applicant engages as part of the normal duties and responsibilities contained in the individual's “Academic Staff/Supervisor Distribution of Effort Agreement” (advising, committee  membership, honors, projects, teaching, etc.) .
• If required, the applicant’s engagement in professional growth and research as contained in the individual’s Academic Staff/Supervisor Distribution of Effort Agreement.
• If required, the applicant’s community service either job related or non-job related as contained in the individual’s Academic Staff/Supervisor Distribution of Effort Agreement.

Evaluation Process

• Members of the ASA Instructional Academic Staff Promotions Committee will serve as reviewers.
• Each reviewer will assess assigned application packets using the current Promotions Scoring Rubric.
• Reviewers' total rubric scores will be added together and averaged to attain the Average Composite Score.

Application Timeline

• The Promotions Committee’s Tabulator will forward all promotion packets, including application materials, scores, recommendations and ranking justifications to the Chair of the Academic Staff Assembly.
• Committee recommendations must include a justification for the ranking of each applicant. The Chair of the Academic Staff Assembly will forward those packets to the Office of the Provost.
• The Promotions Committee Tabulator will also report the summary of results, including the date of transmittal of results to the Provost, to the Academic Staff Assembly.
• Applicants will receive notification regarding the promotion decision from the Chancellor's Office.

Supersedes all previous ASA Promotions Materials

(Updated by ASA Promotions Committee as of 11/20/23)