If you are a full-time Danforth Campus faculty member on the teaching, research, or practice track, here are some policies and links related to your career development and career trajectory. While basic HR policies for all employees are linked at hr.wustl.edu, this page offers a few resources specific to teaching, research, and practice faculty that may be a little harder to find.
TRP Faculty Resources
ATRaP, the Association of Teaching, Research, and Practice Faculty, is a wonderful resource dedicated to advocating for the interests of full-time, non-tenure track faculty on the Danforth Campus, and to facilitating social and professional interactions among these faculty. If you are a full-time faculty member who is not on the tenure track, you are an automatic member of ATRaP. Their website is comprehensive and helpful, and has links not only to policies, but also to university offices and practical resources that would be useful to any university employee—such as academic calendars, parking and transportation, and other university services. The ATRaP Handbook, in particular, may be helpful as you navigate WashU’s policies and procedures.
The Faculty Handbook has university-wide information for all faculty.
Teaching, Research, and Practice Faculty are invited to participate in the 2023-2024 Faculty Development Program led by Jeremy Goldbach, Faculty Development Fellow in the Office of the Provost. This year’s schedule will address three main topics: cultivating mentors and sponsors, promotion requirements and timelines, and work/life balance. Learning circles for teaching, research, and practice (TRP) will take a deeper dive into these topics. The program will conclude with a lunch meeting with university leaders. You can learn more about the program and apply here.
The Provost’s Office provides up to $1000 of professional development funding to each full-time, non-tenure-track faculty member on the Danforth Campus. First, approach your department to use the funding they have available. If you need additional funding after that, fill out the professional development reimbursement form, and obtain approval before you travel or pay registration fees.
Teaching and practice faculty are now explicitly included in the University’s Phased Retirement Policy. Note that you must be on at least a three-year appointment to be eligible for phased retirement.
The Paid Parental Leave Policy applies to all full-time Danforth Campus faculty, regardless of track.
School-specific promotion policies for Teaching, Research, and Practice faculty
As the Brown School restructures, their policies are changing. We will update this section as new policies come available.
This is not available online. It is part of a faculty handbook and entitled “II. Promotion and Tenure.” Ask your department or division chair for the faculty handbook or the policy on promotion and tenure.
This is not available online. It is a document entitled “Faculty Appointments, Review, and Promotion Policies: Full-Time Teaching Track.” Ask your area chair or the vice dean for faculty and research for this policy document.
Promotion Timeline for Each School for Teaching, Research, and Practice Faculty
This is a guideline on promotion for each school, but please review your school’s most updated policy. This is meant as an easy reference, but may not include the most updated policy information.
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer –> Senior Lecturer | 6+ years as lecturer | All requests and materials for promotion effective the following academic year are due December 1. |
| Senior Lecturer –> Teaching Professor | 5+ years as senior lecturer | |
| Research Assistant Professor –> Research Associate Professor | “a level of scholarship equivalent to that of the corresponding tenure rank.” | No timeline specified. |
| Research Associate Professor –> Research Professor |
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer –> Senior Lecturer | 3-6 years as lecturer | “All requests and materials for promotion effective the following academic year are due to the dean’s office by 5 p.m. Friday at the end of the first week of business in January.” |
| Senior Lecturer –> Teaching Professor | “Typically after 5 years as senior lecturer” | |
| Research Assistant Professor –> Research Associate Professor | “demonstrating significant research impact and the ability to support salary with independent extramural funding | No timeline specified. |
| Research Associate Professor –> Research Professor | “demonstrating sustained and significant research impact and the ability to support salary with independent extramural funding for an extended period of time” |
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer –> Senior Lecturer | 5+ years “of full-time service to the school” | No timeline specified. |
| Senior Lecturer –> Teaching Professor | 5+ years as senior lecturer |
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer –> Senior Lecturer | 6+ years as lecturer | No timeline specified. |
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Professor of Practice –> Associate Professor of Practice | “Practice Track faculty will be evaluated for promotion in three areas: (1) Practice, (2) Teaching, and (3) Service.” No number of years specified, but details about contributions in these areas are included in the policy. | No timeline specified. |
| Associate Professor of Practice –> Professor of Practice | “Practice Track faculty will be evaluated for promotion in three areas: (1) Practice, (2) Teaching, and (3) Service.” No number of years specified, but details about contributions in these areas are included in the policy. | |
| Assistant Professor (Research) –> Associate Professor (Research) | “[M]ust meet three standards for research: (1) Quality; (2) Impact; and (3) Cohesion.” No number of years specified, but details about contributions in these areas are included in the policy. | |
| Associate Professor (Research) –> Professor (Research) | “[M]ust meet three standards for research: (1) Quality; (2) Impact; and (3) Cohesion.” No number of years specified, but details about contributions in these areas are included in the policy. | |
| Lecturer –> Senior Lecturer | “after 6 years of full-time service in the School at [the rank of lecturer]” | |
| Senior Lecturer –> Teaching Professor | “after 5 years of full-time service in the School at [the rank of senior lecturer]” |
| Position | Years of service | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Professor of Practice –> Associate Professor of Practice | 4-6 years as assistant professor, with 6 as a hard maximum – you cannot have your contract renewed again after 6 years as assistant professor of practice | No timeline specified |
| Associate Professor of Practice –> Professor of Practice | 2+ years as associate professor |
For questions related to Teaching, Research, and Practice Faculty on the Danforth Campus, please contact Seema Dahlheimer, TRP (Teaching, Research, and Practice) Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Provost and Teaching Professor, McKelvey School of Engineering.