Handbook of Operating Procedures
Chapter 2 - Faculty and Academics
Publication Date: May 28, 2004

2.02 Faculty Titles and Tenure Status

Tenure and Tenure Track Academic Titles
1. Professor or Associate Professor
  The only titles in which faculty members at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) may be granted tenure are Professor and Associate Professor. Persons appointed to a named chair or professorship may be granted tenure as a Professor or Associate Professor but may not be granted tenure in the named chair or professorship. Appointment at UTSA as Professor also grants tenure. Associate Professors normally are granted tenure.
2. Assistant Professor or Instructor
  These titles denote "tenure-track" probationary appointments. At UTSA tenure cannot be granted to faculty members with the title of Assistant Professor or Instructor.
Nontenure and Nontenure Track Academic Titles
Other academic titles used at UTSA in which tenure cannot be granted are listed below. Appointments to these titles shall be for a period of time not to exceed one academic year, except in the case of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, or Professor of Research in (title of specialty) when, in individual cases, appointment may be for a period of time not to exceed three academic years. All such appointments shall terminate at the expiration of the stated period of appointment without the notification of nonrenewal of appointment required by the Board of Regents' Rules and Regulations, Series 31002, Section 1. If the administration determines that it is to the benefit of the institution, it may offer reappointment to one of these titles.
1. Senior Lecturer
  This title may be used for special teachers who will augment and complement regular teaching faculty and whose experience and qualifications are comparable to those of faculty members in tenure positions.
2. Lecturer III
  In addition to the qualifications for a Lecturer II, this title requires a minimum experience of at least five years and demonstrated high levels of performance as indicated by formal reviews.
3. Lecturer II
  In addition to the qualifications for a Lecturer I, this title requires a minimum experience of at least two years and demonstrated high levels of performance as indicated by formal reviews.
4. Lecturer I
  This title may be used for individuals who will serve as teachers and whose experience and qualifications are comparable to those of faculty members in the untenured, tenure-track positions.
5. Assistant Instructor
  This title may be used for certain graduate students teaching on a part-time or full-time basis who are in the last phase of their doctoral program at UTSA and who are unconditionally enrolled in graduate study.
6. Teaching Assistant
  Teaching Assistants may teach selected classes and supervise laboratory or discussion sections under the direct supervision of a faculty member. This title applies to graduate students who are unconditionally enrolled in graduate study at UTSA and who, on a part-time basis, carry instructional responsibility.
  
  The following policies prevail at UTSA concerning the employment of Teaching Assistants:
  1. Teaching Assistant I
    This title may be used for a graduate student who is enrolled in a Master's degree program in the area for which he or she is employed and holds a Bachelor's degree appropriate to that area. These persons may supervise laboratories or discussion sections with proper guidance and supervision to ensure quality instruction. The instructional head is responsible for assuring that all Teaching Assistants are carefully supervised.
  2. Teaching Assistant II
    This title may be used for a graduate student with at least 18 hours toward a Master's degree. These persons may teach selected lower or upper-division classes or supervise laboratories with proper guidance and supervision of a faculty member to ensure quality instruction. The instructional head is responsible for assuring that all Teaching Assistants are carefully supervised.
7. Faculty Associate
  This title may be applied to a person assigned to a research or nonteaching center, institute, or other unit or interdisciplinary program of a component institution.
8. Specialist
  This title may be used for professional individuals who will serve as practitioners in specific areas of instruction, training or supervision. Upon approval of the President, the title may include appropriate descriptive prefixes to indicate the specific areas of proficiency, e.g., Practice Teaching Specialist, Physical Activity Specialist, Social Work Field Training Specialist.
9. Research Titles
  1. Professor of Research in __________ (title of specialty);
  2. Associate Professor of Research in __________ (title of specialty);
  3. Assistant Professor of Research in __________ (title of specialty)
  These titles are used for persons who hold qualifications similar to those of the regular teaching faculty but whose positions are for the primary purpose of research activities. Appointments may be made contingent upon the availability of contracts and grants requiring services of the individual's specialty. Individual may be assigned teaching responsibilities even though the primary duties are in research.
  
  For persons appointed to these research position titles, all appointment letters, personnel forms, budgets, and other official documents shall state in parenthesis following the name and title of the individual "(nontenure-track research appointment)," as appropriate, and service in such positions shall not be credited as faculty service toward calculation of any maximum probationary period.
10. Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, and Visiting Assistant Professor
  These titles are used only for temporary appointments of persons either visiting from other institutions where they hold similar rank or who are brought to the University on a trial basis. Such appointments are limited to two years unless an exception is approved in writing by the appropriate Executive Vice Chancellor.
11. Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, and Adjunct Assistant Professor
  One of these titles may be used when a qualified person from business, industry, government, private practice or another institution of higher education may be teaching a course or participating in the teaching of a course at one of the component institutions. Except in special circumstances, this prefix should be used to designate part-time service on the faculty. Appointments to the faculty with an adjunct title may be with or without pay and shall be for a stated period of time not to exceed one academic year. Such appointments shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment without notification of nonrenewal. If a component determines that it is to the benefit of the institution, it may offer reappointment to an adjunct faculty member in accordance with Series 31001, Section 2.3 (b) of the Regents' Rules and Regulations.
12. Clinical Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, and Clinical Instructor
  These titles may be used to designate regular part-time service of the faculty while involved in a health professions clinical experience program. Appointments to the faculty with a clinical title may be with or without pay and shall be for a period of time not to exceed three academic years.
13. Adjoint Professor, Adjoint Associate Professor and Adjoint Assistant Professor
  These titles may be used to designate faculty who serve UTSA in cooperative or joint programs pursuant to a memorandum of understanding, cooperative research and development agreement, or similar partnership instrument. Persons holding these titles will be employees of and compensated by the partnership organization. They will not be deemed employees of UTSA. They will, however, have the same obligations, responsibilities, and authority as regular faculty employed directly by UTSA when performing faculty functions pursuant to the agreement. Appointments will usually be part-time for the purpose of supervising theses and dissertations or for teaching highly specialized courses. The term of the appointment shall be specified in the agreement with the partner organization.
14. Professor Emeritus and Associate Professor Emeritus
  One of these titles may be given to a retired faculty member or in anticipation of the retirement of a faculty member, effective upon his or her retirement. The conferring of one of these titles is not automatic upon retirement and may be conferred only upon approval by the President of the institution in accordance with procedures included in the UTSA Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) and final approval by the Board of Regents.
  
  The UTSA procedures for nominations to an emeritus title follow the normal faculty review process as approved within the several colleges and as described in Section 2.3, of the UTSA HOP.
Classified Personnel - Research Scientist, Research Associate, and Research Assistant
An individual appointed in one of these categories will be under the classified personnel system, unless special approval has been granted by the President to designate him or her as an unclassified employee in such a position.

Editorial Amendment Issued April, 2005