At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, the Faculty Executive Committee proposed a preliminary recommendation distinguishing two tracks for research faculty: research scientists and research scholars. Research faculty are non-tenure track faculty who focus primarily on research, rather than teaching.
This recommendation comes in response to a report submitted last year by a faculty task force concerning research faculty, The Herald previously reported. According to this report, more than 250 faculty members — the majority of who are in the School of Public Health and the Division of Biology and Medicine — are considered research faculty.
The FEC recommended the creation of “two tracks to reflect the two types of appointments (within research faculty) that already exist but have very heterogeneous titles across the University,” said Kristina Mendicino, chair of the FEC and professor of German Studies.
The purpose of these tracks is to establish a “verbal distinction” that will allow the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and other related offices to “implement some of the changes to benefit promotion structures that are recommended in the reports,” Mendicino explained.
The report recommended creating a clearer advancement path for Brown’s research faculty, as well as providing explanations of expectations and benefits at each level. It also proposed giving assistant, associate and research professors the same level of benefits as provided to tenure-track faculty and staff.
The FEC’s recommendations also outline a plan for the creation of a Research, Promotions and Appointments Committee for research faculty — similar to the existing Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee, which serves tenure track faculty.
RPAC would be structured similarly to TPAC, but the proposed committee include both tenure track faculty and research faculty to review promotion and reappointment actions for research faculty, Mendicino said.
Currently, when research faculty promotion and reappointment cases do come up, TPAC “follows the recommendations of the departments” rather than evaluating cases the same way as tenure track faculty. TPAC’s current caseload of 80 to 96 cases a year does not allow room for more cases concerning research faculty, Mendicino added.
“The purpose of creating this additional review committee would be to ensure that there’s a comparable review procedure in place for research faculty,” she said.
Mendicino also discussed recommendations that were made to the FEC to change the title of lecturers to “teaching professors,” following the example of peer institutions like the University of Chicago and Emory University.
The FEC is also considering the creation of “lecturer days on TPAC” during which distinguished senior lecturers would be elected to join TPAC for the days when promotion and reappointment cases for lecturers are evaluated, Mendicino added.
Though nothing was voted on during the faculty meeting, Mendicino said that motions had begun to be drafted, and that voting may take place during April’s faculty meeting.
Carlos Aizenman ’93, a professor of neuroscience, voiced his support for renaming lecturers to teaching professors, adding that “it better reflects the job that they do … because they do a lot of advising, sometimes even helping run or even running concentrations.”
Aizenman added that he believed distinguished senior lecturers should be allowed to serve as members of TPAC, rather than reserving their participation for “a special day.”
He said lecturers are in “a really good position to help and provide valuable input to TPAC as they are experts in teaching.”
Samah Hamid is a senior staff writer at the Herald. She is from Sharon, Massachusetts and plans to concentrate in Biology. In her free time, you can find her taking a nap, reading, or baking a sweet treat.
