A. Faculty Rank

Faculty members at all ranks are expected to demonstrate a foundational commitment to Jesus Christ and the mission of Rochester University. Faculty members seeking promotion must follow the application procedures outlined in the following section of the handbook. Promotions require satisfactory evaluation in all areas, as outlined in the subsequent pages. Additionally, each rank has minimum requirements regarding academic preparation and years of service. The requirements assume full-time faculty status. 

1. Instructor/Librarian I: This rank is reserved for new faculty. Persons with a Master's degree or appropriate portfolio but no teaching and/or librarian experience may be hired at this level.  Persons hired at this rank must demonstrate potential to be good teachers and/or librarians at the university level.
2. Assistant Professor/ Librarian II: This rank requires a Master's degree and five years of teaching and/or librarian experience, or a terminal degree. (For the rank of Librarian II, a second Master’s degree is an acceptable alternative to a terminal degree.) Demonstrated progress in teaching, service, and scholarly or artistic work. The length of time spent in this rank is normally five years.
3. Associate Professor/Librarian III: The rank of Associate Professor requires a terminal degree and at least five years as an Assistant Professor at a regionally accredited institution. The rank of Librarian III requires a terminal degree program or a second Master’s degree and five years at the Librarian II rank at a regionally accredited college or university.  The ranks of Associate Professor and Librarian III require demonstrated success and maturity in teaching, service, and scholarly or artistic work. The length of time spent in this rank is normally five years.
4. Professor/Librarian IV: The rank of Professor requires a terminal degree and 10 years of full-time, tenure-track collegiate teaching experience with at least five of those years at the rank of Associate Professor. The rank of Librarian IV requires a second terminal degree in addition to a Master’s in Library Science (or its equivalent), and 10 years of full-time collegiate library experience, and five years at the rank of Librarian III. In addition, persons being considered for promotion to this level must have distinguished themselves in the classroom and/or library as demonstrated by evaluations, course experience surveys, and demonstrated success and maturity in teaching, service, and scholarly or artistic work.