Merit and Promotion Review of Academic Federation Research

Titles

Prepared byDaniel Wilson

Chair, Joint Personnel Committee 2008-09

Academic Personnel FAQ for federation titles: academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/AF FAQs/AF FAQs MAIN.htm

Joint Academic Federation/Senate Personnel Committee – contains many useful linksacademicfederation.ucdavis.edu/joint_pc.cfm

Academic Personnel Manual – systemwide and UC Davismanuals.ucdavis.edu/APM/apm-toc.htm

UCOP systemwide APM

UCD Campus APM

Note: Where UCD campus APM exists it generally has more specific information

“Faculty parallel” titles

• Professional Research• Specialist in CE• Agronomist in AES

Expectations in these titles closely track Professor, and there’s a lot of guidance on web pages in addition to what’s on Federation pages, e.g.academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/faq.cfmmanuals.ucdavis.edu/apm/220.htm

Expectations - Professional Researcher

APM 310: Continuous and effective engagement in independent and creative research equivalent to that required for Professor series

RESEARCH• Publications in peer-reviewed journals as first or senior author (Leadership role in publications)• Grants as PI and Co-PI (typically also leadership in collaborative grants)

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY• Presentations at conferences• Participation in professional societies or other educational/research organizations• Offices held in these organizations, editorial boards, etc.• Invited presentations, invited review articles

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE• Expected at the Associate and full rank Professional Researcher (campus committees,

managing departmental facility, government committees, review panels, advisory committees)• Ad hoc teaching contributions (if regular teaching is expected, then should have title that goes

through CAP review)

A word on teaching___________________________________

• Titles under JPC review do not have regular teaching expectation. Expectations dominated by research.

• Teaching review includes CAP, (eg lecturer and adjunct professor)

• Ad hoc teaching contributions by those with research appointments is a valuable University Service. Where teaching is regular expectation of incumbent then title should reflect the role.

Expectations - Specialist in CE

APM 334 - Conducts educational activities and mission oriented research in the area of specialty. Responsible for interpretation, adaptation and transmission of relevant research.

EXTENDING KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION(Quality, quantity, audience and venue)• Talks and presentations, invited presentations, workshops,

newsletters, websites, etc

RESEARCH AND CREATIVE WORK, PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY, UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE

• See Professional Researcher, more or less

Expectations - Agronomist in AES

APM 320 - Appointees in this series have one or more Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). These AES projects are supported by Federal and State funds earmarked for mission-oriented research, both basic and applied, consistent with the mission of the California Agricultural Experiment Station

MISSION ORIENTED RESEARCH AND CREATIVE WORK • Requirements equivalent to Professor and Professional Research series

MISSION ORIENTED OUTREACH• Interaction with local/state/federal agencies, private sector companies; publishing

articles in industry magazines, etc.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY, UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE• See Professional Researcher, more or less

How do reviewers evaluate independence?Independence in research/creative activity is an important criterion for merit and promotion. A candidate must show that he/she has established a productive research program at UC Davis, as opposed to simply a continuation of research associations with previous training programs or colleagues. The candidate must also show that he/she has a cohesive program of research, rather than a mere collection of unrelated papers. Collaboration with colleagues is strongly encouraged, but reviewers will look to see if:  • The candidate's contribution to the body of work is distinct and can be clearly associated

with his/her name • The candidate is sole, first, or corresponding author on a significant number of the papers • The candidate is the Principal Investigator (PI) on funding of a significant number of the

projects in his/her program.

http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/faq.cfm

http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/frequently_asked_questions.htm#Dossier

What is meant by 'research or creative activity'?In the APM, 'research' usually refers to scholarly investigative endeavors, while creative activity usually describes activities in areas of the humanities and the arts, such as music composition/performance, theater and dance, creative writing, etc. Evidence submitted to document achievements in this category include published articles, books, recordings, works of art, videos, etc.

Professional Researcher Project Scientist Specialist

Must demonstrate continuous and effective engagement in independent and creative research activity of high quality and significance, equivalent to that expected of the Professor series. Shall be reviewed with the same rigor accorded to the Professor series. (requires PhD)

Significant, original, and creative contributions to a research or creative project in any academic discipline. Need not demonstrate the same independence or scholarly breadth as members of the Professor or Professional Research series. Expected to have a broader range of knowledge and competency and a higher level of independence than appointees in the Specialist series (requires PhD)

Academic appointees who have an identified area of technical specialization and provide technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with social science research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project, or an outreach project that contains a research component. (MS typical at Asst., PhD - level at Assoc.)

I.e., lead an independent research program equivalent to Prof. expectations

e.g. manage activities in a research lab, or oversee execution of subcomponent of larger project under a PI

e.g. execute specialized research

The Research Titles (81% of JPC actions last year)___________________________________

Expectations - Project Scientist

APM 311 - Significant, original, and creative contribution to a research or creative program

RESEARCH• Publications are expected: Peer-reviewed publications, proceedings, other appropriate peer-

reviewed outlets• First author not required for PS but encouraged to have some

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE• evidence of achievement and leadership in the field and of demonstrated progressiveness in the

development or utilization of new approaches and techniques for the solution of professional problems

• Same types of activities as Prof. Res. apply, though expectations of breadth are less• Invitations to consult with other professional groups may also indicate that one's research or

creative work is recognized and valued nationally and/or internationally

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE• Encouraged but not required

Expectations – Specialist

APM 330 - The Specialist series is used for academic appointees who have an identified area of technical specialization and provide technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with social science research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project, or an outreach project that contains a research component.

RESEARCH• Engage in publishable research - Publications not required but evidence of publishable research as

documented that acknowledge the Specialist contribution, co-authorship in publications• Other Evidence: e.g. letters from collaborators, dissemination of information through

presentations, etc.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE• Participation in professional/technical organizations• Presentations at national/international meetings• Reviewing manuscripts, proposals, etc• Describe efforts to develop new approaches to solve problems in the area of your research

expertise

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE• In agreement with expectations/restrictions specified by funding source

Title and Position Description___________________________________

At appointment, sets expectations for position between candidate & department / research group

JPC reviews proposed Title and the Position Description at appointment for consistency with campus expectations– In many cases, the PD does not match the title, e.g., PD for a Professional

Researcher reads:“The candidate will work under the PI in researchprojects related to…” or “The candidate willassist the PI in writing grants”

Sets expectations for advancement. Reviewers (department and campus) weight review by expectations.

Federation Personnel Actions

• Department Review and Recommendation: – Peer Group: >5 people that can offer an informed and sound review of both the function and

the disciplinary content of the candidate’s performance. Advises the department Chair on the merits of the personnel action. The Chair, in turn, shares the Peer Group’s comments with the department’s Voting Group. The peer comments and department vote are included in the Chair’s letter to the Dean along with a recommendation

– Voting Group: Designated to review and vote on Federation personnel. The basic voting group should include unit members in the same AF title series and Professorial series members. If desired, other AF members of the unit in different research titles can be included.

• Campus Review and Recommendation:– Joint Personnel Committee– Dean’s office

• Approval– Dean or Vice Provost of Personnel

academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/AF FAQs/AF FAQs MAIN.htm

Delegation of Authority___________________________________http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/delegations.cfm

Delegation of Authority___________________________________

Delegation of Authority___________________________________

What makes life easy for review?

• Publications as lead or senior author – published or in press only

• Publications as co-author• Grants as PI• Grants as co-PI & senior personnel• Patents• Acknowledgements• Citations of work

• External Letters at Promotion (a valued measure of the impact of your work)

If productivity doesn’t fit the easy metrics, make sure to demonstrate creative contribution and impact in the personal statement

E.g. leading the activities of a large lab where major research activity is going on but maybe not included as co-author

JPC Summary___________________________________

• Department & JPC Review & Recommend, Dean or Vice Chancellor Approves– Position Description and Title set the standard for expectations at appointment

and for advancement

• Resources on the web help describe the merit review process– Academic federation pages include many FAQs– Academic Senate info applies in general to JPC titles

• Research contributions, creative accomplishments, outreach activities, professional competence and service are evaluated; not just enumerated– Personal statement is highly valued by JPC for helping us understand your role in

activities, especially when traditional metrics don’t capture your contributions