Research/WOT Faculty Appointments in the College of Forest Resources

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In answer to the need for a mechanism for being able to act upon needs and opportunities for research/WOT appointments in the context of overall College direction, the following process has been proposed (and formally adopted by College Council, 12/96; subsequently revised by the Operations Committee, 3/98).

Two general criteria will be used to evaluate the advisability of adding or maintaining any research/WOT position in general and to evaluate actual candidates:

1. Such positions should represent a field for which there is a recognizable long-term need in the College and should expect to help meet the long-term needs of the institution — within the division(s), within the College, and throughout the University — in teaching, research, and/or public service;

2. The prospect for extramural funding of the position should be at least at the level of 50% per year, and should not be at the expense of funding for existing CFR faculty.

Specific steps in the review process include:

1. Prior to identification of a particular person to fill the position, a long-term programmatic need is identified at the divisional level. (Short-term needs are better served by other means, such as research associates ("postdocs") or visiting scientists.)

2. The respective chair brings this need to the Operations Committee for review at the College level of the following issues.

  • Can the need be met by cooperation with other divisions or other campus units?
  • Are there sufficient funding opportunities, currently and for the long-term, to support the position at required levels? The Faculty Code (Sections 24-41 J and K) states that research faculty may be subject to removal for termination of funding as defined by "failure, for a continuous period of more than 12 months, to obtain funding sufficient to provide at least 50% of the faculty member's base annual salary. The University is not obligated to provide replacement funding during lapses of a faculty member's external support."
  • How will needs for institutional commitments accompanying the potential appointment, including space, equipment, computing and networking, be met? It must be recognized at the outset that resources dedicated to this position will not be available for other uses.
  • Are expectations of involvement with students clear? Research/WOT faculty at CFR are expected to serve on graduate student committees and, as part of meeting the institution's needs, to teach each year one course for which there is demonstrable demand. This first course would not be compensated (except in the case of 100% federally funded faculty) but any subsequent courses would be.
  • Are expectations of involvement in the College clear? Research/WOT faculty are expected to make a significant contribution to the intellectual community of the College, participating in its collective endeavors.
  • Are expectations with respect to future tenure clear? Research/WOT faculty cannot be moved into tenured/tenure-track slots. Existing research/WOT faculty are welcome as candidates for any appropriate tenured/tenure-track opening. Similarly, changes in title from research to WOT and vice versa cannot occur without a faculty vote.

3. Upon successful review and College-wide support for the position, an authorization to search for a research/WOT faculty position will be granted by the dean and a search committee appointed by the respective division chair. The first appointment of a research/WOT assistant professor is for a basic period of three years, subject to earlier dismissal for cause. These appointments are subject to the same promotional track as tenure-track faculty, i.e., they may not be reappointed more than once, except that an assistant professor who does not receive promotion in rank must receive a terminal year of appointment. Research appointments at the level of Research Associate Professor and above will be considered annually in CFR.

 

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Page last modified on May 18, 2004