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Section IV: Programs
SACS Comprehensive Standard on Faculty

IV-23.  The institution employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution.  When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, an institution gives primary consideration to a faculty members highest earned degree in accord with the guidelines listed below.  The institution also considers competence, effectiveness and capacity, including, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related work experiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes. The institution is responsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of all its faculty.

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Yes,East Tennessee State University is able to provide a portfolio of evidence supporting compliance.

STATEMENT OF RATIONALE FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

East Tennessee State University recruits and employs faculty, both full-time and part-time, in accordance with its mission and institutional criteria, which are based on SACS guidelines (ETSU Personnel Manual, Guidelines for Filling Faculty Vacancies; ETSU Faculty Handbook, General Employment Practices for Faculty Members; TBR Manual, Personnel Transactions and Recommended Forms; ETSU Mission).  Faculty members at ETSU either meet the degree credential requirements or are approved by exception.  In instances of exceptions, ETSU relies on screening by departmental faculty, chairs, academic deans, and the provost/vice president for academic affairs or vice president for health affairs.  Criteria for the employment of graduate assistants in teaching positions are included in ETSUs credential standards.  In addition, ETSU provides policies and procedures for the ongoing review of credentials and for faculty development.

In order to verify degree credentials, ETSU policy requires official transcripts of the highest degrees earned in the discipline(s) being taught by each faculty member.  In the case of faculty who meet the standard for a discipline or level of instruction based on a degree other than their highest degree (i.e., possess a Ph.D. but are teaching in a discipline based on a master's degree), the requirement for official transcripts is applied to the other degree.  The standards for teaching credentials at ETSU differ by level of instruction, as follows:

• Developmental studies courses: baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to the teaching assignment and have either teaching experience in a discipline related to their assignment or graduate training in remedial education.

• Associate degree courses not designed for transfer to the baccalaureate degree: baccalaureate degree in the teaching discipline or an associate degree and demonstrated competencies in the teaching field.

• Associate degree courses designed for transfer: masters or doctoral degree in the teaching discipline or a masters degree with a concentration (18 graduate semester hours) in the teaching discipline.

• General education and baccalaureate degree courses: masters or doctoral degree in the teaching discipline or a masters degree with a concentration (18 graduate semester hours) in the teaching discipline.

• Graduate and post-baccalaureate courses: doctoral degree or terminal degree in the discipline or a related discipline.

• Graduate teaching assistants: masters in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline with direct supervision by a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training, and planned and periodic evaluations.

In cases of exception, employment must be justified and documented by the originating department and college for review by the ETSU Vice President for Academic Affairs or Health Affairs (ETSU Faculty Appointment Form).  A prospective candidate without the normally accepted credentials (i.e., standards listed above) always must have professional and experiential background to warrant an exception to the appropriate academic credential requirement.  In some cases, qualified faculty are difficult to obtain in some regions, particularly in the disciplines of computer science, information technology (especially electronic graphic design), and the health care and allied health professions.  In these instances, the department or college includes documentation of the national or regional shortage in the discipline and of their efforts to hire qualified faculty.  In instances when a faculty member is granted exception to normally accepted credentials, each academic program ensures that courses assigned to that individual have learning outcomes comparable with courses taught by faculty who possess the standard credentials (ETSU Course Information System).  Prospective faculty members with degrees earned at institutions outside the United States have those degrees analyzed by the department and college dean to ensure that the degrees are equivalent with the preparation provided by regionally accredited institutions in this country. 

At ETSU, exceptions are occasionally granted when a prospective faculty does not meet our accepted standard credentials for a particular level of instruction.  The majority of credential exceptions at ETSU (ETSU Faculty Teaching Credentials System) were granted on the basis of documentation of significant professional experience and competency in the discipline, including possession of licensure or certification in the professional field as specified by accreditation agencies (e.g., physical therapy, nursing, education).  A few exceptions have been granted at ETSU on the basis of significant professional experience for faculty involved in unique degree programs (e.g., Blue Grass & Country Music, Storytelling) that lack national organizations or nationally accepted credential standards.  Exceptions to credentials required for teaching at the graduate level must be reviewed and approved by either the ETSU Graduate Council or the Dean of the ETSU School of Graduate Studies.

In addition to addressing credential standards, the academic department also verifies that each prospective faculty member possesses the English oral and written communication skills necessary to be successful as an instructor (TBR Manual, Faculty Proficiency in Oral and Written English; ETSU Personnel Manual, Evaluation of Oral and Written English Proficiency).  International graduate students who serve as teaching assistants must pass minimum levels on both a TOEFL examination and an institutional assessment of oral and written communication skills (Handbook for Graduate Assistants and Tuition Scholarship Recipients).

All ETSU faculty and their degrees are listed in the ETSU Undergraduate, Graduate, and Quillen College of Medicine catalogs (Faculty Listing) according to degree program responsibilities.  The specific courses and corresponding credentials of faculty teaching at ETSU during spring 2001 are presented in the ETSU Faculty Teaching Credentials System.  Official transcripts and vita of all ETSU faculty members are available in the ETSU Office of Human Resources (Teaching Credential Files).  

The instructional faculty for undergraduate and graduate degree (excluding biomedical sciences) programs at ETSU includes 415 full-time individuals and 250 part-time, adjunct faculty members.  Of the faculty teaching in undergraduate and graduate degree programs, 72.8% have terminal degrees, 26.3% have masters degrees, and less than 1.0% have a bachelors degree or less (hired by exception).  Percentages of professorial rank are 29.4% professor, 32.3% associate professor, 33.7% assistant professor, and 4.6% instructor for faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate classes.  The ETSU James H. Quillen College of Medicine (COM) employs an additional 142 full-time faculty and 47 part-time faculty for its medical and biomedical science degree programs.  Of the COM faculty, 56.5% have the M.D. degree, 41.5% have the Ph.D. degree, and 2.8% have less than the doctorate.  Percentages of professorial rank for the COM faculty are 43% professor, 24.6% associate professor, 31% assistant professor, and 1.4% instructor.  These statistics have been provided by the ETSU Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (Fall 2000 Statistics; ETSU SACS Accreditation, About ETSU, Faculty).  During the past five years, 139 of 146 (95%) faculty members were approved for tenure, and 163 of 181 (90%) were awarded promotion (ETSU Office of the Provost, Tenure and Promotion Statistics).

There are a total of 560 individuals with graduate faculty status at ETSU (ETSU Faculty Handbook, Graduate Faculty Appointment Review); this total includes some administrators not counted in faculty totals.  Graduate faculty status is delineated into four membership designations; for spring 2001, the numbers of faculty and terms of appointment for each category are: 259 full, six-year appointment; 202 associate, three-year; 57 interim, two-year; and 42 temporary, one-semester (Graduate Faculty Status Data; ETSU Faculty Teaching Credential System).  The graduate council reviews initial and renewal applications for graduate faculty status and recommends appointments to the president (ETSU Graduate Council, Minutes).  The dean of the graduate school may award temporary appointments to the graduate faculty for one semester. 

The institution engages in a series of ongoing processes to ensure that faculty and graduate assistants remain competent within the changing nature of academic disciplines.  These processes include the following:

• Annual evaluation of faculty effectiveness (SACS Standard IV-24);

• Summative tenure and promotion reviews (ETSU Faculty Handbook, Policies on Tenure and Promotion);

• Faculty engagement in professional development (SACS Standard IV-25);

• Review of faculty teaching qualifications during the curriculum process (ETSU Curriculum Process Manual);

• Review of faculty teaching qualifications during accreditation and academic program reviews (individual accrediting agencies; ETSU Guidelines for Program Review);

• Review of faculty credentials, including research productivity, by the ETSU Graduate Council for granting of graduate faculty status (ETSU Faculty Handbook, Guidelines for Graduate Faculty Appointment);

• Provision of financial assistance for tuition and fees to complete degrees for full-time faculty without terminal degrees, and/or enrollment in one course per term at no cost (SACS Standard IV-25);

• Credential monitoring of faculty instructing graduate courses by the Dean of the ETSU School of Graduate Studies (SACS Standard IV-17);

• Credential monitoring of graduate teaching assistant assignments by the Dean of the ETSU School of Graduate Studies (Handbook for Graduate Assistants and Tuition Scholarship Recipients); and

• Evaluation of graduate teaching assistants each semester, and provision of faculty mentors and in-service education on the instructional process (Handbook for Graduate Assistants and Tuition Scholarship Recipients).

These processes and policies ensure that faculty competence is continually enhanced, developed, and redefined while also allowing sufficient flexibility for faculty who serve highly specific and unique roles in relation to the university mission.

DOCUMENTATION 

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