Frequently Asked Questions

The Office of Academic Administration is engaged primarily in the following activities:

• Processing and maintaining records for recruitments, appointments, promotion and awarding of tenure for all faculty.
• Processing and maintaining records for all appointments of Fellows
• Maintaining records for the appointments for all associate staff.
• Implementing and at least ensuring compliance to all System, Campus and School policies that relate to faculty or fellows.
• Serving as an information source for the dean's office, departmental staff and outside agencies, providing demographic and approved salary reporting of faculty related to rank and tenure status.
• Maintaining the AAMC Faculty Roster System

The Faculty Appointment Information Sheet (FAIS) must accompany all new appointment requests, as well as all reappointments or promotions that involve a change in salary. The FAIS must be completed in full and signed by the chair. A Sample FAIS is available with instructions on how to complete the form.

A faculty member must be classified as geographic full-time (GFT) if he/she is a full-time UMB faculty member and is a practicing clinician who is eligible to be paid directly by the practice plan to make up their full compensation OR if he/she is a full-time UMB faculty member and will be paid directly by the VA (VA 8ths) to make up their full compensation.

Classifying as GFT=YES on the Faculty Appointment Information Sheet (FAIS) and the ePAF form entitles the faculty member to full-time University benefits as long as a portion of the pay is paid through the eUMB system (UMB Campus accounts).

If, at some point, the faculty member formally changes status to true part-time faculty appointment, the GFT status should be revised to GFT=NO on the FAIS and the ePAF form. Non-clinicians are not eligible for GFT status UNLESS they are paid a portion of their salary by the VA (VA 8ths).

If a faculty member is placed on the tenure track, and they are successfully renewed through the end of their clock, they are guaranteed a formal review for tenure within the department. Only full-time faculty at the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor can be placed on the tenure track.

The length of the clock depends on what rank the faculty member is when placed on the tenure track

• Nine years if initially appointed as an Assistant Professor.
• Four years if initially appointed as an Associate Professor or Professor.

Once a tenure track faculty is renewed through the ninth or fourth year of his/her clock, there are several options at the point of formal review:

• Recommend promotion and the awarding of tenure.
• Recommend awarding of tenure only (Associate Professor and Professor ranks only).
• Recommend promotion and switch to non-tenure track.
• Recommend a switch to the non-tenure track remaining at the same rank.
• Notify faculty member of termination at end of tenth or fifth year (guaranteed terminal year).

Under the School's APT Policy, effective July 1, 1998, tenure track faculty can be promoted in rank prior to being reviewed for tenure. While the ranks can change, the initial tenure track clock (nine or four years) is not affected. Also, there is nothing to prevent a faculty member from being forwarded for tenure earlier in their clock; if denied, their clock is unaffected.

Because tenure track reviews are so strictly dictated in the policy, formal notices are sent periodically directly from the Dean to the Chair regarding renewal/non-renewal and formal tenure reviews.

NO. Fellows cannot be promoted to a paid faculty position. You will need to follow the procedures for a new faculty appointment.

The USM Policy on Appointment, Rank, and Tenure of Faculty states that it is expected that a faculty member stay to the end of their current term of appointment unless mutually agreed otherwise in writing.

If, in order to protect programs and allow for transition, your department chair wishes to establish defined standards for notice of resignation based on this policy, it is recommended that the Dean’s Office and UMB Legal Counsel be contacted for guidance.