Received from Leslie Bernstein, Senior Associate
Dean for Faculty Affairs 5/09/00
Posted by Peter Heseltine, Secretary MFA on 5/09/00
DRAFT - DRAFT Clinical Scholars DRAFT - DRAFT
Proposal: To create a Clinical Scholar designation,
and a Clinical Educator designation, for faculty not on the tenure track.
Rationale:
The Academic Senate task force has recommended the
following (as summarized by the Senate leadership):
A “clinical
scholar” designation should be available to those physicians on the non-tenure-track
who have gained high scholarly distinction in their fields without fitting
into the traditional profile of tenure.The
designation would be based on a process as rigorous as used for tenure,
to ensure the value of the honor.Such
individuals would be called professors (there is longstanding practice
of flexibility on title usage in the non-tenure-track) but will be appointed
on the non-tenure-track (in accordance with existing Faculty Handbook policies.)They
should have rolling contracts that will guarantee a portion of their salary
.
Faculty in clinical departments have increasing
demands on their time to create and maintain a successful clinical practice,
in addition to the demands on their time related to teaching, other service
activities and research.As a result,
many focus their research in the clinical arena where they spend most of
their time. Many of these faculty do not have enough time in their academic
profiles dedicated to scholarship to allow them produce the volume and
depth of work needed to achieve tenure.The
award of tenure requires that a faculty member establish his/her expertise
as a leader in an area of research by significantly advancing that research
field and that the faculty member’s accomplishments be acknowledged nationally
(at the associate professor level) and internationally (at the professor
level).
The Keck School of Medicine has a number of distinguished faculty in clinical
departments who have not achieved tenure.
In
the future, others will be hired with an activity profile that restricts
the faculty member’s ability to develop a focused research program that
has the potential of putting the faculty member at the head of his/her
field.
Purpose:
The purpose of the Clinical Scholar designation
is to provide a legitimate basis for appointing and recognizing the scholarly
accomplishments of professors whose academic profiles do not permit sufficient
effort to be devoted to research scholarship to allow them to meet the
standards for the award of tenure at the University of Southern California.These
standards include the expectation that faculty granted tenure will be at
the frontiers of science.
The Clinical Scholar designation is not a replacement for the Tenure Track.
Faculty
in clinical departments who are at the frontiers of science will continue
to be appointed on the Tenure Track and recognized for their accomplishments
through the award of tenure.
Background:
This track is modeled on the Clinical Scholar track
that was initiated approximately 15 years ago at the University of Chicago.It
is recognized that a similar model is being used at a number of medical
schools throughout the US.
Requirements:
Faculty members who are appointed and promoted with
the Clinical Scholar designation will be those who are scholars in the
application of science to clinical care. These faculty will be expected
to have a strong focus in scholarly activities and education despite their
clinical responsibilities.
The Clinical Scholar designation will require high standards of accomplishment
and rigorous review by the same faculty bodies and administrative officers
that now review tenure-track and tenured appointments and promotions.
The
designation will be awarded by the Provost.
Requirements related to time in rank to achieve the Clinical Scholar
designation will be identical to those in effect at the University for
the Tenure Track. Review and promotion decision will be mandatory in year
6 for an assistant professor. Years in rank as an assistant professor at
another institution will be counted up to a maximum of three (3) years.Faculty
joining USC at the associate or full professor rank will have the same
number of years for review and award of the Clinical Scholar designation
that faculty on the Tenure Track do in order to achieve the award of tenure.
Faculty who receive the Clinical Scholar designation will be expected
to participate fully in the affairs of their departments and the University,
and to provide special leadership in clinical affairs.
We will encourage department chairs to issue multi-year rolling contracts
whenever appropriate and feasible for faculty members who are appointed
or promoted to associate professor or professor with the Clinical Scholar
designation.If the department’s
financial resources permit such a commitment, we recommend that such contracts
be for up to 3 years at the associate professor level and for up to 5 years
at the professor level.A rolling
contract is one that is considered for extension on an annual basis.A
faculty member with a 3 year rolling contract would have 2 years of continuing
employment with the University if the contract was not to be renewed in
any given year and a faculty member with a 5 year rolling contract would
have 4 years of continuing employment with the University if the contract
was not to be renewed in any given year.
Faculty title
Faculty members who receive the Clinical Scholar
designation will be permitted to use the titles professor or associate
professor of [appropriate department] without modification.
Implementation:
We propose to implement this designation on July 1,
2000.
At the time that the designation is implemented,
we will consider that our current Clinical Track faculty are eligible for
the Clinical Educator designation.We
expect that some of our current Clinical Track faculty may wish to be considered
for designation as Clinical Scholar.Faculty
members who wish to do so can apply to their Department Chair for consideration
for this designation.Department
Chairs and the appropriate departmental faculty committee will make the
decision as to whether the faculty member qualifies for consideration for
this designation, based on the faculty member’s accomplishments and activity
profile.
Such changes in designation will
be allowed for the next 3 years to accommodate the time required of departmental
resources in compiling a dossier,
ad hoc review, review by the School’s
Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee, review by the University
Committee on Appointments, Promotions and Tenure and review by the Provost.
Assistant professors appointed in the future on
the Tenure Track may, on the basis of their third year review, be considered,
as provided in the Faculty Handbook, for transfer to the Non-Tenure Track
as candidates for the Clinical Scholar designation.
Assistant professors appointed in the future on the Non-Tenure-Track may
be identified as candidates for Clinical Scholar designation at the time
of appointment, and at any other time through year 3, by their Department
Chairs. For all such candidates, a year 3 review will be conducted to determine
whether the faculty member is progressing satisfactorily toward Clinical
Scholar designation at the end of year 6. With the approval of the Provost,
candidates may be identified after year 3.
For assistant professors appointed in the future on the Tenure Track,
a year 3 review will be conducted to determine whether the faculty member
is creating a profile that is more likely to lead to success on the Tenure
Track or as a candidate for Clinical Scholar.In
no event may the choice whether to be a candidate for Tenure or Clinical
Scholar designation be delayed beyond the end of year 4 unless specifically
authorized by the Provost.
Candidates for Clinical Scholar on the Non-Tenure Track remain subject
to annual appointment or nonreappointment as Non-Tenure-Track faculty.
Faculty on the Tenure Track who are not granted
tenure have no entitlement to be designated Clinical Scholar, but may be
notified of nonreappointment pursuant to the notice provisions of the Faculty
Handbook covering probationary faculty.
Faculty members who have the Clinical Educator designation will not
have a fixed time line required for promotion.They
will continue to be considered for reappointment on a year-to-year basis
as defined by the Faculty Handbook.Their
activity profiles will emphasize teaching (medical students, residents,
and fellows) as well as service (including clinical activities).They
will be expected to participate in some scholarly activity but will not
be expected to be a leader in that activity.Their
titles will retain the clinical modifier:
Professor
of Clinical ______________(department name)
Associate
Professor of Clinical ___________(department name)
Assistant
Professor of Clinical ___________(department name)