PTL Promotion Process

Dear part-time instructors,

On Friday, January 31, 2020, at the A&S Faculty Assembly, a faculty salary subcommittee announced that A&S has a process by which PTLs can receive promotions. We are therefore writing to spread the word. If you have taught at UofL for at least ten semesters in no fewer than five years, you are eligible to apply for a promotion to Senior Lecturer I or Senior Lecturer II, depending on the rank at which you were hired. The deadline for receiving your materials for a promotion effective in the fall is April 10, 2020.

PTLs can be promoted to two “ranks” beyond Lecturer:

Source document: X-Pay and PTL Rates

As the Guide to Part-Time Faculty Initial Appointment and Promotion explains,

1. Promotion from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer I requires proficient teaching, or, if applicable, service and/or research and creative activity for at least ten semesters in no fewer than five years in the College.
   
   
2. Promotion from Senior Lecturer I to Senior Lecturer II requires exceptional performance in teaching, or, if applicable, in service and/or research and creative activity for at least ten semesters in no fewer than five years in the College.

The English department chair, Dr. Glynis Ridley, and I have consulted with Dr. Susan Ryan, Professor of English and Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs, and have prepared the following guide.

Dr. Ridley and I will also hold an info session on Friday, March 6 at 1 pm in Humanities 208. If you are free, please come with your questions!

Best,
Andrea

Promotion in the English Department: A Guide for Part-Time Instructors

What do I prepare?
Please prepare the following documents to demonstrate evidence of teaching that is proficient (for Senior Lecturer I) or exceptional (for Senior Lecturer II):

1. A cover letter (no more than 3 pages, single- or double-spaced) describing your teaching philosophy and approaches. Feel free to also mention teaching awards, evidence of curriculum development, and/or evidence of research and creative activity.
2. A CV (any format you wish)
3. Syllabi (at least two different ones) documenting different curricular approaches you’ve taken
4. If you have not been observed in the last five years, one observation letter by a member of the Composition Committee or a term/tenured/tenure-track faculty member in English
5. A completed Student Evaluation Summary that tabulates your numerical scores from the last ten semesters
6. PDFs of your student evaluations from the last ten semesters you have taught here
7. Annual Performance Review forms from the last five years. (Linda Baldwin will provide copies for you to upload)

When is the deadline?
For promotions to take effect by fall 2020, promotion files must be submitted to the Dean’s Office by April 30. This means that Dr. Ridley will need to receive your file by April 10, 2020.

For promotions to take effect by spring 2021, Dr. Ridley will need to receive your file by August 31, 2020, so that the Dean’s Office receives it by September 30, 2020.

For promotions to take effect by summer 2021, Dr. Ridley will need to receive your file by December 31, 2020, so that the Dean’s Office receives it by January 31, 2021.

Who is my audience?
First, English Department chair Dr. Ridley will make a recommendation. Then, Dr. Susan Ryan, Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs for A&S will make the final recommendation, unless you want to appeal; there is a process for appealing the recommendation at each stage. For more information, see page 2 of the College Personnel Policy.

How do I arrange for an observation?
Email Linda Baldwin to request an observation. She will notify Dr. Ridley and Dr. Olinger, who will then select a term, tenure-track, or tenured faculty member to observe one of your classes. If there is a particular person whom you would like to recommend, feel free to do so, although we cannot guarantee that this person will be selected.  

Note that if you are submitting materials by August 31 for a promotion effective in the spring semester, you will need to be observed in the first two weeks of the semester. 

Do I need to have received certain scores on the Annual Performance Reviews? The “overall” section allows for ratings of not proficient, proficient, highly proficient, and exceptional.
First off, we recognize that the data consulted for the Annual Performance Reviews are quite limited. Your promotion materials, by contrast, allow for the inclusion of a wider range of materials; you will have more room to make an argument for your teaching in your cover letter and supporting documentation. 

For promotion to Senior Lecturer II, instructors need to demonstrate exceptional teaching. However, it is rare for tenured and tenure-track faculty in the English Department to receive an “exceptional” score. So, if you have received at least some “highly proficient” scores—even if your other scores are “proficient”—you should still consider submitting materials for promotion.   

For promotion to Senior Lecturer I, instructors need to demonstrate proficient teaching, so scores of “proficient” would be appropriate.

Will I be submitting hard or digital copies of my materials?
We think it will be digital, via Interfolio. We will keep you posted. You would receive login information and would then upload and organize all of the materials.

My current rank is Lecturer, but I have taught at UofL for 10 or more years. Can I skip a rank and be promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer II?
Unfortunately, Faculty Affairs does not allow this. Individuals cannot skip over a rank.

Does getting promoted mean I would be on a more stable contract?
Unfortunately, no. Your contract remains the same. But if, for some reason, you don’t teach for a semester or more, you won’t lose your rank when you return. The ten semesters do not need to be consecutive.

Does summer teaching count as a semester?
Yes. Although note that to be eligible for promotion, you have to have held one rank for at least ten semesters in no fewer than five years.

Whom can I approach if I have questions?
Feel free to write Dr. Ridley (glynis.ridley@louisville.edu) or Dr. Andrea Olinger (arolin01@louisville.edu).

Important Documents

A&S Personnel Policy
See page 2 for information on PTL promotion.

Guide to Part-Time Faculty Initial Appointment and Promotion
Caveat: the salary information is out-of-date.

PTL Promotion Timetable
Lists deadlines by which the A&S Dean’s Office should receive material for promotions effective fall, spring, and summer in any given year.

PTL Salary Rates
For Spring 2020-Spring 2021.

Student Evaluation Summary Sheet
To complete for the past five years of your teaching at UofL. Note: This is a PDF form; if you would like a Word version, contact Andrea.

A&S Faculty Affairs
Scroll down the page for the section on PTLs; you will see the documents linked above, as well as benefits informatio.