2.8 Faculty

Commission Standard: The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution. The institution has adequate faculty resources to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs.

Status: In Compliance

Rationale: In 2003 Western employed 650 full-time and 477 part-time faculty. Our current student/faculty ratio is approximately 20:1. Over 70% of Western's classes are taught by full-timers. Here is a snapshot of Western's fall 2003 full-time faculty:

                   Rank                  Number                 %Tenured                   % Terminal Degrees

                  Professor                163                           99.4                                  98.8

                  Associate                155                           83.2                                  87.1

                  Assistant                 198                           11.1                                  76.3

                  Instructor                123                             0                                       6.5

                  No rank                    11                             0                                     27.3

                  Totals                      650                           48.2                                  70.5

Western is committed to maintaining a faculty of sufficient abilities and numbers to ensure high-quality academic programs. A staffing challenge has developed in recent years as the university's student population has grown rapidly in response to the Kentucky CPE's ambitious enrollment growth goals .

Unfortunately, this state-driven enrollment growth has not been accompanied by promised funding. As a result, the university has seen its reliance on part-time faculty increase by 25 percent within in the past five years in an effort to meet enrollment demands. Likewise, our student-faculty ratio has increased from 17:1 to 20:1. Western has responded with an accelerated faculty staffing plan. In the first phase the university hired more full-time temporary (non-tenure track) instructors instead of adding part-time teachers. The second phase was a commitment to hire more full-time, tenure-track faculty. Accordingly, in October 2003, the board of regents approved a new fee plan that included provisions for creating 30 new full-time, tenure-track positions in the areas most affected by unfunded growth.

The 30 new FT positions thus approved for fall 2004 address the institution's most pressing needs (e.g., six positions went to Western's community college, four to the rapidly expanding Social Work program, and others for a variety of programs, especially those involved in general education and extended campus delivery).

In April 2004, the board of regents approved a tuition and fee plan that includes another approximately 25 new faculty positions.

These aggressive measures are designed to improve academic staffing, although the project will require continued commitment and resources over a period of years for full implementation.

Western also considers faculty diversity as part of its overall staffing plan. The institution continues to meet its objectives in the Kentucky Plan for Equal Opportunities for hiring and retaining African-American faculty. In the most recent Kentucky Plan report, Western shows 33 African-American faculty, representing 5.6% of total faculty, exceeding the university objective of 3.8%. Since the implementation of the current strategic plan, Challenging the Spirit , African-American faculty has grown steadily.

Western also looks at the overall diversity of its faculty, and there too has achieved continuous improvement. The percentage of minority and other non-white faculty has grown steadily, from 8.6% in the fall 1998 to 13.7% in the fall 2003. Likewise, the percentage of female faculty members grew from 37.0% to 40.5% in the same period.

The quality of Western's faculty is ensured by mandatory course evaluations and review processes including an annual review of all faculty and a post-tenure review for tenured professors. Faculty teaching graduate courses must meet additional requirements and be approved by a faculty-dominated graduate council for graduate faculty membership, which is reviewed on a periodic basis. In general, faculty at the various ranks must meet these criteria:

Professor

A minimum of 5 years' service at the rank of associate professor,

Demonstrated achievement appropriate for this rank in teaching effectiveness, research/creative activity, and university/public service.

Associate Professor

A minimum of 5 years' service at the rank of assistant professor,

Demonstrated achievement appropriate for this rank in teaching effectiveness, research/creative activity, and university/public service.

Master's degree plus advanced graduate study equivalent to all courses except dissertation (ABD) in the appropriate discipline,

        A minimum of ten years' service at the rank of assistant professor,

Demonstrated achievement appropriate for this rank in teaching effectiveness, research/creative activity, and university/public service.

 

A minimum of 3 years' service at the rank of instructor (may be waived for persons holding the doctorate),

Demonstrated achievement appropriate for this rank in teaching effectiveness, research/creative activity, and university/public service.

Instructor

Graduate faculty are appointed with the approval of the Graduate Council on the basis of teaching recommendations from their deans and department heads and a portfolio of evidence submitted by the candidates themselves for the following terms:

Adjunct membership term by term or course by course,

not to exceed 2 years

Regular graduate faculty must

hold an appropriate terminal degree in the teaching field,

hold the rank of associate professor or above,

have at least 3 years' full-time teaching experience at the senior college or graduate level,

have a solid record of effective teaching,

present a record of high-quality scholarly and creative achievement,

have a history of acceptable university and public service.

 Associate graduate faculty must

hold an appropriate terminal degree in the teaching field,

hold the rank of assistant professor or above,

have at least 1 year's full-time teaching experience at the senior college level or provide evidence of appropriate related experience,

show evidence of effective teaching,

present evidence of high-quality scholarly and creative achievement,

be involved in university and public service.

Adjunct members must meet the requirements for associate or regular membership or present equally notable qualifications based on education and experience specific to the assignment. Appointees approved on the basis of professional experience must be recognized for their high-quality contributions to their field of expertise and must be able to share knowledge that reflects the viewpoint of the professional practitioner.

Western's Office of Academic Affairs keeps the central file of faculty credentials. Using the Southern Association's latest reporting template, we have compiled a complete roster of full-time, teaching/administrative, part-time, and graduate teaching assistant faculty for the spring, summer and fall terms of 2004.

Western's Academic Program Review process helps adjust current faculty to present demands as department heads and deans develop annual staffing plans based on credit hour production, class sizes, full-time/part-time ratios, and estimated needs. Faculty workloads are monitored by Institutional Research in periodic workload reports.

Additional confirmation of the quality of Western's faculty and programs comes from agencies other than SACS that have accredited our programs (See accredited programs and the corresponding accrediting agencies).

Western also is a member in good standing of these associations:

American Council on Education

American Association of State Colleges and Universities

Institute of International Education

Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions