The faculty classification of an appointee may affect eligibility for certain administrative positions and responsibilities. Schools should carefully consider both Indiana University policy and IU Indianapolis guidance when appointing faculty members to leadership roles.

Clinical and Lecturer Faculty in Administrative Roles

Under BOT-07, Regulation of Clinical and Lecturer Faculty, clinical and lecturer faculty generally may not be appointed to positions at or above the level of department chair without approval from the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.

Positions Clinical and Lecturer Faculty May Hold Without Special Approval

Clinical and lecturer faculty may serve in positions such as:

• Course Coordinator
• Program Director

In addition, under IU Indianapolis policy, clinical and lecturer faculty may serve in many assistant dean and associate dean roles that do not involve responsibility for academic affairs as defined below.

Positions Requiring Tenure-Track Status

Certain administrative positions require a tenure-track or tenured faculty appointment because they involve oversight of the academic mission and evaluation of other faculty.

At IU Indianapolis, tenure-track status is required for:

• Department Chairs
• Associate or Assistant Deans for Academic Affairs
  
• Other administrative positions with substantial responsibility for academic affairs

For purposes of this guidance, academic affairs responsibilities generally include authority for one or more of the following:

• Faculty appointments;
• Faculty promotion, tenure, or annual review processes;
• Approval of new courses;
• Approval of new degree programs;
• Academic program review; or
• Other duties that directly affect the academic mission of the unit.

Faculty Review Responsibilities

As a general principle:

• Clinical and lecturer faculty may supervise, review, or evaluate other clinical or lecturer faculty when appropriate.
• Clinical and lecturer faculty may not serve in roles that require formal review, evaluation, promotion, or tenure decisions for tenure-track faculty.

Similarly, staff employees may serve in assistant dean positions, but positions involving responsibility for academic affairs should normally be assigned to eligible tenure-track faculty.

Structuring Positions Filled by Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

When a clinical or lecturer faculty member is appointed to an administrative position, the position description should be written carefully to ensure that responsibilities remain consistent with university policy.

Responsibilities assigned to non-tenure-track faculty should generally exclude:

• Faculty appointment authority;
• Faculty promotion or tenure review responsibilities;
• Formal annual review authority for tenure-track faculty;
• Approval authority for new academic degrees; and
• Approval authority for new academic courses. 

Guidance from IU Indianapolis Faculty Guide 

Associate Dean:

The duties of an academic appointee as associate dean may be part-time, and the title can be used only in conjunction with a full-time academic [i.e. non-staff] appointment. This is a title used within a school or other academic unit, which is the “appointing unit.” It is not itself a classification.  

This position is associated with oversight for administrative work such as teaching, research, civic engagement, student services, financial management, development and so forth. Specific duties are identified for each area of responsibility, such as associate dean for research, for undergraduate studies, for academic affairs, for financial affairs, for external affairs, for development, for technology services, for clinical programs, for civic engagement, and so forth.  

Classification:

In general, the appointment may be a full-time academic appointee as lecturer, professor (any rank), clinical professor (any rank), research professor (any rank), or academic specialist or may be a mix of academic and faculty appointment, such as an academic specialist with a part-time co-appointment as a lecturer or assistant or associate professor. In such cases, the associate dean status may be indicated by an additional title only.  

In the special case of an associate dean for academic affairs, the rank of tenured associate or full professor is required. Academic Affairs includes full or partial responsibility for academic appointments, promotion, tenure, or annual review of other academic appointees, new course or degree approval, program review, or other functions that directly impact the academic mission of the unit.  

Qualifications: 

A tenured faculty appointment is required for an associate dean for academic affairs (or other associate dean position with responsibility for academic affairs as defined above). The master’s degree is the minimum academic credential for all associate dean titles. Other requirements appropriate to the particular responsibilities of the associate dean may be added by the school.

Assistant Dean: 

Specific duties are identified for each area of responsibility, such as assistant dean for development, for resource management, for facilities, for advising, or for student services. This position/title may be used for administrative duties associated with the coordinating and management functions of the school. 

Classification: 

The Assistant Dean position may be posted as either an academic position or a professional staff position (Exempt-Individual Contributor or People Leader). If a position is to be Exempt (Individual Contributor or People Leader), it must be at the appropriate rank. If it is an academic appointment, the appointee must qualify for an academic classification. In the instance of academic appointments, the appointee must have a full-time appointment in an academic classification; duties as Assistant Dean may be part-time in combination with other academic responsibilities.  

Qualifications:

If position is to be Exempt (Individual Contributor or People Leader), then consultation with Human Resources must be held in order to create the position at the appropriate level. If position is to be academic, the expected academic credential associated with the position is minimally a master’s degree. (If the academic specialist classification is used for the position, a master’s degree is required.) However, in some cases, exceptions will be made for candidates holding only a baccalaureate, based on the duties of the position and relevant past experience of the candidate; in these instances, the appointment will be as an Exempt (Individual Contributor or People Leader).