Faculty are those persons who have accepted and hold appointment to academic rank
or special academic rank.

Academic Ranks are held by persons having the title of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor. These titles denote academic rank exclusively. The title of instructor may also be a title of academic rank at the discretion of the policies and procedures approved for each university; or when included in the description of membership in the relevant Article of a collective bargaining agreement. Faculty holding academic rank are eligible for promotion and tenure.

Special Academic Ranks are held by persons having the following title and the qualification specified:

Instructor: employed to teach and perform other faculty functions as assigned. The title of instructor may be used as a title of academic rank or special academic rank.

Lecturer: employed to teach full- or part-time;

or titles of academic rank preceded by:

Adjunct: employed to teach one or more courses up to 15 credit hours per year, or other academic assignment at less than 50 percent of a full-time appointment;

Affiliate: voluntary faculty service, not employed by the university;

Visiting: employed to perform the faculty functions expected of academic rank for a specific period;

Research: supported primarily by grant funding;

Clinical: special category reserved for practitioners in the health care delivery professions.

These titles denote special academic rank exclusively. The title of instructor may also be a title of special academic rank at the discretion of the policies and procedures approved for each university; or when included in the description of membership in the relevant Article of a collective bargaining agreement.

Special academic rank faculty are not eligible for tenure; but those with special academic rank titles of Research or Clinical are eligible for promotion.

For more detailed information please consult the following documents:

• Blue Book – UAF Policies and Regulations for the Appointment and Evaluation of Faculty, 1997 (ACCFT faculty)
• Blue Book – UAF Policies (PDF - 62K) and Regulations (PDF - 63K) for the Appointment and Evaluation of Faculty 2002, amended 2004 (UNAC faculty)
• BOR Policy section 04.04.04
• Extant collective bargaining agreements applicable to the faculty member