Staffer or professor? Job title proposal advances

The Academic Staff Assembly took a first step this week toward creating professor titles for instructional and research academic staff.

A measure approved Monday gives the Academic Staff Executive Committee the go-ahead to develop assistant and associate professor, professor and distinguished professor titles for instructional academic staff and research academic staff.

More than 1,100 UW–Madison staff members categorized as faculty associates, lecturers and scientists could qualify for a chance at the new titles if the proposal is approved.

With the staff assembly’s blessing, ASEC would submit a proposal to the university administration. If endorsed, the proposal would also need final approval from the UW System Board of Regents.

Many universities already provide non-tenure-track professor titles for academic staff who teach or perform research.

Supporters of the proposal say new titles would give instructional academic staff more opportunity to participate in departmental curriculum decisions and level the playing field for research academic staff submitting grant proposals as principal investigators.

Others say the proposal could create factions between academic staff who would carry the new titles and those who do not; and the titles could create public confusion about staff and faculty.