This article has been corrected from an earlier version to reflect a distinction in titles.
On July 1 of the next fiscal year, UNC could tentatively join the ranks of other institutions in employing a three-tier system for recognizing fixed-term faculty.
This move is a long-awaited step in the right direction in honoring UNC’s fixed-term faculty members’ careers. With the proposed promotional rank, senior lecturers will be able to earn a third title based on exceptional performance.
If the three-tier system is approved by both the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors, a new title of “master lecturer” could become the highest promotion available for fixed-term faculty. Members are already distinguished as “lecturers” and “senior lecturers,” but adding a third level to the system will provide a new level of seniority for professors who have proved to be among the best at UNC.
Contractual benefits and job security for these recognized professors have yet to be determined, but the sheer importance of a distinguished title should not be overlooked.
Titles do hold some weight, and if concrete benefits are potentially added to the rank, there could be further incentive for professors to teach exceptionally.
UNC is behind the curve compared to other institutions in its implementation of the three-tier system, which makes it all the more important that the promotional rank is approved. Without the proposed rank, professors may look toward other schools for higher recognition.
Professors are a main component of UNC’s excellence in education, so UNC should not risk losing valuable faculty by shortchanging those faculty deserving of a higher title.
With more rungs on the fixed-term faculty recognition ladder, achieving seniority can add honor and potentially concrete benefits to a professor’s career.
