College of Veterinary Medicine Transition document (attachment for the proposal)

CVM Response to CAPP review

CAPP Review

Posted October 30, 2025

College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Professor Proposal

Posted: October 10, 2025

Teaching Professor Title Implementation Vote Results

Results Participation rate Total faculty: 77.1%

Tenure Track: 75.4%

RTE: 79.2%

1. The proposal must be approved by at least two thirds of tenure-track faculty who cast a vote. 88%
2. The number of positive tenure-track faculty votes must represent at least half of the tenure track faculty, whether they vote or not (i.e. an abstention is equivalent to a negative vote). 75%
3. The proposal must be approved by at least two thirds of Research, Teaching and Extension faculty who have voting privileges and who cast a vote. 98%
4. The number of positive Research, Teaching and Extension faculty votes must represent at least half of the Research, Teaching and Extension faculty who have voting privileges, whether they vote or not (i.e. an abstention is equivalent to a negative vote). 79%Draft guidelines for appointment, career development, and promotion for faculty in teaching professor TitlesCollege of Veterinary Medinice Cornell UniversityMay 2025
   ‌Table of Contents‌ContentsTable of Contents 1Part 1: Overview of Positions 2Part 2: Functions and responsibilities 2Part 3: Distribution of positions within the college 2Part 4: Appointment to Assistant Teaching Professor 3Part 5: Appointment to Associate or Full Teaching Professor 4Part 6: Procedures for renewal and promotion 4Part 7: Voting and Other Rights 9Part 8: Grievance Procedures 10Appendix A 11APRIL 29, 2025‌Part 1: Overview of Positions‌The College of Veterinary Medicine proposes the use of the title ‘Professor of Teaching’ to recruit and retain outstanding teaching faculty with significant, high-level teaching experience in veterinary medicine, public health, medicine, biomedical or other sciences. This proposal is enabled by the recent adoption of the Professor of Teaching titles by the Faculty Senate.
   These individuals are expected to enrich the experience of our students by providing a truly excellent curriculum in our fields of veterinary medicine, public health, and, in some instances, undergraduate and graduate education.
   The title is relevant to be competitive with our peers in recruitment and retention of excellent teaching faculty, and to represent more accurately the complex roles played by our faculty. This is not a mechanism to replace tenured or tenure track faculty.‌Part 2: Functions and responsibilities‌Teaching Professor titles will have ranks commensurate with qualifications, including assistant, associate, and full teaching professor.
   The teaching professor titles are available only for long term, non-tenure-track faculty members whose efforts are devoted primarily to the teaching mission of the university. Assistant, associate, and full teaching professors are expected to achieve a high level of professional expertise in their field to substantially contribute to their program’s educational mission. Teaching professors at higher ranks can demonstrate impact inside and outside the university through activities such as pedagogical innovation, curriculum development, and/or leadership roles. Consistent with their rank and local needs, teaching professors are also expected to contribute to teaching-related service, especially in areas that concern advising, mentoring, curriculum, and the management of degree programs.Although some overlap between titles is unavoidable, in general clinical professors are those who see patients and working in the hospital, anatomic or clinical pathology; research professors have discovery as the majority of their effort; while professors of practice have usually been in the field, industry, or practice setting and come to academics to teach. Lecturers and senior lecturers also have a heavy teaching load but may not be full-time or long-term appointments such as the teaching professor.
   Although research and practice (whether clinical veterinary or public health) are not duties associated with teaching professor titles, there certainly might be opportunity for some participation in these areas. For example, engaged learning/teaching approaches do involve elements of applied research and practice. These kinds of engaged activities can be performed by faculty holding these titles if there is a connection to their pedagogy and contingent upon the approval of the chair. However, research activity must not be required for appointment, reappointment, or promotion along the teaching professor track.
   ‌Part 3: Distribution of positions within the college‌The distribution of positions within the CVM is currently based on university approved standards where the sum of all RTE positions including teaching professors (and clinical professors, research professors, professors of practice, lecturers, senior lecturers, senior research associates, and seniorextension associates) are less than or equal to 45% of the tenure-track appointments within the college. Furthermore, the College of Veterinary Medicine remains steadfast in its commitment to keep tenure-track appointments in each section/unit/department. For this reason, regardless of the cap percentages, there must be no decrease in the number of tenure-track appointments.
   ‌Part 4: Appointment to Assistant Teaching Professor‌
   1. Nature of search: A formal, rigorous national/international search will be conducted in the manner employed for other faculty appointments. Searches will be conducted by the department in which the appointment will be made, with oversight from the dean and associate dean for academic affairs. Waiver of search will require approval of the dean of the college and the associate vice provost for the Office of Institutional Equity.
   2. Credentials: For the veterinary curriculum, teaching professor faculty will, ideally, hold aD.V.M. or equivalent degree, possibly including specialty boards (if necessary for the course material, and if applicable/available) or demonstrated expertise in the appropriate discipline where specialty boards are either not needed or present/available. In some circumstances, individuals holding an MS, Ph.D., D.D.S. and/or M.D. degrees may also be appointed. For the public health curriculum, teaching professor faculty will hold a Ph.D., or MPH with extensive teaching experience. Teaching professor faculty might also hold a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or D.V.M. degree or equivalent in a related field.
   3. Levels of approval for individual appointments: Creation of new positions and appointment of individuals to teaching professor titles will require review and input by the departmental faculty and approval by the department chair and dean.
   4. Length of appointments: Initial appointment of assistant teaching professors will be for 3 years. Following a rigorous departmental performance review of the first 3 years, the assistant teaching professor may be re-appointed for an additional 3 years. Promotion to associate teaching professor is normally initiated at the beginning of the 6th year. Assistant teaching professors, at the discretion of the department chair and the dean, may be reappointed at 3-year intervals as an assistant professor, subject to positive annual reviews and programmatic needs.Associate teaching professor (either newly appointed or promoted from assistant teaching professor) will be reviewed for reappointment every 5 years. Appointments may be renewed repeatedly as legislated in the University Faculty Handbook.
   5. Possibilities for movement between faculty career paths: In the initial phase upon activation of the teaching professor titles, faculty members holding other titles who wish to be considered for appointment as teaching professor would have a one-time opportunity to make an application after consultation with their department chairperson and approval from the dean. In consultation with the departmental faculty, the chair would determine whether such a change in title is compatible with departmental goals and strategies. If the department is in support of the change in title, the candidate would work with the chair to compile a dossier documenting academic accomplishments like that prepared for other appointments and promotion decisions as appropriate for the level of appointment. The application would be considered, discussed and voted upon by associate and full tenure track faculty and the associate and full RTE professors of the appropriate department. The

department chair would make a recommendation to the dean, who may appoint an ad hoc committee for advice. The dean would then make a final decision regarding the appointment. Unsuccessful applicants will retain their current titles without modification of their appointments.

Faculty members in either RTE or tenure-track appointments may apply for open positions in another track for which they are qualified. Should a teaching professor seek to change titles, and a position is open, they may apply and be considered.

‌Part 5: Appointment to Associate or Full Teaching Professor‌

The initial appointment to the faculty of a highly qualified person who is already credited with significant achievements may be at the rank of associate teaching professor or even full teaching professor. Such appointments will be for five years with a formal review at the beginning of the 5th year. If this is positive, it is normal to be reappointed to associate or full teaching professor for up to 5 years. If the outcome is negative, the faculty member should be given appropriate notice. Basic criteria and specific criteria are set by each unit/department but must include a designated level of achievement and proficiency in a specialty area.

To be considered for appointment as a full teaching professor, candidates shall have significant teaching experience (10 years) and expertise in this area to assist the College in meeting its programmatic needs for teaching. Needs for clinical skills or scholarly activity/research will typically fall under other title families. Required degrees, qualifications, or experience shall be determined by the appointing unit/department.

‌Part 6: Procedures for renewal and promotion‌

1. Reappointment as Assistant Teaching Professor: Most commonly, a new hire entering a teaching professor academic career path is given a three-year appointment at the assistant teaching professor level. The faculty member must review his or her progress each year with the unit director/department chairperson or designate and should receive written feedback. In the third year, a thorough performance review that includes endorsement of the unit/departmental faculty (all associate and full RTE professors and tenured associate and full professors) by vote is conducted. For this review the candidate will provide a statement outlining accomplishments in teaching- including a portfolio if appropriate-, service, and/or engaged activities if required/appropriate, and curriculum vitae. The unit director/chair will forward the vote(s) and their recommendation(s) to the dean. If the outcome is positive, it is normal for renewal for a second three-year term to be recommended by the unit director/chair for approval by the dean.
   If the outcome of the three-year review is negative such that reappointment is not approved, the faculty member should be given appropriate notice.
2. Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor:
   1. Basic criteria: The basic criteria for promotion are excellence in carrying out the responsibilities of the position and promise of continued achievement. Facultyevaluation will consider the specific position’s responsibilities described in the faculty member’s appointment letter, as modified during periodic reviews. Allteaching professors have an obligation to contribute to their discipline and to the wellbeing of the academic community through college and university service.
      Promotion to the rank of associate teaching professor usually occurs after completion of two terms as an assistant teaching professor, though in some cases existing RTE faculty or new hires might move directly into this title (see title transition document for a one-time ability to move into the teaching professor title series). In most cases, the candidate will be reviewed for promotion during the sixth year in the track, typically during the third year of the second term of appointment as an assistant teaching professor. With approval of the dean, the length of the period prior to review can be shorter, depending on the experience of the individual before the initial appointment as assistant teaching professor.
   2. Specific criteria: Evidence of excellence must be present in all aspects of theperson’s academic discipline. Successful candidates for promotion or appointment to associate teaching professor should demonstrate significant contributions to the advancement of their academic discipline/degree program, teaching innovation, university community service, and academic leadership to varying extents depending on the specific terms of their position. The relative amounts of classroom didactic vs community-engaged vs laboratory or clinical instruction, and effort dedicated to veterinary, public health, undergraduate, and postgraduate teaching will also vary among individuals and departments. More details of the specific criteria follow (Note that lists are meant to be illustrative, and successful performance is not limited to these criteria.):
      1. Innovations in teaching, course development
      2. Professional development in teaching techniques and pedagogical theory
      3. Scholarship in their discipline through the creation and the dissemination of new knowledge related to the educational process.
      4. Impact related to their discipline through the provision of meaningful deliverables that meet the needs of non-academic partners/constituents, typically through engaged learning approaches
      5. Involvement of students/trainees in scholarship and engaged activities as appropriate
      6. Recognition within their discipline by invitation to speak at national and/or international conferences
      7. Teaching
         1. This should include a list of all courses taught (including the credit hours allocated). Accordingly, this would include any supervision of individual projects. Also relevant is any role the candidate has played in curriculum development, or in participation in summer college courses, or continuing education offerings. Department peer-review teaching evaluations should be included if available. All student evaluations should be in a summary format and included in the promotion dossier along with department or collegecomparisons of numerical data
      8. Classroom teaching
         1. Classroom teaching may include lectures, seminars, laboratories, discussion sessions, and workshops. Special consideration should be given to new and innovative teaching methods, and the development of new courses, programs and curricula, or to teaching that requires unusually intensive involvement. Examples of involvement outside the classroom would include preparation of complex laboratories or community-engaged teaching methods which require considerable management of relationships with non-academic partners. Examples of highly intense classroom-based instruction could include courses that are particularly heavy in writing, or iterative processes of review and revision. Included in this section is a summary of the candidate’s involvement in classroom teaching and presenting continuing education for veterinarians and other health professionals, if appropriate.
      9. Clinical teaching
         1. Clinical teaching may involve lectures, demonstration, and one-on-one or small group teaching of professional degree students in a clinical setting. Student evaluations, if available, should be included.
      10. Postgraduate teaching
          1. Postgraduate teaching may include contributing to an internship or residency program, resident training, and professional/graduate student or fellowship training. Documentation of the excellence of the candidate’s postgraduate teaching should be provided by residents, interns, other clinical trainees and professional/graduate students, if applicable. Such evaluations of the candidate by trainees should concentrate on the candidate and their role as a mentor for clinical, practical, professional and scholarly activities.
      11. Outreach Teaching/ Educating the Stakeholder
          1. This category applies to teaching duties performed outside Cornell University.
          2. evidence of excellence in outreach teaching may include:
          3. A detailed description of the candidate’s outreach efforts including a statement of the goals for the program and a description of the audience served.
          4. Documentation of materials or publications (e.g., continuing education material, computer software programs, explanatory materials, material distributed via the media, etc.) developed in promotion of the outreach program.
          5. Organization and/or coordination of a conference should be documented in this section.
      12. Additional supporting documentation of teaching activities:
          1. Published materials. For each publication in this category (e.g., American Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, AmericanJournal of Health Education), a brief statement should be added in the teaching narrative section explaining the relationship of the publication to the candidate’s teaching program and/orcandidate’s contribution to the project/publication.
          2. Invited presentations related to teaching.
          3. Grants and awards related to teaching.
          4. Summary of student evaluations
          5. Other. Any other documentation of teaching merit including role as a student advisor should be added. This should be organized clearly and concisely and could include a limited selection of such information as course descriptions, examination and grading techniques, or other items that demonstrate the high quality of the candidate’s teaching record.
      13. Engaged Activities
          1. Teaching professors, especially those in the public health field, may perform engaged activities, which combine aspects of applied research and practice, as the basis for engaged instruction. Performance of engaged activities often combines research, teaching and extension/outreach/non-traditional service. Evidence of progress or success in engaged activities might include:
             1. Deliverables (e.g. white papers, reports, grant proposals).
             2. Publications, such as peer-reviewed papers, book chapters or conference proceedings.
             3. Documentation of training/workforce development.
             4. Quantitative/qualitative survey results documenting changes in attitudes, practices, perceptions of stakeholders or communities.
             5. Monitoring and evaluation data or stakeholder testimonials documenting impact; and
             6. Teaching evaluations.
                1. College and Other Service
                   1. It is expected that candidates for promotion will have performed service to the college or university, as described below.
                      1. College service/governance
                         1. Present and past administrative assignments in the department or college. If administrative service is considered the basis of a strong service contribution, there must be supporting evidence, by peer and supervisor evaluation, of outstanding quality and importance of this activity to the college.
                         2. Participation in college or university committees, or the faculty senate
                         3. Involvement with the design of DVM, MPH, or other curricular area is also considered service tothe college.
                      2. Professional service
                         1. Service on local, state, regional, and national organizations, review panels, study sections, committees, and public service groups insofar as these services provide evidence of competence in an area of the biological/medical sciences.
                         2. Service to specialty board national organizations such as acting as a committee member or other roles.
                         3. Appointments or election to editorial boards of scientific journals and to office in national scientific and educational societies.
3. Reappointment as Associate Teaching ProfessorMost commonly, an associate teaching professor is given a five-year appointment at the associate level. The faculty member reviews his or her progress each year with the unit director/department chairperson with a more in-depth review during the start of the fifth year. If the outcome is positive, a renewal term of up to five years for an associate teaching professor would be recommended. Should the outcome of this review be negative, the faculty member will be given notice of non-renewal and will be allowed to serve the remainder of their appointment.
   After the unit’s/department’s initial review and any reconsideration are completed, the dean reviews the decision at the college level. If the dean’s decision is positive, the candidate isreappointed for up to 5 years. If the dean’s decision is negative, the candidate may serve the remainder of their appointment. This process should be documented in writing and a copy provided to the associate teaching professor.
4. Promotion to Full Teaching ProfessorCandidates for promotion to the rank of full teaching professor should have local and national recognition in their field, which may include demonstrated leadership roles in professional organizations, if applicable, and demonstrate excellence in teaching, engaged activities related to teaching, university service, and scholarly activity or academic clinical practice as their FTE dictates. Teaching professors will not be expected to develop major independent leadership roles in research, but they may engage in research of a collaborative or consultative nature, although it is not a requirement for the role. Teaching professors will be expected to achieve excellence in all aspects of their appointment. The relative amounts of classroom, clinical, postgraduate, and extension or outreach teaching will vary among individuals and departments.
   Examples of evidence of excellence include but are not limited to science education and/or pedagogical publications, national teaching awards, being a section chief, laboratorydirector, residency program director, or other position of administrative leadership such as a unit director, associate director or assistant director (e.g. of programs, curriculum, etc.), leading the development of courses and areas of instruction, peer review of teaching, and serving as a mentor to veterinary clinicians and/or public health practitioners.
   a. Review Process: A unit/departmental review is conducted, and a detailed rationale for the promotion must be submitted to the dean along with the vote of the full professors and full RTE professors in the unit/department. The unit/department procedures applicable to the promotion to full teaching professor are the same as those outlined above for promotion to associate teaching professor, except that the vote is limited to the full professors and full RTE professors in the unit/department.
   The documentation need not be as extensive as it is for promotion to associate teaching professor, and the charging of an ad hoc committee is at the dean’s discretion unless the recommendation of the unit/department is negative and the candidate requests such a committee.
   The dean is not bound by the recommendation of the unit/department as expressed by the director/chairperson. If the dean disagrees with the judgment of the unit/department, the dean will, if this has not already been done, set up an ad hoc committee and receive its input before a final decision is made.
5. Reappointment as Full Teaching Professor

Most commonly, a full teaching professor is given a five-year appointment. The faculty member reviews his or her progress each year with the unit director/department chairperson with a more in-depth review during the start of the fifth year. If the outcome is positive, a renewal term of up to five years for a full teaching professor would be recommended. Should the outcome of this review be negative, the faculty member will be given notice of non-renewal and will be allowed to serve the remainder of their appointment provided the performance is satisfactory. This process should be documented in writing and a copy provided to the full teaching professor in a timely manner.

‌Part 7: Voting and Other Rights‌

Teaching professors of all ranks on benefits-eligible, renewable appointments are members of the college faculty and eligible to serve on university, college, unit and department committees. In addition, they have voting privileges at the unit, department and college levels, except for renewal and promotion of tenure track faculty, and the exceptions described in this document.

Assistant, associate, and full teaching professors will be eligible for professional development leave subject to available funding, the ongoing academic needs of the unit/department, and related considerations. The unit director/department chair may approve, in writing, two weeks or less of professional development leave. The dean may approve, in writing, leaves of up to three months. If

the dean approves a leave in excess of three months but less than one year, the leave must be recorded in the university system (see Appendix III, New Draft of Resolution A (III.A of NTTF report of 8/4/05 –Professional development opportunities) passed by the Faculty Senate on 9 March 2005 and Appendix B, page 29, Human Resources Policy 6.2.1 Leaves for Professors and Academic Staff (11/20/09).

‌Part 8: Grievance Procedures‌

Teaching professors at all ranks will have access to established faculty grievance procedures within the College of Veterinary Medicine except with the limitations described in this document. Note: grievances are resolved in the college- there are no grievances at the provost level.

The College Academic Grievance Procedures provide the means whereby any member of the faculty or academic professional staff of the College who believes him or herself to be aggrieved can obtain consideration for redress of his or her grievance. Such matters include but are not limited to the following: reward (salary or other benefits); academic freedom; work assignment; working conditions; discrimination; sexual harassment; and the existence of, adequacy of, and adherence to equitable grievance procedures. The General Committee of the Faculty is the College Grievance Committee and the grievance procedures are available on the CVM intranet http://web.vet.cornell.edu/college/RMSS/documents/grievanceprocedureswebsite.pdf.

Policy 6.2.10 describes expectations for College-Level Grievance Procedures and provides a link to the relevant part of the University Policy website. College grievance procedures are not applicable to complaints with respect to appointment, reappointment and promotion.

A grievant may also wish to consult the university ombudsman’s office. The ombudsman “hears complaints from any source within the university community or directed against anyone in the university exercising authority and attempts to assist in obtaining a resolution of the problem. To the extent permitted by law and consistent with other university policies, confidentiality and anonymity will be provided to any grievant who requests such protection. When appropriate, the office investigates and reports findings and conclusions without restriction other than protecting the rights of individuals. The office does not exercise powers of decision but may accept the role of arbitrator when requested to do so by parties to a dispute. Their web address is: http://ombudsman.cornell.edu/.

‌Appendix A‌

Materials to be submitted

Listed below are the materials that should be included in the file for college level review.

Please include the following in a single PDF, ordered as below and with the following bookmarks:

• Ad Hoc Report – Ad hoc or standing appointments committee report (including member names and home departments) that includes assessment of department-level review process, discussion ofcandidate’s strengths and weaknesses in teaching and service, and recommendation to dean.
• Department Head Recommendation – Department chair/director recommendation to dean,including an assessment of the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in teaching and service; report of faculty vote on promotion, including explanations of abstentions and negative votes; reasons for early or late promotion, if applicable.
• Individual Faculty Assessments – Letters from voting faculty members explaining individual assessments of the candidate’s materials (or equally robust means for conveying the full scope of substantive views of the faculty).
• Internal/External Reviews – Include list of people asked, indicating which were suggested bycandidate and which by department; brief overview of experts’ qualifications and relationship (if any)to candidate; and copy of letter requesting the evaluation.
• Candidate CV
• Candidate Statements – any teaching, advising, service or extension statements, if required by the department or school/college.
• Teaching Materials – course evaluation summaries; letters from students/advisees; copy of letter requesting the evaluation; peer assessments of teaching and course materials.
• Appendix – Although colleges and schools may require additional information from candidates, the elements above are sufficient for college-level review. If other material is referenced in the reports or letters, please include it as an appendix. For CVM we include letters of appointment and reappointment as well a list of selected publications in this section.

Recommendations for resources to ensure success of faculty in teaching professor titles: Persons holding the title of teaching professor (all levels) are entitled to office space and a computer with software upgrades as necessary.