Guidelines for Advancement Under the Step Plus System for the Adjunct Professor Series

These are interim guidelines. These guidelines are to be used in addition to the policies, procedures, and exhibits provided in the Academic Personnel Manual (APM) and APM-UCD.

General Principles

All members of the Adjunct Professor series are eligible for advancement at normative time for their rank and step as set by system-wide policy. In formulating criteria for recommending greater than 1.0-step advancements, we aim to strike a balance between concreteness and flexibility. Our goal is to clarify the criteria for advancement without adopting rigid quantitative assessments that understate or overstate the total contributions of candidates. It should be noted that some in the Adjunct Professor series are expected to focus primarily on scholarship while others are expected to focus primarily on teaching. Step-Plus expectations must reflect the individual faculty member’s duties and responsibilities, specific to the balance of scholarly and creative activity and teaching expected of the candidate. In all cases, chairs and deans should be encouraged to articulate in the department and dean’s letters the grounds for advancement beyond simple numerical tabulations of the record. The candidate or department must provide a specific and explicit description of the outstanding merits that support any Step Plus request and recommendation.

One-Step Advancement

A balanced record, appropriate for rank and step, with evidence of a meritorious record of accomplishments in all areas of review is rewarded with a 1.0-step advancement. All faculty in the Adjunct Professor series can expect to advance, unless a major deficiency in their performance is determined. University and public service duties are expected to increase as faculty in the Adjunct Professor Series advance in rank and step.

One and a Half-Step Advancement

A 1.5-step advancement requires a meritorious record with outstanding achievement in at least one area of review across scholarly and creative activity, teaching, and university and public service. However, outstanding achievement in one area may not qualify the candidate for 1.5-step advancement if performance in another area does not meet UC Davis standards. For a 1.5-step advancement in the Adjunct Professor series, the outstanding achievement must be in an area (teaching or scholarly and creative activity) that is emphasized as the primary responsibility for the appointee.

Two-Step Advancement

A 2.0-step advancement will require a meritorious record in all three areas of review, with outstanding achievement in at least two areas. In most cases, one of those areas will be teaching for those with a teaching emphasis and scholarly and creative activity for those with a research emphasis. However, outstanding achievement in two other areas (teaching, university and public service, professional competence and activities) might warrant such unusual advancement.

Advancement greater than Two Steps

An advancement greater than 2.0 steps will be extremely rare, and would involve special circumstances (e.g. major awards, unusual achievements). These advancements will require an exceptionally meritorious and balanced record, highlighted by extraordinary levels of achievement in two areas (including scholarly and creative activity or teaching, depending on the emphasis of the Adjunct series appointment), and outstanding contributions in the third area.

Greater than One-Step Above-Scale Advancement

The criteria for merit increases are steep at this high rank. Advancements of 1.5 steps require an exceptionally meritorious record of excellence in all three areas of review, with outstanding achievement in scholarly and creative activity or teaching, depending on the emphasis of the Adjunct Professor appointment, and outstanding achievement in at least one additional area of review.