Academic Glossary

Academic Council – consisting of the University Tenure Line, Non-Tenure Lines (Research and Teaching), and Senior Fellows at designated Centers and Institutes, these faculty are eligible to advise Ph.D. students and to be elected to the Senate of the Academic Council.  Their appointments, reappointments and promotions are reviewed not only by the Provost but also by the University Advisory Board.  See also Professoriate.

Advisory Board -- full title “The Advisory Board of the Academic Council”, a group of seven Academic Council professors elected across the University which reviews all Academic Council professoriate files (that is, University Tenure Line and Non-Tenure Line files) .  The Board is advisory to the President; their review follows that of the Provost.

Annual counseling – all Assistant Professors and Associate Professors in the Professoriate should have an annual meeting with their department chair, division chief or designate, to discuss performance in relation to: the criteria for reappointment or promotion, assigned duties, and areas of interest or concern.  This process is in addition to the counseling memo that should result from reappointment and promotion reviews.

Appointment (courtesy) – Defined as an arrangement whereby faculty members often makes a substantial contribution to departments other than their  own, but in ways less formal than would justify a joint or secondary appointment.  Normally, all resources are provided by the primary department. 

Appointment (joint) – Faculty with joint appointments hold half of their appointment in a department within the School of Medicine and the other half of their appointment in a department affiliated with one of Stanford’s other six schools.  One department is designated “primary” and the other as “secondary.”  Normally, both departments split the salary, and the faculty member is assigned two billet (position) numbers, one in each unit. 

Appointment (primary) – a faculty member’s primary department is where they perform most or all of their research, teaching and clinical duties, is listed in their title (Professor of Pediatrics, e.g.), owns their billet, provides resources to them, and gives them voting privileges in the department.  See also appointment (joint), appointment (secondary), and appointment (courtesy). 

Appointment (secondary) – Defined as an arrangement whereby the faculty member holds a primary appointment, as well as a secondary appointment, in departments within the School of Medicine.  (Occasionally, a faculty member whose primary appointment is in another school may have a secondary appointment in a School of Medicine department.)  The faculty member’s level of involvement in the secondary department’s research, teaching and/or clinical activities should be substantial enough to merit voting privileges.  Normally, all resources (including billet and salary) are provided by the primary department. 

Appointments and Promotions Committee – the School of Medicine review committee which considers all actions for appointment, reappointment and promotion to Associate Professor or Professor.  This committee meets on the second and fourth Monday of every month.  "Appointments and Promotions Committee" may also refer to a departmental committee that considers faculty actions within the department, before they go to the School level for review.

Assistant Professors Review Committee – the School of Medicine review committee which considers appointments and reappointments for Assistant Professors in the Medical Center Line, Non-Tenure Line (Research), and University Tenure Line. This committee meets on the third Friday of every month.

Billet (or billet number) – a Professoriate position or a placeholder for same.  Billet number is synonymous with position number.  Billets belong to departments or institutes and, under certain circumstances, can be loaned from one department or institute to another.  A member of the Professoriate typically occupies the same billet from initial appointment to departure.  

Childcare leave – Any faculty member, male or female, who becomes a parent whether by birth or adoption, may request a leave without salary of up to one year, at full or part-time, for the purpose of caring for the child. For a faculty member who gives birth, such a leave could be in addition to pregnancy disability leave; for all parents such leave should be in addition to a period of reduced teaching and clinical duties.  See Chapter 3   in the University Faculty Handbook.

Clinical Excellence Core Competency Evaluation Forms (or “Clinical Excellence Forms”) – a set of forms used to evaluate clinical skills for Professoriate and Clinician Educator appointments, reappointments and promotions.  These detailed evaluation forms are distributed to other faculty members, referring physicians, nurse practitioners, clinic managers, trainees and other allied health professionals to get a broad view of a faculty member’s clinical performance.  The forms , instructions , and other information are available on the Forms page of the OAA website. 

Comparison peer set - some faculty appointments, reappointments, and promotions in the University Tenure Line and the Non-Tenure Lines may require comparison of the candidate iwth a set of peers in the same field. Peers are generally at least a few years ahead of the candidate, either tenured or about to be tenured at their home institution, and tenurable at Stanford. For evaluations requiring named comparisons, the composition of the referee and peer sets should reflect a "broadly defined field" (this means at least hundreds of researchers working in the area defined by the peer and referee sets).

Conflicts of interest -  1.  A situation in which a faculty member may be in a position to show favoritism (or give the impression of favoritism) to another, for example, allowing the mentor of a faculty candidate to chair the search committee which will interview that candidate, or allowing a co-author to write the scholarship section of a long form, describing an article on which they collaborated. Contact the Office of Academic Affairs with concerns.    2.  A situation in which outside professional commitments may cause a conflict of commitment with the faculty member’s primary commitment to Stanford; see the Conflict of Interest website.

Continuing term – similar to tenure, an appointment continuing to the date of academic retirement, but subject to programmatic need.  If a faculty member’s area of expertise is no longer considered necessary by the department or school, even though they have a continuing term, their appointment can be terminated.   Applies to faculty in the Medical Center Line (see Section 2.3F, Duration of Appointments in the SoM Faculty Handbook), Non-Tenure Line (Research) (see Section 2.5F ) and Non-Tenure Line (Teaching)(see Section 2.6E ).

Coterminous – ending at the same time.  Appointments in the NTLR are usually coterminous with grant funding, that is, if the faculty member’s grant funding ends, their appointment can be ended. Appointments at the VAPAHCS and other affiliated institutions are coterminous with continued salary support from the institution, as well as programmatic need. 

Counseling memo – candid feedback to a faculty member on academic performance and progress to date, based on the results and the information gathered during a successful reappointment or promotion review.  The draft counseling memo is included as Section VIII in the long form. 

Evaluation committee – at the time of a Professoriate member’s appointment, reappointment or promotion, the primary department or division will assemble an evaluation committee (or ask a standing departmental committee) to consider whether to proceed.  Practices vary – in some departments the committee may comprise the Department Chair and Division Chief, or a small number of senior faculty.  The evaluation committee usually advises the Department Chair of their recommendation.

First author – on scholarly publications (such as peer-reviewed articles), the first name in the list of authors is often the person who performed the majority of the research effort and drafted the bulk of the paper.  The first author may also have conceived the research idea.  See also senior author, middle author.  Also see Guidelines re: Collaborative Contributions on the OAA website.

Leave without salary (LWOS) – an unpaid leave, which may be 100% or partial, to free a faculty member from normal duties.  For a reduction in FTE longer than two years, see Billet FTE reduction and Reduced FTE (or part-time appointment).  Leaves must be approved by the Department and School.  See Flexible Work Arrangements on the OAA website and Chapter 3 in the University Faculty Handbook.

Long form – an assemblage of confidential documents (usually 50-150+ pages) for the appointment, reappointment, or promotion of a Professoriate faculty member. The long form includes information about the candidate's research, clinical care, teaching, and administrative service (as applicable), from the department, the candidate, students, and other faculty members inside and outside Stanford.  Long forms are assembled through the FAST|FAC system.

Medical Center Line (MCL) – a Professoriate line of faculty who are expected to demonstrate excellence in the overall mix of clinical care, teaching, and scholarship that advances clinical medicine.  Their appointments are reviewed and approved by the Provost en route to final approval by the University President.  MCL faculty are not members of the Academic Council.

Medical staff privileges –permission to see patients and bill for services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital or Stanford Hospital and Clinics.  To receive medical staff privileges, faculty members must have their credentials reviewed and approved by Medical Staff Services (also known as the Credentialing Office). 

Mentoring - scientific and/or career guidance provided to a junior faculty member by a senior faculty member. The mentor may be the one assigned by the department upon appointment , or another mentor or set of mentors chosen by the junior faculty member.  See What to Expect on the Counseling and Mentoring page of the OAA website.

Middle author – on scholarly publications (such as peer-reviewed articles), authors who are neither listed first or last are referred to as “middle authors.”  As it can be difficult to assess the contributions of authors who are not listed first (primary author) or last (mentor and/or head of research program), faculty members are encouraged to note their specific contributions to publications on which they are middle author.  See also first author, senior author.   Also see Guidelines re: Collaborative Contributions on the OAA website.

National recognition – a criterion for the rank of Professor in most faculty lines, national recognition may be garnered from excellence in clinical care, teaching or scholarship.  It may also be gained through and evidenced by such activities as membership on editorial boards; service on national committees or study sections; leadership, membership or participation in leading scientific or clinical societies having an impact in the  faculty member’s field; and invited lectureships and visiting professorships.

New Parent Extension – for UTL and NTLR Assistant Professors who become parents by birth or adoption during their faculty terms, a one-year extension of the tenure clock (or promotion decision for NTLR faculty) and their current appointment term.  Multiple NPE’s may be granted to the same faculty member (one per child), up to a total of ten years in rank.  The faculty member must initiate the process.  See Section 2.5.C of the University Faculty Handbook.

Non-Tenure Line – members of the Professoriate and the Academic Council, these faculty fill programmatic needs within their departments, usually specializing in either research or teaching.  Members of these lines are not eligible for tenure, but they may receive continuing terms at senior ranks.  Their appointments are reviewed and approved by the Provost and Advisory Board en route to final approval by the University President.  See Non-Tenure Line (Research),  Non-Tenure Line (Teaching), and Non-Tenure Line (Clinical).

Non-Tenure Line (Clinical) – members of the Professoriate and Academic Council.  New appointments are no longer made to this line.  A small number of faculty hold continuing term appointments in this line at the rank of Professor (Clinical).

Non-Tenure Line (Research) – members of the Professoriate and Academic Council, NTLR faculty are expected to demonstrate excellence in research, and to obtain grants to fund their work.  Their fields of expertise are generally expected to be narrower than those for faculty in the UTL.  Teaching is not required but may take place.  NTLR faculty normally hold appointments that are coterminous with continued salary and other research funding from sponsored projects.  They are not eligible for tenure, but may be eligible for a continuing term.  See Chapter 2.5 in the SoM Faculty Handbook. 

Non-Tenure Line (Teaching) – members of the Professoriate and Academic Council, NTLT faculty have special expertise in teaching that adds to the academic impact of clinical or research programs.  Research and clinical care are not required but may take place.   NTLT faculty are not eligible for tenure, but may be eligible for a continuing term.  There is no Assistant Professor rank in this line.  See Chapter 2.6 in the SoM Faculty Handbook. 

Notice of non-renewal – a member of the Professoriate in a continuing appointment or an appointment with a term of more than one year is entitled to 14 months’ notice of termination or of non-renewal.  Failure to provide this notice entitles the Professoriate member to a special reappointment for an additional terminal year.  See Section 4.4.E of the University Faculty Handbook.  Administrative Guide Section 22.8.5 requires that notice of the conclusion of a fixed term appointment be provided to Clinician Educators, Instructors and other teaching staff in writing at the time of appointment. The appointment letter issued by the Office of Academic Affairs serves this purpose.

Professoriate – The Professoriate consists of the following categories of professorial appointments (all ranks):  Tenure Line faculty, Non-Tenure Line faculty, Medical Center Line faculty, and a few other faculty designations (including Assistant Professor [Subject to Ph.D.], Senior Fellows and Center Fellows, at designated policy centers and institutes).   See Section 1.2.E in the University Faculty Handbook and Chapter 2 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Promotion decision deadline  –  sometimes colloquially known as the “up or out decision”, a promotion action for which a positive decision results in promotion to a higher rank and a negative decision results ultimately in the end of an academic appointment, frequently after a terminal year.  Generally applies to promotions from assistant to associate professor in all lines and from untenured to tenured associate professor.  See also tenure clock.

Protected Time – the percentage of time that a Medical Center Line faculty member is provided by the department to focus on scholarship (required minimum 20%).  The time is “protected” from clinical, teaching or administrative assignments.

Reduced FTE (or part-time appointment) – faculty members may work at 100% full time effort (FTE) or at partial FTE with the agreement of their department and the School.  Reduced FTE for a period of less than two years is implemented through a leave without salary (LWOS); for longer than two years, through Billet FTE reduction, which is a change in percent time of appointment, in effect  reducing the amount of effort associated with the faculty member’s billet or position.  See Flexible Work Arrangements on the OAA website.

Referee (or referee letter) – a faculty member or similar expert who is asked, via a standard format letter of solicitation, for a letter of evaluation of a candidate for appointment, reappointment, or promotion in a faculty or other teaching title line.  The referee normally should be at the same or higher rank as the candidate.  Note: not a “reference”, these individuals are being asked to provide an objective evaluation of the candidate, and may or may not be acquainted with the candidate and her work. See also referee (mentor), referee (collaborator), referee (independent), referee (internal), referee (external).

Referee (collaborator) – someone who has published or collaborated on research with a candidate and who is now being asked to provide an objective evaluation of the candidate.  Normally the number of mentor or collaborator referees is limited and more independent referees are expected.

Referee (external) – a referee from an institution outside of Stanford.  Most faculty actions require a specific number of external referee letters.  

Referee (internal)  – a referee from inside Stanford (may be School of Medicine or another school in the University).  Most faculty actions require a specific number of internal referee letters. 

Referee (independent) (or expert referee) – a faculty member (referee) at another institution who is not a current or former mentor, teacher, collaborator or co-author with the candidate they are evaluating.  Sometimes called “expert in the field” but always carries the connotation of independence from the candidate.

Referee (mentor) – a current or former mentor of the candidate who is being asked to provide an objective evaluation of the candidate.  Normally the number of mentor or collaborator referees is limited and more independent referees are expected.

Regional recognition – a criterion for the rank of Associate Professor in most faculty lines, regional recognition may be garnered from excellence in clinical care, teaching or scholarship.  It may also be gained through and evidenced by such activities as membership on editorial boards; service on national committees or study sections; leadership, membership or participation in leading scientific or clinical societies having an impact in the  faculty member’s field; and invited lectureships and visiting professorships.

Respectful workplace – Stanford’s policy requires all faculty, employees and affiliates to behave with civility, respect and courtesy and with an awareness of the potential impact of their behavior in the workplace.  See also Chapter 2.4 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Sabbatical – a federally funded leave program for Professoriate members to allow them to spend focused time on their research while being relieved of all normal clinical, teaching, and administrative duties.  See Sabbaticals and Leaves on the OAA website and Chapter 3 in the University Faculty Handbook.

Senior author – on scholarly publications (such as peer-reviewed articles), the last name in the list of authors is often the senior author, generally the senior faculty member who leads the investigative team and/or mentors the first author.   Senior authorship is often used as an indicator of scientific independence.  See also first author, middle author.

Senior Faculty Annual Meetings – The School requires each senior faculty member (defined as Professors in all faculty lines) to have an annual meeting with his or her chair (or designate).  These meetings provide a forum for the systematic exchange of information regarding current and future directions of the faculty member’s research, teaching or clinical activities and their relationship to a department’s programmatic needs and academic planning efforts.

Tenure –tenure is defined as security of appointment which continues to the date of academic retirement.   A faculty member with tenure does not need to undergo any further reappointment action, but is appointed permanently.  Applies only to faculty in the University Tenure Line.  Tenure is typically granted upon promotion to Associate Professor in the UTL. 

Tenure Clock and Tenure Clock Extensions – The tenure clock runs for seven years.  Circumstances that may stop the tenure clock and extend the seven-year deadline include part-time appointments, leave without salary, childcare leave, and New Parent Extension.  Untenured service in a UTL rank may not normally exceed ten years, irrespective of the circumstances that might extend the seven-year tenure clock deadline.   

Terminal year – if a faculty member’s appointment is not renewed, whether because they are not proposed for reappointment or promotion or because they have been proposed but turned down, they may be entitled to a final year of appointment, known as the terminal year.  This year does not count toward tenure by length of service.  See Notice of non-renewal.

University Tenure Line (UTL)  – members of the Professoriate and the Academic Council, UTL faculty are expected to have a major commitment to research and teaching.  At the time of consideration for tenure, they are expected to demonstrate leadership in and distinction across a broad field of scholarly research.  Their appointments (with one exception*) are reviewed and approved by the Provost and Advisory Board en route to final approval by the University President.  (*Promotions from Associate Professor with tenure to full Professor are not reviewed by the Advisory Board.) See Chapter 2.4 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.