Equity and Inclusion for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Abstract

Although there are at least twice as many non-tenure-track as tenured and tenure-track first-time faculty entering academia based on data collected from 2013 to 2019, there are ongoing equity, inclusion, and advancement issues between these categories of faculty requiring consideration. Issues in need of addressing include contracts with clear descriptions of responsibilities with regular evaluations and promotion opportunities based on those assigned responsibilities, appropriate compensation including fringe benefits, inclusion in institutional voting and governance, and due process protections against abrupt termination. Further, universities, colleges, and professional schools, such as schools of pharmacy should foster a culture that values all faculty regardless of rank or position. The purpose of this commentary is to describe ongoing efforts and lessons by one public university with a college of pharmacy that has non-tenure-track and tenure-track faculty in the hope of providing insight into how these could be utilized as a basis to inform changes in policy by other universities with colleges or schools of pharmacy, as well as inform possible changes in Academy policy.