Reframing the Role of Academic Professional Track (APT) Faculty

Lynn L. Peterson; J. Carter Tiernan; Shanna E Banda; Karthikeyan Loganathan; Nila Veerabathina

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Conference: 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference
Location: Arlington, TX, Texas
Publication Date: March 9, 2025
Start Date: March 9, 2025
End Date: March 11, 2025
Page Count: 4
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--55075
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55075
Download Count: 5

Paper Authors

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Lynn L. Peterson The University of Texas at Arlington

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Dr. Peterson currently serves as Sr. Associate Dean for the College of Engineering, and Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Research interests are in engineering education, intelligent systems, and medical computer science.

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J. Carter Tiernan The University of Texas at Arlington

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Dr. J. Carter M. Tiernan is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Tiernan directs undergraduate recruiting, student activities, engineering K -12 outreach, and scholarships for

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Shanna E Banda The University of Texas at Arlington

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Karthikeyan Loganathan The University of Texas at Arlington orcid.org/0000-0002-4508-7045

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Dr. Karthikeyan Loganathan is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Civil Engineering and serves as Graduate Advisor for the Master of Construction Management program. His research areas are Wastewater Pipelines' Condition Assessment, Non-Destructive Testing and Condition Assessment of Flexible Pavements.

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Nila Veerabathina The University of Texas at Arlington

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Abstract

The role of non-tenure track faculty members in the present day urban public university is critical, but often not well-recognized. Though this is a result of a historical scenario, in recent times, institutions are working towards the furtherance of non-tenure track faculties. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education. AAC&U held a workshop on ‘Reframing Institutional Transformation to Include Non-Tenure Track STEM Faculty’ in Summer 2024. The goal of the workshop was to encourage participating institutions to include non-tenure track STEM faculty in both institutional policy decision-making processes and the professional development initiatives that can empower them to meaningfully contribute to the change processes that stem from those decisions. Our own institution, UT Arlington, sent a team of faculty members to this institute with the intention of examining the role of our Academic Professional Track (APT) faculty members, our term for non-tenure track faculty. The 4-day workshop was a great success. A few of the action items discussed during the workshop with a focus on APT faculty are, but not limited to, (1) educate APT faculty about already available resources, (2) establish a subcommittee in Faculty Senate that focus on APT faculty affairs, and (3) create opportunities for professional development for APT faculty. As a result of the workshop, a year-long plan is formulated to focus on APT faculty with a teaching mission, with the intention of creating effects to go well beyond in the future. The plan will be accomplished by working groups, which will be formed to develop projects and examine identified issues. It should be noted that these activities will be coordinated at an administrative level by a newly named Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Success who is herself an APT faculty member. The extended abstract will further describe our plans and developments already underway at our institution, which would give an opportunity for other institutions, especially in ASEE-GSW region, to value and merit this highly significant group of faculty members at their institutions.

Citation
Format

Peterson, L. L., & Tiernan, J. C., & Banda, S. E., & Loganathan, K., & Veerabathina, N. (2025, March), Reframing the Role of Academic Professional Track (APT) Faculty Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--55075

TY - CPAPER
AB - The role of non-tenure track faculty members in the present day urban public university is critical, but often not well-recognized. Though this is a result of a historical scenario, in recent times, institutions are working towards the furtherance of non-tenure track faculties. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&amp;amp;U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education. AAC&amp;amp;U held a workshop on ‘Reframing Institutional Transformation to Include Non-Tenure Track STEM Faculty’ in Summer 2024.
The goal of the workshop was to encourage participating institutions to include non-tenure track STEM faculty in both institutional policy decision-making processes and the professional development initiatives that can empower them to meaningfully contribute to the change processes that stem from those decisions. Our own institution, UT Arlington, sent a team of faculty members to this institute with the intention of examining the role of our Academic Professional Track (APT) faculty members, our term for non-tenure track faculty. The 4-day workshop was a great success. A few of the action items discussed during the workshop with a focus on APT faculty are, but not limited to, (1) educate APT faculty about already available resources, (2) establish a subcommittee in Faculty Senate that focus on APT faculty affairs, and (3) create opportunities for professional development for APT faculty. As a result of the workshop, a year-long plan is formulated to focus on APT faculty with a teaching mission, with the intention of creating effects to go well beyond in the future.
The plan will be accomplished by working groups, which will be formed to develop projects and examine identified issues. It should be noted that these activities will be coordinated at an administrative level by a newly named Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Success who is herself an APT faculty member. The extended abstract will further describe our plans and developments already underway at our institution, which would give an opportunity for other institutions, especially in ASEE-GSW region, to value and merit this highly significant group of faculty members at their institutions.

AU - Lynn L. Peterson
AU - J. Carter Tiernan
AU - Shanna E Banda
AU - Karthikeyan Loganathan
AU - Nila Veerabathina
CY - Arlington, TX, Texas
DA - 2025/03/09
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Reframing the Role of Academic Professional Track (APT) Faculty
UR - https://peer.asee.org/55075
DO - 10.18260/1-2--55075
ER -