Office of Academic Affairs Glossary


INDEX

     

A

Academic Appointment – the appointment of a faculty member to an academic department for the purpose of conducting research and scholarship, teaching and mentoring students and trainees, and/or providing clinical care.  This appointment confers a title, for example, “appointment as Professor of Surgery.”  A faculty member might also hold other types of leadership or administrative positions that are not academic appointments, for example, Director of the Histocompatibility Laboratory, Chair of the Department of Anesthesia, or Chief of Staff at Stanford University Hospital.  See also Department, primary.

Academic Council Professoriate – 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.

Academic Staff –composed of the Academic Staff-Teaching (persons holding the titles Lecturer or Senior Lecturer) and the Academic Staff-Research (persons holding the titles Research Associate, Senior Research Scientist, Senior Research Engineer, or Senior Research Scholar).  See the Academic Staff-Teaching and Other Teaching Staff Handbook and Chapter 4 in the School of Medicine Faculty Handbook.

Academic Staff – Teaching – Lecturers and Senior Lecturers, who are appointed through the Office of Academic Affairs.  See the Academic Staff-Teaching and Other Teaching Staff Handbook and Chapter 4 in the School of Medicine Faculty Handbook.

Academic Staff – Research – Research Associates, Senior Research Scientists, Senior Research Scholars (and, in other schools, Senior Research Engineers).  These individuals are appointed and managed through Human Resources and the Dean of Research.   See Chapter 10 in the Research Policy Handbook and Chapter 4 in the School of Medicine Faculty Handbook.

Acting Faculty – Acting appointments are no longer granted on a routine basis in the School of Medicine. 

Adjunct Clinical Faculty (ACF) - physicians in private practice who volunteer to teach in the clinical setting.  Not paid by Stanford.

Adjunct Clinical Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee -- the School of Medicine review committee which considers all actions for the Adjunct Clinical Faculty.  Many clinical departments will also have an ACF committee.  See the Academic Staff-Teaching and Other Teaching Staff Handbook.

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.

Affiliated Institutions –hospitals that participate in training programs for Stanford medical students and residents.  Physicians who are employed at these hospitals and teach Stanford students must hold Stanford teaching titles; they are normally appointed as Clinician Educators (Affiliated).  Examples include:  Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS).  Members of the Professoriate may also work at these institutions.  See Medical Centers.

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.  See Annual Counseling under Faculty Resources on the OAA website. 

Applicant Pool Grid (or Affirmative action grid) – a table of information about the gender, ethnicity and race of all faculty candidates in a Professoriate search.  This grid is automatically generated and populated by the Faculty Applicant Self-Identification System.  See also definitive pool, candidate pool. See the Sample Applicant Pool Grid in the Administrators section on the OAA website, under Evidence Tables + Guidelines: Faculty Search.

Appointment (Courtesy) – Defined as an arrangement whereby faculty members often make 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.  See Chapter 2.12 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Appointment (Joint, 0%) – Faculty with joint appointments holding 100% of their appointment in a department within the School of Medicine and 0% of their FTE in a department affiliated with the School of Medicine or with one of Stanford’s other six schools.  This arrangement is more formal than a courtesy appointment, and acknowledges a faculty member’s active participation in a secondary department’s research, educational and/or clinical activities.

Appointment (Joint, >0%) – Faculty with joint appointments holding a non-zero fraction of their appointment in a department within the School of Medicine and the balance of their appointment in a department affiliated with the School of Medicine or with one of Stanford’s other six schools.  One department is designated “primary” and the other as “secondary.” Normally, both departments split the salary based on the fractional appointment, and the faculty member is assigned two billet (position) numbers, one in each unit.

Appointment Primary Department – For a faculty member holding a joint appointment, the primary department is where the larger fraction of their FTE is assigned, is listed in their title (Professor of Pediatrics, e.g.), provides resources to them, and gives them voting privileges in the department.  See also appointment (joint), appointment (secondary), and appointment (courtesy). 

Appointment Secondary Department – For a faculty member holding a joint appointment, the secondary department is where the smaller fraction of their FTE is assigned. See also appointment (joint), and appointment (courtesy).

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 University Medical Line, Non-Tenure Line (Research), and University Tenure Line. This committee meets on the third Friday of every month.

B

Benefits-Eligible Employee – employees with “regular” status, appointed at 50% or more for at least six consecutive months, are eligible for University sponsored health and welfare benefits.  See Administrative Guide 2.2.1.

Billet (or Billet Number) – currently used to mean a Professoriate position or a placeholder for same.  Billet number is synonymous with position number.  Billets belong to departments or institutes. They can be loaned from one department or institute to another, but upon the departure of the faculty member who is the subject of the loan, the billet returns to the originating organization.  Historically, “billet” or “billet number” was used to refer to University-specific identifiers for faculty positions in the format “Z-123” – this is now obsolete within the School of Medicine.  See Faculty Billets Database.

Billet, Bulge  – a temporary arrangement in which a billet or position is allocated to support the recruitment of a new faculty member with the understanding that, in exchange, a billet currently occupied by a departing faculty member will be closed. The recruitment position is the "bulge" and the departing faculty member’s position is "mortgaged" to the bulge.

Billet Cap – the limit on the maximum number of appointed members of the Professoriate (UML, UTL, NTL) at the School of Medicine; the current limit is 1200 individuals.

Billet Commitment – a billet that the Dean has given to a department or institute to provide a Professoriate position; it may be specific to line, rank, division, program, or programmatic need, but those attributes can all be changed at the discretion of the billet’s owner if the Dean agrees.  Commitments may have start dates and/or end dates or other restrictions.  Permission to search must be requested in a separate process. 

Billet, Filled (or Billet, Occupied)  – a billet occupied by a Professoriate faculty member, whose appointment has been approved by the President of the University.  See Billet status and Billet, vacant.

Billet FTE Reduction – faculty members can reduce their full time effort (FTE) to work part time.  For a period of less than two years, this is done through a partial leave without salary (LWOS).  For a period of more than two years, Provostial approval is required, and the effort associated with the faculty member’s billet is reduced via FASA.  See Faculty Resources on the OAA website.

Billet, Incremental – a new billet added to a department’s allocation, granted by the Dean.  See Billet, committed.

Billet Status - billets are either "Occupied" or "Committed". An occupied billet has a PeopleSoft position number and is filled by an appointed member of the Professoriate.  All committed billets are unoccupied. Within the Committed status, there are two subcategories: "active" and "idle".  A Committed Active billet has one of the following authorized states:  Pending Search, Search, Search with Offer, Offer Accepted, Waiver, Acting Appt.  A Committed Idle billet reflects a commitment with no current authorized activity.

Billet, Vacant – a billet that is not yet occupied by an appointed member of the Professoriate.  This term can cover billets listed as Committed Active or Idle in the Faculty Billets Database.  See Billet, occupied.

Board of Trustees – custodian of the endowment and all properties of the University. The Board administers the invested funds, sets the annual budget, and determines policies for operation and control of the University.   They meet five times per year; faculty appointments, reappointments and promotions are reported to the Board. 

Business Plan – As a first step in initiating a search for a University Medical Line faculty member, a department, in consultation with the School’s Office of Budget and/or Office of Faculty Compensation, should develop a detailed financial feasibility plan and compensation program to cover the initial term of appointment.  See also Chapter 2.3, University Medical Line in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

C

Candidate Pool – the group of all applicants to a Professoriate search.  The search report must give the total number of candidates in the candidate pool.  EEO rules require us to gather gender, race and ethnicity data about all applicants.  See also Faculty Applicant Self-Identification System, definitive pool, applicant pool grid.

Chair or Department Chair – the leader of one of the academic departments within a school.

Chief or Division Chief – the leader of a division within a larger department.

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 Surveys – a survey 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 under Administrators > Resources and Tools > Faculty Affairs Resources on the OAA website. 

Clinical Scholar – Clinical Scholars are individuals who have a concurrent appointment as a non-ACGME Resident or Fellow.  The Clinical Scholar part time appointment will allow an individual to provide clinical care or clinical teaching, or both, outside the scope of their residency or fellowship training program

Clinician Educator Appointments and Promotions Committee - the School of Medicine review committee that considers appointments, reappointments, and promotions for Clinician Educators at or above the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor.

Clinician Educators – part of the faculty of the School of Medicine, but officially viewed by the University as staff, who provide patient care and teach students.  Their appointments are reviewed by the Clinician Educator Appointments and Promotions Committee of the School, with final approval by the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  See Chapter 3 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Clinician Educators (Affiliated) – individuals (typically physicians) employed at affiliated institutions who provide patient care and clinical teaching to Stanford students or residents.  Classified as non-employee affiliates. The criteria for these individuals are generally the same as for Clinician Educators (employed by Stanford).  Not paid by Stanford. See Chapter 3 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

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 by external referees with a set of peers in the same field. Peers are generally within the candidate’s cohort with respect to age or time since degree, at or above the proposed candidate rank 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 (COI) -  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 University Medical 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 VII in the long form. 

D

Dean – the chief officer of the School.  Dr. Lloyd Minor is the current Dean of the School of Medicine.

Definitive Pool – in a Professoriate search, the group of candidates who are considered most qualified for the position and are given further consideration after the initial review of applicants.  The definitive pool is often the group of candidates who are invited to interview.  The search report requires extra information about candidates in the definitive pool.  See also candidate pool, applicant pool grid.

Department – the School of Medicine is organized into 30 academic departments; each is categorized as “basic science” or “clinical science” and is headed by a Department Chair.  All Professoriate members and Clinician Educators must be appointed into a department. 

Division – some larger departments are further subdivided into divisions, each of which has a Division Chief to lead it.  For example, the Department of Medicine has divisions such as Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 

DS-2019 – the certificate of eligibility for a J-1 visa.  After a J-1 visa is requested through workflow on the Axess site, and the visa request has been approved by OAA (along with the academic appointment, usually to Visiting Scholar or Visiting Faculty), the Bechtel International Center will issue a DS-2019 for the foreign visitor to take to their embassy to obtain the visa.  For more information see the J Visa Overview on the Bechtel International Center website.

E

Emeritus Faculty - Professoriate members who have retired from the University. “Active emeriti” are emeritus faculty who have been recalled to active duty, which can be paid or unpaid.

Endowed Professorship – a named fund established by donors to provide resources to a distinguished full Professor in any Professoriate faculty line.  The terms of the endowed fund may delineate the research area or department of the recipient, or could connect it to an administrative appointment such as the Chair of a specific department.  The Dean nominates a faculty member for an endowed professorship; the nomination must be approved by the President.

Evaluation Committee or Unit – at the time of a Professoriate member’s appointment, reappointment or promotion, the primary department or division will assemble an evaluation committee or unit (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.

Executive Committee – a committee, advisory to the Dean of the School of Medicine, made up of the Chairs of the academic departments, the Directors of the Institutes of Medicine, and senior School administrators, which considers policies for the School, and is advised of appointments, reappointments and promotions in the Professoriate.  Some departments may also refer to their own internal leadership and review committees as “Executive Committee.”

F

Faculty Academic Staff Appointments (FASA) – a web-based system used to enter Professoriate and Emeritus appointment changes and all Clinician Educator, academic staff and other teaching title actions.

Faculty Applicant Self-Identification System (FASI) – a web-based system which creates the Applicant Pool Grid required for Professoriate search reports.  The administrator who is organizing the Professoriate search enters the names of all faculty applicants (candidates).  The system contacts the applicants via email and asks them to anonymously self-identify for gender, race and ethnicity.  It then uses this information to create the Applicant Pool Grid. FASI is administered by the Provost’s Office. Direct requests for access to the Office of Academic Affairs.  See the link to FASI, Instructions and Sample Applicant Pool Grid in the Data & Applications section of the OAA website.

Faculty Appointment Reporting Module (FARM) – the School of Medicine's Faculty Appointment Reporting Module, which replaced the reporting functions of the FastFac system. The system allows reporting of appointment details for current and former faculty. You can find a direct link to FARM in the drop-down links under Data & Applications, or on the Data & Applications landing page.

Faculty Billets Database – the system of record for tracking faculty member positions or billets within the School of Medicine.

Faculty Incentive Fund – administered through the Provost’s Office, provides three years of salary support for new UTL women and underrepresented minority faculty.  For more information contact the Office of Academic Affairs.  See also Gabilan Fund.

Faculty Retirement Incentive Program (FRIP) - The Faculty Retirement Incentive Program is a voluntary plan that provides a participating faculty member or Hoover Institution Senior Fellow with financial support to facilitate retirement. The amount of the support is generally based on the participant's age and base salary.  See the Provost’s Office FRIP website.

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 Faculty Affairs Resources > Evidence Tables & Guidlines > Appointments & Promotions in the Administrators section of the OAA website.

G

Gabilan Fund – available for the recruitment and retention of women basic science faculty. Department chairs and deans work directly with the Provost's Office to secure these funds. For more information, contact the University Vice Provost for Faculty Development & Diversity.  See also Faculty Incentive Fund.

I

Institutes or Institutes of Medicine – these are interdisciplinary organizations that transform research discoveries into academic achievement and clinical excellence to serve the community.  They are not aligned with any one department.  Members of an Institute are required to have their primary appointment through one of the academic departments (such as Pathology) if they are members of the Professoriate or Clinician Educator line.  Other Teaching Title members may be appointed directly to Institutes. 

Instructors and Instructors (Affiliated) – one of the “Other Teaching Titles”, Instructor is a title in its own line, distinct from Clinical Instructor, Adjunct Clinical Instructor, or Visiting Instructor.  Used for individuals who have completed their postdoctoral training and have interest in an academic career, to help in the transition to a possible future faculty position (at Stanford or elsewhere). Often primarily a research position. Instructors are paid by Stanford; Instructors (Affiliated) are not paid by Stanford.  See Chapter 5.5 in the SoM Faculty Handbook, and Principal Investigator eligibility and waiver guidelines on the Research Management Group website.

J

J-1 Visa – an Exchange Visitor immigration classification to invite or employ foreign professors, research scholars, short-term scholars and specialists in the U.S. temporarily.  Note:  visitors need a visa and an academic appointment; they should be requested simultaneously.  Request a J-1 visa for your visitor through Workflow on axess.stanford.edu.  The visa process is administered by the Bechtel International Center; more information on J-1 visas can be found here.  Also see DS-2019.

J-2 Visa – a visa available for immediate family and dependents of a visitor holding a J-1 visa.  The process for requesting a J-1 visa allows entry of family information if J-2 visas will be needed.  More information here.  

L

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. 

Lecturer – an Academic Staff – Teaching rank, these individuals provide instruction that is of programmatic value to a department.  They are generally appointed for a year at a time, though Senior Lecturers may be appointed for a multi-year or a continuing term.  Categorized as exempt staff (if paid) or non-employee affiliate (if unpaid).  See Chapter 4.2 in the SoM Faculty Handbook .

Leave of Absence (LOA) – an unpaid leave for a member of the Clinician Educator line, which may be 100% or partial, to free a faculty member from normal duties. An unpaid leave of absence must be for a definite period with specific starting and ending dates and cannot extend beyond the end of a fixed-term appointment.  General policies for Leaves of Absence appear in Administrative Guide Section 2.1.8.3.

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 Interfolio system.

M

Medical Centers –Stanford Medicine is composed of the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care (SHC) and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH).  Stanford Medicine has contracts with affiliated hospitals to provide care and teach students (see Affiliated Institutions).  The School also has an affiliation with the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS); many Professoriate members are based there.  Faculty in the University Medical Line are associated with one of these three institutions, which are listed in their title.  See also Affiliated Institutions.

Medical Staff Privileges –permission to see patients and bill for services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital or Stanford Health Care.  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 the Mentoring and Counseling section under Faculty Resources on 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 Faculty Affairs Resources > Evidence Tables & Guidlines > Appointments & Promotions in the Administrators section of the OAA website.

N

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 (and, occasionally, others) 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 2.1.4(2)b of the University Faculty Handbook. For UML Assistant Professors who become parents by birth or adoption during their initial faculty terms, a one-year extension of the current appointment term, without extending the 10 year clock.

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 4.4.5 of the University Faculty Handbook.  Administrative Guide Section 2.1.9.5 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.

O

Other Teaching Titles - Appointment at one of the other teaching staff ranks is used for a variety of reasons, but often for appointments of a limited duration to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of the teaching program.  The other teaching staff titles used in the School of Medicine fall generally under the categories of Visiting Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, Visiting Scholars, and Instructor and Instructor (Affiliated) appointments.  See Chapter 5 and Chapter 9 of the SoM Faculty Handbook.

P

Position Number – a five digit number created in PeopleSoft number assigned to each employee of the University.  Only one benefits-eligible employee (or planned employee) can occupy a position at a time; shared position numbers are used for contingent or casual employees.  For the Professoriate, the position number is used in the Faculty Billets database to uniquely identify a Professoriate position, which has a status of Occupied, Committed Active or Committed Idle.  See billet status.

President – The Stanford President is the chief executive officer of Stanford University, which comprises seven schools, including the School of Medicine. Their signature is the final step for Professoriate appointments, reappointments and promotions.

Professional Development Leave – leave intended to free Clinician Educators from their normal clinical and teaching duties, enabling them to pursue training and/or education-related projects or opportunities that will enhance their patient care and teaching activities at Stanford. 

Professoriate – The Professoriate consists of the following categories of professorial appointments (all ranks):  Tenure Line faculty, Non-Tenure Line faculty, University Medical 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 2 in the University Faculty Handbook and Chapter 2 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Programmatic Need – when initiating a search for a member of the Professoriate or appointing a Clinician Educator or other teaching title staff, a department or institute must state the benefit to a vital program of hiring the individual.  

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.  Does not apply to all promotions.  See also tenure clock.

Protected Time – the percentage of time that a University Medical 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.

Provost – Reviews all Professoriate appointments, reappointments and promotions, and is the last step for approving University Medical Line actions before ultimate approval by the University President.

R

Reduced FTE (or Part-Time Appointment) – faculty members may work at 100% full time effort (FTE) or, under certain circumstances, 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 requiring Provostial approval, in effect reducing the amount of effort associated with the faculty member’s billet or position. 

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 their work. See also referee (mentor), referee (collaborator), referee (independent), referee (internal), referee (external).

Referee Grid – a table of information about the internal and external faculty evaluators (referees) who will be asked to provide objective evaluations of a faculty candidate.  Most Professoriate actions require OAA approval of the referee grid before soliciting letters.  See Guidelines for Referee/Trainee/Peer Selection in the Evidence Tables & Guidelines section on the Faculty Affairs Resources page.

Referee (External) – for the Professoriate, a referee from an institution outside of Stanford.  Most Professoriate faculty actions require a specific number of external referee letters.  For Clinician Educators, a referee from outside their current affiliated institution.

Referee (Internal)  – for the Professoriate, a referee from inside Stanford (may be School of Medicine or another school in the University).  Most Professoriate faculty actions require a specific number of internal referee letters.  For Clinician Educators, a referee from the institution with which they are affiliated.

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.

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.

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 9.17 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

S

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 Leaves under Action Guidelines and Faculty Leaves under For the Faculty on the OAA website and Chapter 3 in the University Faculty Handbook.

Search Committee – the group of faculty members who oversee a search for a Professoriate position, who will look for candidates, review CVs, interview, discuss, rank, and vote on candidates. At the end of the search process, they will make a recommendation to the department chair on which candidate or candidates to select, or will report that no qualified candidate was found. See Faculty Searches under Action Guidelines on the OAA website.

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.  Also see Guidelines: Annotating Middle Author Publications in the Evidence Tables & Guidelines section on the Faculty Affairs Resources page.

Senior Faculty Annual Meetings – The School requires each senior faculty member (defined as Professors in all faculty lines) to have an annual meeting with their 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.

Solicitation Letter – 1. A letter sent to a referee or trainee, asking for an objective evaluation of a faculty candidate; these should always follow the Solicitation Letter templates (can be found via the Faculty Affairs Resources link under the Administrators section of the OAA website) and be reviewed by OAA staff before sending. 2. A letter sent during a search to chairs, chiefs and other senior faculty, soliciting candidates for the search; these should always follow the template in the Faculty Search Letters section of the Faculty Affairs Resources page under the Administrators dropdown.

T

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.  See Chapter 4.4, Statement on Appointment and  Tenure in the University Faculty Handbook.  See also Continuing term, Promotion decision deadline, Tenure by length of service, Tenure clock.

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.

Tenure by Length of Service – receiving tenure not through the normal tenure review process, but by being in an untenured position in the University Tenure Line for more than seven years without being considered for tenure.   Part time appointments, periods of leave without salary, approved new parent extensions, and other expressly approved extensions may extend the “tenure clock” or the computation of length of service up to ten years.  A faculty member may not acquire tenure by length of service if the tenure review has been initiated. 

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.

Transmittal Memo – the memo at the beginning of a long form, written by the department chair or their faculty designate, which introduces the file, presents the case to be made for appointment, reappointment or promotion, addresses any issues that have arisen as the file was assembled, and explains the basis on which the candidate is being recommended for the current action.  See also Long form.

U

University Medical Line (UML) – 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.  UML faculty are not members of the Academic Council.

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.

V

Vice Chair or Associate Chair – usually an administrative title for a second in command in the department or someone who is in charge of a particular area, for example, Clinical Affairs or Academic Affairs.

Vice Dean for Academic Affairs – Head of the Office of Academic Affairs, the Vice Dean reviews and approves all faculty and other teaching title actions, including appointments and promotions, leaves and sabbaticals, and recalls of emeritus faculty. Dr. Linda Boxer Is the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

Visas – for information about visas for visiting faculty and visiting scholars, see J-1 Visa, J-2 Visa, and DS-2019.  Extensive information on the Bechtel International Center website.

Visiting Faculty - faculty from other academic institutions for short term (maximum two years) stays doing research, clinical and/or teaching work. Must show proof of leave from their home institution.  Classified as staff (if paid) or non-employee affiliate (if unpaid). See Chapter 5.3 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

Visiting Scholars – both a rank and a line, these are individuals with doctoral degrees or recognized expertise in their field visiting for a short term (maximum two years).  Classified as non-employee affiliates. May not be paid by Stanford. See Chapter 8 in the SoM Faculty Handbook.

W

Waiver of Search (Search Waiver) – permission from the Provost to waive a mandatory national search to fill a vacant Professoriate faculty position.  See Faculty Searches under Action Guidelines on the OAA website for how to request a search waiver. Possible rationales for a waiver: prestigious target of opportunity, spouse of faculty member, urgent clinical programmatic need, candidate who will diversify the faculty.