Resolution 190: Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy Proposal for the Academic Title of Professor of the Practice

Passed: May 19, 2023
Vote results and comments
Posted: April 2023
Sponsor: Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

CAPP review:

The committee is supportive of the proposal.
Comment(s) from the committee:
The proposal was seen as consistent with other similar proposal the committee has reviewed from other university units.

Letter with proposal:

Jeff Niederdeppe
Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development
Professor of Communication and Public Policy
476 Mann Library Building Ithaca, NY 14853

March 4, 2023

Dear Dean DeRosa,

In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Faculty Senate, we are pleased to submit the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy’s proposal to make use of the Professor of Practice academic title. The attached proposal includes a justification for the position, description of the position, terms of appointment, percentage limitations, voting rights statement, impact statement, and a result of two separate votes among our tenured/tenure track faculty and full-time lecturers/senior lecturers. These votes were taken electronically between February 27th and March 3rd, 2023. Each public approved the vote with a 2/3 majority (indeed, votes were unanimous in favor of the proposal and reflected at least half of each respective voting group population (voter turnout exceeded 84% for both groups).

We understand that the next step involved in moving forward with this proposal involves your review and the review of the University Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP). Please let us know if we can provide any additional information related to this proposal.

Sincerely,

Jeff Niederdeppe
Senior Associate Dean, Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy Professor of Communication and Public Policy, Cornell University

Proposal

Justification for the Position

1. The Brooks School seeks approval for use of the title Professor of Practice to help recruit and retain the best possible faculty to achieve the school’s goals of training the next generation of scholars, conducting rigorous and impactful research, and engaging with diverse audiences and stakeholders to tackle the biggest public policy challenges we face in the U.S. and globally.

   We seek use of the Professor of Practice title to recruit and retain policy and administrative leaders who have a distinguished record of professional accomplishment, have had major impact on the design, practice, and advancement of public policy and public service, and can bring that record and experience to advance our school’s educational and scholarly goals. The use of this title is particularly important in the competitive landscape of elite Schools of Public Policy across the country (e.g., Harvard Kennedy; Duke Sanford; Michigan Ford; Princeton SPIA; Chicago Harris; Syracuse Maxwell), all of which make use of versions of the (non-tenure-track) Professor of Practice title. Inclusion of the term “Professor” versus “Lecturer” in a professional title is particularly important for distinguished policy and management professionals who seek to bring expertise and professional experiences in public policy and policymaking to inform the educational and research missions of the school.

2. Description of Position

   Faculty members with the title Professor of Practice will have substantive teaching responsibilities within the Brooks School and beyond. The most important criterion for use of the Professor of Practice title is that the candidate should be recognized as a major and consistent leader in practice related to public policy, with at least 15 years of full-time professional experience in public service and policy engagement outside of academia. This may be evidenced by leadership in the development, advocacy, implementation, administration, and/or evaluation of public policies at the community, local, state, national, or international level. Evidence of sustained accomplishments in the public, private, or nonprofit sector, and potential for continuing contributions to the Brooks School’s academic, research, and practice activities should be clear.

   Specific responsibilities will vary by individual and program/unit needs, but all faculty appointed under the Professor of Practice title will have two categories of responsibility: (1) teaching responsibilities in academic programs, and (2) broader responsibilities to contribute to the school and program/unit over and above their teaching contribution. Minimum teaching responsibilities under the Professor of Practice title will not fall below 3 credits per year. We anticipate that most faculty appointed with this title will teach more than 3 credits but maintain the possibility of a 3- credit teaching load for Professors of Practice in roles with large administrative responsibilities. Broader responsibilities could include program development, leadership, and administration; outreach and engagement; student advising; engaged-learning activities; mentoring; and/or scholarly research. We anticipate that Professor of Practice positions will be spread across the undergraduate and professional degree programs offered within the school.

3. Terms of Appointment

   Faculty members with the title of “Professor of Practice” will be non-tenure track, renewable appointments for up to 5 years. We do not anticipate movement between Professor of Practice and tenured or tenure-track appointments, save for exceptional situations and with Provost’s approval. Professor of Practice appointments can be recruited externally or internally, though all will be focused on only senior and highly qualified candidates who would be appointed at the rank of (full) Professor of Practice.

   1. Appointments. Recruitments for the Professor of Practice title will involve a formal search process. Current Senior Lecturers whose job portfolios extend well beyond the normal teaching and advising activities associated with these titles and who are recognized as major and consistent leaders in teaching and practice related to public policy and public service may be considered. For formal searches, a search committee comprised of three faculty members, at least two of whom will be tenured or tenure- track, will be appointed by the relevant unit director following the HR policies of Cornell University and the hiring policies and procedures of the Brooks School. The entire Brooks tenured, tenure-track, and Professor of Practice faculty will vote on any appointment making use of the Professor of Practice title and the results of the vote will inform the Dean of the Brooks School who has final authority for such appointments.

   2. Reappointments. The Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development (SADFD) will launch a dossier review in the final year of the Professor of Practice term of appointment. The dossier, including the vote of the tenure track faculty, tenured faculty, and Professors of Practice, should be completed at least 3 months prior to the individual’s termination date. The SADFD will then submit a letter/communication to the Dean endorsing or rejecting the reappointment. If the recommendation is approved by the Dean, the Assistant Dean of Human Resources will be notified and action to establish a terminal appointment (if warranted) or reappointment will be taken. Reappointment dossiers will include a current curriculum vitae; personal statement of teaching, advising, research, outreach, and/or administrative accomplishments and future goals and plans, including their relevance to the mission of the program and School; reappointment recommendation from the director of the unit program (if applicable); the length of the reappointment; results of student course and advising evaluations for the term of the current appointment; copies of annual performance reviews (if available); and letters from academics outside of both the unit and Cornell.

      Requirements for both appointment and reappointment to the title of Professor of Practice will include evidence of high-quality teaching and sustained accomplishments in public policy research and/or practice. A terminal degree in a relevant field and substantial senior business/field/governmental experience are required.

      We expect that holders of the Professor of Practice title in the Brooks School will (a) engage in service to the academic community beyond teaching of courses (including program development, leadership, and administration; outreach and engagement; career advising; engaged-learning activities; working with Brooks Centers and Institutes; and/or scholarly research), (b) have

      external visibility and impact both academically and professionally; and (c) hold a 80% or greater appointment within the Brooks School.

4. Percentage Limitation

   The total number of Professors of Practice will not exceed 20% of the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty with appointments in the Brooks School.

5. Voting and Other Rights

   Professors of Practice shall have all rights and responsibilities of Senior Lecturers outlined in Cornell University policies. They shall have an additional right to vote on appointments or reappointments to Professor of Practice within the School.

6. Impact Statement

   The use of the Professor of Practice title is not intended to have any impact on the number of tenure-track faculty in the Brooks School. The purpose of the Professor of Practice title is to enhance our ability to recruit and retain policy and management leaders who have a distinguished record of professional accomplishment, including major impacts on the practice and advancement of public policy, public service, or public administration, and can bring that record and experience to advance our school’s educational and scholarly goals. Current non- tenure track faculty at the rank of Senior Lecturer may request to be considered for appointment to the Professor of Practice title if they meet the criteria for such an appointment.

7. Voting Results

Tenured and tenure-track faculty of the Brooks School voted electronically on this proposal (via a Qualtrics Survey) between February 27th, 2023 and March 3rd, 2023. Out of 44 faculty in these categories, the vote tally was as follows: 37 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 7 did not vote.

Full-time lecturers and senior lecturers of the Brooks School voted electronically on this proposal (via a Qualtrics Survey) between February 27th, 2023 and March 3rd, 2023. Of 9 faculty in these categories, the vote tally was as follows: 8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 did not vote.