I. Program Description
The Regents Professorship established by the Board of Regents of Northern Kentucky University shall be awarded from time to time to those full professors who, at the apex of their careers, have an exceptional record of achievements in scholarship or creative activity that has brought acclaim to the university and is consistent with the university’s core values. The area of scholarship may include traditional scholarship as well as scholarship applied to teaching or public engagement. The award celebrates the accomplishments of the recipient and provides support through time and resources for the professor to focus on their work. Such work should bring further acclaim to the University and ultimately enhance the full breadth of the professor’s work.
The First Six Years of the Appointment as Regents Professor
Regents Professors will receive compensation in the sum of $8,000 per year for the first three years. For the next three years of the appointment the Regents Professor shall receive an annual salary supplement of $4,000 per year. Such compensation will be separately paid and will not be added to the base salary of the recipient. Additionally, the Regents Professor during the first six-year period of the award shall receive reassigned time equivalent to 50% during the first three years, and 25% for the second three years.
While there is no entitlement to additional reassigned time, grants or other reassigned time may increase the time to 50% during the last three years. Regents Professors are encouraged to apply for outside grants using their reassigned time either to satisfy the requirements of a mandatory match or to show institutional commitment for the project. In this way, Regents Professors are able to leverage their reassigned time to attract grant funding while simultaneously retaining their 50% teaching load. University reassigned time (beyond the 25% already provided as part of the award) should be requested by the professor by the first day of the semester prior to the semester for which the reassigned time is requested. The request should be forwarded to the chair/director, dean, and provost. Each administrator should forward their recommendation to the next level within ten working days. The provost’s decision will be made and forwarded to the professor, chair/director, and dean within 30 working days after the request has been made.
In keeping with NKU’s learner-centered mission, this award should not have the effect of removing NKU’s most accomplished professors from the classroom. Only under extraordinarily compelling circumstances should any combination of this appointment and/or other reassigned time reduce the classroom teaching load to less than 50%. Approval for a teaching load of less than 50% should be extremely rare and will require approval of the chair/director, dean, and provost. In colleges where there is no department or school, the dean will function as department chair in these processes.
Beyond the First Six Years of the Regents Professorship
Upon selection, the Regents Professor shall carry such title for the remainder of their tenure at the University. The original appointment as Regents Professor provides for reassigned time and a stipend during the first six years of the appointment. Further reassigned time should not be considered an entitlement. However, Regents Professors whose reassigned time has resulted in extraordinary accomplishments and enhanced student learning may be considered for further reassigned time by submitting compelling evidence that their exceptional productivity will continue. Regents Professors may request approval for 25% or 50% reassigned time for a period of 1-3 years. A written request for such consideration, evidence of extraordinary accomplishments and plans for future work should be submitted to the chair/director and copied to the dean and provost by January 1 of the sixth year of the appointment or the last year of approved reassigned time. This request must be sent to the chair/director, dean, and provost. Each administrator should forward their recommendation to the next level within ten days. The provost’s decision will be made and forwarded to the professor, chair/director, and dean within 30 working days of the request.
II. Selection Process
From time to time, the Regents Professorship selection committee will invite nominations in the fall. If a Regents Professor is selected, the announcement will be made in the spring. The award will be effective the following fall. The committee will be appointed by the provost and will consist of a representative recommended by the Faculty Senate, the Council of Chairs and the Deans Council and one member who is a distinguished scholar from another university. The provost will appoint additional faculty members to ensure representation from each college and inclusion of a Regents Professor. The Committee will be called together by the provost and will elect a chair.
This committee will be charged to submit an unranked list of recommendations to the provost regarding proposed recipient(s) of the award. The provost will meet with the committee to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of all recommendations. The provost will then forward all names recommended by the committee along with the provost’s recommendation to the president who will then forward the president’s recommendation to the Board of Regents.
III. The Application Process
The following should be submitted in a three-ring binder on which the nominee’s name is clearly indicated:
Supporting materials documenting the nominee’s work may include samples of artistic presentations, books, articles, critical reviews, evidence of civic accomplishments and/or successful grant activity. The application materials should demonstrate that the nominee has had a significant positive impact on the lives of students. The materials may also include information on teaching effectiveness and service.
IV. Timeframe for Policy
The revised policy will be effective immediately. It shall apply to all future Regents Professor nominees. The revision will not impact the current term of any Regents Professor (appointed before fall 2005). However, the consideration of future reassigned time beyond the current term of appointment for all Regents Professors will be guided by the revised policy set forth above. Furthermore, all Regents Professors, both current and future, will be subject to the Faculty Policies and Procedures Handbook, including the adherence to the expectation that all full-time faculty members will teach at least 50%.
Note: To be considered as the basis for appointment to Regents Professorship, the scholarship of public engagement must be documented as intellectual work characterized by the following: (1) command and application of relevant knowledge, skills, and technological expertise; (2) contributions to a body of knowledge; (3) achievement of intentional outcomes; (4) imagination, creativity, and innovation; and (5) evidence of impact.
Public engagement must be directly linked to the mission of the university and must be assessed as intellectual work. Examples of public engagement activities might include community based research, technical assistance, demonstration projects, impact assessments, policy analysis, and work related to the study or promotion of public engagement. Outstanding public engagement should be documented through appropriate publications or other peer reviewed methods. Peer review might include publications in professional or other appropriate journals; reports prepared for a community partner or to be submitted by a community partner; software or other materials used by a community partner; evidence of external agencies or organizations attesting to the quality of the work, etc. The rigor and impact of the work must be documented.
