Faculty Affairs

About

Through education, clinical care, research, and leadership, faculty improve the health and well-being of all Nevadans and their communities. The office for Faculty Affairs is committed to addressing the professional needs and concerns of our faculty, ensuring fair and transparent policies, and promoting a culture of respect. By offering guidance on tenure, promotion and professional development, as well as advocating for faculty well-being, we aim to foster a supportive framework that empowers faculty to thrive in their roles and contribute meaningfully to the institution's success.

Appointments

Academic Faculty appointments are granted by the University of Nevada, Reno through the recommendation of a UNR Med Department Chair and approved by the Dean of the UNR School of Medicine. Our faculty include UNR employed members, Affiliate employed members and Community (volunteer) members. There are a variety of elements related to faculty member appointments including academic unit, title, rank, track, dual appointments, roles and expectations.

Eligibility: varies by appointment type. Please contact the faculty affairs team for more information.

Benefits: vary by appointment type but generally include:

  • Access to UNR Libraries and Savitt Medical Library in person and online resources
  • Wolf Card (Faculty Identification card) entitles faculty to benefits including discounted access to UNR’s fitness center, Wolf Pack Athletics tickets, campus store savings, and other benefits
  • Professional development opportunities including orientations, trainings, workshops and educational activities, and reduced rate or free CEU offerings.
  • Discounts on:
    • season tickets for UNR athletic events including, but not limited to: football, basketball, and baseball when available
    • memberships to the campus recreation and wellness facilities, including the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center and Lombardi Pool. 
    • parking
  • Reduced price credit hours for NSHE courses based on eligibility (for more information: University of Nevada, Reno Administrative Manual, Section 2,170.and Nevada Board of Regents Handbook Title 4 Section 11)

Involvement Opportunities

There are a number of ways for faculty to get involved. Clinical time spent with students can be a rewarding experience, as well as an investment in a healthy Nevada. Opportunities include teaching/mentoring of medical, physician assistant and speech pathology & audiology students, residents and fellows including the following activities.

  • Classroom Teaching
  • Clinical Teaching
  • Admissions, Mentoring and Other Opportunities

Annual Evaluations

At UNR Med, annual faculty evaluations are based on agreed upon roles of the faculty within the missions of UNR Med which include teaching, research, and service. These evaluations are conducted yearly for faculty and include written assessments and ratings, which are designed to support professional development and align individual contributions with institutional goals. Community faculty receive feedback on their contributions to the missions of the school along with information related to professional development opportunities.

Faculty on the tenure track, research track, teaching track, clinician educator track and clinician researcher track use role statements and meet with their Chair on a yearly basis. A role statement outlines a faculty member’s planned contributions in teaching, research, and service for the year, serving as a basis for fair evaluation. Developed collaboratively with the department chair, it reflects individual strengths, aligns with strategic mission-based roles, and allows flexibility for changes. It ensures expectations are clear and evaluations are tailored, using agreed-upon weightings for promotion, tenure, and annual review. Faculty on the affiliate track receive a yearly written evaluation and are asked to meet with their Chair at least once every 2-3 years.

Student Evaluations of Faculty Performance

Faculty have access to their student evaluations through their department. There are individual folders to which faculty have access and can view their evaluations.

  • If you have an active NV Box account, log in and search for your name in Nevada Box.

If you have any questions or concerns, including concerns that you are unable to access your Faculty Folder or that evaluations you expected to receive are not available, please reach out to facultyaffairs@med.unr.edu . To maintain student confidentiality, online student evaluations are distributed to faculty 6-12 months after course completion.

Promotion and tenure

UNR Med follows UNR processes and protocols for promotion and tenure. All required forms, templates, instructions and information related to promotion and tenure are available on the UNR Office of the Provost website.

UNR Med faculty and chairs are highly encouraged to attend annual workshops provide by the Office of the Provost. Updates are provided during promotion and tenure workshops. Academic faculty receive invitations to these events.

Promotion and tenure timelines may vary per school at UNR. The UNR Med timeline is provided for reference and is subject to change. All promotion and tenure applications are due in our electronic academic platform by November 1 annually.

Criteria for Excellence documents are available on HubMed providing sample metrics to guide faculty in the promotion and tenure process. These metrics are not exhaustive and may vary depending on faculty roles.

Faculty should review the UNR Bylaws, UNR Med Bylaws and the UNR Administrative Manual regarding promotion and tenure.

Academic Faculty Promotion and Tenure Information | Faculty Affairs | Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President | University of Nevada, Reno

Timeline Action Items
Academic faculty discuss progress towards promotion and tenure throughout each year and during annual evaluation seasons.
  • Review all related promotion and tenure forms, instructions and text on the Office of the Provost Promotion and tenure website.
  • Faculty discuss progress toward promotion and readiness to apply with Department Chair prior to and during the annual evaluation process.
  • Review Criteria for Excellence documents uploaded in HubMed located in Policies and Procedures > Standard Operating Procedures > Faculty. These documents provide metrics designed to guide faculty and chairs in the promotion and tenure process.
  • Review the UNR Med Intent to Apply policy.
January 1st
  • When department chairs and faculty agree that the time is appropriate to apply for promotion and/or tenure, faculty email their Intent to Apply to the administrator and associate dean for Faculty Affairs. (While not binding, the January 1st due date assists in ensuring sufficient resources will be available for candidates.)
  • See sample email text included below.
January - February
  • Department Chairs and faculty may seek clarity and guidance during scheduled P&T Office Hours hosted by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.
  • Candidates update their CVs and complete the P&T Application (available on the Office of the Provost's website for tenure track and non-tenure track candidates) by the end of February.
  • Candidates request a scheduled review of the application and CV with the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.
  • Chairs and faculty attend promotion and tenure workshops or review recordings from workshops offered by the Office of the Provost. Recordings available in Webcampus post-workshop
March 1st
  • Updated CVs and completed applications are due to Department Chairs by March 1st so that Chairs will have March and April to request and receive external letters.
March
  • Candidates may suggest external reviewers (as well as those they may not wish to be contacted); Faculty who are eligible to participate in the P&T Department Vote may also suggest external reviewers.
  • Using external review letter templates available on the Office of the Provost website, department chairs contact potential external reviewers. Vetted reviewers receive candidate applications, CVs and other materials as deemed appropriate by the department chair. UNR External Review Letter templates and criteria:
  • Tenure Track External Reviewers
  • Non-Tenure Track External Reviewers
April 30th
  • External review letters are due to department chairs by April 30th.
May
  • Department P&T Committee meetings are scheduled to review, discuss and vote on candidate applications.
  • Important: Review SOP P&T Department Votes.
  • Eligible department faculty must be at the rank and status being applied to, or above.
  • Candidate Applications, CVs and External Letters are provided to the Department P&T Committee chair and eligible department faculty members for review, discussion and votes.
  • A minimum of three eligible faculty are required for the department review. If the minimum of three cannot be met the Department P&T Committee Chair will work with the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs to engage eligible faculty from another department or school.
  • The Department P&T Committee Chair will email a list of eligible faculty including name, rank, and tenure status, to the associate dean and administrator in Institutional and Faculty Affairs to confirm eligibility.
  • Institutional and Faculty Affairs will create and disseminate Qualtrics surveys for the department vote post-meeting.
May - June
  • Candidates assemble Supplemental Materials file. The final PDF must be bookmarked based on the Table of Contents. Template provided.
July 15
  • Candidate, Department P&T Committee, and Department Chair required materials (saved as PDFs) are due in Interfolio.
  • Required materials list are available for download on the Office of the Provost, Promotion and Tenure website.
July 15 - August 1
  • Institutional and Faculty Affairs administrative review of required materials in Interfolio.
August 1 - September 10
Dates may vary slightly per year
  • UNR Med P&T Committee review.
September 11 - 26
Dates may vary slightly per year
  • UNR Med P&T Committee Chair letters uploaded in Interfolio.
September 26 - October 24
Dates may vary slightly per year
  • Dean's review: recommendation letters uploaded in Interfolio.
October 24 - November 1
Dates may vary slightly per year
  • Institutional and Faculty Affairs administrator conducts a final review to confirm that all requirements have been met.
November 1st
  • All Candidate, Department P&T Committee, Department Chair, P&T Committee, and Dean requirements are due in Interfolio.
November - December
  • UNR Promotion and Tenure Committees review all UNR applications for promotion and/or tenure.
December - January
  • Promotion candidates notified of UNR decisions.
Spring Meeting Board of Regents (BOR)
  • BOR review of Tenure applications; Tenure candidates notified post-meeting.
July 1st
  • Approved Promotion and Tenure applications are effective July 1st.

Faculty council

The Faculty Council has shared governance and internal communication responsibilities at UNR Med. The Faculty Council is advisory to the dean. The Faculty Council shall request updates from the UNR Med representatives of the University Faculty Senate regarding Senate agendas, votes, reports and activities.

Please direct all employee relations matters to the UNR Campus Employee Relations team.
They are well equipped to provide guidance and support on these issues.
The primary contact for UNR Med is:
Raeven Johnson
raevenj@unr.edu
(775) 784-6011

Or email: employeerelations@unr.edu
If you are unsure whether your inquiry falls under employee relations, feel free to reach out to your supervisor or to Philip Clark, DHA, MBA, Senior Associate Dean, Administration and Finance first, for assistance with appropriate routing.

The Faculty Council at UNR Med plays a vital role in shared governance and internal communication, serving as an advisory body to the dean. It is responsible for facilitating faculty committee elections, reviewing institutional reports and proposed policy changes, and providing feedback on amendments to bylaws. The Council also monitors and communicates updates from the University Faculty Senate, ensuring faculty are informed about relevant agendas and decisions.

The voting membership of the Faculty Council shall include:

  • Five academic faculty elected from the biomedical sciences departments
  • Five academic faculty elected from the clinical departments
  • Four elected administrative faculty
  • One Community (adjunct/clinical) Faculty shall be appointed, by the dean, to serve a renewable three-year term. This position is non-voting as per university bylaws 2.3.6.

Representatives shall serve staggered three-year terms with approximately one third of the membership rotating on/off the Faculty Council each year. Members may serve more than one three-year term.

The chair and vice-chair of the Faculty Council are elected by the Council from among its academic faculty members. The chair and vice chair shall serve staggered two years. The chair and vice chair may be reelected to serve one additional term.