Faculty Qualifications Policy

Policy on Faculty Qualifications and Engagement*

Overview

The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business (LCoB) is fortunate to have a dynamic, vibrant faculty engaged in an amazing array of innovative, impactful activities that support the mission of the College . The LCoB core values of excellence, ethics, entrepreneurship, and engagement are evident in the academic and professional activities of the faculty. The faculty focus on research and professional engagement that impact the theory and practice of business and education in Silicon Valley and beyond. 

The applied nature of our business programs and the quality of our graduates and faculty resources are highly appreciated by firms in the Silicon Valley and global business community. Indeed, the dynamism and multiplicity of pursuits of our faculty contribute strongly to the intellectual vitality of the College and serve as a significant recruiting advantage. To further these valuable endeavors, the College has a strong tradition of supporting faculty development activities that encompass a wide range of scholarly and professional pursuits. Thus, the college recognizes that faculty will maintain their qualifications in a diversity of ways and seeks to develop a policy that embraces that richness.

The following pages outline 1) the 2013 AACSB faculty qualification standard (July 1, 2018 update), 2) LCoB policy guidelines for designating and maintaining faculty qualification status, 3) the point system and categories of intellectual and professional contributions, 4) reporting and exceptions, 5) failure to maintain faculty qualification status, and 6) the relationship between the LCoB policy of faculty qualification and university review policies and procedures.

1. Faculty Qualifications and Engagement

The 2013 AACSB accreditation standards require that faculty collectively and individually demonstrate significant academic and professional engagement that sustains the intellectual capital necessary to support high-quality outcomes consistent with the mission and strategy of the LCoB. The four classifications of faculty qualifications and engagement and their definitions are given here (adapted from AACSB 2013 Business Standards – July 1, 2018 update, p. 43). Guidelines for maintaining faculty qualifications are provided below.

*Approved by faculty vote on April 15, 2014, effective fall 2014 and amended by faculty vote on May 11, 2015. Last amended by faculty vote on November 8, 2019 (80 faculty members voted for the proposed changes: 72 yes, 4 no and 4 abstain). As part of LCoB’s culture of continuous improvement, this policy shall be reviewed periodically. Any proposed changes to the policy will be put to faculty vote.  

SA ≥ 40%

SA + PA + SP ≥ 60%

SA + PA + SP + IP ≥ 90%

Scholarly Academics (SA) sustain currency and relevance through scholarship and related activities. Normally, SA status is granted to newly hired faculty members who earned their research doctorates within the last five years prior to the review dates.

Practice Academics (PA) sustain currency and relevance through professional engagement and relevant activities. Normally, PA status applies to faculty members who augment their initial preparation as academic scholars with development and engagement activities that involve substantive linkages to practice or other forms of professional engagement.

Scholarly Practitioners (SP) sustain currency and relevance through continued professional engagement and scholarship related to their professional background and experience. Normally, SP status applies to practitioner faculty members who augment their experience with engagement activities involving substantive scholarly activities in their fields of teaching.

Instructional Practitioners (IP) sustain currency and relevance through continued professional experience and engagement related to their professional backgrounds and experience. Normally, IP status is granted to newly hired faculty members who join the faculty with significant and substantive professional experience, and with a master’s degree. Faculty with a terminal degree may be granted IP status if they hold a full-time professional position.

It is important for faculty to have initial academic preparation and/or professional experience at the time of hire and to remain engaged in scholarship and/or practice throughout their employment with the LCoB. A point system for intellectual and professional contributions to maintain SA, PA, IP, and SP status is developed in section 5 below (5. Point System for Intellectual and Professional Contributions). To deliver quality business education, faculty must pursue continuous development in their specialty area and its application to the business world. A critical factor is the alignment of faculty initial academic preparation/professional experience and ongoing engagement activities with their primary teaching responsibilities and with the mission of LCoB. Academic and professional engagement activities must be substantive and sustained at levels that support currency and relevance for the LCoB’s mission, expected outcomes, and strategies. Engagement can result from the work of a single faculty member, collaborations between and among faculty, or collaborations between faculty and other scholars and/or practitioners.

Faculty are responsible for working with their Department Chair or School Director and the Associate Dean-Lucas Graduate School of Business (or designee) to ensure that they have a feasible plan for maintaining their SA, PA, SP, or IP status. (A faculty member who does not maintain status through the point system is classified as ‘Other’; see section 6 below - 6. Failure to Maintain Qualification Status) Faculty are also responsible for regularly reporting their intellectual or professional contributions and other activities to indicate how they are maintaining their qualifications and engagement status. Department Chairs and School Directors work with the Dean and Associate Dean- Lucas Graduate School of Business to determine the balance of SA, PA, SP, and IP faculty needed to best ensure that the LCoB can accomplish its mission and maintain the standards required by the AACSB.

2. Guidelines on Scholarly Academics (SA) and Practice Academics (PA)

Criteria for designation to SA and PA status include the following:

• Research doctoral degree. Initial academic preparation for SA and PA status is normally required in the form of a discipline-based research doctorate. Such a doctorate is intended to produce scholars capable of creating original scholarly contributions through advances in research or theory and who can contribute research knowledge to their areas of teaching. In cases where the research doctorate is in the business discipline but outside the teaching area, or where the research doctorate is outside the business discipline but related to the teaching area, evidence of supplemental preparation to support currency and relevance in the teaching field may be required. The greater the disparity between the field of academic preparation and the area of teaching, the greater the need for supplemental preparation and demonstration of higher levels of sustained, substantive academic and/or professional engagement to support currency and relevance in the fields of teaching.

• Specialized graduate degree. Individuals with specialized graduate degrees in law, taxation or accounting will be considered SA or PA for teaching in their respective fields subject to ongoing and substantive academic and/or professional engagement activities. A faculty member with a graduate degree in law would be expected to teach courses in business law, legal environment of business, and related subjects. Individuals with a graduate degree in taxation or an appropriate combination of graduate degrees in law and accounting will be considered SA or PA to teach taxation.

1. Other terminal degree/no degree. If individuals have doctoral degrees that are less foundational discipline-based research oriented, or if their highest degrees are not doctorates, then they must demonstrate high levels of sustained, substantive academic and/or professional engagement activities to support their currency and relevance in their fields of teaching and their contributions to other mission components. A current research record in the teaching field will be accepted as evidence of academic qualifications for SA and PA, regardless of credentials. Individuals whose highest degree is not a doctorate may be considered for SA or PA status if they have a specialized master's degree in a business-related field, completed coursework in a business doctoral program, or are currently a student in a business doctoral program.

Maintaining Scholarly Academic (SA) Status

To maintain SA status, faculty members are expected to develop a portfolio of intellectual contributions that demonstrate currency in their field and support the mission of the LCoB. The intellectual contributions must indicate a sufficient quality, rigor and value to meet AACSB and LCoB standards. (See detailed list of acceptable professional contributions in section 5 below - 5. Point System for Intellectual and Professional Contributions) Intellectual contributions are original works intended to advance the theory, practice, and/or teaching of business and management. They are scholarly in the sense that they are based on generally accepted research principles, are validated by peers and disseminated to appropriate audiences. Intellectual contributions are a foundation for innovation. Validation of the quality of intellectual contributions includes the traditional academic or professional pre-publication peer review, but may encompass other forms of validation, such as online post-publication peer reviews, ratings, surveys of users, etc.  (2013 Eligibility Procedures and Accreditation Standards for Business Accreditation - 7/1/18 update, p. 18).

Faculty whose terminal degrees were granted within the five-year time frame are normally considered SA by virtue of the currency of their degree. Faculty who have achieved doctoral ABD status are normally considered SA for a maximum of 3 years from the date that ABD status is achieved. Yet, all such faculty must still engage in research activities to produce the required portfolio of contributions for future periods. Other faculty with SA status are expected to produce intellectual contributions on a regular basis. Additionally, as the focus of LCoB is on applied programs, SA faculty are encouraged to engage in professional activities. As evidence of maintaining SA status, faculty must earn a minimum of 6 points over each rolling five year period. Points are earned based on the nature of the intellectual and professional contributions as described below for Categories A, B, C and D. At least 4 points in each 5-year period must be earned from Category A.

Maintaining Practice Academic (PA) Status

To maintain PA status, faculty are expected to be engaged in contributions to practice or other forms of professional engagement on a regular basis. These may include practice-oriented intellectual contributions, consulting activities, service on boards of directors, etc. (See detailed list of acceptable professional contributions in section 5 below - 5. Point System for Intellectual and Professional Contributions.) As evidence of maintaining PA status, faculty must earn a minimum of 6 points over each rolling five year period. Points are earned based on the nature of the intellectual and professional contributions as described below for Categories A, B, C, and D. At least 2 points in each 5-year period must be earned from Category A or B, and at least 2 points in each 5-year period must be earned from Category D.

3. Guidelines on Instructional Practitioners (IP) and Scholarly Practitioners (SP)

The College seeks to hire faculty who have appropriate academic preparation for teaching as well as relevant practical experience that can provide valuable insights into the rapidly changing landscape of the Silicon Valley region. Faculty who meet the following general criteria may be designated as IP or SP at the time of hiring.

1. A master's degree in a field related to the area of teaching assignment.
2. Current professional experience relevant to the faculty member's teaching assignment, significant in duration and level of responsibility.

The less related the initial professional experience is to the field of teaching, or the longer the time since the relevant experience occurred, the greater the need for that faculty member to demonstrate sustained academic and/or professional engagement related to the teaching field.

Maintaining Instructional Practitioner (IP) Status

To maintain IP status, faculty are expected to be engaged in contributions to practice or other forms of professional engagement on a regular basis. These may include substantial consulting activities, participation in business-related professional events, service on boards of directors, etc. Faculty members should consult with their department chair or school director if uncertain about whether an activity qualifies as a contribution for maintaining IP status. Points are earned primarily based on the nature of the professional contributions as described below for Category D. Points may also be earned from Category C. As evidence of maintaining IP status, faculty must earn a minimum of 4 points over each rolling five year period. At least 3 points must come from the list of professional contributions in Category D.

Maintaining Scholarly Practitioner (SP) Status

To maintain SP status, faculty members are expected to be engaged in academic pursuits on a regular basis. These may include production of peer-reviewed journal articles, active editorships with academic journals or other business publications, participation in recognized academic societies, etc. As evidence of maintaining SP status, faculty must earn a minimum of 4 points over each rolling five year period. Points are earned based on the nature of the intellectual and professional contributions as described below for Categories A, B, C, and D. At least 2 points in each 5-year period must be earned from Category A, B, or C, and at least 2 points must be earned from Category D.

4. Status Transitions

In reference to the above criteria for maintaining faculty qualification status, the following describes transitions between qualification classifications. Faculty who do not maintain the criteria for SA status will move to PA status if they meet the PA criteria, or to ‘Other’ if they do not meet the PA criteria. Faculty who do not maintain the criteria for SP status will move to IP status if they meet the IP criteria, or to ‘Other’ if they do not meet the IP criteria (See the point system below and section 6 - Failure to Maintain Qualification Status). For faculty who do not meet the criteria for SA status when returning to academic appointments after administrative appointments that do not include research-designated release time, they will be granted provisional SA status for a period equal to their absence for up to four years. They are expected to show progress during the period and fully meet the criteria for SA status at the end of the period.

5. Point System for Intellectual and Professional Contributions

The categories of intellectual contributions (A, B, C) and professional contributions (D) are listed below. The associated point system by faculty qualification is summarized here.

Intellectual Contributions

Category A (2 points each)

• Peer-reviewed [1] journal article in the faculty member's discipline, which must:
• Contribute to understanding or advance knowledge in a particular field through original research and/or significant work consisting of the synthesis of existing knowledge;
• Have required significant time and effort to produce;
• Be published in a journal where there is a possibility of submitted work being rejected (the publisher does not accept all papers);
• Be published in a journal that is listed in Cabell's Directories of Publishing Opportunities, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory (if designated as peer-reviewed¹) or has been approved as being equivalent to journals listed in the directories, via an exception request, by the Accreditation Leadership Council. [1]

Category B (2 points each)

• Scholarly book that involves original scholarly research and is published by a university press, academic or equivalent publisher.
• Trade book on a topic relevant to the faculty member's discipline with field-based research that is of sufficiently high quality to be accepted by publishers with national distribution in bookstores and to attract reviews in publications with broad national reach.
• Textbook that synthesizes elements of a faculty member's discipline, is updated regularly, and is published by a higher education commercial publisher.
• Awarded competitive grant or fellowship from a US national funding agency[2](e.g., Fulbright, NSF, NIH, NASA, NIST…), foundation, or non-US equivalent. 

Category C (1 point each)

• Service[3] as an editor or associate editor for a professional or academic journal or book, or as a member of an editorial board of an academic or professional journal.
• Service[4] as an active reviewer for a professional or academic journal or conference.
• Service [3] as a program chair or track chair involved in planning activities for a conference in the faculty member’s discipline.
• Chapter in a scholarly book or a monograph that involves scholarly research and that is published by a university press, academic or equivalent publisher.
• An article, paper, or case published in the proceedings of a conference in the faculty member's discipline.
• A case (accompanied by an instructor's manual) that is editorially reviewed but not peer-reviewed [1] (e.g., accepted for publication by the author of a textbook).
• Technical report related to research projects in the faculty member's discipline that is published and distributed.
• Article on business practice or other area relevant to the faculty member's discipline in newspapers with national or regional distribution or magazines/journals with a broad readership (or the online equivalent); includes an article that does not fall into Category A.
• Article in the faculty member's areas of expertise published in a journal that is not peer reviewed [1]
• Invited or peer reviewed [1] address, presentation, lecture, or colloquium in a faculty member's area of expertise that includes written materials. 
• Publicly available consulting report or testimony to a branch or agency of the government in a faculty member's area of expertise.
• Published review of a book in the faculty member's area of expertise.
• Publicly available material describing the design and implementation of new curricula’s content and format in the faculty member's area of expertise.
• Publicly available web site or web log in a faculty member's area of expertise that is updated regularly and linked at other significant sites.
• Instructional software or simulation in the faculty member's discipline that is widely used.
• Awarded competitive research grant from a foundation, for-profit or non-profit organization including those internal to CSU and SJSU (e.g., Mineta Transportation Institute, RSCA, Lucas grant, etc.).

Professional Contributions

Category D (The number of points is specified for each item in parenthesis)

Professional contributions vary by level of significance, substance, duration, and impact on the mission of the LCoB. In order to better represent the diversity of faculty’s professional contributions, some items below allow for a variable number of points. The Accreditation Leadership Council, comprised of the Associate Deans, School Directors, and Department Chairs, is tasked with the application of uniform evaluation standards to determine the number of points assigned to the professional engagement of faculty members. For a given professional contribution, the number of category D points is determined by the level of the professional contribution, its duration and substance.

• Serving in an active role of significance or leadership position in a business, non-profit or community-based organization, e.g., board of directors. (0-2 points)
• Relevant part-time consulting activities or contractor work. (0-2 points)
• Full-time employment in a senior managerial position or paid full-time consulting activities of a significant level, substance and duration. (1 point for each year of full-time employment/consulting)
• Management responsibility and ownership in a business. (0-2 points)
• Creating and/or delivering executive, professional education programs or their equivalent, including programs organized by SJSU units and the College of Professional and Global Education. (0-2 points)
• Leadership role in a College/University Center or Institute organizing professional and educational programs or activities focusing on the practice of business, management and related issues. (0-2 points)
• Obtaining a new and appropriate professional/technical certification (i.e., CPA, CMA, CFA, CFP, California Bar license, Oracle, SAP certifications, SHRM-CP/SCP, etc.). (0-2 points)

Continuing education:

• Maintenance of appropriate professional/technical certifications (i.e., CPA, CMA, CFA, CFP, California Bar license, Oracle, SAP certifications, SHRM-CP/SCP, etc.) (0-2 points)
• Completing customized professional development experiences created in coordination with the Accreditation Leadership Council. (0-2 points)
• Attending professional development workshops in a faculty’s area of expertise. (0-2 points)
• Faculty internships at a business, non-profit or community-based organization. (0-2 points)
• Significant participation in business professional associations, professional standard-setting bodies or policy-making bodies. (0-2 points)
• Ongoing participation in professional events that focus on the practice of business and management. (0-1 point)
• Ongoing participation in other activities that place faculty in direct contact with business and other organizational leaders. (0-1 point)
• Significant media mention based on faculty expertise area. (0-1 point)

Reporting and Exceptions

Intellectual Contributions: Faculty members shall report, at the end of each spring and fall terms, on their intellectual contributions. Such reporting shall include:

• Citation including date of publication[5]
• The nature of the work (learning and pedagogical (L), contributions to practice (P), or discipline-based (D)
• Whether or not it was peer-reviewed [1]
• The category (A, B or C)
• A copy of the work.

Professional Contributions: Faculty members shall report, at the end of each spring and fall terms, on their professional contributions. Such reporting shall include:

• A description of the activity from Category D and the date(s).

Exceptions: Should a faculty member believe that the nature of a contribution does not fall within the items listed to document their qualification status, the Associate Dean–Lucas Graduate School of Business shall call a meeting of the Accreditation Leadership Council that will evaluate the faculty’s requests.

For intellectual contributions, if a faculty believes that the nature of the contribution does not fall within the items listed in Categories A, B, and C, or that a particular contribution warrants placement in a higher category, such contribution and the rationale for its category placement shall be submitted to the Associate Dean- Lucas Graduate School of Business. A majority vote of the Accreditation Leadership Council shall be final as to the category for the particular contribution. A similar procedure is required should a faculty member believe that a journal not listed in Cabell's or in Ulrich’s-peer reviewed or in the approved journal list should be treated as equivalent. For such considerations, the Council will base its judgment on a review of the history of the journal, quality of the editorial board, the review process, and the published articles.  

For professional contributions, should a faculty member believe that an activity not listed in Category D should be considered equivalent to the listed items, a description of the activity and the rationale for its consideration shall be submitted to the Associate Dean-Lucas Graduate School of Business. The Accreditation Leadership Council will review the case. A majority vote of this committee shall be final as to whether the activity is appropriate to include as a professional contribution and the determination of the number of points associated.

6. Failure to Maintain Qualification Status

Faculty who do not meet the criteria for maintaining SA, PA, SP, or IP status will be deemed to be not qualified and will be classified as ‘Other.’ Faculty members who are not qualified are expected to develop implementation plans that will allow them to regain qualified status. The plan should be developed in consultation with the Department Chair or School Director, who, along with the Associate Dean-Lucas Graduate School of Business will review progress on a semi-annual basis.

7. Relationship of LCoB Policy to University Review Policies

All faculty members are subject to university review policies and procedures. For example, tenure-track faculty are subject to the university's retention, tenure and promotion (RTP) policy. These review procedures include regular peer evaluations and student evaluations (SOTEs). The LCoB faculty qualifications and engagement policy is intended to complement university policies and procedures, not to replace them. Faculty are required to follow both the university review policies and procedures and the LCoB policy on faculty qualifications and engagement.

[1] Peer review is defined as “a process of independent review prior to publication of a faculty member’s work by an editorial board/committee widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the field.” The peer review should be independent; provide for critical but constructive feedback; demonstrate a mastery and expertise of the subject matter; and be undertaken through a transparent process notwithstanding that the individuals involved may be anonymous. Such a review ensures that the work is subjected to the expected “scrutiny by academic peers or practitioners prior to publication.” (AACSB, Eligibility Procedures and Accreditation Standards for Business Accreditation, 1/31/08, p. 25).

[2] https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

[3] Documented by dates of service and counts as 1 point during any 5-year period in which such work is performed.

[4] Documented by three or more reviews, including revisions, from a range of journals and conferences, and counts as 1 point during any 5-year period.  

[5] A contribution’s publication date is the copyright date for books and for other items that are issued for a particular date, such as a journal article or testimony, the stated date on that contribution.