The University of Iowa School of Social Work is committed to fostering an environment in which faculty at all levels (assistant, associate, full) and within all tracks (tenure, clinical, instructional) can achieve excellence and fulfill the responsibilities of their position. 

Teaching

• As a program that must maintain compliance with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation standards, faculty in all tracks and at all ranks are required where applicable to include accreditation-related information (i.e., competency assessments, best content) in required courses and to submit competency assessment data at the end of the semester.  
• Regular faculty in all tracks are assigned a lead instructor role for required MSW and/or BA courses and are expected to share course syllabi, ICON sites with assignments and readings, and CSWE required content and assessments, and to answer questions about course content.  
• All faculty are assigned graduate students for whom they provide academic advising. Tenure track faculty have up to 15 MSW advisees; clinical and instructional track faculty have (on average) up to 30 MSW advisees.  

Service

• As a program that must maintain compliance with Council on Social Work Education accreditation standards, faculty in all tracks and at all ranks are required to participate in accreditation-related activities including providing data, drafting portions of the self-study report, and participating in meetings related to accreditation.  
• Senior faculty are expected to mentor and support more junior faculty, both within and across tracks, through promotion and tenure where applicable. Mentoring may include, for example, providing guidance on research or productivity, reviewing CVs and providing feedback, observing teaching and providing feedback, recommending professional and/or university service opportunities.  

Research 

• The School of Social Work recognizes that tenured and tenure-track social work faculty engage in varied types of research, including intervention studies in the field, original survey research, community-based participatory research, secondary analysis of existing data sets, and others. The school also recognizes that some faculty work and publish within larger teams, while others publish primarily sole or co-authored works. Due to these variations, the school does not require a specific number of publications or publication in particular journals. As a general guide, research-focused faculty working in teams would likely produce an average of 2-3 publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals per year, while those working as solo researchers would produce an average of one publication in a reputable peer reviewed journal per year.  
• Tenured and tenure-track faculty are required to demonstrate research excellence and a growing reputation through research activity beyond publications. These include, for example, giving presentations at national and international conferences, receiving awards for scholarship, and editing a special issue for a reputable journal.
• Tenure-track faculty are also expected to actively seek funding to support their research, strengthen the school’s reputation and visibility both outside and within the University, and provide critical resources to meet the school’s needs.  

Service

• Faculty at all ranks contribute to departmental service. Expectations increase with rank.

Teaching

• Assistant professors are expected to participate in the mentoring of doctoral students, which may include supervising research practica or research assistantships or serving as a member of a comprehensive exam or dissertation committee. The school does not expect assistant professors to chair a comprehensive exam or dissertation committee. 

Research 

• Assistant professors are expected to develop an increasingly active and visible program of research. Assistant professors are also expected to publish independently of former mentors.
• Assistant professors in the tenure track are expected to publish 1-3 publications per year, on average, over time as they approach the tenure review.
• Assistant professors without current grants are expected to actively pursue at least one internal or external grant per year.  

Service

• Expectations for departmental service are limited at the assistant professor level. The DEO makes service assignments that respect the need for contribution to the department without disrupting faculty progress toward promotion and tenure.

Teaching

• Associate professors are expected to mentor doctoral students to the completion of their degree, including chairing comprehensive exam and dissertation committees. Associate professors are expected to advise or chair at least one doctoral student per year. 

Research 

• Associate professors are expected to expand their national and international reputation for producing high quality and innovative research.
• Associate professors without current grants are expected to actively pursue at least one external grant per year.

Service

• Associate professors are expected to provide substantial service to the department, including participation on search committees, program committees, promotion committees, curriculum/CSWE-related committees, assuming director or coordinator roles. 

Teaching

• Full professors are expected to continue to mentor doctoral students to the completion of their degrees, including chairing comprehensive exam and dissertation committees. Full professors are expected to advise or chair 1-2 doctoral students per year. 

Research 

• Full professors are expected to maintain a national and international reputation for their scholarship.  
• Full professors without current grants are expected to actively pursue at least one external grant per year. 

Service

• Full professors are expected to provide the highest level of service to the department. This includes serving as chair for promotion committees, participating on search committees, leading program committees, curriculum/CSWE-related committees, ad hoc committees, and assuming director or coordinator roles. 

Teaching

• Assistant professors of instruction or practice are expected to participate in professional development activities to develop as an instructor and to stay informed about current instructional practices. 

Teaching

• Associate professors of instruction or practice are expected to participate in professional development activities to further develop as an instructor and to stay informed about current instructional practices.

Service

• Associate professors of instruction or practice are expected to provide substantial service to the department, including participation on search committees, program committees, promotion committees for instructional faculty, curriculum/CSWE-related committees, and assuming director or coordinator roles.

Teaching

• Full professors of instruction or practice are expected to participate in professional development activities to further develop as an instructor and to stay informed about current instructional practices. 

Service

• Full professors of instruction or practice are expected to expand the range of service to the department, including chairing promotion committees for instructional faculty, serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies, leading program committees, curriculum/CSWE-related committees, ad hoc committees, and assuming director or coordinator roles. 

Clinical practice and professional productivity

• In the School of Social Work, the term clinical practice is defined broadly to include practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Micro practice includes therapeutic work with individuals, families, or small groups at generalist and specialized levels using coaching, counseling, and therapeutic interventions. Mezzo practice focuses on practice with groups, communities, schools, and organizations using program development, education, and community organizing. Macro practice focuses on large client systems through policy development, policy analysis, and advocacy.  
• Clinical faculty are expected to develop a record of success in clinical or other professional practice and professional productivity and to demonstrate sustained success with increasing rank. Examples of activities that may demonstrate practice or productivity include, for example, supervising and mentoring students in practicum placements to prepare for professional practice; providing direct practice in the community; providing clinical supervision to social workers preparing for independent licensure; providing continuing education sessions or conference presentations; producing webinars, training programs, or writing articles for professional publications. 

Teaching

• Clinical assistant professors are expected to teach practice courses and to supervise and mentor students in practice. 

Clinical practice and professional productivity

• Clinical assistant professors are expected to have experience in clinical practice and to engage in professional productivity.

Teaching

• Clinical associate professors are expected to continue to teach practice courses and to supervise and mentor students in practice. 

Clinical practice and professional activity

• Clinical associate professors are expected to have an established record of success in clinical practice and professional productivity 

Teaching

• Clinical full professors are expected to continue to teach practice courses and to supervise and mentor students in practice. 

Clinical practice and professional productivity

• Clinical full professors are expected to have an established record of sustained success in clinical practice and recognition for professional productivity.

Service

• Clinical full professors are expected to provide the highest level of service to the department. This includes serving as chair for promotion committees of clinical or instructional faculty, participating on search committees for clinical or instructional faculty, leading program or curriculum/CSWE-related committees, and assuming director/coordinator roles.