Create and Define Ranks
Ranks can be defined in Lifecycle Management (LM) to represent the institution’s standard faculty ranks, including workload, rank type, and the allowable salary range for each rank. The rank feature allows the institution to configure Interfolio’s LM module to align with the formal professional designations used at the institution. Faculty appointments are classified into ranks and groups by title, each with specific benefits, rights, and responsibilities that can vary by institution. Standard ranks like Lecturer, Assistant Professor, and Associate Professor may mean different things at different institutions and can be made more specific by the addition of modifiers such as Adjunct, Emeritus, or Senior. Once a series is established in LM, the corresponding ranks must be defined within that series, as outlined below.
Each rank is independent of others.
Best Practices
- Each rank should start with an Appointment event.
- When putting events in for a rank, all the events should mark the time in that particular rank.
Create and Define Ranks
- Navigate to the Series page and click the Add Rank button
- Complete the Create Rank Form by first selecting a ‘Rank Type’ from the predefined list.
Rank Types are hardcoded in the system to ensure consistency in search and reporting, so they cannot be customized. If your institution's rank type is not listed, select 'Other' and enter the specific rank in the 'Rank Name' field.
- Use the free-text fields to customize the ‘Rank Name’ and ‘Qualifications,’ distinguishing ranks of the same type, but different benefits, responsibilities, or qualifications. When finished, click Save.
- Additionally, use the dropdown under the Workload section to select the associated Workload Model.
Workload serves as a categorization tool for grouping faculty. However, each faculty member's workload remains unique. You can adjust workloads at the faculty profile level as needed.
- Additionally, use the dropdown under the Workload section to select the associated Workload Model.
- Repeat the steps above until all ranks have been added to the series.
Changing the Rank Type is not recommended. Modifications to the Rank Type within a series will not update individual faculty members' records.
FAQs: Use Cases
How should faculty of the same rank but with different contract lengths be handled? For example, Assistant Professors on 3-year vs. 4-year contracts?
Create two series, one for 3-year and one for 4-year Assistant Professors.
How should someone with multiple appointments, such as a Chair who is also an Associate Professor, be treated?
In this case, consider the Chair and Associate Professor roles as separate appointments, each within its own series. You can create a series, such as "Administrative and Leadership Roles," to house administrative roles. This series can include rank names, events, and other elements, though it can also be kept simple with a single rank of "Administration" and a single event like "Appointment." Loading each as separate records will prevent any conflict with the title and start date.