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Academic Personnel

Voting guidelines

General Eligibility

The University of Washington Faculty Code defines the voting members of the faculty and states the requirements for an effective vote, which vary as a function of the type of action to be taken. For specific questions regarding faculty voting guidelines, please contact the UW Faculty Senate.

Persons holding the following titles are eligible voting members of the faculty, excepted as noted in “Exceptions to Voting Eligibility” section below:

  • Professor
  • Research Professor
  • Teaching Professor
  • Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Associate Professor
  • Research Associate Professor
  • Associate Teaching Professor
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Assistant Professor
  • Research Assistant Professor
  • Assistant Teaching Professor
  • Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Senior Artist in Residence, full-time
  • Artist in Residence, full-time
  • Faculty in the following retiree titles during the quarter they are serving:
    • Retired professor (tenured/tenure-track, research, teaching, clinical practice)
    • Retired associate professor (tenured/tenure-track, research, teaching, clinical practice
    • Retired assistant professor (tenure-track, research, teaching, clinical practice)
    • Retired principal lecturer or senior lecturer

Exceptions to Voting Eligibility

Research track faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those matters relating to the promotion and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks:

  • Associate Professor
  • Professor
  • Associate Professor WOT
  • Professor WOT
  • Associate Teaching Professor
  • Teaching Professor
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Senior Artist in Residence

Teaching track faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those matters relating to the promotion to and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks:

  • Associate Professor
  • Professor
  • Associate Professor WOT
  • Professor WOT
  • Research Associate Professor
  • Research Professor
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Practice
  • Professor of Clinical Practice

Clinical Practice track faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those matters relating to the promotion to and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks:

  • Associate Professor
  • Professor
  • Associate Professor WOT
  • Professor WOT
  • Research Associate Professor
  • Research Professor
  • Associate Teaching Professor
  • Teaching Professor
  • Senior Artist in Residence

Renewals and Reappointments

As outlined in UW Faculty Code Section 24-53, the voting faculty of an academic unit, by majority vote, also may delegate authority to recommend the renewal of affiliate and clinical faculty, or annual or quarterly part-time lecturer appointments to an elected committee of its voting faculty instead of being the responsibility of the full voting faculty.

Except for the above noted exceptions, recommendations concerning reappointments and renewals are voted on by those who are superior in academic rank or title to the person under consideration, as follows:

  • for teaching associates — all voting faculty
  • for instructors – all voting faculty
  • for lecturers and artists in residence — senior artists in residence, and assistant/associate/full professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)
  • for professors of practice – senior artists in residence, and assistant/associate/full professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)
  • for senior artists in residence — assistant/associate/full professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)
  • for assistant professors — associate/full professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)
  • for research associate professors and associate teaching professors– professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)
  • for research professors and teaching professors – professors (tenured, tenure-track, WOT, research, teaching, clinical practice)

Reporting Vote Information

All reports of voting results must include the following 5 elements:

  1. Total number of eligible voters
  2. Total number of favorable votes
  3. Total number of unfavorable votes
  4. Total number of abstentions
  5. Total number of absent voters

Eligibility While on Leave

A faculty member on leave* is not eligible to vote. Faculty on leave are defined as the following:

*Faculty on intermittent leave *may* be eligible to vote on the day the vote takes place, based on their leave arrangement. It is the responsibility of the academic unit to determine voting eligibility for faculty.

(Note: Summer hiatus is not considered a leave of absence with respect to voting eligibility.)

Voting Majority

Personnel actions are effective only if passed by a majority vote of all eligible voting members of the unit. A vote of less than or exactly 50% of those eligible to vote does not represent a majority.

Voting as a Joint Faculty Member

A faculty member holding a joint appointment may be awarded voting rights in the secondary unit. When the joint appointment is proposed, voting rights should be determined and documented as part of the appointment process. See the UW Faculty Code Section 24-34 B.10 for more information.

Voting on New Annual and Quarterly Appointments

A faculty vote is required for all new faculty appointments. However, the unit faculty, by a majority vote, may delegate authority to an elected committee of its voting faculty to recommend appointments for affiliate faculty, clinical annual faculty, or annual or quarterly part-time lecturers without a full faculty vote (UW Faculty Code Section 24-52 C.1). Academic HR should receive a copy of this documentation annually.

Resources for Voting Eligibility 

Reappointment
Hire/New Appointment
Retentions
Merit
Promotion and Tenure

References

Academic Titles and Ranks Outlines voting eligibility by academic personnel category
Faculty Code Section 21-31 Establishes “membership in the Faculty” and “voting eligibility based on superior rank”
Faculty Code Section 21-32 Establishes “Voting Membership in the Faculty”
21-32 A: Establishes that a retired assistant professor, associate professor or professor (tenure-track, tenured, WOT, research, or teaching), or a retired principal lecturer or senior lecturer, are eligible to vote during the quarters they are serving on a part-time basis.
21-32 B: Establishes the ranks and titles of those members of the faculty who do not have any voting rights (e.g. clinical, clinical dental pathway, affiliate, acting, visiting).
Faculty Code Section 24-40 WOT faculty members have same rights, responsibilities and obligations as tenure-track and tenured faculty members at those rank.