(278b) Off-Road Professing: Creating Positive Change in Curriculum and Department Culture from Outside the Tenure Track

The presence and role of non-tenure-track faculty on university campuses are rapidly growing. However, this role is often ill-defined and in flux for many chemical engineering departments. While non-tenure-track positions often leave lecturing faculty with less security and without the full powers of department governance, many opportunities remain to define a role which can enhance entire curriculum and department culture. Such positions, focused on engineering education, may even present opportunities to affect positive department change that would be more challenging for those working to establish tenure. In this talk, three key areas of lecturing faculty impact will be highlighted: 1. Curriculum research and development; 2. Student advising; and 3. Community outreach. Successful methods for effecting change and securing a department role for non-tenure-track faculty in each of these areas will be discussed.