Procedure 5.1.2(p)1. LTC Faculty Credentials
Revised: April 2022, February 215, May 2013 Last Reviewed: April 2022 Adopted: October 2010
When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, Lanier Technical College gives primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline in accordance with the guidelines contained in the LTC Faculty Credential Manual.
For all cases, Lanier Technical College is responsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of its faculty and bases faculty credentialing decisions upon the course(s) to be taught by the faculty member and his/her qualifications to teach that specific course. In addition to degrees earned, the college may consider other qualifications such as licenses or certificates earned, industry experience, relevant continuing education, or exceptional achievement in the field. Before a faculty member is approved to teach a course, a thorough review of his/her credentials is conducted by the appropriate academic dean to verify his/her qualifications to teach the course. Final approval to teach the course is given by the Academic Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Required qualifications for specific awards and programs are detailed in the LTC Faculty Credential Manual.
Credential Documentation
During the hiring process for new faculty members, the Academic Dean will verify the applicant has provided proper documentation that meets the college's credentialing guidelines.
Transcripts "issued to student" are not official documents.
Official documentation will be kept in the employee's personnel file in the Human Resources Office. Copies of documentation will be kept by the appropriate Academic Dean in the employee's faculty credential file.
It is the faculty member's responsibility to update the information within his/her file upon completion of additional degrees, certifications, training, etc. The faculty member shall notify his/her Academic Dean and the Director of Human Resources when his/her file needs to be updated.
Justification for Exceptions to Credential Guidelines
Justification for an exception to credential guidelines must be documented via the Faculty Credential Justification Form (available in the Faculty Credential Manual). The following guidelines should be used to determine if an exception to the College's faculty credential guidelines is appropriate:
- In exceptional cases, outstanding professional experience and demonstrated contributions to the teaching discipline may be presented in lieu of formal academic training for faculty members. Such cases must be justified on an individual basis.
- Justifications must be on a course-by-course basis. The individual preparing the justification must consider course competencies and explain how the applicant is qualified to teach those competencies.
It is the responsibility of Lanier Technical College to keep documentation of academic preparation (such as official transcripts and, if appropriate for demonstrating competency, official documentation of professional and work experience, technical and performance competency, records of publications, certifications, licenses, and other qualifications) on file for all full-time and part-time faculty members.
Maintaining Currency
Full-time faculty members will remain current in their teaching discipline via professional development activities including back-to-industry visits. Full-time faculty members are required to participate in a variety of internal and (where appropriate) external professional development activities. Faculty members are encouraged to seek out relevant faculty development activities such as advanced degrees, workshops, seminars, conferences, credit courses, industry tours, etc. Where appropriate, faculty are also expected to maintain current professional licenses relevant to their teaching field that promote knowledge of current trends and emerging technologies.