Trustees approve practice professor plan

The new positions in Wharton and the Graduate School of Education will allow students to learn practical career skills from professionals. Students in the Wharton School and Graduate School of Education can now take classes taught by certified public accountants, investment brokers, professional consultants and student teaching intern supervisors. The University's Board Of Trustees passed two resolutions at its June 20 stated meeting establishing a practice faculty track in Wharton and a Lecturer in Educational Practice position in the Graduate School of Education. The University's standing faculty consists of tenure-track faculty -- including assistant, associate and full professors -- and associated members -- including adjunct assistants, associates, professors and lecturers. But Wharton Deputy Dean Janice Bellace explained that several of the University's professional schools have had a third practice track for some time. The trustees approved two practice professor slots for Wharton in the 1980s which have been filled by professionals from the fields of tax accounting and international accounting. But the success of these two practice professors and the "pressing demand for practice instructors" lead Wharton's standing faculty to propose that additional practice professor slots be created and a "proper practice faculty track" be established. Bellace said the practice professor track will include practice associate, practice assistant and practice full positions. Practice associate and assistant faculty will have three year contracts while practice full professors will be hired for five years. Contracts will be renewable and will permit practice faculty to work full time in addition to teaching. "In a professional school, the curriculum must balance theoretical and skill-based knowledge development," Bellace explained. "While most knowledge can be conveyed in traditional courses taught by standing faculty, certain areas of knowledge are best conveyed in experiential or technical skills-oriented courses." The new Practice Professors will staff courses with a substantial professional skill-based development focus and skills-oriented subject matter, including courses in leadership, negotiation, communication, deal structuring, tax accounting and auditing. Bellace said the practice faculty track will "enable us to attract the type of person from practice who can convey material in a skills-based course." The Wharton Personnel Committee will conduct a search and recommend appropriate individuals to fill the new positions, which must be approved by University administrators. The Lecturer in Educational Practice position will be for one year only. Education lecturers are currently appointed for three years with the possibility of being renewed for another three. These policies have resulted in a high turnover among professional teaching staff and discouraged the best practitioners from accepting appointments at the school, resulting in extensive use of part-time lecturers.