Criteria of Excellence for Lecturer Promotions

The African Studies Center at Boston University is the only federally funded Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) at Boston University. As an NRC, one of its central federal mandates is to teach and develop high-quality instructional materials for priority African languages, as defined by the US Department of Education to address national needs. Currently, the African Studies Center has six lecturers (four part-time lecturers and two full-time lecturers) who teach seven priority African languages. 

Promotion to Senior Lecturer: The four criteria of excellence for promotion of lecturers to the rank of Senior Lecturer at the African Studies Center are: (1) excellence in teaching and mentoring of students, (2) excellence in academic leadership (including program building, curriculum development, and supervision of junior lecturers), (3) excellence in service to the African Studies Center and Boston University, (4) excellence in leadership in national professional organizations such as ALTA (African Languages Teachers’ Association), NALRC (National African Languages Resource Center), and NERCPAL (Northeast Consortium of Programs in African Languages). 

Promotion to Master Lecturer: Candidates for promotion to Master Lecturer will be considered under the same criteria, but must meet appropriately higher expectations in terms of the scope, range, or impact of professional activities, in addition to demonstrating ongoing growth as excellent teachers. Pedagogical initiatives that are informed by developments in the field, reach beyond individual classrooms, and materially advance student program learning outcomes and/or other strategic planning priorities of the African Studies Center Title VI program, College, or university will weigh heavily. Evidence of effective leadership, e.g., in curriculum design or mentoring of more junior teachers, is also important. While not required, excellence in publications or scholarly work, especially as relevant to the teaching mission, is regarded favorably. Review for promotion to Master Lecturer will focus primarily on the candidate’s accomplishments in the years since appointment at the rank of Senior Lecturer, with attention also paid to specific plans for the next phase of his/her career trajectory.