PTK Resources

Per the English department's Plan of Organization, PTK faculty are elected to serve on the following standing and ad-hoc committees:

Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion (AEP) Committee

The AEP Committee is chaired by the Associate Chair and also includes as voting members three Senior/Principal Lecturers appointed by the Department Chair, the Director of Academic Writing, and the Director of Professional Writing. The Committee meets in late fall to review applications for promotion to Adjunct II, Senior Lecturer, and Principal Lecturer.

Representation: Three Senior and/or Principal Lecturers are appointed by the chair to the PTK AEP Committee for one-year terms.  There is no limit on successive terms.

Current Representatives:
Kellie Robertson, Associate Chair and Committee Chair
Jessica Enoch, Director of Academic Writing
Rebecca Holden, Principal Lecturer
Pamela Orel, Senior Lecturer
Daniel Saalfeld, Senior Lecturer
Scott Wible, Director of Profesional Writing
Caroline Wilkins, Principal Lecturer

Coordinating Committee

The Coordinating Committee is the executive committee of the department.  The Committee advises the Chair on matters of concern related to the department, including academic matters, personnel actions, and resource allocation.  The Committee generally meets two (2) times per semester on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Representation: One professional track lecturer is elected to the Coordinating Committee for a two-year term, to succeed themselves not more than once.

Department Assembly

The Departmental Assembly is the voice of the department on matters of general policy.  As such, proposals of substantive importance in regard to programs and policies of the department suggested by the Chair, or other standing committees, are submitted to the Assembly for review.  The decisions of the Assembly generally become a part of accepted departmental policy.  The Assembly generally meets two (2) times per semester on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Representation: Six professional track lecturers (none of whom is a graduate student) are elected to the Assembly for one-year terms.  There is no limit on successive terms.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee

This ad-hoc committee serves as a conduit for communication between various departmental constituencies and administrators, develops strategies for creating a culturally responsive community, and fosters connections between members of our department and faculty, staff, and students beyond the department who are also working to create an equitable, just, and inclusive campus. The committee meets at least once a semester.

Representation: This committee is appointed and ad-hoc with one representative serving as Committee Chair.

Current Chair:
Sarah Woldekidan

PTK Executive Committee (PEC)

An ad-hoc committee for 2019-2020, that we hope to regularize as part of revisions to the department's Plan of Organization, the PEC serves as a conduit between Professional-track (PTK) faculty and departmental and college administrators. The PEC advises the chair and other administrators on matters of concern to PTK faculty, and considers matters brought forward by the department chair or other departmental committees. The PEC will meet at least three times per academic year.

Representation: The committee will be composed of four elected voting members of the Professional-track faculty, with at least one representative from each rank (lecturer, senior lecturer, and principal lecturer). Ex-officio members, with vote, will include the current PTK Faculty Mentoring Coordinator(s), and one of the department's Blended and Online Learning Coordinators (appointed by the department Chair). Elected members will serve two-year terms, to succeed themselves not more than once. The most senior member of the committee (semesters in rank) will generally serve as the chair. A member of the committee will be elected to serve as secretary.

Current Representatives:
Pamela Gerhardt (Committee Chair, 2019-2021)
Katherine Joshi (2019-2021)
Justin Lohr (2019-2021)
Elizabeth McClure (2019-2021)
Scott Moses (Ex-officio)
Caroline Wilkins (Ex-officio)

Undergraduate Studies Committee

The Undergraduate Studies Committee reviews matters related to undergraduate education, including curricular and course changes and learning outcomes assessment. The UGST Committee generally meets 4-5 times a year.

Representatives: One professional track faculty member is appointed by the department Chair to the Undergraduate Studies Committee for a two-year term, to succeed themselves not more than once.

Current Representative:
Lyra Hilliard (2018-2020)

Writing Committee

The Writing Committee reviews all aspects of the writing programs and their coordination, including the curricula, the use of instructional methods, and staffing. It participates in assessment within the Writing Programs. It consults on issues brought up by the Directors. It advises on new course offerings, programs of study, and research. It promotes outreach on issues related to writing to the campus as a whole. The chair of this committee serves ex-officio on the Campus Writing Board, and ensures that there is collaboration between the Writing Center and the Writing Programs.  The committee meets at least once a semester.

Representation: One representative (who is not a graduate student) is selected from the body of lecturers in the Writing Programs.  There is no limit on successive terms.

Current Representative:
Katherine Joshi

The PTK Mentoring Committee is now seeking applications for both mentors and mentees for the upcoming academic year.

Application Forms

To apply to become a mentor or mentee, please use the following two forms.

Mentee sign up form

Mentor sign up form

Mentoring Handbook

To learn more about PTK faculty mentoring, refer to the current version of the Mentoring Handbook.

Mentoring Handbook

Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion (AEP) Plan

In keeping with ongoing efforts of the University of Maryland System, Provost’s Task Force, Faculty
Senate, Office of Faculty Affairs, and the College of Arts and Humanities, the Department of English is committed to developing, sustaining, and when necessary revising and updating policies and practices that ensure a supportive, equitable, and inclusive working environment for all professional track (PTK) faculty.

Procedure for the Allocation of Laptops to Professional-track Faculty

The department will provide a laptop computer to all professional-track faculty at the rank of lecturer, senior lecturer, or principal lecturer after they have completed two regular (fall/spring) semesters of teaching.

English Department's Plan

English Department's Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion Plan for PTK faculty.

If you have questions about your eligibility, you should first consult with your direct supervisor (the Director of Professional Writing, the Director of Academic Writing, or the Associate Chair). Questions can also be directed to Kevin Nesline at remmell@umd.edu.

The deadline to indicate your intent to apply for promotion is April 15 of each year for the following year's cycle.

To apply for AY 2022-2023's cycle, submit your intent by April 15, 2022 using the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5LdzPGFZdcwjnjSPi5a5-Nxxt1oPP80QQ9KTwAd9bzqEVMQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Candidates who have been cleared to proceed with applying for promotion should follow the department's timeline.

What are the minimum qualifications for each rank?

The minimum qualifications can be found in section 3 of the department's AEP Plan.

How can I find out if I have taught a sufficient number of courses to apply for promotion?

If you are unsure of the number of courses you've taught in the English department, or whether a course from outside of the English department will count toward promotion, you should contact Kevin Nesline, the English department's Director of Operations, at remmell@umd.edu.

What is the difference between Senior Lecturer and Adjunct II?

Adjunct II promotions are only applicable to faculty who teach 25% FTE (one course per semester), and do not plan to increase their teaching load in the near future. Faculty who teach more than one course per semester, or plan to in the near future, must apply for Senior Lecturer promotion. These categories are not transferable (e.g. being promoted to Adjunct II does not qualify you for Senior Lecturer status if you teach two or more classes in the future).

AY 2020-2021 AEP Committee:

Kellie Robertson, Associate Chair and Committee Chair
Jessica Enoch, Director of Academic Writing
Rebecca Holden, Principal Lecturer
Pamela Orel, Senior Lecturer
Daniel Saalfeld, Senior Lecturer
Scott Wible, Director of Profesional Writing
Caroline Wilkins, Principal Lecturer

UTAs assist instructors with lessons, help lead discussions, facilitate group activities, guide peer review sessions, and more. Learn more about the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) Program and how to get involved.

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