“We actually think that CRLT has turned some people around in really nice ways.”

Moldwin echoed that the CRLT aids lecturers in bettering themselves as teachers.

“If you are not a leading researcher, it is very difficult to get tenure. But if you are a terrible teacher, then that is part of our mistake,” he added. “We should catch that much earlier and provide the resources to get better.”

Whitman said even fully-tenured professors were encouraged to utilize CRLT resources in cases where their teaching appeared to be subpar. She also noted cases where faculty with quality research accomplishments had been denied tenure due to poor instruction.

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Though the University is a major research university, policies imply equality in research and teaching endeavors.

According to the University’s Faculty Handbook, which is published on the Office of the Provost’s website, faculty are required to be distinguished “scholars and teachers” before they are considered for tenure review. Furthermore, the University’s Vision Statement defines the institution as having “a culture of interdisciplinary teaching and research, coupled with academic rigor.”

To shake up the career path of a lecturer, the Office of the Provost is working on developing more opportunities for the teaching staff. With opportunities that include helping other lecturers learn how to teach and gain administrative roles, lecturers have a scope for career advancement independent of research.

While LEO’s website states that no lecturer is eligible for “traditional academic protection,” or tenure, Whitman said there have been exceptional circumstances where the scholarship of a lecturer exceeded the quality of tenured faculty.

Whitman knows of at least one case where a lecturer showed significant progress in research, causing him to be re-evaluated and hired as tenure-track faculty.

Whitman also said by demanding tenure-track professors to submit teaching and research statements simultaneously when up for tenure review, the Office of the Provost could weigh both components in parallel.

Extensive research reviews undeniably carry a large weight in the portfolio of any tenure-track faculty. However, teaching documentation is also a mandate, where student course evaluations, faculty syllabi and reviews by other senior faculty help the Office of the Provost determine the teaching qualifications of each professor.

Moldwin said he also hopes to see a better balance between teaching and research at the University.

“One of my professional goals is to influence academia, particularly major research universities, to have teaching weighted equally or more in tenure decisions,” Moldwin said. “Because U-M is a major research university, research is the most important.”