Faculty Affairs Annual Report highlights faculty stability and advancement
Thirty faculty members were honored for groundbreaking research, service to the community and excellence in teaching and mentoring at the 2025 Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards, held Oct. 16 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre.
The University of Arizona reported a more than 50% increase in multi-year contracts for career-track faculty in the past year, with 289 faculty members holding multi-year appointments. The growth, detailed in the Faculty Affairs Annual Report for 2024-2025 (requires NetID), reflects the university's ongoing efforts to recruit and retain career-track faculty who want to stay at the university to grow their careers.
The report also shows the number of tenure-track faculty is on the rise with 1,587 in the 2024-25 academic year, up from 1,548 in 2023-24.
Andrea Romero, vice provost for faculty affairs
"I am thrilled to see the dramatic increase in multi-year contracts for career-track faculty, which we have been working on for years," said Andrea Romero, vice provost for faculty affairs. "I am also so pleased to see that we are trending upward for tenure-track faculty. Committed and stable faculty will be better prepared and invested in providing the highest quality teaching, research, and community engagement."
The annual report reflects data from the previous academic year, compiled and analyzed each summer by Faculty Affairs. The overview provides a snapshot of faculty hiring, retention, promotion and professional development, highlighting key initiatives, insights and outcomes that support faculty and student success.
Patricia Prelock
The snapshot in the latest report shows strong promotion and tenure outcomes during the 2024-2025 cycle. Among the successes highlighted:
- A total of 217 promotion dossiers were reviewed, up from 157 the previous year. The overall approval rate increased to 95.1%, up from 91.2% the year before.
- 63 faculty were promoted to full professor – more than double the number from the previous year. The report highlights the expansion of mentoring programs to increase faculty activity and promotion.
- 50 faculty were promoted to associate professor with tenure, up slightly from last year.
"Our commitment to retaining high-quality faculty is seen in our investment in multiyear contracts, our rigorous promotion and tenure review process with positive outcomes, and increasing professional development and mentoring opportunities," said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patricia Prelock. "I am proud of the commitment our faculty make to students, creating new knowledge and engaging with our community and to the hard work and support provided to faculty through our Office of Faculty Affairs."
The report also highlights strong participation in several initiatives designed to strengthen the university’s strategic imperatives – Success for Every Student, Research that Shapes the Future, and Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity – and the Academic Success Goals, which guide the university's academic mission. The efforts include:
- More than 1,150 faculty and graduate students completing the Best Practices in Mentoring training, helping them improve outcomes for students, including career advancement, job placement, and academic and graduation outcomes.
A 95% satisfaction rate was reported for New Faculty Orientation in 2025, based on participant surveys. The onboarding program, which focuses on teaching, research, and community, includes an in-person event, virtual resource fair and scheduled meetings with department heads. It was recognized last year as a national model for excellence by Forward Pathway, a U.S. college database.
Image
New Faculty Orientation, which achieved a 95% satisfaction rate in 2025, includes an in-person event, virtual resource fair and scheduled meetings with department heads.
- The HeadsNETWORK, which supports heads of academic units, hosted 20 forums and workshops last year on topics including budgets, campus safety, research opportunities, AI, fundraising and networking.
- The Delphi Award Speaker Series brought three national experts to campus to speak on supporting career-track faculty, innovations in teaching technologies and promoting student health and well-being.
Overall, the university reported a faculty base of 5,144 members, slightly down from 5,212 the previous year. The slight decrease largely reflects a natural workforce transition, including 104 faculty retirements.
Previous reports are available on the Faculty Affairs website.