A&S Promotion of Instructional Faculty
College of Arts & Sciences Policies on the Promotion of Instructional Faculty, 2013-14
Introduction
The College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University expects its Instructional Faculty to contribute to its mission of fostering the intellectual growth of students through effective teaching, student advising, and participation in relevant administrative service. In evaluating Instructional Faculty for promotion, the college expects demonstrable achievement in teaching and student learning.
The relevant guidelines governing the promotion assessment of Tenure-Track Faculty will be applied to Instructional Faculty. Thus, the normative criteria covering Instructional teaching directly mirror those of the teaching criteria for Tenure-Track Faculty (sections B.1. and C.1. of CAS Normative Minimal Criteria for Promotion). Departments may set their own specific criteria for promotion and assessment. Professional service and shared governance expectations may also be evaluated depending upon the specific job duties outlined in the letter of appointment (i.e., 80:0:20 vs. 100:0:0; cf. Faculty Handbook II.C.3.b).
Timeline
The deadlines for tasks associated with promotion of Instructional Faculty will be the same as the deadlines published annually for the promotion and tenure of Tenure-Track Faculty.
Advisory Committee
The Dean’s Office will assemble an advisory committee each year to evaluate all Instructional Faculty coming forward for promotion. The assembly of this committee will consist of six faculty, with a mixture from the humanities, social sciences, and natural & mathematical sciences, with an attempt to balance rank and gender. Membership will consist of at least two Instructional Faculty. Members will serve a term of three years. Members must abstain from participating and voting when hearing a case from their own department. Votes will be by secret ballot. The committee may choose to take a straw vote before taking a final vote. The results of the committee’s deliberation will be reported to the Dean, who will make the final determination.
Preparing the Dossier
The construction of the dossier will parallel that submitted by Tenure-Track Faculty seeking promotion and tenure (see CAS Guidelines for Dossier Preparation [Word]), but with an emphasis on teaching and several modifications (see below).
The candidate is responsible for preparing and arranging sections I-IV of the dossier. Section V (Scholarship) will not be supplied. Sections VI-VIII may be supplied when relevant (depending upon TRS expectations). The department chair should normally prepare sections IX-XI. External letters of reference (sect. XII) will not be accepted for Instructional Faculty promotion. However, at least two (no more than three) internal letters must be provided in this section from faculty who have conducted some form of comprehensive teaching review and can adequately speak to the candidate’s expertise in this area.
All sections should be available to the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee. All participants in the process should have access to college policies concerning: Initial Hire; Normative Minimal Criteria for Promotion; Promotion and Tenure Advisory Committees; and Special Cases for Promotion.
The department chair will check all dossiers to confirm that all format and guidelines criteria are met and will ensure that the dossier is submitted on time. The chair will sign the dossier, attesting to its completeness. The final dossier must be submitted to the dean’s office no later than the first day of spring semester.
Departmental Processes
Following the Faculty Handbook, all awards of promotion in rank must originate in a positive recommendation by the appropriate department committee. Construction of this committee shall be at the discretion of the department (i.e., may include a diversity of ranks, Instructional & Tenure-Track, etc.). Department chairs may participate in discussions but normally should not vote.
Grievance Procedures
Should a candidate not be recommended for promotion, they are entitled to an appeal. All sections of the Faculty Handbook apply (II.F.). Appeals should be initiated at the level at which the decision was made (i.e., department/school, dean, provost). Deadlines for this process are specified in section II.F.2.d of the Faculty Handbook.