Tenure-Track Faculty
2.1 Tenure
Tenure is awarded in accordance with University Policy 18.012 (Tenure) to those individuals whose performance indicates that they are likely to continue to make significant positive contributions to the academic life of the University throughout their professional careers. Eligibility for tenure shall be determined by the unit and is reserved for those who are engaged in academic activities, including research and/or scholarship and/or creative activity (of which any may include activities leading to entrepreneurship), teaching, and service. Tenure is only granted to individuals who meet expectations in teaching, scholarly endeavors, and service activities, including professionally related services. A tenure decision is a statement that an individual’s accomplishments will continue to add value to the unit, college, and university. While respecting the values of academic freedom, University citizenship and collegiality are also factors to consider in a tenure decision.
Faculty members appointed as Assistant Professors are expected to achieve both promotion and tenure to Associate Professor by the end of the probationary period noted in their appointment letter.
2.2 Accelerated Promotion with Tenure
In rare circumstances, a faculty member may seek promotion to Associate Professor with tenure prior to the standard timeline specified in their appointment letter. Candidates are required to conduct preliminary discussions with their unit chair/director and unit PTC chair prior to submission for accelerated promotion and tenure by the spring semester closing date prior to review. Faculty members who apply for accelerated promotion and tenure and are not successful may reapply once more in the penultimate year of the probationary period. Individual units may develop more stringent requirements for their respective candidates that are more specifically defined and exceed those described for accelerated promotion with tenure.
2.3 Review of Tenure-Track Faculty
Annually in the fall term, the unit’s PTC will evaluate each probationary faculty member’s accomplishments relative to the unit’s criteria for promotion and tenure. A summary letter of the committee’s evaluation will be sent to the faculty member in accordance with the timeline in the University Faculty Promotion and Tenure SOP. Annual review letters are a component of Section 1 in the dossier and must be provided in reverse chronological order. Annual reappointment letters should not be included in the dossier.
2.3.1 Mid-Probationary Review
In addition to the annual review, each pre-tenure faculty member will undergo a mid-probationary review to evaluate his/her progress toward promotion and tenure. In the fall of his/her fourth year, the faculty member will submit a promotion and tenure dossier and a teaching portfolio (if applicable) to the Chair of his/her unit’s PTC in accordance with the timeline in the University Faculty Promotion and Tenure SOP. Faculty with different terms of hire should be reviewed at the mid-point of their pre-tenure period in consultation with their unit Director/Chair. The dossier submitted for pre-tenure review will follow the guidelines provided below.
The unit PTC and unit Director/Chair will review the materials in accordance with the timeline in the University Faculty Promotion and Tenure SOP. The unit PTC chair and unit Director/Chair will meet with the Dean who will provide an overview of the candidate’s progress toward promotion and/or tenure. This meeting will occur by the end of the third week of the spring term. The candidate will receive a letter from the unit Director/Chair that integrates all feedback about his/her progress toward promotion and/or tenure. The letter will include suggestions regarding area(s) in which the candidate may need to strengthen and improve. The unit Director/Chair will issue the mid-probationary review letter no later than February 15.
2.3.2 Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
Promotion from the rank of Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure requires evidence of sustained contributions in teaching, research/scholarly/creative activity (RSCA), and service, consistent with the faculty member’s documented workload distribution and unit promotion and tenure criteria.
a. Teaching
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, a record of effectiveness as a teacher as demonstrated by peer evaluations, student evaluations, and a self-reflective narrative in the dossier. Evidence of effectiveness also will be presented in the candidate’s teaching portfolio (if applicable) that accompanies the dossier at the unit level.
b. Scholarship
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, the candidate must demonstrate a sustained and developing record of research, scholarship, or creative activity that contributes to the advancement of knowledge or professional practice. Evidence of scholarly engagement may include: 1) demonstration of effort to secure external funding; 2) a record of sustained publication in peer- reviewed journals; and 3) presentations at professional forums on national and/or international levels. Interdisciplinary activities are highly valued. These activities and dissemination are evidence of expertise and contribution to the science or practice of the given area of focus.
Units may hire tenure-track faculty as research-intensive when a substantial portion of the faculty member’s workload is allocated to RSCA.
In general:
- Faculty with 50% or greater RSCA workload are typically considered research-intensive.
- Faculty with higher RSCA workload allocations (e.g., 70% or greater) may have heightened expectations for external funding activity and scholarly productivity.
Academic units must clearly define in their unit promotion and tenure guidelines the expectations for research-intensive faculty, including:
- expectations for external funding activity,
- expectations for scholarly dissemination, and
- how these expectations relate to the faculty member’s documented workload distribution.
External funding expectations should reflect disciplinary norms and opportunities, recognizing that success may include competitive submissions, funded awards, or other forms of externally supported research activity.
c. Service
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, a record of service to the unit, college, and the profession at large is required. University service is highly valued.
2.3.3 Associate Professor to Professor
Promotion to the highest rank requires academic achievements and a professional reputation that is recognized as outstanding. In many instances, these achievements will have resulted in national and international recognition across various aspects of the candidate’s scholarly, teaching, and service activities. Although typical time periods in a given rank are usually expected (e.g., a minimum 5 years in the rank of Associate), demonstrated merit, not years of service, shall be the guiding factor for promotion. In rare circumstances, a faculty member may seek promotion to Professor prior to the standard timeline. Candidates are required to conduct preliminary discussions with their unit chair/director and unit PTC chair prior to submission for accelerated promotion by the spring semester closing date prior to review. Individual units may develop more stringent requirements for their respective candidates that are more specifically defined and exceed those described for accelerated promotion. Faculty members who apply for promotion prior to the typical time in rank will be evaluated according to the same criteria applied to candidates with the minimum time required at rank.
The following attributes will be considered when deciding if a faculty member will earn the rank of Professor:
a. Teaching
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, sustained effectiveness and growth in teaching as demonstrated by peer evaluations, student evaluations, and a self-reflective narrative. The teaching portfolio (if applicable) should clearly describe the faculty member’s expertise in their content area, integration of pedagogical practices, and curriculum development. A record of advising, coaching, and/or mentoring students is also required and mentoring of other faculty members is highly encouraged.
b. Scholarship
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, sustained record of excellence in a focused area of research and scholarship with national and/or international recognition of expertise. Demonstration of active and ongoing external funding activity, cited publications in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations in professional forums on national and/or international levels. For faculty with research-intensive workload assignments (e.g. 50% or greater), continued evidence of a sustained program of externally engaged research activity, including efforts to secure and manage external funding where appropriate to the discipline, is expected. Expectations for research productivity and funding activity should reflect the faculty member’s documented workload distribution and unit guidelines. Interdisciplinary activities are highly valued. In most cases, these scholarly products will be published in peer-reviewed journal articles with the candidate as the first or senior author.
c. Service
Consistent with the candidate’s documented workload, a record of service leadership to the unit, college, university, and the profession at large is required.
National or international recognition of the candidate’s work in teaching, research, and/or service is an expectation for promotion to Professor.
Continued growth is expected from the time of appointment to Associate Professor in the areas of teaching, scholarly activity, and service/leadership. If significant but unrecognized administrative duties prohibit continued growth in any of the areas, the PTC may consider the circumstances.
2.4 External Reviews
For tenure-track promotion and tenure cases, external review (4-6 letters) is required and must be conducted in accordance with the procedures outlined in the University Promotion and Tenure SOP. External reviewers should be recognized experts in the candidate’s field who can provide an independent assessment of the candidate’s scholarly contributions and professional standing. The selection of external reviewers and the materials provided to them must follow the guidelines established in the University SOP and recommendations in Attachments A and B.
2.5 Documentation
Promotion and tenure dossiers must be prepared in accordance with the University Promotion and Tenure SOP and the dossier guidelines issued by the Office of the Provost. Candidates must submit dossier materials in the format and order specified in the University SOP, including all required introductory documents, dossier narratives, external review materials, curriculum vitae, and applicable promotion and tenure guidelines. At the college level, the PTAC will review the materials forwarded from the unit. The PTAC may request supplemental materials, such as a teaching portfolio or other supporting documentation, when necessary to clarify aspects of the candidate’s record. Academic units may establish additional internal dossier requirements (e.g. teaching portfolio), provided they remain consistent with university policy and the CHSP promotion and tenure guidelines. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their dossiers are complete, properly formatted, and submitted according to university timelines and instructions.