Demystifying the Promotion & Tenure Process

Arlene CarneyVice Provost for Faculty and Academic

Affairs

What is tenure?

• Keystone for academic freedom• Essential for safeguarding the right of

free expression and for encouraging risk-taking inquiry at the frontiers of knowledge

• Faculty are free to teach, conduct research, and provide service without fear of reprisal

Preamble Faculty Tenure, March 2001

What is tenure?

• Tenure carries responsibility.• Tenured faculty are accountable to the

university for their responsibility for teaching, research, and service.

Preamble Faculty Tenure, March 2001

What is tenure?

• Indefinite employment at the University• Job security• Key personnel decision with long-term

financial consequences• Merit award• Protection of academic freedom

Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure

• Initially adopted in 1945• Last change was in 2007• Previous version approved in 2001• Accompanying document – Procedures for

Reviewing the Performance of Tenure-Track Faculty

• New document – Procedures for Reviewing Candidates for Tenure and/or Promotion: Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty

Criteria for Tenure

• Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code- general statement of criteria for the entire university

• Section 7.12 of the Tenure Code- refers to the department criteria for tenure and promotion in a unit

Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code(2001)

• Basis for awarding indefinite tenure:

- “achievements of an individual have demonstrated the individual’s potential to continue to contribute significantly to the mission of the University and to its programs of teaching, research, and service”

Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code(2007)

• Basis for awarding indefinite tenure:

the determination that each has established and is likely to continue to develop a distinguished record of academic achievement that is the foundation for a national or international reputation or both.

Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code(2007)

• Qualitative evaluation of scholarly research or other creative work, teaching, or service

• Primary emphasis on demonstrated scholarly or creative achievement and teaching effectiveness

• Service alone not sufficient

Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code(2007)

• Take into account when applicable- interdisciplinary work- public engagement- international activities & initiatives- attention to questions of diversity- technology transfer- other special kinds of professional activity

Section 7.11 of the Tenure Code(2007)

• Strong promise of achieving rank of professor

• Only modest service expected

Section 9.2 of the Tenure Code

• New section• Promotion to professor• Added substantially to already

distinguished record• Established national or international

reputation• Substantially more service expected

Section 7.12 of the Tenure Code

• Department statement of criteria for promotion and tenure

• Must be shown to new faculty according to the tenure policy

• Should reflect the values of the faculty for promotions and conferral of indefinite tenure

7.12 Statement

• Indices & standards used to evaluate whether a candidate has met or exceeded criteria of section 7.11

• Developed by the faculty of a unit• Approved by the Dean and the Senior

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (SVPP)

7.12 Statement

• All 7.12 Statements are being revised across the University.

• Approved by Provost’s office

Changes and You

• Tenure Code Interpretation 6- probationary and tenured faculty can choose the 7.12 statement by which they will be evaluated (old or new)- have one year from time the new 7.12 is approved- each faculty member will sign an agreement about the form to be used

Changes and You

• Probationary faculty can also choose 7.11 by which they will be evaluated depending upon their date of hire.

• If hired after June 8, 2007, they are bound by the new Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure.

• Once promoted to associate professor, bound by new section 9.2 for promotion to professor

Specific Criteria for Tenure

• Teaching• Research• Service

Teaching Effectiveness

• Evaluated in a variety of ways- student ratings- peer observation and evaluation- letters from students- teaching awards- curricular development- syllabi

Professional Distinction in Research, Scholarship, & Creative Work

• Peer-reviewed publications• Books• Scholarly presentations• Evidence of impact (citation index)• External funding from grants• National and international venues for

artistic work

Service

• Professional association/offices and committees

• Editorial boards of journals• University committees• Departmental committees• External community service• Faculty advisor

Your Tenure Case

• Probationary period – usually six years• Stop and start the tenure clock (Section

5.5) for childcare and for caregiver responsibilities

Section 5.5 of Faculty Tenure

• Extension of probationary service is allowed for one year at the request of the probationary faculty:

- on the occasion of the birth of that faculty member’s child or adoptive/foster placement of a child with that faculty member

Section 5.5 of Faculty Tenure

• Extension of probationary service is allowed for one year at the request of the probationary faculty:

- when the faculty member is a major caregiver for a family member who has an extended serious illness, injury, or debilitating condition (can use this no more than 2 times)

Section 5.5 of Faculty Tenure

• Extension of probationary service is allowed for one year at the request of the probationary faculty:

- when the faculty member has an extended serious illness, injury, or debilitating condition

Section 5.5 of Faculty Tenure

• Extended the time window to make the request from 3 months to 12 months of the events giving rise to the claim

Stopping the Tenure Clock

• Form provided and available on line• Goes from the department chair to the

senior vice chancellor • Available for both female and male

faculty for all areas

Your Tenure Case

• Annual review of probationary faculty• Tenured faculty review your curriculum

vitae and activity report• Annual conference with chair or head• Completion of Form 12• Sent to Dean and SVPP

Your Tenure Case

• Tenure decision may be made at any time.

• A decision to terminate the appointment can be made at anytime.

Department Level: Dossier

• Preparation of CV

- should be absolutely clear- should be accurate & complete- should be easy to follow

Department Level: Dossier

• Preparation of the dossier should begin with the completion of the terminal degree and the beginning of the probationary period.

• Keep a record of all teaching, research, and service activities.

Dossier: Teaching

• Courses taught each semester and enrollment

• Grade distributions/course evaluations/peer evaluation

• Independent study courses• Undergraduate research experiences

Dossier: Research

• Maintain and update lists of articles, books, artistic projects, & other scholarly contributions

• Keep reprints• List of articles or projects submitted and

their progress• List of scholarly presentations• List of grants & outcomes

Dossier: Service

• Departmental• College or all-university• External committees• Professional associations

Components of the Dossier

• Curriculum Vitae• Teaching narrative• Research narrative• Service summary• Sometimes all three together in a

personal statement• External letters• Teaching evaluations

Components of the Dossier

• Copies of all Form 12’s (Annual Reviews) for probationary faculty

• Departmental evaluation• Chair’s/Head’s evaluation• College P & T Committee report• Letter from dean

Department Level: Dossier

• Research & teaching narratives

- provide clear picture of yourself to any reader- think broadly- write clearly- avoid jargon

Department Level: Dossier

• Selection of external reviewers

- number varies by department & campus- new Procedures document specifies how many reviewers are needed and their backgrounds- selection by both candidate & the department

Department Level: Dossier

• Selection of external reviewers

- distinguished scholars in the field- peer institutions- individuals who will write evaluative letters- given enough time- have sufficient materials to evaluate

Department Level: Dossier

• Best practices:

- dossier “caseworker”- mentoring or synopsis committee

Department Level: Dossier

• Provide information to the “caseworker” of the dossier

- journals & publishers- scholarly & creative venues- conferences

Department Level: Dossier

• Provide information to the “caseworker” of the dossier

- accurate list of scheduled & unscheduled teaching- teaching evaluations- teaching materials

Department Level: Dossier

• Finished dossier should be:

- clear to the campus readers- complete according to instructions- provide an accurate picture of who you are

College level

• Each dean makes a recommendation to the provost about promotion and tenure.

• Colleges differ in their processes.

Campus Level

• P & T committee

- made up of senior faculty- across disciplines in the campus- make a recommendation to the senior vice chancellor and chancellor

Provost’s Office Review

• Each dossier is reviewed by several vice provosts.

• SVPP reviews array of cases with particular emphasis on cases with negative votes or variance in voting.

Contact for Questions:

• Arlene CarneyVice Provost for Faculty and AcademicAffairs160C Morrill Hall626-9545carne005@umn.edu