Promotion and Tenure

Information about Promotion and Tenure is in the Provost’s Office. Relevant information, forms, and more, can be found at the Forms, Guidelines, and Instructions page. Procedures for conducting a Post-tenure Review are also set forth in Appendix E of the faculty handbook. This policy recognizes that the work of a faculty member is not neatly separated into academic or calendar years. The period of performance subject to Post-tenure Review is the five most recent Annual Performance Review cycles.
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Probationary Period

A tenure-track faculty member must serve a probationary period prior to being considered for tenure. Except as otherwise stated in Sections 4.9.3 (A-F) of the faculty handbook, the probationary period will be six years.

Tenure Upon Appointment

No faculty member shall be granted tenure upon initial appointment except by positive action of the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president. In exceptional cases, an outstanding distinguished faculty member, dean, or provost may be awarded tenure through an expedited tenure review. In all cases, the candidate’s application file will take the place of the traditional dossier which is described in Section 4.9.7B of the faculty handbook.

Credit For Prior Service

Credit toward completion of the probationary period may be permitted for previous full-time service at other universities provided that the prior service is relevant. All credit for prior service shall be approved by the provost upon the recommendations of the department chair and dean and must be confirmed in writing at the time of the initial appointment.

Credit For Transfer

If a faculty member serving a probationary period is transferred to another unit or department, time spent in the first appointment will count toward the probationary period unless a request from the faculty member to begin a new probationary period is approved in writing by the president.

Extension Of Probationary Period

A faculty member in a tenure-track appointment may request a one-year extension to the probationary period only when such probationary period was originally negotiated for less than six years. Extensions will not be granted if the total probationary period exceeds six years.

Suspension Of The Probationary Period

In general, the provost will not approve suspension of the probationary period for work that advances the faculty member’s record in teaching, research, or service. A faculty member in a tenure-track position may request a suspension of the probationary period, for one year during his/her probationary period when circumstances exist that interrupt his or her normal progress toward building a case for tenure. The intent of this policy is to serve the best interests of the university without showing a preference for or against award of tenure to the faculty member.

Notice Of Non-Renewal

Notice that a tenure-track faculty member’s appointment will not be renewed will be made in writing by the president after consideration of the recommendations by the department chair, the dean, and the provost. Allegations that non-renewal constituted a violation of academic freedom may be appealed under the general appeals procedures described in Appendix B.1 of the faculty handbook.

Mid-Tenure-Track Review

For each tenure-track faculty member, the department tenure and promotion committee and the department chair will conduct a Mid-Tenure Track Review to assess the faculty member’s record of performance since the beginning of the probationary period. For information about this process, please see the Annual Performance Review process in Section 4.9.1 of the faculty handbook.

Criteria For Tenure

Full-time, tenure-track faculty appointments at the academic rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor are eligible for tenure consideration. Tenure is awarded after a thorough review, which culminates in the university acknowledging a reasonable presumption of the faculty member’s professional excellence and the likelihood that this excellence will continue to contribute to the mission and anticipated needs of the academic unit in which tenure is granted.

Tenure And Promotion Review

Before beginning the sixth (or final) probationary year, a faculty member with the rank of assistant professor or higher must make an application for tenure and promotion. Absent an approved exception as described in Section 4.9.3 of the faculty handbook, application and all supporting documentation for tenure should be submitted in the sixth or final probationary year in accordance with tenure and promotion calendar maintained by the provost which shall be posted on the university website.

Preparation For Tenure And Promotion Review

Tenure track faculty should work closely with the tenured faculty and department chairs to stablish documented evidence of excellence to be sure that they are meeting the obligations and performing at the level expected by the department, academic unit, and university. All such evidence becomes part of the faculty member's dossier, which is described in Section 4.9.7B of the faculty handbook.

The Dossier

All candidates applying for tenure or promotion are required to submit a dossier unless an exception is granted as specified in Section 4.9.3A of the faculty handbook Tenure Upon Appointment. Please see the Instructions for Submitting Dossier via OneDrive.

Department Procedures For Tenure And Promotion Review

1. 1. Notification of Intent
   2. External Peer Review
   3. Submission of the Dossier (see Instructions)
   4. Review by Department Tenure and Promotion Committee
   5. Vote of Department Tenure and Promotion Committee
   6. Review and recommendation by Department Chair

Academic Unit Procedures For Tenure And Promotion Review

1. 1. Review by Academic Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee
   2. Vote of Academic Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee
   3. Review and recommendation by the Dean

University Procedures For Tenure And Promotion Review

1. 1. Review and recommendation by the Provost
   2. Appeals of a negative tenure and/or promotion decision
   3. Review and recommendation by the President
   4. Action by the Board of Trustees