Promotion & Tenure Committees

School Committee Procedures for Promotion and Tenure

1. The process for review of an applicant’s material begins in either the Department or School Promotion and Tenure Committee, by the deadline stipulated in the Promotion and Tenure timeline in the Appendix of the Faculty Handbook.
2. The School Committee will review and meet to discuss the applicant’s qualifications as measured by the criteria stipulated in the Faculty Handbook in Section 4.4.
3. The School Committee will interview the applicant and the department chair or designee or Dean. The committee may also interview faculty members who have submitted recommendations on behalf of the applicant.
4. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the School Committee will vote by secret ballot. Approval or denial of the application requires a majority vote. After the vote for each candidate, the committee chair forwards the application materials and the result of the vote and their reasons for the recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
5. The School Committee will write and send a letter addressed to the University Committee recommending approval or denial by the deadline stipulated in the Promotion and Tenure timeline in the Appendix of the Faculty Handbook.
6. The Dean will notify the candidate in writing of the decision of the School Committee and will write an independent recommendation on approval or denial to the University Committee.
7. The application for promotion or tenure of any candidate will move forward to the University Committee unless withdrawn by the candidate.

University Committee Procedures for Promotion and Tenure

1. The process for the review of an applicant’s material by the University Committee begins by the deadline stipulated in the Promotion and Tenure timeline in the Appendix of the Faculty Handbook.
2. The University Committee will review and meet to discuss the applicant’s qualifications as measured by the criteria stipulated in the Faculty Handbook in Section 4.4.
3. The University Committee will interview the applicant and the department chair or designee or Dean. The committee may also interview faculty members who have submitted recommendations on behalf of the applicant.
4. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the University Committee will vote by secret ballot. Approval or denial of the application requires a majority vote. After the vote, the committee chair forwards the application materials and the result of the vote and their reasons for the recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
5. The University Committee will write and send a letter addressed to the President recommending approval or denial by the deadline stipulated in the Promotion and Tenure timeline in the Appendix of the Faculty Handbook.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Procedures for Promotion and Tenure

1. The application for promotion or tenure of any candidate will move forward to the Vice President for Academic Affairs unless withdrawn by the candidate.
2. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the candidate in writing of the decision of the University Committee.
3. After hearings are complete at the School and University levels, all materials will be secured in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
4. The Vice President for Academic Affairs forwards all materials along with an independent recommendation to the President of the University for final approval or denial.

General Principles

No one may serve simultaneously on both the Grievance Committee and a Promotion and Tenure Committee, or on both a School and the University Promotion and Tenure Committees. Membership on a Promotion and Tenure Committee does not affect eligibility for other Faculty committees. In the case that a faculty member intends to seek promotion or tenure, the faculty member is ineligible to serve on a Promotion and Tenure Committee and should not run for election. A present member of a Promotion and Tenure Committee is expected to complete his/her term of service prior to undergoing review for promotion or tenure. A member of a Promotion and Tenure Committee who is unable to complete his/her term due to illness or other serious reason will be replaced that year by the elected alternate for all deliberations by the committee.

The School Promotion and Tenure Committee consist of five tenured faculty members at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The Dean of the School will determine the term of service on the School Committee. If possible, the Dean shall enlist at least three nominees for each available seat on the Committee. The School faculty will elect the School Committee according to the election policy of the School; the Dean will appoint the Chairperson of the School Committee from among the five members. Should a School not have enough tenured faculty members to serve on the Committee; the Vice President for Academic Affairs will appoint eligible members from other schools to the School Committee. If a School has Department Promotion and Tenure Committees, department chairs are ineligible to serve on the School Promotion and Tenure Committee.

A School may determine whether Department Promotion and Tenure Committees are needed within a school and will establish the terms of service on such committee or committees. A Department Promotion and Tenure Committee will consist of three tenured faculty members, one of whom is the Department Chair, with all members at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. In the case that a faculty member intends to apply for promotion or tenure, the faculty member is ineligible to serve on the Department Committee. Department Committee members are elected by the department faculty. Should the Department Chair not have tenure, a faculty member with tenure will be elected from the School faculty by the Department faculty.

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee membership consists of six faculty members nominated and elected by the University faculty. Each serves for a two-year term; no elected member may serve more than two terms consecutively. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will appoint the Chairperson from among the six members. Faculty members are eligible to serve if they are tenured and are at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. Deans, Associate Deans, and Department Chairs and faculty members who serve on promotion and tenure committees within a school are ineligible to serve on the University Committee. Elections are held annually; three faculty members are elected one year and three the next. All members of the University Committee are elected by a full faculty vote. One faculty member is elected from each School with two at-large members. If a School has no faculty members who are eligible to serve on the University Committee, an additional at-large member will be elected. The Committee reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Sabbatical Leave

School Committee Procedures

1. Prior to the meeting, the School Promotion and Tenure Committee members review the faculty member's application.
2. The School Committee members meet to discuss the request, focusing their discussion on the guidelines presented in the entry on Sabbatical Leave Policy in Section 4.9.2 of this handbook.
3. At its discretion, the committee may seek clarifying information concerning the application.
4. When the School Committee concludes the discussion of the application, it makes a recommendation according to the following procedures: 
   a. Usually a recommendation is reached by the consensus of the committee members. 
   b. If consensus is not reached, members shall accept a simple majority vote as a recommendation.
5. The Chairperson forwards the recommendation of the School Committee to the University Promotion and Tenure Committee.

University Committee and VPAA Procedures

1. Prior to the meeting, the University Promotion and Tenure Committee members review the faculty member's application and the recommendation of the School Committee.
2. The University Committee members meet to discuss the request, focusing their discussion on the guidelines presented in the entry on Sabbatical Leave Policy in Section 4.9.2 of this handbook.
3. At its discretion, the committee may seek clarifying information concerning the application.
4. When the University Committee concludes the discussion of the application, it makes a recommendation according to the following procedures:
   a. Usually a recommendation is reached by the consensus of the committee members. 
   b. If consensus is not reached, members shall accept a simple majority vote as a recommendation.
5. The Chairperson forwards the recommendation of the University Committee to the President.
6. The VPAA forwards all materials, along with an independent recommendation for approval or denial of sabbatical, to the President.