PPM 8-12, Dated Guidelines for the
Ranking Tenure Review Process
Responsible Office: 
Academic Affairs

 

POLICY 

The following dated guidelines are established for use in the ranking and tenure review processes each year. When a date listed below falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or University holiday, the due date shall be moved to the following business day. Exceptions to these dated guidelines may be made for a good cause with the approval of the provost. The guidelines identify when the ranking tenure evaluation committees are to be established and when these committees and individuals must complete their review of candidates' files. All faculty who will be absent from campus during the year should leave a forwarding address with their department chair.
Candidates should receive written notification of the recommendation made at each step of the review process.
To occur by 4pm on the date specified below:
 

Sept 8   

The department chair, in consultation with the dean, identifies the names of the candidates for tenure and for advancement in rank and their years of service under the present rank.

Sept 15   

Potential candidates for promotion or tenure during the next academic year are notified by deans as to their opportunity to form their peer review committee a year in advance.

Sept 15 Each dean will ensure that all new and returning tenure-track faculty in their college are provided with a faculty mentor.

Sept 15   

The faculty in each college shall nominate individuals to go on a college wide ballot for the election of the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee. (PPM 8-16) The college faculty shall also nominate individuals from the college for election to the University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee. The individuals making the nominations shall check with the nominees to see if they are both willing and eligible to serve. Names of the eligible nominees shall then be forwarded to the dean for inclusion on the college ballot.

Sept 22   

Faculty members applying for promotion during their final year of the minimum eligibility period or thereafter must request a review in writing to their department chair with a copy to their dean. Nomination for candidates wishing to receive early advancement in rank and/or early tenure shall be made by this date. If the provost, the dean or the department chair wishes to recommend early advancement in rank or early tenure of outstanding candidates with exceptional qualifications, the recommendation shall be made by this date. Candidates for early tenure/early promotion must also adhere to the additional dated guidelines in PPM 8-11, V.

Sept 22   

If a faculty member (candidate), the department chair, the dean or the provost wishes to request an additional tenure review of the candidate they shall do so by this date. (PPM 8-11).

Sept 29   

The departmental Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committees are established. (PPM 8-15) The deans shall provide them with copies of the promotion and tenure criteria and with the promotion and tenure summary sheets.

Sept 29   

If the department peer review committee is not to be the department Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee, then a separate peer review committee(s) shall be established by this date.

Oct 1   

The department chair is to inform, in writing, all probationary faculty members up for review and all faculty who are being considered for advancement in rank that their files must be updated by January 15.

Oct 1   

The department chair forwards a list of all departmental candidates for review, for advancement in rank, and for tenure to all departmental faculty members, including those on leave or otherwise absent from campus for the year, and informs these faculty of their right to submit their written recommendations concerning those being considered for tenure or for advancement in rank. These written recommendations must be submitted to the department by January 8. (PPM 8-17)

Oct 1   

The dean informs the provost of the names of the candidates for tenure and for advancement in rank and their years of service under their present rank.

Oct 1   

Annual election of the members of the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee (PPM 8-16) and election of the college's representative to the University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee (PPM 8-16A).

Oct 10   

The dean convenes a meeting for all college faculty in the tenure review process (any faculty may attend) and for faculty who are being considered for advancement in rank. At that time, the dean distributes to all candidates for tenure and for advancement in rank appropriate tenure and promotion policy criteria and discusses criteria, professional files, tenure and promotion processes, including the dated guidelines for that year, and faculty rights and responsibilities pertaining to tenure and promotion processes. The college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee will also attend this meeting to answer pertinent questions from candidates.

Oct 15   

Candidates shall meet with the chair of the peer review committee. At that time the candidate and the chair shall agree upon a schedule for the candidate to provide appropriate documentation of teaching effectiveness for the peer review committee to review and assess.

Nov 15   

The dean convenes the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee to elect a chair and set dates for meetings.

Dec 10   

The results of department peer evaluations shall be placed in the candidates' professional files along with any other materials the committee deems appropriate (PPMs 8-11 and 8-13).

Jan 8   

The department Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee chair forwards to the candidates copies of the recommendations from the departmental faculty and informs all candidates of their right to prepare a written statement and schedule a personal appearance if desired. (Meetings must not be held prior to one week after such notice.)

Jan 15   

The candidate may submit written statements on any information in the professional file to the department chair for placement in the candidate's professional file. Candidates' completed professional files will be made available for review by the department Ranking Tenure Committees, the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee, the dean, and the provost.

Jan 16   

Candidates' professional files are ready for review by the department Ranking Tenure Committees, the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee, the dean, and the provost. All entities may begin reviewing each candidate’s digital file, but will not finalize their evaluations until they have reviewed the evaluation(s) from the previous level(s) of review. Hard copy (paper) files will be accessible for review at each level during the two week review period designated for each respective level of review.

Feb 1   

The department Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee completes its reviews and the chair reports the findings and recommendations of the Committee, in writing, to the candidate and places a copy in the candidate's file. Candidates' professional files are completed for review by the college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee.

Feb 1   

College Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee chairs shall inform candidates, in writing, that they have five (5) working days to request, in writing, a hearing before the Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee.

Feb 16   

The college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee completes its review of the files and makes their recommendations. The college Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee chair informs the candidates of the results of those evaluations, in writing, and places a copy in the candidates' files (PPM 8-18). Candidates' professional files are completed for review by the dean.

Mar 5   

The dean completes their reviews and informs the candidates, in writing, of their recommendation and places a copy in the candidates' file. The dean notifies the provost of those files that require action.

Mar 6  Candidates' professional files are ready for review by the University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee.

Mar 10

All requests for review must be submitted in writing to the University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee.

Mar 11 The University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee will be granted access to each candidate’s file for candidates who request this review.

Mar 25 

The department chair completes the assessments of the probationary faculty within the department who are in their second year's progress towards tenure and reports their findings, in writing, to the candidate, the dean and places a copy of the findings in the candidate's professional file. (PPMs 8-11 and 8-13)

Mar 27

The University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee completes its review and makes its recommendations.

The University Committee chair shall inform the provost in writing of the committee's evaluation and recommendations. The University Committee chair shall also give copies of the committee's evaluation and recommendations to the department chair, the dean and candidate and place a copy of this report in the candidates' professional files. Candidates' professional files are completed for review by the provost.

Apr 6   

The provost completes reviews of all cases where there is a conflict in the recommendations at some level and any other cases they see fit to review. The provost informs each reviewed candidate and corresponding chair and dean, in writing, of their recommendations and places a copy of the recommendation in the candidate's file. In addition, the provost gives a copy of their recommendations to the president, if the president desires them. The provost also notifies all candidates of their right to file an appeal on due process grounds within ten working days to the Faculty Board of Review and their right to appeal before the Board of Review (PPMs 8-20 and 9-9).

Apr 7   

The president or the designate forwards the recommendation to the Board of Trustees. (The provost informs faculty members, committee chairs, deans and department chairs of action taken by the Board of Trustees as soon as the Board has acted.) The provost gives timely written notice (PPM 8-26) to regular full-time faculty members whose contracts will not be renewed at the end of the next academic year or who will be continued with substantially reduced status.


Revision History:

Creation Date: 04/07/1970

Amended: 06/09/2020; 09/16/21; 4/20/22