Promotion and Tenure FAQs
If an extension is granted, the faculty member may later decide that they do not need the additional year and request review for promotion and tenure in accordance with the previous timeline. Faculty with questions about whether to request a tenure clock extension are advised to contact their academic unit leader and/or dean.
No. If a tenure-clock extension has been granted, the unit should delay the mid-term review by one year. However, if the faculty member would like the mid-term review to occur on the normal schedule, that request should be granted. This may especially be desired if the faculty member is unsure about whether they will use the extension.
While there is currently no specific language in the P&T guidelines restricting this, this practice is highly discouraged. It is best to use unique external reviewers for each promotion juncture, not only to ensure a fresh review but especially to be respectful of the time and effort of external letters who receive many requests.
Abstentions should only be used when there is a clear conflict of interest that would create negative or positive bias that would undoubtedly interfere with a committee member’s ability to fairly judge the dossier (e.g., if the candidate is a spouse, if a voting member has been involved in a claim of misconduct against the candidate). Otherwise, committee members have an obligation to evaluate the candidate and render a vote based on the evidence presented in the dossier. Abstentions should not be used, for example, if a committee member does not agree with the timing of a promotion, feels there is not adequate information, or is friendly or has collaborated with the candidate on a project.
Individuals voting against the case do not need to be identified. However, context must be provided for any “no” votes and abstentions. If a committee cannot reach consensus, a split vote is acceptable.
Under current guidelines, only tenured faculty members at or above the current rank the candidate is seeking may vote. Fixed-term professorial faculty (professors of practice, clinical professors, and senior research professors at the ranks of associate or full) should not vote on these cases for either promotion or tenure. Only voting members should sign letters.
For applicable tenure-stream, modified professorial ranks, and Instructors, this letter is typically added after the department/school/discipline P&T committee’s review and prior to the unit head’s letter. Research Associates and Faculty Research Assistants often have another faculty member as their primary or only supervisor. In the latter cases, it is helpful to have the supervisor’s letter in the dossier from the beginning of the review process.
Under current guidelines it is technically possible to include a former collaborator, as long as that relationship has not been active for at least five years. However, this is strongly discouraged. Best practice is to exclude former collaborators from the list, so as to avoid any charges of conflict of interest, whether real or perceived. Candidates and units should identify external evaluators who are well aligned with the candidate’s expertise, who are at or above the rank the candidate is seeking, and who preferably come from peer or similar institutions – and therefore positioned to objectively assess the dossier.
Six to eight letters are required, and no more than half can be from the candidate list. When there is imbalance that leans in the direction of the candidate list, additional letters should be sought to restore the required balance. Imbalance is permitted when it leans in the direction of the unit nominees. As part of the request, please also assess whether there are any clear conflicts of interest with reviewers so there is no need to withdraw letters later. Contact the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs for consultation.
If the candidate is in their final year of their tenure probationary period, they are expected to submit their dossier following the prescribed timetable. Candidates will typically only receive a letter of timely (one year) notice if they are denied tenure upon the conclusion of the full review process.
The hiring authority can issue up to two years of service credit for any academic faculty position based on the candidate’s prior work history. A request of more than two years must be approved by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. However, it is imperative that this service credit be recognized in the signed offer letter, as this is pre-employment. Service credits cannot be given after an employee is hired. The employing unit must track this decision and include recognition of the prior service credit in the dossier when the employee seeks tenure and/or promotion. For assistance determining credit, please consult the Academic Affairs Officer in University Human Resources or the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs.
No, only promotion in rank carries a salary increase.
Ten percent (10%), which is added to your full-time, annual salary and is implemented the date when your promotion become effective.
COVID-19 impact statements describe the impact of the pandemic on the ability to perform duties in the position description. Impacts may include the following examples: personal circumstances that impede work, lack of access to research facilities and sites, inability to collect data, publication delays, cancelled conferences and seminars, or other circumstances attributable to the changed landscape of working under pandemic conditions.
Only voting members should sign the letter. If committees included non-voting members, the letter should provide context to indicate which non-voting members were present, why, how they were allowed to participate.
Units have the option to include these student and peer review summary letters in dossiers sent to external reviewers for evaluation. Depending on when they are completed, letters may or may not be available at the time dossiers are released to external reviewers. What matters is that the same practice is used consistently for all candidates in the unit. If summary letters of either kind are included for one candidate, they should be included for all candidates.