Faculty Resources

Promotion and Tenure - Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee Structure

  1. Only tenured faculty members may serve on tenure and promotion committees (Administrative Guidelines IV.B.3)
  2. Only faculty of higher rank may make recommendations on promotion (Administrative Guidelines IV.B.4)
  3. Department committee must have at least three members, but it is recommended there be no more than seven members (Administrative Guidelines IV.B.1.2)
  4. At least two-thirds of the committee members should be elected by the faculty (Administrative Guidelines IV.c.5.a)
  5. A majority of the committee members should be full professors (Administrative Guidelines IV.C.5.c)
  6. Chairperson may be appointed by the academic administrator of the unit subject to approval of this procedure by the faculty (Administrative Guidelines IV.C.6)
  7.  Every effort should be made to get strong faculty members on these committees (College recommendation)
  8. Faculty of unit must approve procedures for establishing promotion and tenure committees (Administrative Guidelines IV.C.1)
  9. Only regular members of department and College P&T committees will be present during and participate in discussions regarding P&T candidates. Exceptions are when an administrator is requested to meet with a committee to consult with the committee over a possible difference of evaluation. An administrator or staff member may be requested to serve as a resource person to a committee and meet with the committee to provide appropriate information, but should be present during the committee’s evaluative discussions of candidates (R. Secor email message of October 22, 1997)
  10. In general, it is assumed that regular members of P&T committees will be available to perform their duties for the period which they are elected or appointed, and it should not be necessary to provide for alternate members. If, however, an alternative member of a department P&T committee is provided in accordance with department procedures approved by the department faculty, the alternate will serve only when a regular member of the committee is unable to participate in the set of discussions and actions, and the alternate will then become a regular member and serve the remainder of the original member’s team. If a regular member participates and votes in only part of the cases in a particular year or promotion group (i.e., 2nd year, 4th year, and 5th, year 6th year, full professor), then the rest of the cases in that group should be considered by only the remaining regular members of the committee, i.e., the committee membership will be reduced by one for the rest of the cases in that group. (In all cases, however, at least three (3) members must be present. If this is not possible, the department committee chair and the department head should discuss the appropriate arrangements with the Associate Dean for Research and Administration). If the department has provisions for an alternate member, that member should not participate in the consideration of only a part of the year or promotion group cases. (R. Secor email message of October 22, 1997)