Handbook

FUNCTIONS AND PROCEDURES OF THE PROMOTION-TENURE COMMITTEE

1. Annually to assess all untenured, regular faculty in the areas of teaching, research, and service as required by the "Department Guidelines for Evaluation."
2. Annually to advise the Chair on each untenured faculty member's progress toward a positive recommendation for tenure as required by the Department Code.
3. To present recommendations regarding tenure to the Department Chair (normally by the sixth year for assistant professors, the fourth year for associate professors, and the third year for full professors as required by the Faculty/Staff Manual, "Academic Faculty Tenure Policy," E.9.4.b) who will forward them to the Dean, with or without his/her endorsement.
4. Annually to assess the teaching, creative and research activities, and service of tenured faculty members who are eligible for promotion in order to make recommendations to the Chair about promotions. (The University Code E.10.2.1 states that the Chair shall initiate that process.)
5. To devise and supervise procedures for carrying out the above responsibilities.
6. To publish all relevant standards, policies, and procedures.

1. Meetings
   1. In keeping with regular Department policy regarding personnel decisions and except as noted, the Promotion-Tenure Committee's deliberations, recommendations, and voting records shall be private. Neither the Chair of the Promotion-Tenure Committee nor the other members shall communicate deliberations, recommendations, or voting records to untenured or tenured members of the Department.
   2. Minutes shall be kept and shall include the numerical vote on all motions and recommendations. A member of the Committee may request that his/her vote be identified in the minutes and may append to the minutes statements of minority opinion. Minutes of the previous meeting must be approved at each meeting.
   3. There will be a Promotion-Tenure file which holds only the minutes of the meetings.
   4. All evaluations and recommendations shall require a majority vote. Voting will be done by secret ballot.
   5. Final evaluations of the committee will be sent to the chair and a copy will be placed in the individual's Performance File.
   6. The Committee will receive a copy of the Dean's response to the Chair on recommendations for tenure and promotion in order to be able to respond to the Dean on the matter should they wish to do so.
2. Annual Evaluation and Report of Progress Toward Tenure
   1. Annually before March 1 (before December 1 for untenured faculty in the second year) the Promotion-Tenure Committee shall evaluate untenured regular faculty according to the definitions, evaluative procedures, criteria, and labels outlined in "Department Guidelines for Evaluation." In addition
      1. The annual evaluation shall "include judgments . . . about the success in correcting identified problems and the extent and severity of remaining problems" (Dean's directive, 9/11/78).
      2. Regular faculty with part-time appointments shall be expected to render service and publish commensurate with appointment.
   2. Each annual evaluation shall be accompanied by a statement about the candidate's progress "toward a favorable recommendation for tenure."
   3. Annually, the Promotion-Tenure Committee shall invite the Department Chair and all tenured faculty to communicate in writing any information about untenured faculty important for the Committee's annual evaluation and report of progress toward or recommendation regarding tenure. The Tenure Committee shall also consult what other source(s) of information and advice it deems necessary to its deliberations. This material will go into the faculty member's file. (See f.)
   4. Peer evaluations of teaching shall be written within five (5) working days of the visitation, and a copy shall be sent to all members of the Tenure-Promotion Committee and to the candidate. Departmental student evaluations of teaching shall be filed in each candidate's Performance File immediately following the end of the semester in which they are taken.
   5. The committee's annual evaluation and report of progress toward tenure shall be presented as advisory to the Department Chair who is charged with the ultimate responsibility for evaluation of all untenured faculty, and with "the development and strengthening of . . . faculty competence within the department" (University Code, C.2.6.2).
   6. The materials on an individual candidate maintained by the Promotion-Tenure Committee may be examined by that candidate, except that the anonymity of student evaluations shall be protected and that copies of Promotion-Tenure Committee minutes and deliberations shall be private.
3. Recommendations for Tenure
   The Promotion-Tenure Committee's recommendation regarding tenure, which will normally consist of the summary-evaluation sections (teaching, scholarship or creative activity, service, general) of the University's "Tenure and Promotion Application" form, shall be presented to the Chair of the English Department,* with the request that the Chair promptly report the substance or send a copy of the recommendation to the candidate, as appropriate. A covering memorandum for the Chair of the English Department only (i.e., not to accompany the recommendation to the College and University levels) will include the numerical vote of the Promotion-Tenure Committee. Unlike the annual evaluation and report of progress toward tenure, the Promotion-Tenure Committee's recommendation regarding tenure is not advisory; it is the tenured faculty's recommendation, which the Chair either approves or disapproves before sending to higher administrative levels.
4. Procedures for Promotion
   Procedures for promotion will follow the "Department of English Guidelines for Evaluation" and the "Department of English Guidelines for Promotion."

*When the Department Chair is under consideration for tenure the report goes directly to the Dean.