Tenure and Promotion - Guidelines for Promotion

Guidelines for Promotion in Rank

(Updated August 2016)

Promotion to the rank of assistant professor is independent of tenure. Tenure carries with it automatic promotion to the associate professor rank for those previously in the assistant or instructor ranks. Promotion to associate professor or professor may not be considered before the tenure consideration.

Promotion from associate professor to professor will not normally be considered before the fifth year in rank.

Promotion will become effective in the year following successful consideration. A candidate whose recommendation for promotion has failed should not be recommended again until there is substantial new evidence.

An initial appointment at the rank of associate professor or professor requires that the candidate present an equivalent record of achievement in scholarship or the arts as would be required for promotion to the given rank, with strong evidence for the promise of successful teaching and contributions as a member of the academic community.

a) Promotion from Instructor to Assistant Professor

Appointments at the rank of instructor are reserved for those who do not hold the doctorate or the appropriate terminal degree. When an instructor completes the terminal degree, promotion to assistant professor will occur without review by the PSC. Only in the most exceptional cases and after Committee review may promotion to the rank of assistant professor be made without the terminal degree.

b) Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor

Promotion to the rank of associate professor is automatic with tenure and may not be considered before consideration for tenure. Therefore, the criteria for promotion to the rank of associate professor are those set forth for tenure. For assistant professors with exceptional records of professional accomplishment, consideration for promotion to the rank of associate professor earlier than the time previously scheduled may only be achieved through revision of the length of the probationary time for tenure, as described above.

c) Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor

Promotion to the rank of professor requires evidence of distinguished professional stature. While the primary emphasis on high quality performance as a teacher continues, increased stress is placed upon substantial professional achievement. These achievements should surpass those expected for promotion to the rank of associate professor. It is incumbent on the candidate to identify both the audience for her/his work and the impact this work has had on broader fields of scholarship. Each candidate’s file should document how her/his scholarship has been received by including, for example, reviews of the work, letters of invitation, or citations of the candidate’s work. The primary criteria for evaluating scholarly and creative work for promotion to professor remain those discussed in Section b, “achievement in scholarship and/or the arts.” However, we also look for evidence of peer recognition of professional activity. Such evidence may include work as a referee or on the editorial board of a scholarly publication or comparable work in the arts; participation in a scholarly or creative arts prize committee; service as an officer of a professional organization; invitations to collaborate in scholarly or creative arts fora; and any other comparable, substantial activities. In addition, as senior members of the faculty, candidates for promotion are expected to have continued to serve the campus community in substantial ways.