Preparation Guidelines for Tenure Candidates

The Tenure Application Binder consists of six sections

• Part I - Unit Actions
• Part II - Candidate's Curriculum Vitae
• Part III - Chair's Report
• Part IV - School Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (APT) Committee Report
• Part V - Dean's Report
• Part VI - University Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (UAPT) Committee Report  (these pages are added by the Office of the Provost)

Completion of Part I (Votes)

Each review level of the tenure process is responsible for recording the recommendation, recording the votes when necessary, and signing Part I of the application.

Candidate's Curriculum Vitae (Part II) and Supporting Materials

A candidate's full dossier consists of:

• a tenure or promotion application
• supporting materials

Application Binders

Candidates are responsible for completing Part II, the candidate's vita, and submitting one original (do not bind the original) and 16 copies to their Department. Sixteen copies are requested for the 16 members of the UPT Committee (Part VI of the application).

Supporting Materials

Candidates should also provide three copies of their supporting materials (any publications, course syllabi and notes, reviews, etc.) as requested in Part II for review by the various individuals and groups who participate in the tenure review process.
The copies of supporting materials should be kept separate from the tenure application. It is important to make it as easy as possible for the evaluators and committee members to access and review the materials. All supporting materials should be placed in binders with a table of contents at the front with dividers between each type of supporting material, and colored slip sheets and/or easy read tabs.

Works-in-progress should be labeled as such. Articles or books-in-press should include reference to the publisher or journal and expected publication date. Teaching materials should be identified by course and year taught. Papers presented at conferences or lectures should be labeled to indicate the occasion, place and date. Grant applications should include copies of referee's or reviewer's reports and information about whether the application was funded, for what purpose, in what amount.

Candidates are encouraged to send any updated materials and information (i.e., if a pending grant becomes funded, a paper is accepted for publication, etc.) to their School/College's faculty actions office throughout their review.

External Evaluators

Candidates are encouraged to furnish to the Chair and the Dean names of outside scholars and experts deemed competent to evaluate the candidate's scholarly and professional activities. No review level of the tenure process is required to use the names furnished by candidates and individuals not suggested by candidates will also be solicited for evaluations. Please note that the identity of evaluators is deemed confidential and cannot be released to candidates.

Department Level: the Department Vote

For tenure only and tenure and promotion cases, tenured faculty members of the department vote on a candidate's case. The vote is recorded on the Unit Actions/Vote Sheet (Part I) and is reported to the Chair of the Department, who then begins assessment of the candidate's case for his/her review and report.

Chair's Report (Part III)

A candidate's Department Chair is responsible for the following:

• Setting the deadline for the submission of the candidate's Part II and supporting materials (we recommend at least four to six weeks of preparation time);
• Insuring that the above materials are reviewed, discussed and voted on by tenured members of the department;
• Completing Part III and submitting one original and 16 copies, and three copies of supporting materials to the Dean's Office.

The Chair should inform candidates in writing of his/her recommendation, the recommendation of the tenured faculty, and of a candidate's right to information.

If a School/College is not organized into departments or divisions, or if the tenure candidate is the Chair of a Department, the Dean shall delegate the Chair's responsibility to an individual who will serve as Chair for the tenure review. This should be noted on Parts I and III. Candidates should be informed that a Chair has been approved to review their tenure case.

APT Report (Part IV)

The School Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (APT) Committee should begin reviewing its School/College's cases shortly after the start of the academic year. The APT Committee must write a report for each case and record the APT Committee's vote for each case on the Unit Actions page (Part I), signed by the APT Committee Chair. This information is then forwarded to the Dean's Office for the Dean's review and report.

Dean's Report (Part V)

The Dean is responsible for reviewing the tenure dossier, making a recommendation and forwarding the case to the Provost (via the Tenure Coordinator in the Office of the Provost). The Dean should inform candidates in writing of his/her recommendation, and the letter should be sent certified mail, return receipt requested. A copy of this letter should be sent to the Office of the Provost.

If a Dean decides to deny tenure or tenure and promotion, he/she must inform candidates of this in writing and of a candidate's right to information and appeal. The period of appeal is ten business days from receipt of the letter. Candidates for whom a Dean has recommended that tenure or tenure and promotion be denied must appeal to the Provost in writing if they wish their dossiers to be forwarded to the Central Administration for review.

The University Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (UAPT) Committee is comprised of 16 faculty members from various Schools/Colleges. A Chair is selected to lead the committee and is assisted by a staff member of the Office of the Provost. The UAPT Committee reviews and votes on all tenure and tenure and promotion cases from each school participating in that particular tenure review year. After the UAPT Committee prepares their report with a recommendation to the Provost for each candidate, it is added to the candidate's dossier. The case is then forwarded to the Provost with all supporting materials.

In the case of an ordinary review, the review of the UAPT Committee and the Provost should be completed by March 15 and by the President and Board of Trustees prior to September 1. Normally, if tenure is not recommended by the Provost, notification of the terms of a terminal appointment is issued by the Provost prior to September 1.