Promotions Process

Promotion can be a lengthy process because of the multiple steps it involves. Academic development required for promotion should be regularly discussed by the faculty member and their chair at least as often as each annual review. Indeed, such discussions should begin when the faculty member first starts their employment at GSDM, in order for the faculty member to become familiar with the criteria and process for promotion, and to identify the candidate’s areas of strength and interest. The area that the faculty member intends to highlight as their area of excellence should be identified so that the appropriate choices for professional development can be made.

It should be noted that, ordinarily, there are minimum times in rank before promotion can be considered. This is intended to be a guideline and not a firm time point. This also emphasizes that the correct rank must be chosen at the time of hiring. The timing of the promotion process must be tied to the department’s budgeting process; it is critical for the chair to be aware of the budget implications.

When an individual, in collaboration with their chair, has determined that such development warrants academic promotion, the chair will work closely with the faculty member to create a promotion dossier that describes and quantifies the individual’s professional accomplishments. This dossier includes a promotion form, the chair’s cover memo, the candidate’s curriculum vitae and personal statement, and letters of evaluation. A detailed description of these can be found under “Dossier and Letters of Evaluation.”

If the chair disagrees with a faculty member’s request to begin the promotions process, the faculty member can consult with the dean. However, the faculty member cannot request letters of evaluation.

  1. Once the dossier is completed, it is first considered by a committee in the candidate’s department comprised of faculty members holding a rank at least as high as that for which the candidate is being considered. The department chair reports the result of the department faculty review in the dossier and sends the dossier to the Office of the Dean, which will review the dossier for accuracy and completion before forwarding to the next level of evaluation. Such submission must be made at least two weeks before a scheduled meeting of the GSDM Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee, whose schedule will be available from the Office of the Dean.
  2. The Office of the Dean then refers the dossier to the GSDM Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee.
  3. Following successful review and approval of the rank by the GSDM Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee, the application is moved forward to the GSDM Executive Committee for review and approval.
  4. In the case of modified appointments (Clinical, Research, Emeritus, Visiting), when the dean approves the appointment or promotion after considering the recommendations of the GSDM Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee and the GSDM Executive Committee, the action is considered fully approved and the individual and their chair are notified in writing of the outcome.
  5. For unmodified appointments, when the dean approves the appointment or promotion after considering the recommendation of the GSDM Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee and the GSDM Executive Committee, the recommendation is forwarded by the school to the Medical Campus provost and then to the University president (associate professor or professor ranks only).
  6. The candidate shall, at their request, be given copies of reports and rationales from each level of the promotion review process. To facilitate this procedure, reports and rationales are formulated to preserve the anonymity of participants in the judgment (to the extent that this is consistent with the communication of the basis of judgment) at each level. The candidate is not given access to individual letters of evaluation submitted in confidence.ˆ
  7. If promotion is denied, appeals processes are described in the Faculty Handbook. Reapplication can be made after a period of 12 months.
  8. The candidate being reviewed for promotion has the right to appeal a negative recommendation of the dean to the Medical Campus provost or of the Medical Campus provost to the president, indicating the grounds of their dissatisfaction with the negative recommendations. This right of appeal does not extend beyond the president. ˆ

Review of all initial appointments and promotion applications is undertaken with reference to the criteria for faculty appointments and ranks as outlined in the following documents:

Boston University Faculty Handbook (www.bu.edu/handbook)
GSDM Bylaws

ˆAdopted April 18, 2007, by the University Council.