To provide tenure-track faculty recognition and support beyond that given by a department or program, probationary faculty members will undergo a pre-tenure review (College Policy 2505 Pre-Tenure Review Process.) The pre-tenure review should assist the faculty member, the Department, the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs in assessing the faculty member’s progress toward tenure. Ordinarily, the tenure-track faculty member will be reviewed in the spring semester of the third year of service. If the faculty member is eligible for an early tenure decision, the faculty member and the Dean will determine the date for pre-tenure review at the time of the initial contract.
All tenure-track faculty hired at the rank of Assistant Professor will have a pre-tenure review:
I. Early in the fall semester (by October 1), the Associate Vice President for Academic Operations will notify all faculty members who are scheduled for pre-tenure review.
II. No later than January 25 in that academic year, the faculty member under review will provide their Department Chairperson with the following information:
a. A one-page personal statement that describes current projects and future aims in the three areas of teaching, scholarship, and service;
b. A current curriculum vitae;
c. Copies of all publications, documentation of performances or exhibits, and publications and papers referred to in the curriculum vitae; and,
d. Representative course materials, including syllabi and assignments, and any other relevant information.
III. Departmental Evaluation
a. The tenured faculty members in the Department/Program will assess the faculty member’s performance in all three areas (teaching, scholarship and service). This evaluation should include an assessment of the candidate’s teaching based on peer review and class observation of every course by the tenured members of the department; on the faculty member’s syllabi, examinations, and other course materials; and on student evaluations. In the event that there are not two tenured members in a Department, the Chairperson and the faculty member under review shall select other faculty members to observe teaching. The department members should also review all publications and work in progress.
b. The Chairperson should oversee the production of a single, written departmental letter on the faculty member’s teaching, professional development, contributions to their field and the college community. A copy of this evaluation will be made available to the faculty member under review by March 1. The faculty member may then respond in writing to the Department’s assessment and may elect to have the response included in their materials.
IV. Pre-Tenure Review Committee
a. By March 1, the Department Chairperson or Program Director for the faculty member under review will assemble a Pre-Tenure Review Committee and notify the Associate Vice President for Academic Operations of the committee composition. The Pre-Tenure Review Committee will consist of two faculty from outside the department, (at least one of whom has recently served on the Rank & Tenure Committee), plus a faculty member of the department or program (usually the chair). Normally the departmental representative will serve as chair of the Pre-Tenure Review Committee.
b. All of the faculty member’s submitted materials, together with the departmental evaluation, shall be forwarded to the Pre-Tenure Review Committee no later than March 15. The Pre-Tenure Review Committee will review the materials and produce a written evaluation signed by all members of the committee; in addition to an evaluation of the faculty member’s progress towards tenure, it may include recommendations, such as mentoring or additional support for professional development. A copy of the evaluation will be sent to the faculty member and the Department Chair.
V. Administration Review
a. The Pre-Tenure Review Committee evaluation, the departmental evaluation, and the faculty materials will be shared by May 1 with the Dean by the Department Chair. The Dean will review all materials, develop a recommendation, provide it to the faculty member, and present all materials to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by May 30.
b. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will send a recommendation to the candidate by the end of the academic year (June 30).
c. When requested to do so, the faculty member will meet with the Dean to review the comments and recommendations of the Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and to incorporate suggestions into a Development Plan.
d. The Pre-Tenure Review Committee is not itself responsible for implementing the recommendations for individual faculty members. This responsibility falls on the faculty member, with the assistance of the Department Chairperson, the Dean, and, if necessary the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The departmental and Pre-Tenure Review Committee’s evaluations, as well as the Dean’s and Vice President for Academic Affairs’ recommendations, will become part of the faculty member’s permanent record. All evaluations and recommendations will be made available when the faculty member becomes a candidate for tenure and promotion.
A report indicating suitable progress is not a guarantee of tenure.
In circumstances where the probationary faculty member shows little promise of achieving tenure, an administrative decision may be made to issue a terminal contract.