Promotion & Tenure

Minimum Standards for Promotion

Since the mission of the University encompasses teaching, scholarship and service, faculty members should strive for excellence in all three areas. Scholarship, whether in the form of research, publication, professional development, artistic creativity, or scholarship related to teaching or service is a significant part of each person's contribution to the academic community. Everyone must pursue some form of scholarly activity. How this work is made available to other scholars obviously depends upon the particular discipline, but promotion requires evidence that significant achievements have been and will continue to be made. (Rev. 3/4/08)

The University's obligation to scholarship notwithstanding, a major goal of any educational institution is to encourage and to demonstrate excellence in teaching. Hence, faculty members with teaching responsibilities must demonstrate high-quality teaching performance.

Service at all levels--department, college, University, community, profession, or nation--is also an integral part of the University's mission and must not be neglected on the grounds that scholarship and teaching have higher priority.

These considerations suggest University expectations for promotion to various academic ranks. Although departments may write specific criteria to fit their particular circumstances and needs, they must conform to the spirit of these standards. Unsatisfactory performance in any of the three areas, for example, precludes promotion. To provide comparability across the University, then, the following minimum achievements should be met for promotion to these ranks:

Assistant Professor: Apart from earning the doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree, the primary requirement is the demonstrated ability and desire to achieve excellence in scholarship and teaching and to make positive contributions in all three areas. For this rank, past achievements are not so important as evidence of future growth and accomplishment.

Associate Professor: Inasmuch as promotion within the University to this rank generally carries tenure--a binding commitment on the part of the University--the qualifications must be rigorous. At a minimum, the individual should show excellent achievement in scholarship or teaching and high quality performance in all areas. Furthermore, there should be unmistakable evidence that the individual has progressed and will continue to do so. A mere satisfactory or adequate record as an assistant professor is not sufficient; there must be very clear indication, based on hard evidence and outside peer evaluations, that the candidate has in fact attained high levels of accomplishment.

Professor: This rank is reserved for individuals who have established reputations in their fields and whose contributions to their profession and the University's mission are excellent. There should be unmistakable evidence of significant development and achievement in teaching, scholarship and service since the last promotion. Once again, the candidate's claim to have met these requirements must be thoroughly and completely documented by outside peer evaluations and other materials.

University employees with professional contracts who also hold faculty appointments in academic units are eligible for promotion without tenure and will meet the same criteria for promotion as do members of the unit who hold academic appointments.