5.2.1 Criteria for RPT

Reappointment, promotion and tenure decisions shall be based on performance in three areas: teaching, research or other creative work, and service. Faculty must be successful in both teaching and research throughout their academic careers. They must also render service that is appropriate for their rank. Relevant scholarship, teaching, and service while at other institutions should be included in the RPT file when a faculty member is being considered for reappointment, tenure and promotion. Departments should have guidelines by which they can evaluate a faculty member’s interdisciplinary contributions to teaching, research, and service/leadership. Each of the areas of teaching, research and service, considered both individually and holistically, comprises a broad range of activities as elucidated below.  Each of these activities have different weights, according to the particular rank being considered.

For the RPT timeline, see: Timeline of the RPT Process.  For instructions on completing the candidate file, faculty should refer to: Guidelines for Candidate Files.  For instructions on the review of candidate files by department reviewers and chairs see:  Guidelines for Reviewers of Candidate Files.  

Please note that the RPT process requires electronic versions of all documents. For more information on the electronic submission of candidate files, see Using Google Drive RPT Folders.

Teaching

Teaching as it relates to classroom teaching, direction of theses and dissertations, academic advisement, and extension programs. Evidence of competence and currency in subject matter, of proper organization and design of courses taught, of ability to present the subject matter in an interesting and clear manner that is appropriate for students at the level for which that course is designed. Evidence of effective teaching of a diverse student body.  Where appropriate, evidence of effective advising, effective direction of student research, and expertise in development of curriculum. Evidence of participating in professional development work, including pedagogical development focused on improved teaching of students from all backgrounds and identities. Evidence that teaching contributions are effective in light of the Department’s teaching mission.

Research or Other Creative Work

Research or other creative work, with some indication of their impact, including but not limited to peer-reviewed publications, juried exhibitions, patents, software, digital resources including internet-delivered projects, performances, presentations of scholarly papers, plenary addresses, research awards, community-engaged scholarship, and successful grantsmanship (as defined by the department). Evidence that the work is of high quality and is part of the candidate’s ongoing agenda. Trajectory for scholarly and creative activities is important.

Service

Service as it relates to University (department, college, university), community, and profession, as appropriate to the level of review. At the University level this includes evidence of sustained and significant contributions to program and curriculum development and governance.  This may also include work supporting the university’s guiding commitments to access and social mobility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the community level this is most often based on professional expertise in areas related to the University’s public- service objectives. At the professional level this is based on the leadership roles within disciplinary organizations or the profession as a whole.

It is expected that each basic academic unit within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will have criteria (i.e. guidelines) that provide specific definition and elaboration of the expectations of faculty being considered for reappointment, promotion, and conferral of permanent tenure. These guidelines should be driven by and consistent with the stated goals of the unit. The unit guidelines should also address how to evaluate faculty contributions to interdisciplinarity and how these initiatives relate to the mission and goals of the unit. In addition to the departmental guidelines, the College Review Committee (CRC) will apply the general criteria listed below to the departmental review. These general guidelines provide some basis for comparing recommendations from the diverse disciplines within the College.

Standards for Academic Rank

It is expected that each basic academic unit within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will have criteria (i.e. guidelines) that provide specific definition and elaboration of the expectations of faculty being considered for reappointment, promotion, and conferral of permanent tenure. These guidelines should be driven by and consistent with the stated goals of the unit. The unit guidelines should also address how to evaluate faculty contributions to interdisciplinarity and how these initiatives relate to the mission and goals of the unit. In addition to the departmental guidelines, the CRC will apply the general criteria listed below to the departmental review. These general guidelines provide some basis for comparing recommendations from the diverse disciplines within the College.

Reappointment of an Assistant Professor

For reappointment of an assistant professor, the CRC will consider the following criteria (not listed in any rank order):

•  Effective teaching
• High quality research/creative activity
• Appropriate service contributions at the unit level
• Projected growth as a teacher, scholar, and university citizen that shows promise of satisfying criteria for promotion to associate professor with conferral of permanent tenure. 

Promotion of an Assistant Professor to Associate Professor

For promotion of an assistant professor to associate professor (which automatically includes conferral of permanent tenure) or conferral of permanent tenure on an associate professor, the College Review Committee shall consider the following criteria (not listed in any rank order): 

• A demonstrated record of effectiveness as a teacher.
• A continuous and distinctive record of peer reviewed publication and/or peer-reviewed creative activity, and appropriate external funding, as determined by the departmental guidelines, in the candidate’s field of specialization.
• Demonstrated commitment to service, with a level of engagement appropriate to the discipline, the academic unit and, where possible, the Department, College, and/or University.
• Projected growth as a teacher, scholar, and university citizen that could lead to promotion to the rank of Professor.

The rationale for early promotion must provide compelling justification using the criteria presented above.

Promotion of an Associate Professor to Professor

For promotion of an associate professor to professor, or the conferral of permanent tenure on a professor, the CRC shall consider the following criteria (not listed in any rank order):

• A record of academic achievement that has led to national or international recognition as a scholar, creative performer or teacher.
• A cumulative record of teaching effectiveness since promotion to associate professor
• Substantial peer-reviewed publications and/or peer-reviewed creative activity; grantsmanship where appropriate; a demonstrated growth in scholarship since promotion to associate professor.
• A significant service record within the individual’s academic profession and also within the university community at large.

It is recognized that tenured faculty sometimes replace their normal duties with professional or university service such as acting as a funding agency program officer or assuming administrative roles in the University.  In such cases, faculty must still meet department requirements for promotion to Full Professor, but assessment of scholarly and teaching achievement should take into account this departure from named duties.