Section IV. Review for Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion of Regular Faculty
Eligibility
Reappointment—Each regular faculty member on probationary appointment shall have his or her status and performance reviewed to determine whether reappointment will be offered. Reappointment, however, also depends on a determination that institutional conditions and directions make it both desirable and prudent to continue filling the position. To the extent that it is reasonable to do so, the review shall be conducted when the faculty member is resident on campus, if so doing allows all review procedures to be followed and notification deadlines specified in this Plan of Employment to be met.
Tenure—A probationary faculty member is eligible for appointment to a tenured position after six (6) years of full-time teaching, including credit for prior teaching experience. Leaves taken for personal reasons lengthen the probationary period, unless a written agreement between the faculty member and the Administration specifies otherwise. Leaves of absence shall be granted consistent with applicable laws. In addition, a faculty member with credit for prior teaching experience may request that the probationary period be extended, not to exceed the sixth year in a regular faculty appointment at the College. Personal leaves may extend this six year period. Such requests require written approval of the Administration, in consultation with the Faculty Personnel Committee.
Promotion—Normally, a faculty member is eligible to be reviewed for promotion to Professor after six years in the Associate Professor rank. However, at any time, the President, the Provost, or the department chair may nominate outstanding faculty members for consideration for promotion. A faculty member who proceeds through the submission of a complete file and does not receive promotion will not be reviewed again for at least two years. A faculty member who submits a “short” file and, after feedback from the Promotions subcommittee, decides not to proceed in a given year may be reviewed again the following year.
General Procedures
Faculty members being reviewed shall be responsible to provide all relevant information requested by the Administration and the Faculty Personnel Committee for inclusion in a review file. More generally, faculty members on probationary appointment are responsible for demonstrating their competence and for providing opportunities for others to determine the relevance of their contributions to the needs of the College. Faculty members shall be able to see all materials submitted to their files, except those designated as confidential by the Faculty Bylaws or by the explicit procedures of the Faculty Personnel Committee.
The Provost will notify the Faculty Personnel Committee of each faculty member eligible for consideration for further probationary appointment, tenure, or promotion. The Committee shall develop a review procedure that is consistent with the directives and policies of the College and this Plan of Employment. Pursuant to that review procedure, the Committee shall then conduct a review of each eligible faculty member. Upon concluding its review, a report from the Faculty Personnel Committee, including its recommendation and rationale shall be submitted to the Provost (See Section IV.D regarding deadlines for the review by the Faculty Personnel Committee.)
The Provost, having the review file, the Faculty Personnel Committee’s report, and information concerning institutional status and direction, shall also prepare a report. Should the Provost consider making a negative recommendation on reappointment or tenure on the grounds of institutional status and direction, as opposed to performance or qualification issues, there shall be consultation with the Educational Policies Committee and members of the affected department(s) or program(s) beforehand. The reports of both the Provost and the Faculty Personnel Committee shall then be submitted to the President.
Having received the reports of the Faculty Personnel Committee and the Provost, the President may review the file and any other pertinent material before making a decision on reappointment, promotion, or tenure. Should the President disagree with the recommendation of the Faculty Personnel Committee, he or she shall meet with them in an attempt to reach consensus before making a final decision.
The President’s positive recommendation on tenure shall be submitted to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, and then to the full Board, for final approval at a regular meeting.
After being notified of the decision, the faculty member shall meet with the Provost to discuss both the review and decision. After that conference, a faculty member notified of a negative decision on reappointment, tenure, or promotion may choose to meet with the President as well to discuss the decision. The faculty member may also request in writing that the President provide a written statement of the reasons for the decision. A copy of this written statement shall be placed in the faculty member’s review file.
Notification of Faculty Member
The review schedule and notification for reappointment shall be predicated on providing one-year’s notice in the event of the President’s decision not to reappoint. A faculty member being reviewed shall be notified of the President’s decision by August 31 of the last year of the current appointment. Should the decision to reappoint be negative, a final one-year appointment will be offered, if needed to provide the one-year’s notice.
Only positive recommendations by the Administration on tenure are forwarded to the Board of Trustees for approval. A faculty member being reviewed for tenure shall be notified of the Board of Trustees’ decision no later than immediately following the regular Board meeting in June of the year in which the review takes place.
The obligation of the College to honor these deadlines requires and is contingent on the full cooperation of the faculty member in the review process. Such early notice is also predicated on the assumption that affected faculty members shall under any circumstance continue to provide professional, cooperative and complete service to the College for the duration of their appointments. There is a reciprocal obligation on the part of faculty members to give adequate notice if they plan to resign for any reason .
Review Timetable and Deadlines
The Administration and the Faculty Personnel Committee shall, by mutual agreement, establish a timetable and additional deadlines as are deemed necessary to ensure timely completion of reviews within the framework of the notification deadlines stated in Section IV.C. The Faculty Personnel Committee shall inform affected faculty members of this timetable and deadlines.
