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New Appointments of Faculty Members to Higher Ranks

Definition of "higher ranks"

The College of Engineering Council on Promotion and Tenure must review documentation for recommendation of new faculty appointments, with or without tenure, to the following academic ranks:

  • Associate Professor
  • Professor
  • Research Associate Professor
  • Research Professor
  • Associate Teaching Professor
  • Teaching Professor

*For hires to limited-term, tenure track positions that will require a future mandatory review by the P&T Council (i.e. 0109-Associate Professor Tenure Track and 0108-Professor Tenure Track), review of the initial hire is not required. As stated in the Faculty Code, Section 25-32. Criteria for Tenure, D.“Appointments to the rank of associate professor or full professor "without tenure," as specified under C.4 above, are limited to two consecutive appointments, each of three years' duration.” Under this rule, dossiers of Associate Professor Tenure Track and Professor Tenure Track must come before the P&T Committee in the fifth year of their year appointment, leaving the final sixth year of appointment should the case be unsuccessful.

Documents not reviewed by the Council on Promotion and Tenure

Any new appointment to an academic position requires certain new appointment paperwork. While these items are necessary for the new appointment, many will not be reviewed by the Council on Promotion and Tenure. Instead, these "New Appointment" materials should be submitted separately once the candidate has accepted the final offer. The following items are required for the new appointment packet but NOT reviewed by the Council:

Procedure for review by the Council on Promotion and Tenure

  1. New appointment is voted on in the department as follows:
    1. First, by the voting faculty regarding the new faculty appointment
    2. Second, by those faculty senior in rank and tenure (e.g., Full Professors would vote on appointments of new hire Full Professors; Full and Associate Professors would vote on appointments of new hire Associate Professors).
  2. The department Chair sends a detailed memo to the Dean requesting the appointment and providing justification for the hire. The Chair’s memo will include the vote results, CV, application documents, and all “B” letters obtained during the search process. The inclusion of “A” letters in the dossier is not mandatory.*
  3. The Dean will send the department Chair’s memo, offer details, CV and application documents to the College of Engineering Council on Promotion and Tenure via email requesting the council’s review and recommendation.
  4. P&T Council reviews and votes on the candidate via email.
  5. P&T Council sends their recommendation to the Dean or, if the Council desires, return to the department for additional information.
  6.  Dean will make the final hiring decision and authorizes the Chair to make an offer.

*The council will require the standard Promotion and Tenure dossier (including at least four “A” letters) in those cases where tenure is being awarded for the first time in the candidate’s career.

Candidates who are changing rank from an outside institution

Occasionally, cases involving a new hire from a lower rank professorial track from another academic institution is hired into the College of Engineering at a higher rank. This individual may be going up for promotion at their current university.  This is an opportune time to recruit high-quality candidates who would surely be promoted at their current university and place them in a higher rank (i.e. assistant professor to associate professor, or associate professor to full professor). The dean will follow the same process, gathering advice and council from departments and the P&T Council.  In rare occasions, and at the discretion of the dean,  “A” letters from the department may be requested if the dean feels these are necessary to fully evaluate the case. Ultimately the Dean will make the final decision on the potential new hire and determine if an offer will be extended. 

Candidates coming from industry

For faculty being recruited from other institutions or industry who need to establish their research and teaching portfolio before being considered for tenure, a potential offer can be extended for the job class code falling under the Associate/Full Professor tenure track. These titles are used for those with professional experience rather than academic experience. These positions are 6-year terms which allow for teaching experience before a mandatory review for tenure is conducted in the 5th year of the appointment.