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Only faculty members who hold the ranks of tenure-track assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor are eligible to be considered for tenure. Assistant professors will be awarded tenure only if they are simultaneously promoted to the rank of associate professor. Under certain circumstances, administrative faculty members holding rank in a department/school at the assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor level may be considered for tenure, as specified by the Board of Visitors Policy #1490: Administrative and Professional Faculty.

Faculty members may be considered for tenure only once. A faculty member undergoing tenure review will not undergo a separate annual evaluation.  

Since tenure is granted as a faculty member in an academic department/school or program, the award of tenure does not imply continuance in any full- or part-time administrative position, nor does it imply continuance of any specific work assignment within or outside the department/school in which tenure is granted.

The probationary period begins with the initial full-time, tenure-track appointment at ���ϲ����� and EVMS pre-integration at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor; only time spent in a tenure-track position at one of these ranks or other allowed participation as designated elsewhere in University policy is counted as part of the probationary period.

1. Subject to agreement by the University and the faculty member, any academic year in which a faculty member was on a full-time tenure-track appointment in one of these ranks for at least one semester may be counted as one year of the probationary period. 

The following do not count as part of the probationary period:

1. Time in a career-track or any part-time position.

2. Time in appointment as a full-time administrator, that is, in a position designated as a teaching/research administrative position or as a classified position in the state personnel system. Time spent in a tenure-track faculty position will count as part of the probationary period, even if administrative responsibilities are assigned as part of that position; department/school administrative positions such as chair/director or assistant chair/deputy director will thus count as part of the probationary period.

3. Time in a position that involves no teaching of credit courses, for example, as a teacher of children or a therapist in the Children’s Learning and Research Center, or as a teacher of exclusively noncredit coursework.

4. Time spent on a leave of absence.

5. Time spent on faculty exchanges (including nationally competitive fellowships) if the faculty member chooses.

A period, not to exceed one year[1], may be excluded from the probationary period, upon the approval of the appropriate executive vice president, subject to the following conditions.

1. The faculty member submits a request in writing to the department/school chair/director. The department/school chair/director and the dean shall forward the request with a recommendation to the appropriate executive vice president. 

2. The request must be the result of the occurrence of a serious event. A “serious event” is defined as a life-altering situation which requires the faculty member to devote a significant fraction of each day to alleviate the impact of the event for a period greater than six weeks and less than one year. These events may include the birth of a child, adoption of a child, serious personal illness, or care of an immediate family member, such as a parent, stepparent, child, spouse, or domestic partner.

3. The faculty member shall provide documentation to justify the time requested and the seriousness of the event.

4. The request shall be made no later than one year from the first day of the serious event.

5. The faculty member must have been adequately performing the duties assigned before the first day of the serious event.

6. Faculty who are awarded this exclusion shall have no requirements or expectations beyond those of any probationary faculty member.

7. Work accomplished during the excluded period may be cited in the tenure case.

8. Requests for exclusion may be made at any time during each academic year. No request shall be made after the tenure application has been submitted.

9. Decisions will be made within 60 days of the receipt of the faculty member’s request by the department/school chair/director.

10. The decision of the appropriate executive vice president is final.

To ensure that all faculty undergo the tenure process according to the same schedule, mid-year faculty can choose whether to undergo tenure review a semester earlier than those hired at the beginning of an academic year (per section III.A.1 of this policy) or one semester later than faculty members hired at the beginning of an academic year. Unless an approved extension is granted (see section III.C), the maximum total period for full-time probationary appointments, excluding periods not counted (see section III.B), is six years for faculty hired at the start of an academic year and up to six-and-a-half years for faculty hired mid-year. 

1. Tenure-track faculty in the School of Medicine may request a one-time, permanent conversion to a career-track appointment at any point prior to when they formally apply for tenure or reach the end of their fifth probationary year.  

2. This conversion from tenure-track to career-track requires a written request and approvals from the department chair, the dean of the School of Medicine, and the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences. 

The length of the probationary period may be reduced in any of the following instances:

1. A faculty member initially appointed to the rank of full professor may be considered for tenure in the second year of service and would be notified of a tenure decision according to the schedule in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook; if tenure is awarded, a tenure contract will be offered for subsequent years of service. 

2. The probationary period for a full professor may be eliminated, and an initial tenure appointment may be recommended to the Board of Visitors if such an appointment has been requested by the chair/director, voted on by the department/school promotion and tenure committee, the college/school promotion and tenure committee, the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and approved in writing by the dean, the appropriate executive vice president, and the president. An initial appointment with tenure will be granted only to a faculty member who already has achieved a distinguished academic record and held a tenured position. Please refer to the Board of Visitors Policy # 1401: Initial Appointment of Teaching and Research Faculty for additional information on an initial appointment with tenure.

3. A faculty member initially appointed to the rank of associate professor must apply for tenure no later than during their sixth year of service and would be notified of a tenure decision according to the schedule in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook. If tenure is approved, a tenure contract will be offered for subsequent years. In addition, the probationary period for an associate professor may be eliminated, and an initial tenure appointment may be recommended to the Board of Visitors if such an appointment has been requested by the chair/director, voted on by the department/school promotion and tenure committee, the college/school promotion and tenure committee, the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and approved in writing by the dean, the appropriate executive vice president, and the president. The procedure of eliminating the probationary period for tenure should be used only in cases where a faculty member has already achieved a distinguished academic record or held a tenured position.

4. A faculty member may apply for early consideration for tenure if the faculty member believes that they have met or exceeded the expectations of quantity and quality of achievements for teaching, scholarship, research, and service needed to qualify for tenure before the end of the normal probationary period. The criteria for the award of tenure for such faculty will be the same as those who apply after the normal probationary period, i.e., the total body of work must be equivalent to that expected after a normal probationary period. A faculty member who applies for early consideration for tenure and is denied tenure will be offered a terminal contract for the next year. Only demonstrably exceptional faculty or faculty with equivalent experience at a commensurate rank at another accredited institution of higher education will be awarded tenure under this clause. Demonstrably exceptional is defined as meeting or exceeding expectations for quantity and quality of achievements for teaching, scholarship, research, and service needed to qualify for tenure before the conclusion of the normal probationary period. Any faculty member considering an application for early consideration for tenure should first elicit feedback on this plan from the department/school chair/director, the dean, the appropriate executive vice president, and the chair of the department/school promotion and tenure committee, especially if the faculty member has not yet undergone a pre-tenure review.

5. A faculty member who applies for tenure before the end of the normal probationary period cannot withdraw from the tenure review process after the appropriate executive vice president has approved the final list of external reviewers (Section V.D.2).

The following criteria are used in the evaluation of every candidate for tenure. Each faculty committee and administrator considering a tenure case must specifically address each of these criteria as they apply to that case in the written recommendations that are submitted up the line through the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, if applicable, and to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Committee votes and the names of all committee members who participated in the review and deliberation must be recorded in the recommendations. In cases in which a vote is not unanimous, reasons for negative votes must be included.

Criteria to be used are as follows:

1. Since tenure may be awarded only to faculty members who hold the rank of associate or full professor or who are being simultaneously appointed to one of those ranks, any faculty member awarded tenure must meet the minimum requirements for the rank of associate professor.

2. Merit of the faculty member in teaching, research, and service over the entire probationary period, and the contributions made by the faculty member in these areas to the University. Scholarly and teaching activity up to six academic years before the tenure decision should be considered, which can include activity at another accredited institution of higher education or national research institutions. (For definition of teaching, research, clinical care, and service and a discussion of methods of evaluation, see policies and procedures concerning evaluation of faculty members, evaluation of teaching effectiveness, evaluation of scholarly activity and research, and evaluation of service in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook.) In addition to information supplied by annual self-evaluations, the chair/director’s evaluation, and other material presented by the department/school, an opportunity shall be made available for the faculty member to provide in writing any other material in support of the tenure candidacy. It is the responsibility of the department/school chair/director and the department/school promotion and tenure committee to provide an assessment of the quality of the publications for the faculty being considered for tenure. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure that all information submitted by them in support of tenure is factually accurate and valid, and to provide corroborating evidence (e.g., web links, complete citations, grant numbers, etc.) for all claimed accomplishments. The evidence should address the quality of the journals and the reputation of books and other such publishers. Fraudulent or invalid claims can lead to faculty sanctions, including denial of tenure. The department/school chair/director should work with tenure candidates to ensure the completeness and accuracy of their portfolios. The department/school chair/director and the department/school promotion and tenure committee, as a part of the regular review process, should verify the accuracy of portfolio elements that are central to the tenure case. Should concerns be raised about the validity of a candidate’s claims by external or internal reviewers, it is the department/school chair/director’s responsibility to verify those claims. The tenure process will be paused while the department/school chair/director verifies those claims. In case of material developments, additional documentation may be added to the portfolio before the conclusion of the evaluation process with the concurrence of the department/school chair/director and dean.

   External evaluation of the quality of the faculty member’s research performance will be required from nationally recognized experts in the faculty member’s field. Tenure candidates are responsible for preparing the research portfolio and curriculum vitae to be sent to external reviewers. They should provide a statement to document potential external and/or internal reviewers with whom there is a conflict of interest, e.g., co-authors, co-investigators, etc.

   1. A curriculum vitae will be required of each external reviewer. Each external reviewer will be asked to describe any personal or professional relationship with the candidate. It is the responsibility of the department/school chair/director to include a curriculum vitae for each external reviewer. For the tenure of the department/school chair/director, the responsibility belongs to the dean. 

   2. External reviewers will be asked to evaluate all submitted material mailed to them based on the department/school’s approved criteria for the evaluation of scholarly activity and research. In the case of the arts, reviewers may be asked to consider works of art or performances. External reviewers will be asked to evaluate a) the quality of the scholarship or creative work under review; and b) the scholarly reputation (regional, national, international) of the candidate.

   3. All candidates for tenure and promotion must have their scholarship evaluated by at least four external reviewers. If fewer than four reviews are received, the chair/director will choose additional reviewers alternately from the lists of the department/school promotion and tenure committee and of the candidates.

3. The determined long-term needs of the department/school, college/school, and University, including at least the following:

   1. The projected long-term enrollment.

   2. The need for an additional specialist in the faculty member’s area of specialization as a permanent member of the department/school in terms of the mission of the department/school, the college/school, and the University.

   3. All committees and administrators considering tenure must take into account the need for flexibility in course offerings and the desirability of a tenure structure that will allow openings for new tenured faculty members in the ensuing decades so that new areas of specialization and new needs can be met. The positions of other non-tenured faculty members in the department/school, anticipated retirements, or other known departures, projected new programs, or changes in directions must be considered.

4. No faculty member can be awarded tenure unless evidence is provided of effective teaching.

5. No faculty member can be awarded tenure unless evidence is provided of successful performance in scholarly activity and research, as judged by the department/school’s approved criteria for the evaluation of scholarly activity and research. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to include these criteria in the research portfolio submitted to external reviewers and in the tenure file submitted internally. If these criteria changed during the faculty member’s probationary period, they could choose which version to submit. All evaluations of the faculty member’s research and scholarly activity should be guided by these criteria at every stage of the tenure process.

Each department/school and/or college/school shall establish written policies for the award of tenure. Such policies must be consistent with University policy, but may include variations such as procedures, committee composition, the specific criteria for tenure relative to the college/school’s mission, and measures for evaluating faculty performance/post-tenure review. If a department/school promotion and tenure committee is utilized, the department/school must also have written policies for tenure, which may be the same policies used by the college/school.  

The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, 15 months prior to the date for giving notification of the tenure decision, shall formally advise the faculty member that the limit of the probationary period is approaching, and explain what procedures should be followed by those wishing to be considered for tenure.

The initial steps of the review process are normally conducted by the chair/director of the department/school with which the tenure candidate is affiliated, assuming the chair/director has tenure. If the chair/director is not tenured, they may not be involved in any aspect of the tenure decision. In that case, the college/school dean housing the department/school should appoint a tenured member of the department/school in question to act in the chair/director’s stead. This faculty member shall not take part in any deliberations or votes of the department/school, college/school, or University promotion and tenure committees. If the candidate for tenure is the department/school chair/director, the dean shall conduct the initial steps of the review process, but will not write a separate recommendation at the department/school level.

External Review Process

1. The responsibility for initiating the external review, securing the reviewers, and posting complete external review letters and external reviewers’ curriculum vitae to the secure site belongs to the department/school chair/director or their replacement if the chair/director is not tenured (see section V.C).

2. External reviewers with academic positions will hold the same rank or higher than the promotion rank for which the faculty member is being considered; exceptions should be justified by the dean. The department/school promotion and tenure committee and the candidate will each prepare separate lists of potential reviewers. The candidate will review both lists and will document personal and professional relationships with all potential external reviewers, including potential conflicts of interest. This documentation will become part of the tenure file. The chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) will consolidate the lists from the committee and the candidate into a single complete list of proposed external reviewers; the chair will provide this consolidated list of proposed external reviewers to the dean. The dean will submit an agreed-upon list to the appropriate executive vice president for final approval prior to initiating the tenure review process. The final list of external reviewers, together with the documentation of personal and professional relationships by the candidate (as outlined above), should be included as part of the application package for all internal reviewers. External reviewers should not be close collaborators or (former) mentors of the candidate. In general, co-authors on publications should be excluded as external reviewers, except as permissible under the department/school statement on evaluation of research (see the Policy on the Evaluation of Scholarly Activity and Research in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook). The selection of potential external reviewers must be completed before the end of the semester prior to the submission of credentials for tenure.

3. Internal reviewers shall keep external reviewers’ identities confidential and will be advised accordingly. Requests for exception to the confidentiality of external reviews should be made directly to the appropriate executive vice president before the external reviewers are asked to submit evaluations. If an exception is approved, tenure candidates will be allowed access to the substance of external reviews, but the authorship of specific external reviews and other identifying information contained therein will remain confidential. All external reviewers will receive a standard letter sent by the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) but prepared by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the deans, and a copy of the policy on external reviews, so their responsibilities will be clear.

4. The University and college/school administration will assist departments/schools where reasonable expenses are necessary to obtain appropriate external reviews.

Initial consideration of tenure cases is conducted by the tenured faculty of the department/school.

1. The tenured faculty of a department/school may determine that a promotion and tenure committee of a specified size will be selected from their membership to conduct the tenure deliberations and make recommendations to the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.). In this case, the entire full-time department/school faculty will elect the promotion and tenure committee. This committee is responsible for determining the opinions of tenured department/school members who are not serving on the committee.

2. In departments/schools where fewer than three members are tenured, the dean, in consultation with the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.), will appoint enough additional tenured faculty members to form a promotion and tenure committee of at least three members.

3. Candidates for tenure should provide a statement of disclosure of potential external and/or internal reviewers with whom there is a conflict of interest, e.g., co-authors, co-investigators, etc.

4. The tenured faculty of the department/school, or the members of the promotion and tenure committee, elect a committee chair among their members. The committee chair is responsible for directing the committee members to consider and apply the relevant sections in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook and the department/school statement on research evaluation in their comments and votes.

5. No dean, full- or part-time associate dean or assistant dean, or other full-time administrator or department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) shall attend or participate in the deliberation of the department/school, college/school, University promotion and tenure committees, or the tenured faculty of the department/school serving as a group to consider tenure, except in those cases when such committees or groups may, at their discretion, request administrators or chairs/directors to answer specific questions concerning tenure cases. The deliberations of all three committees are confidential and must not be shared with anyone outside of the committee.

6. The college/school promotion and tenure committee shall consist of one tenured faculty member from each department/school in the college/school. All members of the college/school promotion and tenure committees shall be elected directly by the faculty they represent for a one-year term, renewable twice for a total of three years. This member shall be chosen by majority vote of all full-time teaching and research faculty members of the department/school, present and voting, by secret ballot before April 15 of each year for the ensuing year. Every reasonable effort should be made to ensure that there are at least three full professors on the college/school promotion and tenure committee. No person shall serve on a college/school promotion and tenure committee for more than three years consecutively, but is eligible for reelection after an absence of at least one year. The representative from a tenure candidate’s department/school will participate in deliberations in the candidate’s case but will not cast a vote.

7. The University Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of one tenured full professor from each of the major degree-granting academic colleges/schools. This member shall be elected by their college/school’s promotion and tenure committee by September 15. The University Promotion and Tenure Committee shall elect one of its members as chair[1]. No person shall serve on the University Promotion and Tenure Committee for more than three years consecutively, but is eligible for reelection after an absence of at least one year. The representative from a tenure candidate’s college/school will participate in deliberations in the candidate’s case but will not cast a vote.

8. Any committee member who participates in the tenure process votes at most only once on any particular case. Department/school promotion and tenure committee members shall vote at the department/school level. A member of the department/school promotion and tenure committee may not choose to vote on cases from their department/school at the college/school or University level.

9. To ensure transparency, fairness, and equity in the internal review process, a faculty member or administrator who participates in the tenure process must disclose any potential conflict of interest that might undermine the credibility of the process. The department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) will work in consultation with the college/school dean to decide whether the person should be excluded from serving on the promotion and tenure committee.

10. The faculty member under consideration is given an opportunity at each stage of review to submit a statement (via the secure site) to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in support of their tenure case, or to correct any factual misinformation in previous recommendations. The provost’s office will add such statements to the candidate’s file.

11. In case of material new accomplishments before the conclusion of the evaluation process, additional documentation may be added to the portfolio with the dean’s concurrence. Such additional material must be clearly marked as such and dated at the time of addition to the tenure file by the provost’s office. If such additional documentation is considered, this must be clearly documented in the recommendation letters by the committee or individual (e.g., dean) who first reviews this new material.

The committee or group of tenured faculty makes its recommendations to the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) together with reasons for the recommendation (including a minority statement in the case of a non-unanimous vote). All committee members shall vote yes or no through a secret ballot, after participating (either in person or remotely) in the deliberation of the committee. Proxy votes or votes submitted by non-secure means (e.g., email or communication accessible to a third party) are not permitted. The committee chair shall record the names of all members participating in the discussion and voting in the recommendation letter and the total number of votes in favor and against. Only those faculty present as the candidate is being reviewed during the deliberations can participate in drafting or approving the letter. In instances of a non-unanimous vote, the minority opinion must be included in the committee’s recommendation, and the minority must be given the option to write a minority opinion. A copy of the recommendation letter will be made available to the faculty member by the committee chair. Considering this recommendation, the department/school chair/director (or designee, unless the dean is acting in the chair’s stead, see section V.C.) makes an additional evaluation and recommendation concerning tenure. A copy of that review and recommendation letter will be sent to the faculty member and the dean by the department/school chair/director.

If either the tenured faculty (or their committee), or the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) or both recommend tenure, the credentials of the faculty member together with the recommendations of the tenured faculty (or their committee) and the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) are forwarded to the college/school promotion and tenure committee, which examines the facts and the recommendations and makes a recommendation to the dean. All eligible committee members shall vote yes or no through a secret ballot, after participating (either in person or remotely) in the deliberation of the committee. Proxy votes or votes submitted by non-secure means (e.g., email or communication accessible to a third party) are not permitted. Members eligible to vote on a specific candidate’s tenure application are defined in section V.E.4. In instances of a non-unanimous vote of all eligible voting members, the minority opinion must be included in the committee recommendation, and the minority must be given the option to write the minority opinion. A copy of the recommendation letter will be made available to the faculty member by the committee chair.

If neither the department/school promotion and tenure committee nor the department/school chair/director (or designee, see section V.C.) recommends tenure for the faculty member, tenure is not granted in the ensuing year. The faculty member is given a terminal contract for the coming year unless further review is requested.

If the faculty member requests further review, all materials, including the department/school’s promotion and tenure committee and chair/director evaluations and recommendations, are forwarded to the college/school promotion and tenure committee, which makes a separate recommendation to the college/school dean. All committee members should vote yes or no through a secret ballot. In instances of a non-unanimous vote, the minority opinion must be included in the committee recommendation, and the minority must be given the option to write a minority opinion. The college/school dean then makes a decision concerning tenure and informs the faculty member.

If either the decision of the college/school promotion and tenure committee or that of the college/school dean is positive, the faculty member’s case is considered in accordance with the procedures in the following paragraphs. If both decisions are negative, the faculty member may request, within two weeks, a further review by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, who consults with the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, if necessary, who makes a final determination concerning further consideration of tenure.

The college/school dean examines the facts and all previous recommendations and makes a recommendation concerning tenure, which is forwarded to the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, if applicable, with a copy made available to the faculty member.

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee, consisting of one tenured full professor from each of the major degree-granting academic colleges/schools, or a delegate from another college/school, as needed, examines the facts and all previous recommendations and documentation and makes a recommendation (with reasons) concerning tenure, which is forwarded to the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, if applicable, with a copy made available to the faculty member. All eligible committee members shall vote yes or no through a secret ballot, after participating (either in person or remotely) in the deliberation of the committee. Proxy votes or votes submitted by non-secure means (e.g., email or communication accessible to a third party) are not permitted. Members eligible to vote on a specific candidate’s tenure application are defined in section V.E.4. In instances of a non-unanimous vote of all eligible voting members, the minority opinion must be included in the committee’s recommendation, and the minority must be given the option to write the minority opinion. The recommendation letter will be made available to the college/school dean, the department/school chair/director, and the faculty member via the secure site.

The provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, after examining all submitted documents and consulting with the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, as appropriate, sends a recommendation to the President. If the recommendations from all committees and administrators previously acting on the case have not all been the same, or if the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs or the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences disagrees with the recommendations that have been the same, then the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs shall consult with the University Promotion and Tenure Committee and with the department/school chair/director (if tenured) and college/school dean concerned.

If the determination of the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and, if applicable, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences is in favor of tenure, the provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs forwards the faculty member’s name to the president for presentation to the Board of Visitors as a tenure candidate.

For faculty with appointments in Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences reviews tenure applications and submits a recommendation to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, who then presents the recommendation to the President. The President delegates the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs to present the President’s recommendation to Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Board of Directors for review and endorsement, and if endorsed, the faculty member is presented to the Board of Visitors for approval as a tenure candidate.

The Board of Visitors will act on the case according to the schedule in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook of the year in which it is being taken up. Upon approval of the Board of Visitors, the faculty member is offered a tenure contract for the coming year.

If the determination of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs is against tenure, the faculty member is notified according to the schedule in the ���ϲ����� Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook that a terminal contract will be offered for the coming year.

The faculty member may request, within two weeks, that the president review a negative decision of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The president should make a decision on the review within one month. If the president upholds the decision of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the faculty member may request a further review by the Board of Visitors or its designated committee within two weeks. (Refer to Board of Visitors Policy #1102: Communications with the Board of Visitors for procedural information.) The decision of the Board of Visitors or its designated committee is final.

Copies of the recommendation by all committees, department/school chairs/directors, college/school deans, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, if applicable, and the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs shall be provided via the secure site to the faculty member being considered for tenure. The faculty member will be provided with the opportunity to correct any factual misinformation in such recommendations by placing a letter in their tenure file at any stage, or up until March 1, to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The above procedures at the department/school and college/school level may be suitably adapted for faculty members who hold interdisciplinary or interdepartmental appointments. The adapted procedures should be recommended by the promotion and tenure committee of the college(s)/school(s) involved and approved by the dean(s) and the appropriate executive vice president. Procedures above the college/school level will be the same as those designated above in all cases.

The comprehensive, three-year review of faculty performance is intended to serve the purpose of giving the faculty member a clear indication of progress toward tenure and to offer constructive suggestions for self-improvement.

Non-tenured faculty members, who are in their third year of the probationary period, will receive a major faculty review. The college/school dean will conduct this review and will begin in the spring of the third year of faculty service (spring of the fourth calendar year of service for faculty hired mid-year, unless they have decided to apply for early tenure). The review shall include a meeting with the faculty member and the department/school chair/director. The review process, conducted by the department/school promotion and tenure committee, department/school chair/director, college/school promotion and tenure committee, and college/school dean, will include an in-depth evaluation of teaching effectiveness, scholarly works, grant and contract efforts, and other professional activities. An evaluation report emphasizing the long-range impact of the faculty member on the University should be submitted to the appropriate executive vice president by May 1 following the completion of the review at the college/school level. It is important that the review extends beyond certifying adequate teaching performance and focuses on creative ability, productivity, and potential to excel. The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will then provide an evaluation of the faculty member and post it to the secure site. 

If a faculty member applies for tenure in or before their third year of the probationary period, the pre-tenure review may not be conducted. A pre-tenure review can be conducted earlier in the probationary period if it is expected that the faculty member will apply for early tenure.