Summary of the Proposal for Standards for Promotion and Tenure
Evaluation criteria are developed by each primary unit for tenure, promotion to associate and full ranks, and for post-tenure review using the Regental requirements of "meritorious" and "excellent." The purpose of this proposal is:1) to broaden the "research" category to include different types of scholarship and to introduce a "professional practice" category where appropriate, and
2) to introduce the faculty responsibility statement (FRS).
Scholarship
All tenured/tenure-track faculty members are expected to engage in scholarship. All five forms of scholarship listed below were patterned after the Boyer report (Scholarship Reconsidered) and carry equal weight if done with equal rigor, communication, and peer review.
- Scholarship of Discovery – this is what most now view as basic research.
- Scholarship of Integration – this is where meaning is given to facts across disciplines in the larger context. It may mean working with non-specialists in collaboration or consultation.
- Scholarship of Application – this is where we use our expertise in our special fields of knowledge and apply that expertise to real-world problems.
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning – this is the rigorous study of teaching and learning that evolves into the sharing of pedagogical research.
- Scholarship of Creative Works – this is the artistry that creates new insights and interpretations.
The scholarship category will be a yearly average of a minimum of 40% before tenure. Under special circumstances or where a faculty member’s required “professional practice” effort is large, a lower level of scholarship is understood. Similarly there will to be a minimum of 20% after tenure.
Professional Teaching
The quality of teaching is a major factor in the evaluation. The "Professional Teaching" category is a minimum of 30% before tenure and a minimum of 20% after tenure. In addition to the Faculty Course Questionnaire, other evidence may demonstrate pedagogical abilities.
Professional Practice
Professional practice means the engagement of faculty using their professional skills to provide direct service in the discipline, solve problems, disseminate information, or improve the campus or community. This work should be specified in the FRS for faculty who have professional practice responsibilities.
Service
Faculty members are expected to play a vital role in the functioning of the university. Other types of service for the community or discipline, for example, are acceptable as part of the service component.
Faculty Responsibility Statement (FRS)
The FRS identifies the proportion of effort by the faculty member in 1) professional teaching; 2) scholarship; 3) professional practice, and 4) service. This statement is agreed to by the individual and the department/unit chair and approved by the dean of the individual’s college/school.
Faculty Responsibility Statements are generally short documents - usually a single page – that specify the breakdown of what the faculty member is responsible for within the needs of the department/unit. The proportion of an evaluation may be specified as percentages but other methods may be preferred by the department/unit.