Regent Laws and Policies and CU System policies provide important reappointment, tenure, and promotion policy information.

Policy 5.D, Policies of the Regents:

CU System Administrative Policy Statements:  

Frequently Asked Questions: Comprehensive Review, Promotion, and Tenure Reviews

  • Comprehensive Review: After three years of service, during the fourth year
  • Tenure Review: After six years of service, during the seventh year
  • Promotion to Full: Post-tenure, when the candidate has “1. a record that, taken as a whole, may be judged to be excellent; 2. a record of significant contribution to graduate and undergraduate education, unless individual or departmental circumstances can be shown to require a stronger emphasis, or singular focus, on one or the other; and 3. a record since receiving tenure or promotion to Associate Professor that indicates substantial, significant, and continued growth, development, and accomplishment in teaching (or librarianship), scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service.” 1

    1 CU System Administrative Policy Statement (APS) 1022. 

  • Review department bylaws (i.e., CRPT guidelines)
  • Review college/school guidelines for CRPT
  • Review CU Boulder policies
  • Review CU System policies (“administrative policy statement”) and Board of Regents laws and policies
  • In the semester prior to the review, meet with chair/dean to discuss unit process and plan for the first level of review
  • Know academic unit and office of faculty affairs deadlines
  • Review the current VCAC Dossier Checklist for Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion, which includes a description of each item in the dossier.
  • Put together candidate’s portion of dossier:
    • CV
    • Statements on scholarly and creative work, teaching or librarianship, leadership and service
    • Multiple Measures of Teaching (at least 3)
    • Scholarly/creative work samples (typically 3; e.g. publications, artwork, videos, recordings, multimedia, etc.)
    • Provide suggestions for external reviewers to chair/PUEC (for tenure/promotion; at least 6 needed, total)

The "Levels of Review:"

  • First level: Academic unit
    • As applicable—department/program, college/school, dean’s advisory committee, dean
  • Second level: Boulder campus
  • Third level: CU System (for tenure only)
    • President
    • Board of Regents

  • A key body for peer review and faculty governance. More specifically:
    • The role of the VCAC includes reviewing hire with tenure, comprehensive review, tenure, and promotion cases forwarded to it by the deans of the multiple colleges and schools. Its deliberations result in a vote, which is reported in the form of a recommendation to the provost.
  • Membership: Approximately 16 full professors representing many academic units across campus; serve 3-year terms, members selected by Provost (usually in consultation with deans and Boulder Faculty Assembly).
  • VCAC members are selected in large part based upon their national reputation in their discipline, and because of their broad understanding of the standards and practices of public research universities.
  • Provost is ex officio member.
  • Chaired by neutral, non-voting member (i.e., Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs).
  • VCAC usually meets weekly during the spring term.

  • Similar processes
  • Tenure and Promotion reviews include external reviewers as well
  • Candidates need to demonstrate that they have met the standards for research/scholarship/creative work, teaching/librarianship, and service/leadership: i.e., the standards for “excellence” in either scholarly and creative work or teaching; at least “meritorious” in the other, and “meritorious” in leadership and service.
  •   Comprehensive Review Tenure Review Promotion to Full Professor Review
    Mandatory Timing During year 4 During year 7 Not mandatory
    Standard On track torward tenure "Excellent" in Scholarly and Creative Work or Teaching/Librarianship, "Meritorious" in the other 2 categories Excellent as a whole
    Dossier No external letters needed Minimum of 6 external letters Minimum of 6 external letters

The Boulder campus’ practice is to provide a raise to faculty members awarded tenure or promoted to full professor, contingent upon available funds.
(In AY 2023-24, the amounts were $6,963 after the award of tenure and $11,248 after promotion to full professor.)