Promotion policy and procedures for 2000-2001

FROM: Jon Whitmore, provost

DATE: Aug. 28, 2000

RE: Promotion policy and procedures—2000-2001

Over the next few months, departments and colleges will be involved in the process of arriving at recommendations for promotions in academic rank to be effective in the 2001-02 year. This memorandum references, for the information of all faculty members, University policies and procedures related to promotions. The general criteria for promotions to academic rank are reproduced below and may be found in the Operations Manual (III 10.2, 10.4). The preservation of quality demands that all persons recommended for promotion should clearly satisfy the general criteria. Equity demands that these criteria be applied uniformly.

The revised Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion Decision-Making at The University of Iowa (available at www.uiowa.edu/~provost/reports/pandt97.htm) are to be followed for all tenured and tenure track faculty. In addition, each college has written policy governing tenure and promotion decision making. Promotion of salaried clinical faculty will follow the same procedures as in past years, pending approval of policies under review.

The documentation required for each promotion decision is described in the revised Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion Decision-Making at The University of Iowa. Faculty members should be given the opportunity to submit whatever they consider relevant to the established criteria, in addition to any information or material required by University, collegiate, or departmental policy.

Tenure Decisions
The distinction of the University, in scholarship and in instruction, largely depends upon its tenured faculty. The quality of the University will be determined by the judgments exercised now in arriving at tenure decisions. This is a substantive responsibility that has lasting implications. Accordingly, a recommendation to grant tenure should be made only after careful scrutiny of the entire record and after sufficient time has elapsed to permit a sound prediction of future performance. All changes from a nontenured to a tenured status within the same rank should be considered as promotions, with the same documentation, review procedures, and time schedule as promotions in rank.

Information on prior faculty service at other institutions and the date by which a tenure or termination decision must be made appear on the Faculty Status Report that is sent to each department and college annually.

Promotion Criteria
The most important aspect of promotion decision-making is evaluation of the faculty member’s performance in relation to established University criteria and the evidence supporting the evaluation. The promotion and tenure criteria are:

Qualifications and Conditions for Tenured Ranks
Qualifications and conditions of tenure and promotion for the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor are as follows:

Associate Professor

1. Acknowledged record of teaching success including a record of successful direction of the work of doctoral candidates, where applicable.

2. Established record in productive scholarship supported by substantial publication or the equivalent. Original or creative work of a professional nature may be considered an equivalent of this qualification.

3. Candidate must have shown such capacity that the attainment of a full professorship may be expected. The rank will not be considered merely as a reward for long, acceptable service.

Professor

1. Acknowledged record of teaching success including a record of successful direction of the work of doctoral candidates, where applicable.

2. Established record in productive scholarship supported by substantial publication or the equivalent. Original or creative work of a professional nature may be considered an equivalent of this qualification.

3. Unmistakable evidence of recognition by peers

NOTE: These criteria have been revised for faculty beginning in academic year 1999-2000 and the new criteria appear in the web version of the Operations Manual. However, until those faculty are reviewed for tenure and promotion, the above criteria are to be applied.

Evaluation of faculty in relation to these criteria involves the following four aspects:

Evaluation of Teaching
The first step in promotion and tenure decision-making is an evaluation of teaching effectiveness. Only after an affirmative judgment as to effectiveness has been made can serious consideration be given to an evaluation of scholarship and of professional service. Unless a determination is made that the candidate is an effective teacher—whether at the departmental or interdisciplinary level—neither tenure nor promotion will be granted. Thus it is vital that credible evidence of teaching effectiveness be included as part of the evaluation.

Evaluation of Scholarship
After an affirmative judgment is made as to teaching effectiveness, an evaluation of scholarly productivity becomes necessary. In addition to the record of publications, an evaluation of the publications is essential. Reviews of a candidate’s book, if available, should be considered. In the absence of such reviews, and for articles, and so forth, specific evaluations of the candidate’s scholarly work should be conducted by departmental colleagues. If the candidate’s field is one in which no colleague has expertise, outside reviews of the published materials are desirable.

Judgments about materials prepared to aid classroom teaching should be included under evaluation of teaching. Elementary textbooks serving primarily as teaching aids also should be included under teaching evaluations. Works intended as a new synthesis of knowledge or of methodologies in a field and which may serve as advanced textbooks should be evaluated with scholarly activities.

Evaluation of Other Professional Contributions
In addition to listing the administrative and other professional services to the University, an evaluation of the extent and quality of the service rendered should be included. External service may include work for professional organizations and community, state, and federal agencies. Because of the diverse missions of different units and variations in the extent and character of their interaction with external groups, no general criteria of qualifying "external service" can be formulated. However, colleagues in the field and administrators should be able to make and support a judgment about the educational or scholarly value of the services rendered.

Educational Needs
Each recommendation for tenure should be accompanied by a statement of the educational needs of the department and/or college which would be filled by the candidate and the importance of the contributions the candidate will make to filling those needs.