Suggested Timeline for Departmental Review of Tenure-Track Faculty for Promotion

This timeline applies to tenure-track faculty whose appointments will end on June 30. Timelines applying to tenure-track faculty whose appointments will end on December 31 are available in the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook.

Note: Reviews for promotion should ordinarily be completed by the end of the penultimate year of appointment.

June/July: Prior to, or at the beginning of, candidates’ penultimate year of appointment, chairs receive letters from the associate dean for the division indicating which tenure-track faculty (both calendar-year and academic-year appointees) are eligible for review. Chairs meet with candidates to go over the materials needed for the review.

By early September:

  • Department chairs request approval of review committee membership from divisional deans. After approval, the chairs appoint the review committees.
  • Candidates submit their materials to departments.
  • Departments compile summary teaching charts and gather materials on the candidates’ performance as advisors of undergraduates and mentors of graduate students.

September/October (for tenure reviews):

  • Review committees consider the candidates’ materials and present the cases to the departments. The tenured faculty members in the departments then discuss and decide whether the cases warrant further review.
  • If the departments are recommending further review, the chairs request divisional dean authorization to collect external evaluation letters, submitting for divisional dean approval drafts of the review letters, proposed recipient lists, and (if departments choose to send initial inquiries) the initial inquiry emails.
  • Departments send approved letters to approved recipient lists. Departments should give letter writers at least six to eight weeks to prepare their letters (dating from the mailing of the review letter), depending on the volume of materials under review.

September to early November (for associate reviews):

  • Review committees consider the candidates’ materials and decide which cases should move forward. If the committee recommends that a case not move forward, the department must discuss and affirm this decision.
  • If a case moves forward, the chair requests divisional dean authorization to collect external evaluation letters, submitting for divisional dean approval a draft of the review letter and proposed recipient list.
  • Departments send approved letters to approved recipient lists. The department should give letter writers at least six weeks to prepare their letters (dating from the mailing of the review letter), depending on the volume of materials under review.

Early January (for tenure reviews) or January (for associate reviews): Expected date of replies from external scholars.

January/February (for tenure reviews) or February to early March (for associate reviews):
 

  • Tenured members of departments review dossiers and vote on whether to recommend promotions.
  • If the recommendations are positive, departments finalize dossiers for submission to Faculty Affairs. In tenure cases, each tenured member of the department submits a confidential letter to the Dean regarding the case, as appropriate.

February 29, 2016: Deadline for submission of tenure promotion dossiers to Faculty Affairs.

March 15, 2016: Deadline for submission of associate promotion dossiers to Faculty Affairs.

March--June: Review, as appropriate, by divisional deans, the FAS Dean advised by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions, ad hoc committees, and the President, followed by notification to candidates about the outcomes.