Guidelines for Promotion, Retention, and Tenure Committees, Department Chairs, & Deans

Guidelines for PRT Committees 2023-2024.pdf

Below are the guidelines for Promotion, Retention, and Tenure Committees, Department Chairs, & Deans

1. The UPRTC strongly recommends that no person who is requesting promotion or tenure should serve on the college or university level PRT committees, and where possible should not serve on departmental level PRT committees.
2. Affirmative or negative recommendations by PRT committees, department chairs, and deans must be substantiated with explicit, written analyses of strengths and weaknesses. Recommendations should address the quality of teaching, research, and service in terms of departmental and college PRT criteria. Departmental committees and chairs have a particular responsibility to evaluate all information submitted by candidates.
3. Except in unusual circumstances, the minimum time‑in‑rank between assistant and associate professor is three years, and the minimum time‑in‑rank between associate and full professor is five years. (See Faculty Handbook, Section III.B.3.)
4. Candidates applying for tenure and/or promotion must submit their application as a single electronic copy transmitted to the chair of their department PRT committee. Chairs should ensure that the applicant has completed the top portion of the Summary of Recommendations form. Department PRT chairs should distribute the application to committee members.
5. Following the department PRT committee vote, chairs will submit the application with appropriate signatures and vote records on the Summary of Recommendations form. The electronic application must proceed to each successive level (chairs, college PRT committees, deans, and the UPRTC) with signatures and vote records included.
6. In consultation with their department PRT committees, candidates may correct errors (such as moving material to the correct section or fixing grammar) up until the application leaves the department for the next level of review. After that point, the application is fixed and materials may not be changed, added, or removed for the remainder of the process.
7. In evaluating teaching, PRT committees should consider material in addition to student evaluations.
8. Letters of recommendation from college and departmental committees should bear the names of committee members.