University Committee on Rank and Tenure

Overview

The Committee, and therefore each member serving on it, is charged with judging each application according to the best interests of the University in terms of the candidate's record of teaching, scholarship, and service. In arriving at its recommendations to the President the Committee is guided by the Faculty Handbook and considers all information which is relevant to the assessment of candidates in those three categories.

Membership on the University Committee on Rank and Tenure comes about either by Presidential appointment (half of the membership) or by election by the Faculty Senate. It is offered for a three year term. Although it is customary for members of the Committee to be drawn from a variety of academic divisions of the University, the members of the Committee are not "representatives" of particular Departments or Schools. An individual may serve on the Committee for no more than two terms in succession, and must remain off the Committee for at least one term between appointments.

At its initial meeting of the academic year, the Committee elects its officers, the Chairperson, the Recording Secretary, and the Corresponding Secretary. The officers of the Committee may serve for no more than three consecutive years. As much as possible, successive chairpersons should come from different campuses of the University. Individual members of the Committee, as well as its officers, are not available to discuss the business of the Committee except with the President and those designated by him.

Guidelines for Submission of Applications

At certain points during their employment history, whether at the time of initial appointment or later in their careers at the University, faculty members may elect or be required to apply for tenure and/or promotion. A set of guidelines are provided to clarify the procedures pertaining to both of these application processes. While these guidelines are by no means exhaustive in that regard, they can provide a useful framework for the procedural steps to be taken in the actual application process. Learn more about the guidelines for submission of applications.

Documents and Policies

The following is a list of documents published through the University Committee on Rank and Tenure for use or reference in the application process.