Section 4.9: Faculty Planning & Evaluation
4.9.3 Probationary Period
A tenure-track faculty member must serve a probationary period prior to being considered
for tenure. Except as otherwise stated in Sections A-F below, the probationary period
will be six years. The faculty member will apply for tenure during the sixth year,
and if tenure is not granted, the faculty member will be permitted to serve a seventh
year as a terminal year. If a faculty member begins employment after July 1 and before
January 1, the remaining term of the faculty member’s initial appointment will count
as the first year of the probationary period, so that what is treated as the first
year of a faculty member’s probationary period will not be shorter than six months.
The specification of a probationary period and any statement in an appointment letter
or otherwise regarding the probationary period and the year of mandatory tenure consideration
do not guarantee retention of the faculty member for the full probationary period.
Before beginning the sixth (or final) probationary year, a faculty member with the
rank of assistant professor or higher must make application for tenure. Absent an
approved exception, application and all supporting documentation for tenure should
be submitted before the sixth or final probationary year in accordance with the tenure
and promotion calendar maintained by the provost. Candidates for tenure must meet
eligibility requirements for promotion to associate professor or have already attained
that rank. A tenure-track assistant professor recommended for tenure must also be
recommended for promotion.
Tenure applications receive one of two responses: tenure may be granted; or tenure
may be denied. Re-application for tenure is not possible and the seventh year, or
other final year following application for tenure, will be terminal if tenure is denied.
A faculty member may request an early consideration for tenure before the sixth year
of the probationary period but no sooner than the next regular tenure cycle after
completion of the first year of the probationary period. The request for early consideration
is initiated in the department or approved center/institute that will be the locus
of tenure, if tenure is granted, after discussion with the department chair. If the
department chair approves, the chair will notify the dean in writing, justifying the
request and asking for approval. Upon review of the request, the dean will indicate
in writing approval or disapproval to the provost. For units without departments,
the request begins with the dean. The provost will review the request and make the
final determination whether early consideration is warranted, based on a review of
the applicant’s credentials and all applicable criteria. If the provost denies the
request, the faculty member cannot apply for early consideration. The decision of
the provost is final and not appealable.
No faculty member shall be granted tenure upon initial appointment except by positive
action of the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president. A faculty
member hired to serve as president can be granted tenure upon initial appointment
by positive action of the Board of Trustees. In exceptional cases, a distinguished
faculty member, dean, or provost may be awarded tenure upon her or his initial appointment.
In these cases, an expedited tenure review will be conducted prior to awarding tenure
upon appointment. In the case of a distinguished faculty member appointment, the
provost will make a request to the president based on the recommendation of the dean
for expedited tenure review after the dean has received a request and recommendation
from the department chair/director. In the case of a dean appointment, the provost
will first make a request to the president for expedited tenure review and will notify
the affected academic unit and/or the department/center/institute that will serve
as the locus for tenure of her or his request to the president.
The president will notify the provost, the dean, and the department chair/director
of the affected academic unit and/or the department/center/institute that will serve
as the locus for tenure of his or her decision on whether to proceed with an expedited
tenure review. In the case of a provost appointment, the president will notify the
affected academic unit and/or the department/center/institute that will serve as the
locus for tenure and the provost of his or her intention to recommend that the faculty
appointee be awarded tenure upon initial appointment to the Board of Trustees. In
all cases, the candidate’s application file will take the place of the traditional
dossier which is described in Section 4.9.7B. External peer reviews described in Section 4.9.7C(2) are not required for the expedited tenure review.
The affected academic unit and/or the department/center/institute will have 5 business
days from the date of notification from the president to complete an expedited tenure
review following the procedures in Sections 4.9.7C(4-6), Sections 4.9.7D(1-3). For a distinguished faculty member or dean appointment, the expedited tenure review
process will be managed by the provost. For a provost appointment, the expedited
tenure review process will be managed by the president. After reviewing the recommendations
of the department tenure and promotion committee, department chair, academic unit
tenure and promotion committee, and dean, the provost will review the candidate’s
application and make a recommendation to the president except in the case of a provost
appointment. After receiving recommendations from the provost (except in the case
of a provost appointment), department tenure and promotion committee, department chair,
academic unit tenure and promotion committee, and dean, the president will make the
final recommendation on tenure upon appointment to the Board of Trustees.
If, after 5 business days, the president does not receive a complete set of recommendations
from the provost, department tenure and promotion committee, department chair, academic
unit tenure and promotion committee, and/or dean, the president will review the recommendations
he or she has received and make the final recommendation on tenure upon appointment
to the Board of Trustees. If the president decides that she or he is recommending
that the faculty appointee be awarded tenure upon initial appointment to the Board
of Trustees, the president will notify the dean of the affected academic unit and/or
the department chair/director of his or her decision.
The Board of Trustees will only grant tenure upon initial appointment if the proposed
appointee
- holds tenure at another higher education institution and the Board determines that
the president has documented that the proposed appointee cannot be successfully recruited
to the university without being granted tenure upon initial appointment, and
- will be appointed as an associate or full professor.
Credit toward completion of the probationary period may be permitted for previous
full-time service at other universities provided that the prior service is relevant
to the needs and criteria of the university. All credit for prior service shall be
approved by the provost upon the recommendations of the department chair and dean.
Any credit for prior service that is approved must be confirmed in writing at the
time of the initial appointment.
If a faculty member serving a probationary period is transferred to another academic
unit or department, time spent in the first appointment will count toward the probationary
period unless a request from the faculty member to begin a new probationary period
is approved in writing by the president.
A faculty member in a tenure-track appointment may request a one-year extension to
the probationary period only when such probationary period was originally negotiated
for less than six years. Such extensions are allowed when a faculty member requires
additional time to develop a dossier that adequately reflects the candidate's potential
long-term contributions to the academic unit and/or department. Extensions will not
be granted if the total probationary period exceeds six years.
A faculty member seeking an extension of the probationary period must submit a request,
in writing, addressing the considerations described above to the department chair
for consideration and recommendation. For units without departments, the request is
to be submitted to the dean. The chair's recommendation is forwarded to the dean of
the faculty member's academic unit for consideration and recommendation; thence to
the provost for consideration and recommendation; and to the president for approval
or denial. The president will notify the faculty member, in writing, of the decision
to approve or deny the request for extension within one month of submission.
A faculty member may apply for a maximum of two (2) extensions in one-year increments
so long as the total probationary period does not exceed six years. Requests for a
second extension follow the same procedure and are subject to the same considerations
as the original extension. Requests for extension will not be granted retroactively.
In general, the provost will not approve suspension of the probationary period for
work that advances the faculty member’s record in teaching, research, or service.
Probationary faculty should not be encouraged to engage in administrative work.
A faculty member in a tenure-track position may request a suspension of the probationary
period, also known as "stopping the clock", during his/her probationary period when circumstances exist that interrupt his
or her normal progress toward building a case for tenure. In such cases, the faculty
member may request a suspension of the probationary period for one year. Reasons for
requesting a suspension of the probationary period will typically be related to a
personal or family situation requiring attention and commitment that consumes the
time and energy normally used to address faculty duties and professional development.
Examples may include, but are not limited to, childbirth or adoption, care of dependents,
medical conditions or obligations, physical disasters or disruptions, or similar circumstances
that require a fundamental alteration of one's professional life. The intent of this
policy is to serve the best interests of the university without showing a preference
for or against award of tenure to the faculty member.
A faculty member seeking to suspend the probationary period must submit his/her request,
in writing, addressing the considerations described above. The request is to be submitted
to the department chair for consideration and recommendation. For units without departments,
the request is to be submitted to the dean. Requests based upon a faculty member's
health, care for an immediate family member, and childbirth or adoption, must also
be submitted to Human Resources for review and approval. The chair's recommendation
is forwarded to the dean of the faculty member's academic unit for consideration and
recommendation, thence to the provost for approval or denial. The provost will notify
the faculty member, in writing, of the decision to approve or deny the request for
suspension of the probationary period within one month of submission.
A faculty member may apply for a maximum of two (2) "stop the clock" periods. Requests for a second suspension of the probationary period will follow
the same procedures as the first and subject to the same considerations. Requests
to suspend the probationary period will not be granted retroactively.
Only full-time continuous service at the university is to be included in the probationary
period. The period for an approved leave of absence will be excluded from the requisite
probationary period unless the provost has specified in writing prior to approving
the leave that it will be included. No more than one year of an approved leave may
be included in the total probationary period. Leaves of absence will not be granted
retroactively.
