Timing of Faculty Review for Promotion
Promotions in rank for tenure-track and tenured faculty may be made at any time during a faculty member’s employment. Promotions in rank and the conferral of tenure may be considered early or late for probationary faculty members. The definitions below provide the criteria by which a review may be deemed early, late or on-time.
The designation of an ‘early’ review for promotion and tenure applies specifically to faculty members in their probationary terms—either as probationary assistant professors or probationary associate professors. For assistant professors, a promotion is regarded as ‘early’ when the review for promotion to associate professor with tenure is conducted within their initial probationary term. In the case of associate professors, a tenure conferral review is considered ‘early’ if initiated within the first two years of their probationary term.
Meet the Mark
If a candidate’s review for promotion and tenure is labeled as ‘early’ according to the criteria outlined above, the letter from the department chair or dean must explicitly discuss how the candidate has met the established standards for promotion and tenure. These standards, outlined as the ‘meet the mark’ criteria, should be clearly defined within the unit’s personnel guidelines. If the unit guidelines do not explicitly define the ‘meet the mark’ criteria, the chair’s or dean’s letter should provide a detailed explanation justifying the deviation from the typical review timeline for promotion.
The designation of a ‘late’ review for reappointment or promotion and tenure applies specifically to faculty members in their probationary terms—either as probationary assistant professors or probationary associate professors. In either case, a review is deemed late if the timing of the review is such that the candidate will be given less than 12 months’ notice of the decision before the expiration of their current probationary term. In the event of a late review, the Office of the Provost may implement an administrative extension of the appointment to allow for requisite notice as stipulated in Section 2 of the Tenure Regulations.
A review for reappointment, promotion and/or conferral of tenure is deemed as ‘on-time’ if it is not ‘early’ or ‘late’ as defined above. Promotion from tenured associate professor to full professor is always deemed on-time.