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Procedure for Application for Reappointment and Promotion

The process for promotion and tenure begins each year with the VPAA’s office, which monitors the progression of faculty through the process. In the spring semester, the VPAA will work with the Promotion and Tenure Committee (P&T) to develop and verify a list of faculty who will be undergoing a three-year review, or are eligible for promotion and/or tenure in the next year. The VPAA will contact faculty members to inform them of their eligibility and/or requirement to submit materials.

Reappointments will be considered in the fall semester. Tenure and promotion decisions will be made in the spring semester. See timeline, below.

Review of faculty for reappointment, promotion, and tenure will occur on a cycle that allows for growth and development of the faculty member, with annual reviews provided by the Division and more substantial reviews by the Promotion and Tenure committee in the fourth and sixth years.

a. Documentation of faculty performance

  1. Every full time tenure track or tenured faculty member is required to submit a yearly Faculty Data Form (FDF) by the date given, regardless of rank.
  2. Faculty data forms are available on the Intranet (my.msmc.edu) under the link “Faculty Forms.” (Library faculty have their own version of the faculty data form.)
  3. It is the responsibility of the faculty member being reviewed to submit the most current Faculty Data Form.
  4. If a faculty member is preparing a portfolio for promotion and/or tenure, they must maintain a copy of all contents of the portfolio.

b. Formation of the Peer Review Committee

  1. Review of faculty within a Division/School will take place via a Peer Review Committee (PRC) who will then submit their recommendations to the Promotion and Tenure Committee (P&T) eClass site.
  2. For the School of Nursing and the School of Business, the PRC will be composed of faculty within each respective school.  For the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education, each division within the school shall have its own PRC composed of faculty within that division.
  3. All peer-review committees must consist of a minimum of three faculty members with the following requirements:
    1. For yearly review of Faculty Data Forms for non-tenured faculty, the PRC should consist of three tenured faculty in the division/school or library, with at least one at the rank of full professor.  Reviewing faculty should rotate each year if possible.
    2. For yearly review of Faculty Data Forms or three-year reviews of associate tenured faculty, the PRC should consist of at least one full professor, and two other faculty either at the rank of full professor, or associate professors with more years of service in the division/school or library.  Reviewing faculty should rotate each year if possible.
    3. For three-year review of portfolios for non-tenured faculty or faculty applying for tenure, the PRC must consist of all tenured faculty in the division/school or library, with at least one faculty member at the rank of full professor.
    4. For faculty applying for the rank of full professor, the PRC must have a minimum of three tenured full professors in the division/school or library.
  4. Peer reviewers must be fluent with the Guidelines for Promotion to Academic Rank in conducting their review.
  5. If there are not enough faculty to comprise the peer-review committee, the division chair and/or the qualified peer-review faculty will consult with the VPAA to find additional faculty to comprise the committee.
  6. Members of the Promotion & Tenure Committee must serve on their respective Division/School PRC and must recuse themselves from P&T deliberations and final recommendations for divisional/school candidates.  
  7. The PRC must meet face-to-face (in person or virtually) at least once during the review process.
  8. It is the responsibility of the Chair or an appointed member of the PRC to make documentation of student evaluations, grade distributions, course enrollments, student complaints, etc. available for review by the PRC.

c. Timeline for review

  1. Formal review of a faculty member will begin after one year of service. However, a minimum of at least one teaching observation is required during the first year.  During year one, the faculty member will be provided with mentoring and guidance via the Division/School Chair and the VPAA unless there is cause for termination.
  2. All untenured, tenure-track faculty members must have a peer review conducted every year as part of the promotion and tenure process.
  3. In years two and three, the faculty member will be reviewed by the divisional PRC to ensure basic competence and provide feedback. The FDF and associated feedback will be filed in the office of the VPAA.
  4. In year four, the PRC will carry out a complete review, which will include a recommendation for or against reappointment for the faculty candidate. This review and recommendation will be forwarded to the P&T Committee, which will carry out its own independent review and make a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs as outlined below.
  5. If a faculty member’s employment is continued beyond the fourth year, they may be given a three-year contract, which will carry them through the tenure decision and will include a terminal year if tenure is not granted. Faculty members who receive a mixed review in their fourth year by the PRC and/or P&T may be required to resubmit a faculty data form to P&T the following year addressing the concerns.
  6. The yearly review process from initial hire to tenure and employment at all ranks is included below, with an accounting of who is responsible for reviewing faculty progress.
    During Year
    		 Submissions (made in the Fall)
    		 Additional Notes
    		 Due to:
    1 First year – no submission to PRC. Informal review by Chair/Dean/Director after one semester for reappointment.
    		 If hired in January, first submission will be after 1.5 years
    		 Written record sent to VPAA and faculty member within 10 business days after grades are due.
    2 Faculty data form with review by PRC
    		 PRC by Aug 30
    VPAA by Oct 1 via P&T eClass dropbox
    3 Faculty data form with review by PRC
    		PRC by Aug 30
    VPAA by Oct 1 via P&T eClass dropbox
    4 Faculty data form and an ePortfolio to PRC and P&T
    		PRC by Aug 30
    P&T by Oct 1 via P&T eClass dropbox
    5 Faculty data form with review by PRC
    		 P&T review may be required for those receiving a mixed review in year 4.
    		 PRC by Aug 30
    VPAA by Oct 1 via P&T eClass dropbox
    6 Faculty data form and ePortfolio to PRC and P&T
    		 This submission is for tenure and/or promotion to Associate.
    		 PRC by Nov 1
    P&T and VPAA by Dec 1 via P&T eClass dropbox
    Tenured Associate Professors Faculty data form with review by PRC; ePortfolio every three years with review by PRC and P&T. ePortfolio also required for promotion to Full Professor.
    		 Faculty will submit an ePortfolio every three years for P&T review until promotion to Full Professor.
    		 Faculty Data Form:                  PRC by Aug 30
    VPAA by Oct 1                          Portfolio:                                  PRC by Jan 1                                  P&T and VPAA by February 1 via P&T eClass dropbox      
    Full Professors Reflection, Celebration, and Vision (RCV)
    		 Every five years
    		Faculty Data Form with self-review by Aug 30 via P&T eClass dropbox.                                RVC:  by February 1 via P&T eClass dropbox.

d. Credit for prior experience

  1. Applicants for tenure track faculty positions seeking to negotiate and receive credit for time taught at a previous institution, as a part of their contract of employment, must submit documentation to the Promotion and Tenure Committee in order to have such a request considered and approved. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will provide candidates with the information needed to submit their documentation. No more than two years may be granted towards tenure. These years must (1) come from a baccalaureate granting institution and (2) must be at the rank of assistant professor/assistant librarian or higher. In order to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the search process, the Promotion and Tenure Committee will review the request and make their decision known to the VPAA within 5 business days of receiving the documentation.
  2. If an incoming faculty member is granted a year of time served toward tenure after consultation with the VPAA, they will be reviewed by a PRC in their second year and will be reviewed by a PRC, P&T and VPAA in their third year.
  3. If two years of prior service are granted, the faculty member will be evaluated in a full PRC/P&T/VPAA review after their second year at MSMC and would then be given a two-year contract, applying for tenure in their fourth year.
  4. Faculty may petition P&T to “give back” time granted toward tenure.
  5. Faculty who are given administrative duties at MSMC may request to stop the tenure clock during that time (maximum: two years).

e. Leave of absence

  1. If granted a leave of absence by the College, in accordance with the MSMC Bylaws, leave time does not count toward tenure. Therefore, a full year leave or a one semester leave will delay tenure and/or promotion review for one year. For the purposes of promotion and tenure, faculty are limited to a maximum of two leaves of absence.  Once the process for applying for tenure has begun, any reason for a leave of absence except family or medical leave cannot delay the tenure process.  
  2. A leave agreement indicating the above must be signed by the faculty member and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Any exceptions to this policy must be negotiated with the VPAA and the Promotion and Tenure Committee.

f. Peer Review Committee review process

  1. The PRC will consider all past FDFs in a review that will result in a recommendation to the P&T Committee. The review should also include any past letters from P&T, student evaluations, grade distributions, and documentation to support the claims of the FDFs.
  2. Faculty seeking promotion to the rank of Professor/Librarian will require at least one peer review in the last three years.
  3. Each member of the PRC must vote and the vote tally must be included in the recommendation to P&T. The recommendation of the PRC to P&T/VPAA does not need to be unanimous. Final documentation must include dissenting opinions and concerns.
  4. Every member of the PRC must sign the recommendation.
  5. The faculty member must sign the FDF after he or she meets with the Chair of the PRC and receives feedback and the PRC recommendation.
  6. PRC recommendations in the schools and in the library are also sent to the Dean of the school or the Library Director, respectively, when submitted to the VPAA. The Deans and Director provide their own evaluation of the candidate and recommendation to P&T. They meet with the candidate to review the evaluation/recommendation. Both the Dean/Director and the candidate sign the recommendation before it is submitted to the VPAA/P&T Committee.
  7. A faculty member who objects to the recommendations made by the PRC/Dean/Director may also attach a response to those recommendations. Rebuttals must be reviewed by the faculty member with the Chair of the PRC, Dean, and/or Director prior to submission to the VPAA/P&T Committee.
  8. The criteria to be used in recommending faculty reappointment, promotion, and extended contract shall include the following (see section on appointment to rank).
    • Teaching effectiveness/Learning Enhancement (for Library Faculty)
    • Research and scholarly activity;
    • College Service;
    • Professional standing and leadership;
    • Community and public service;
    • Faculty teaching load;
    • Faculty supervision of students in independent study;
    • Faculty advisee load;
    • Future plans of the faculty member.
  9. All FDFs and Portfolios will be submitted as directed by the office of the VPAA.
  10. Review of materials for promotion and tenure is undertaken independently by both the P&T Committee and the VPAA. Any disagreement between the PRC, the P&T Committee and/or the VPAA will result in a meeting between the parties involved to discuss the conflicting recommendations.
  11. The VPAA will consider all available information to make their final recommendation for promotion and/or tenure to the President and the Board of Trustees.