Tenure and Promotion Workshops 2009

1. Tenure and Promotion Workshops 2009 Mount Royal University Human Resources and the Mount Royal Faculty Association

2. Overview • Amended Collective Agreement institutes workshops for TPC (5.3.10) and ITPC (5.4.5) members • Topics to include: • Responsibilities of committee members • General criteria for tenure and promotion in Agreement • Detailed criteria as established by GFC • Congruence of scholarly expectations and resources • Flexibility in assessing and weighting performance • Principles of due process and natural justice • Challenges and Discussion • Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines • Appendix: Addendum on Teaching, Scholarship and Service • Appendix: Principles of Tenure, Rank and Promotion

3. 1. Responsibilities of Committee Members • TPC • conducts annual and mid-term tenure evaluations • makes recommendations on applications for tenure and promotion to FTC (for Tenure System I) or ITPC (for Tenure System II) (Article 5.3.2) • departmental, either an elected committee OR a committee of the whole (Article 5.3) • ITPC • receives recommendations from TPCs and Deans/Directors and makes recommendations to the President (Article 5.4.1) • created under the Collective Agreement, chaired by the Provost, with elected members from each Faculty Council and from the Faculty Association (Article 5.4.2)

4. Prior Tenure Structure New Tenure Structure

5. 1. Responsibilities of Committee Members • New terminology for recommendation to the ITPC on candidate’s performance for tenure and promotion (5.5.1): • Does not meet the required standard • Meets the standard • Exceeds the standard • Applies to each of Teaching, Scholarship and Service

6. 1. Responsibilities of Committee Members • In an annual or mid-term evaluation, the TPC assesses “overall progress towards fulfilling the criteria” (Article 6.4.1) (emphasis added) • At the end of the probationary period, the TPC prepares a “final tenure review and recommendation” (Article 6.7.7) • ITPC reviews the dossier and recommends that the candidate • Be granted tenure • Be released, or • Be granted a further probationary year

7. Tenure System I Tenure System II

8. 1. Responsibilities of Committee Members: Standards of Conduct • Confidentiality (5.5.2) • Committee deliberations are strictly confidential. • Candidates may communicate with the committee only through its Chair • Committee members may not discuss applications with any person outside the committee • Falls under the MRFA Ethics Bylaw requirement of absolute confidentiality

9. 1. Responsibilities of Committee Members: Standards of Conduct • Conflict of Interest (5.5.3) • Professional or personal relationship or competing loyalties between the candidate and committee member • Apprehension of Bias: reasonable and informed person with knowledge of all relevant circumstances, viewing the matter realistically and practically, would conclude that a conflict of interest might exist • Requires formal disclosure in writing to the Dean/Director for TPC or President for ITPC, and subsequent decision on participation to be made by Dean/Director for TPC or President for ITPC • Member may voluntarily withdraw • Candidate may request that a member be removed • Another Committee member may request review

10. 2. Criteria for Tenure and Promotion: Definitions • Meaning of Tenure (6.1): • Tenure is a permanent appointment representing a major commitment between the institution and faculty member, including an obligation to continue to perform to a high standard • Teaching (Article 1.13) • Activities related to the delivery of credit instruction (Article 1.13)

11. 2. Criteria for Tenure and Promotion: Definitions • Scholarship (Article 1.14) • Activities related to research, scholarly and/or artistic work which occurs through discovery, integration, teaching and learning, or application of knowledge and must be disseminated through peer-reviewed processes (Article 1.14) • Service (1.15): • Activities in support of academic processes at the departmental, faculty and institutional level. Service may also take the skills, disciplinary expertise, perspectives and leadership to the relevant communities (Article 1.15)

12. 2. Criteria for Tenure and Promotion: Article 6.2 • 6.2.1 Tenure recommendations and decisions shall be made on the basis of meeting or exceeding the established standards . . . and of clear promise of continuing intellectual and professional development as demonstrated by the . . . general criteria: • 6.2.2 Tenure recommendations and decisions shall be based solely on the general criteria in this article, the Addendum on Teaching, Scholarship and Service, and detailed criteria developed according to the MOU Regarding Implementation of a Rank and Promotion System at Mount Royal, and shall be made in accordance with the Tenure and Promotion Guidelines on the date of commencement of appointment.

13. 2. Criteria for Tenure and Promotion: Article 6.2

14. 3. Detailed Criteria for Tenure: FTC Guidelines • Tenure Systems I and II overlap for 2009-2010 academic year, since both use the existing FTC criteria: • 1. professional qualifications and competence • 2. performance of duties and responsibilities • 3. professional commitment and activities • 4. commitment to the College and collegial activity. • 5. commitment to scholarly activity. • The Faculty Tenure Committee will consider the potential of all candidates to be involved in scholarly activity and for candidates who choose the Teaching/Scholarship/ Service stream, current scholarly activity will also be considered (FTC Brochure, August 2009)

15. 3. Detailed Criteria for Tenure • Faculty Councils to work with APTC and GFC to develop detailed criteria • APTC has particular mandate to establish criteria • These are “to be forwarded to the negotiation committees by January 2010 for consideration in collective bargaining” (MOU, p. 79) • Pending so they do not apply to 2009-2010 year

16. Status and Processes: Detailed Tenure Criteria

17. 4. Congruence of Scholarly Expectations and Resources • Resource limitations: workload, funding, facilities • New performance measure and (for TSS) contractual requirement • Creates an expectation about rigour • Emphasis since Task Force on Research has been on more flexibility • Flexibility applies both to the forms and products of scholarship • Critical to balance resources, rigour mindfully

18. 5. Flexibility in Weighting Performance • Core Issue: • Tenure and Promotion systems at Mount Royal require mindful flexibility in assessing performance relative to criteria • Context: • Collective Agreement (Appendix B) sets out principles of a tenure, promotion and rank system: every measure and process is tested against these • Goal: • Measuring “meets” or “exceeds” within this flexible framework

19. 5. Flexibility in Weighting Performance • Background: • Considerable prior consultation and • Clear intention not to disadvantage faculty based on work pattern or range of assigned activities • Assess faculty based on their agreed activities • Protects chairs and others who might not fit the TS or TSS patterns precisely • Many faculty hired to a different career profile or new to the streams • Performance review is a formative process (feedback and improvement) based on “activities, achievements and plans” • Lists of activities are inclusive rather than definitive

20. 5. Flexibility in Weighting Performance • Measures of Assessment • May always present various challenges: • SEIs • Peer Evaluations • Annual Reports • New Measures (especially re: scholarship) • New to the system is written feedback from department colleagues, summarized in annual review • All may be subject to critique, but • Ideally created as products of institutional processes • Careful critical judgment needed, with patterns and trends more significant than isolated data • Intended for use in a formative process • Weighted in conjunction with other information

21. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice* Candidates have Due Process rights: *CAUT Freedom and Tenure Committee Discussion Paper: What is Fair?; Duhaime.org Legal Dictionary; MRFA White Paper on Tenure

22. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice* Candidates have rights to a fair tribunal: *CAUT Freedom and Tenure Committee Discussion Paper: What is Fair?; Duhaime.org Legal Dictionary; MRFA White Paper on Tenure

23. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice • Related Principles: Committee Process • Confidentiality protects the candidate’s privacy and the process’s integrity, not a committee’s secrecy • The dossier is the dossier: it is the sole basis for review and recommendation • Information from department colleagues not on TPC is provided in writing and summarized to the dossier • A review committee reviews: it does not generate new information • Performance related to the whole range of expectations and criteria must be assessed

24. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice • Related Principles: Committee Processes • The annual review meeting is an opportunity for the candidate to respond to the TPC’s draft report and for the TPC to gather relevant information to refine its final report • The conditions are the conditions: a committee may not impose arbitrary conditions or standards • A recommendation constitutes a majority or consensus view: dissenting views must also be represented • Some rights are reserved: a candidate or the ITPC (not explicitly a TPC) may consider a further probationary year.

25. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice • Related Principles: Committee Processes • Committee members’ signatures indicate that a recommendation’s contents reflect the range of views, not unanimous agreement • A candidate’s signature on an evaluation or recommendation reflects that it has been received and reviewed, not that the candidate agrees with its contents

26. 6. Principles of Due Process and Natural Justice • Related Principles: Dissent and Difference • Personality is not a valid criterion. • Interpersonal cooperation and professionalism are valid criteria. • Academic freedom may cause discomfort: difference, dissent, non-conformity, controversy or intellectual conflict are an academic virtue • Suppressing academic freedom under other labels still denies a fundamental right

27. 7. Challenges and Discussion • Scholarship potential or performance is listed among the FTC criteria, but supporting detailed criteria and processes are not in place for this year • TPCs and ITPC are asked to assess scholarship without relevant benchmarks either for either appropriate objectives or measures of achievement • TPC and ITPC are asked to assess whether standards in Teaching, Scholarship and Service are being met in a time of flux and redefinition.

28. 7. Challenges and Discussion • TPC and ITPC are asked to assess standards according to a new framework with more detailed external standards – not relative to other present or past tenure candidates • TPC and ITPC members are asked for the first time to consider whether they are in conflict of interest and take formal action • Academic credential is not a tenure criterion, but an appointment criterion, and can not be a measure of progress in meeting the standards

29. Questions andDiscussion

30. Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines System I • Applies: • Hired before 1 July 2009 • Hired 1 July – 31 August 2009 • With 2 years’ TC and • Full or partial credit from FTC (notified by 31 Oct 2009) • Process • 15 Sept of 4th probationary year notify FTC • Before 1 October submit dossier to FTC • 1 October notify MRFA President • 1 December advised of FTC recommendation • Tenure • Release by 31 December • Further probationary year

31. Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines System II: Annual Evaluations in Years 1, 2, 4 • Measures overall progress towards fulfilling tenure criteria • 30 April dossier goes to TPC • 3rd week of May TPC delivers draft report to candidate • At least 3 working days later TPC meets with candidate • At least 3 working days before 14 June, TPC delivers final annual report to candidate • By 14 June dossier, report and any candidate response go to Dean; may recommend Dean meet with candidate • By 31 August but not during vacation, Dean to meet with candidate if recommended • Dean produces written report of meeting and remedial strategies, attaches to dossier

32. Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines System II: Mid-Term Evaluation in Year 3 • Comprehensive review of progress toward fulfilling tenure criteria • By 30 April dossier to TPC • By 15 May elected TPC delivers draft report to all tenured members • By 1 June TPC delivers draft report to candidate • At least 3 working days later candidate meets with TPC • At least 3 working days before 14 June, TPC delivers final report to candidate • By 14 June dossier, report and candidate response go to Dean • By 15 September Dean advises in writing whether progress is satisfactory • By 30 September Deans meets with chair and candidate to discuss remediation

33. Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines • System II: TPC • 15 January Chair submits names of candidates to ITPC • 1 February candidate with assistance of Chair submits dossier and advises President of MRFA • 15 February TPC meets with candidate to review dossier • 1 March TPC makes draft recommendation available to tenured members of academic unit • 5 working days later members submit written feedback; TPC may meet with members; must include summary of feedback in draft recommendation • 15 March TPC provides draft to candidate • meets with candidate at least 3 working days later, then completes final review and recommendation

34. Appendix: Tenure Process Timelines • System II: TPC Continued • three working days before 31 March Chair of TPC provides final recommendation to candidate • 31 March Chair of TPC forwards dossier and recommendation to Dean/Director • 15 April Dean completes final tenure review and recommendation • Three working days later candidate includes Dean/Director’s review in dossier • System II: ITPC • By 14 June ITPC advises candidate in writing, with reasons, of recommendation of ITPC and decision of President • An employee released according to the President’s decision is terminated on 15 June

35. Addendum on Teaching, Teaching Scholarship and Service: Teaching Teaching includes but not limited to: • Credit instruction • Student consultation and advice • Practicum and field supervision • Major project supervision • Curriculum and course development • Pedagogical design and preparation • Materials development • Assessment design and implementation • Maintenance of academic and professional currency • Self-reflection on pedagogical practices • Application of the literature on teaching and learning • Development, identification and communication of best practices • Promotion of evidence-based professional and pedagogical practice

36. Addendum on Teaching, Teaching Scholarship and Service: Scholarship Scholarship includes but not limited to: • Research • Scholarly and artistic work • Professional work • Publishing • Presenting at, participating in and coordinating conferences • Collaborating with, and reviewing and editing the work of, peers • Developing primary and secondary texts and learning materials • Providing scholarly opportunities for students • Scholarship of teaching and learning • Dissemination of effective teaching and learning resources and strategies • Creation and extension of resources or programs to support teaching • Sharing teaching expertise externally • Significant leadership in teaching excellence beyond the institution

37. Addendum on Teaching, Teaching Scholarship and Service: Service Service includes but not limited to: • Participation in department, faculty and institutional governance • Selection, support, development and evaluation of colleagues • Appropriate student support including advising • Development and application of academic policies • Creation, development, evaluation and revision of academic programs • Liaison, partnership and leadership work with disciplines, organizations and communities relevant to academic or professional expertise • Participation in the Mount Royal Faculty Association, its processes and committees

38. Collective Agreement Appendix B: Principles of a Tenure, Promotion and Rank System at Mount Royal • All full-time and limited-term employees will be appointed to an appropriate academic rank. • The same academic rank structures should apply to both the Teaching-Service and Teaching-Scholarship-Service work patterns. • The processes, committees and general criteria for appointment and promotion to different academic ranks will be stipulated in the collective agreement and aligned with the roles and mandate of General Faculties Council. • There will be no system of merit pay based on evaluation of performance. • An appeal process will be stipulated in the Collective Agreement. • The processes of tenure and promotion should support the achievement of our mission to become Canada’s best instructionally focused and scholarly informed undergraduate institution.

39. Collective Agreement Appendix B: Principles of a Tenure, Promotion and Rank System at Mount Royal • Tenure and promotion are awarded to recognize achievement in teaching, service and, where applicable,scholarship. • Both the processes and criteria for the assessment of tenure and promotion must be transparent, effective and efficient. • A fair, evidence-based assessment of criteria by peers, working collegially and ethically, is at the heart of Mount Royal’s tenure and promotion system. • The degree of accomplishment necessary for achieving tenure and promotion must be equivalent across academic units and between work patterns. • Assessments and recommendations for tenure and promotion will be made from an academic unit to an institution-wide committee which will make a final recommendation to the President. Chairs and Deans will participate in the recommendation process. • The processes and results of the tenure and promotion system will seek to retain the collegial and noncompetitive culture valued by faculty and administration at Mount Royal.

40. Collective Agreement Appendix B: Principles of a Tenure, Promotion and Rank System at Mount Royal • Promotion processes and criteria will not disadvantage those faculty who choose to engage primarily in service activities (i.e. Chairs, President of the MRFA, secondments). • Tenure and promotion criteria must recognize the value of Mount Royal’s unique instructionally focused work patterns within the context of Canada’s university standards. • Switching work patterns will not affect promotions which have already been granted. • Tenure processes will be based on the Collective Agreement and the policies which were in place when employment commenced. • The implementation of a ranking system will address the fact that faculty tenured prior to July 1/2009 worked under different terms and conditions of employment.