Navigating Tenure and Promotion: Key Strategies and Insights for Academics

Promotion & Tenure Process Thoughts NFTS Meeting 16 May 2006

Probable Flow Chart Dossier External Reviews Mid-lev. Comm. Ltrs. of Support Dept. Comm. Campus Comm. Dept. Chair Provost, Chanc.

First Hurdle Is Department • May be most difficult • Material needed here is needed everywhere • Attention to detail • A wonderful attribute not described doesn't exist • Write well

External Reviewers: Important • Play critical role • Usually chosen by Department Committee or Chair • You can suggest • People qualified • Areas they should know • Need plenty of them

Letters Of Support • Encouraged • Not Decisive • Wide range helps • Co-authors can give emphasis to impact of research

Department Committee Vote • May be unusual • In final analysis: • Will vote for you if they feel you are an asset to the Department

Note: You Probably Get Tenure &/Or Promotion Because You Are Mobile! • If you are attractive to other Universities, you're also attractive to UMR • Attraction: Primarily research work & grants; reputation of your publications

But You Need To Be Effective At Teaching! • Taken very seriously at UMR • Let's return to this later

Department Committee Advises Department Chair • Chair's letter can be a big help • Explain things • Emphasize key points of External Reviewers • You'd rather, of course, not need any explanations

A Mid-Level ReviewIs Probably Next • Replaces School or College Committee • Likely to have broader view than Department Committee • Probably pays more attention to external • Again, if you'd be wanted by others, OK

Campus Committee Is Next • Take job seriously • Appear to look for "did candidate exceed the 'expected value'"? • Very cognizant of publication records • Careful in examining research & grants • Strong on teaching

Teaching:Help For Low Class Scores • Inputs from graduates can help • See things now from more mature view • Reflect back on what they learned, rather than what they liked

Personal Opinion AboutReliance On Student "Scores" • I think we rely on them too heavily • Perhaps peer reviews when they are low would help • I think we need to evaluate what students learn, not what they like - present system may not do this consistently

NFTS Program • NFTS will help you • Contacts • Examples • Ideas • But what works in one context doesn't always work in others • Situations are different

Service • Haven't said much yet • More like a hurdle than a big factor? • There is an "expected" level - Chair sets expectations • Significant service can be a plus • Work with Prof. Societies can help in multiple ways

Summary • You need Research, Teaching, & Service to get tenure and/or promotion • Quality research is hardest to establish, so it often becomes most important • Teaching is also important -- it really is! • You may be able to do extra well in some courses • Service is necessary. Unless exceptionally weak, you'll probably be OK

Navigating Tenure and Promotion: Key Strategies and Insights for Academics