Tenure and Promotion

Tenure and Promotion Policy

Revised and approved by LAC: 5/4/2016; effective 9/1/2016

Revised and approved by LAC: 9 February 2022

Note: To access the Policy and Procedure Statements and forms referred to in this document, click on the highlighted links or visit https://policies.txstate.edu/division-policies/academic-affairs.html

PURPOSE

1. This document states the criteria of the College of Liberal Art for tenure and promotion and sets forth policies and procedures used in the annual tenure/promotion cycle. The following university documents are also relevant, and candidates should review them:

a. Tenure and Promotion Policy of the Candidate’s Academic Department
b. AA/PPS 04.02.01 (8.01), Development/Evaluation of Tenure-Tenure Track Faculty
c. AA/PPS 02.03.20 (4.05), Maintenance and Improvement of Quality in Teaching
d. AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10), Tenure and Promotion Review
e. Faculty Handbook, Texas State University

PREPARING THE PORTFOLIO

2. Candidates for tenure and promotion prepare a portfolio to document their accomplishments in teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service. In addition to the Review Group Information Form (Form 2) required by the University (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 03.03a), candidates must prepare an updated Texas State Vita, Form 1A (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 03.03b). Candidates should use the Activities tab in Faculty Qualifications System to report their credentials, activities, and achievements. The Required reports will be automatically generated and attached to a candidate's submission in the system, including Administrative Information, Teaching, Service, Scholarly /Creative/ Research, and Texas State Vita.

TEACHING

3. The Personnel Committee and Chair evaluate candidates’ teaching based on scholarly preparation, peer evaluation (through class observations), and review of a teaching portfolio. Teaching is understood to include not only classroom performance but also such factors as preparing syllabi and other course materials; remaining current in the discipline; using appropriate testing and grading methods; supervising or mentoring thesis and dissertation students; providing academic or career counseling; and improving curricula. The College Review Group and Dean base their evaluations of teaching on the department’s assessment and on an independent review of the teaching portfolio.

4. In preparing the teaching portfolio, candidates for tenure and promotion to associate professor should include material collected since the initial date of employment. Candidates for promotion to professor should include material collected since the latest promotion. All candidates must include the following:

1. a statement (no longer than two pages) summarizing teaching accomplishments
2. a summary of student evaluation results from all classes that evaluated the candidate using departmental forms
3. sample course syllabi and assignments/examinations
4. documentation of any other achievements relevant to teaching, such as awards, funded teaching grants, or curriculum development

5. written statements and/or letters from colleagues who have observed their classes

SCHOLARLY/CREATIVE ACTIVITY

5. The Personnel Committee and Chair evaluate the scholarly/creative activity of candidates based on department and college criteria. Each department establishes appropriate criteria, approved by the Dean, submitting those criteria with candidates’ portfolios. Minimum college expectations for refereed scholarly publication are spelled out in paragraphs 6 and 7, below. Departments may establish quantitative minimums that exceed those of the College. The College Review Group and Dean apply departmental and college expectations when evaluating scholarly/creative activity. With approval of the Dean, departments may establish alternatives to scholarly articles or books that are appropriate to their disciplines (e.g., novels, law review articles). Additionally, upon the recommendation of the department, the College Review Group and Dean may recognize other exceptional achievements.

6. For tenure and promotion to associate professor, the College of Liberal Arts requires a minimum of five refereed scholarly works—which may include articles, book chapters, and comparable electronic projects—or a scholarly book. In addition, candidates may include achievements in other categories of scholarly/creative work listed in the Texas State Vita (Form 1A), such as externally or internally funded research grants and refereed papers presented at regional or national meetings.

7. For promotion to professor, the College of Liberal Arts requires a minimum of five refereed, scholarly works since the latest promotion—which may include articles, book chapters, and comparable electronic projects—or a scholarly book. In addition to refereed scholarly publications, candidates may include achievements in the other categories of scholarly/creative work listed in the Texas State Vita (Form 1A), such as externally or internally funded research grants and refereed papers presented at regional or national meetings.

8. In addition to the minimum quantitative requirement (which is intended as a standard of eligibility, not a guarantee of tenure and/or promotion), there is an important qualitative component involved in assessing the scholarly/creative work of candidates. The Chair and a representative of the Personnel Committee of each candidate’s department provide a written assessment of the quality of the candidate’s work based on such factors as acceptance rates of journals, citation record, prestige of publishers, prestige of organizations to which papers were presented, prestige of granting agencies, and opinions of experts outside the University. These assessments "should describe the scholarly and creative work of each candidate in its totality and assess its impact on the expansion of knowledge in the discipline"; the assessments are "particularly critical for promotion to full professor" (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 04.01d). In addition, the Chair and Personnel Committee representative "should fully develop a rationale for recommending the candidate, leaving no doubt about the candidate's suitability and importance to the future development of the department or school." (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 04.01f). The Chair and the Personnel Committee representative record their assessments on the Evaluation Form (Form 3). The Dean and a representative of the College Review Group also provide assessments using Form 3.

9. All candidates must include a statement summarizing their accomplishments in scholarly/creative activities. The statement should be no longer than two pages and must indicate the significance/importance of the candidate’s work in the field.

10. All candidates' portfolio must include a minimum of three external reviews of their scholarly/creative work. Reviewers are selected according to the following procedures: The candidate proposes a list of at least five experts in the field who might serve as external reviewers, subject to endorsement by the Chair and the Personnel Committee. The Chair and the PC may recommend additional potential reviewers based on their credentials and expertise to be added to the list, subject to approval of the candidate. The Chair then selects reviewers from the list and sends them copies of the candidate's scholarly/creative work. As reviews are received, the Chair adds them to the candidate’s portfolio in Faculty Qualifications. External reviewers should ordinarily hold the terminal degree appropriate to the discipline and, in cases of promotion to professor, the rank of professor. External reviewers should be familiar with the tenure and promotion system and, preferably, have experience working in higher education institutes in the United States. Every effort should be made to avoid conflict of interest between a reviewer and a candidate. To minimize bias, external reviews should not be solicited from thesis advisors, co-authors, former students, or former professors. Reviewers should be informed that the content of the tenure/promotion portfolio is open to the candidate. To assist referees in writing their evaluations, the Chair’s invitation to submit a review should include a brief statement about the mission of the university and the department, including an indication of teaching load and research expectations. Referees should be asked to indicate the nature of their professional contact with and knowledge of the candidate, and to provide an assessment of the significance and quality of the candidate’s scholarly and/or creative contributions to the discipline.

11. Only scholarship or creative work that is in print, or documented as forthcoming, will be counted as part of the Scholarly/Creative record. For any in-print or forthcoming scholarship or creative work, a candidate must provide documentation, i.e., letters of acceptance from publishers or journal editors listing date of publication, to be included in Faculty Qualifications System. Written work that is in progress, submitted, under review, under contract, or being revised or resubmitted will not count and should not be listed under "Works in Print" (section III.A.) of the Texas State Vita (Form 1A). Such work should be listed instead under the appropriate headings in section III.B.5. (“Other Works Not in Print”).

12. Other information relevant to scholarly or creative work can be included in the "Supporting Documents (optional)" file/folder in the Faculty Qualifications System for tenure of promotion.

LEADERSHIP/SERVICE

13. The College of Liberal Arts defines leadership/service as any professionally related activity, other than teaching or scholarship, that contributes to the wellbeing of the university, both in its internal and external aspects. A faculty member is expected to demonstrate contributions—related to their field of expertise—in one or more of the following areas: department, college, university, profession, or community. Examples of leadership/service are holding office in professional organizations; chairing sessions at professional meetings; serving on departmental, college and university committees; and in general, any other activity that advances the best interests of the university. The quality of leadership/service is more significant than the quantity, e.g., a long list of committee memberships.

14. Leadership/service includes collegiality, i.e., expected "collegial contributions to the university community" and to the positive functioning of the department and the university (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 04.02a1). In its "Statement of Professional Ethics," AAUP addresses collegiality as follows: “As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates. In the exchange of criticism and ideas professors show due respect for the opinions of others. Professors acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. Professors accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.”

15. On the Texas State Vita (Form 1A), and when reporting in the Faculty Qualifications System using the Activities tab, candidates should list their leadership/service to the department, college, university, profession, or community. They may include copies of correspondence, descriptions of projects, or other evidence to document effective leadership/service. Candidates must also prepare a summary statement no longer than two pages documenting their activities and achievements in service. Candidates for promotion to professor should provide fuller detail because an "outstanding record of leadership and service is normally expected" for promotion to this rank. (see AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) § 04.02a5).

FACULTY AFFECTED BY THIS PPS

16. All tenured and tenure-track faculty in the College of Liberal Arts are subject to the policies contained in this document (effective 9/1/2022). Any contradictions between this document and university tenure and promotion documents, such as AA/PPS 04.02.20 (8.10) will be resolved in favor of the latter.