Departmental Procedure for Faculty Promotion
This document outlines the procedure by which a member of the Mathematics Department faculty will apply for promotion. Faculty members intending to make application for promotion should carefully review the revised Tenure and Promotion Regulations and Guidelines distributed by the office of the Provost/VPASA in October 2003. Performance expectations for promotion are similar to those for tenure. Criteria for promotion and procedures for promotion application may be found on pages 14 through 26 of that document. Faculty who wish to receive timely promotions should become familiar with the specified criteria and satisfy them to the fullest extent possible. Each member of the departmental faculty will be issued a copy of these procedures.Rank Promotions and Step Promotions
There are two types of promotions for which a faculty member may apply: advancement in rank or advancement in step within a particular rank. Rank Promotions are limited to the Professorial ranks. Step Promotions are specified within the ranks of Instructor and Professional Specialist as well as within the three Professorial ranks.General Procedure for Regular Faculty†
The faculty member will initiate the promotion process by requesting the assistance of the Department Head in verifying that the minimum qualifications have been met. This initial step should be taken in the Spring Semester prior to the academic year in which promotion would be awarded. Once eligibility has been established, the faculty member will begin assembling a portfolio of materials and information to support the application for promotion. In the subsequent Fall Semester, the faculty member will submit a letter requesting promotion, together with the supporting portfolio, to the Department Head, who will in turn make these materials available to the other members of the appropriate* Mathematics Department Promotion Committee. The Committee will meet, with the Department Head presiding and, by majority vote, will decide either to support or reject the request for promotion. If the vote is negative, the Committee will prepare a written explanation outlining the reasons for its decision. Applications that receive Committee approval will be rank ordered if more than one application is being considered by that Committee. When the ordering process is complete, all application portfolios along with the recommendations of the Committee will be delivered to the Dean of the College of Sciences.Departmental Promotion Committees: Structure and Membership
Tenured, or tenure track, departmental faculty are eligible to serve on a Mathematics Department Promotion Committee after they have completed at least two years of full-time employment in residence at the level of Assistant Professor or above.___________________________
† The procedure to be followed by the Department Head in making application for promotion is described in the last paragraph of this document.
* Applications for Step Promotions are to be considered separately from applications for Rank Promotions.
Each year the Department Head will establish, as needed, a Mathematics Department Promotion Committee for each type of application submitted. All eligible faculty who do not have an application pending before a particular Committee will be expected to serve on that Committee. Eligible faculty who are not making application for promotion will therefore be expected to serve on both Committees.
A Mathematics Department Promotion Committee must have at least three members. If it is impossible to obtain the requisite number of faculty from within the Mathematics Department, the Department Head will recruit Committee members from outside the department. Any outside Committee members must satisfy the same eligibility requirements stated above for departmental faculty.
The Portfolio
The format of the promotion application portfolio is specified on pages 22 and 23 of the October 2003 revised Tenure and Promotion Regulations and Guidelines.Timeline Summary for Regular Faculty
Faculty members intending to apply for promotion will meet with the Department Head before the end of the Spring Semester prior to the academic year in which promotion would be awarded to verify that minimum requirements have been met. Eligible applicants will assemble their portfolios and submit the complete application file to the Department Head by the Friday preceding final exam week in the Fall Semester. The Department Head will convene a meeting of each Mathematics Department Promotion Committee, as needed, no later than the first Friday of classes in the Spring Semester. Each active Committee will then submit a memorandum to the Dean of the College of Sciences listing approved applications in rank order. This memorandum along with all applications will be delivered to the Dean no later than the fifth Friday of classes in the Spring Semester.Promotion Procedures for Department Head
Upon completion of the appropriate Committee’s evaluation and ranking of all other applications for promotion, Tthe Department Head will select from among the eligible members of the departmental faculty an individual to perform the duties of the Department Head as outlined under General Procedures for Regular Faculty. This individual will also preside over the Mathematics Department Promotion Committee responsible for evaluating and ranking the application portfolios of the Department Head. If the application is approved, the Committee will determine the appropriate ranking of this application among others approved together with the portfolios of other faculty making application for the same type of promotion.The Department Head, in this case, will follow the procedure specified for regular faculty.