WCSU Faculty Handbook : University Governance (Committee Bylaws)

Promotion and Tenure Committee Bylaws

  1. Responsibilities

    1. Evaluate for promotion AAUP members who qualify for consideration.
    2. Evaluate for tenure AAUP members who qualify for consideration.
    3. Make recommendations for promotion and tenure to the Provost.
    4. Within the limits of the CSU-AAUP contract and legal limits, maintain complete and absolute confidentiality about all data and deliberations.

  2. Membership

    1. Total Membership: 9 voting
    2. With the exception of Coaches, members of the committee shall be from among those who are tenured and hold the rank of Associate Professor, Professor, Associate Librarian, Librarian, Associate Counselor, or Counselor. Members of the committee who are Coaches shall be from among those who hold the rank of Coach III or Coach IV.
    3. All nine (9) members shall be elected from and by the full-time AAUP faculty for overlapping 2-year terms.
    4. There shall be at least one member of the committee from each of the four schools (Ancell School of Business, Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies, School of Visual, Performing & Communication Arts) and one from the Librarians, Counselors, and Coaches group. In the event that no eligible member from one of these five groups is willing to serve, that position on the committee shall be filled only for that term with the person who received the next highest number of votes in the most recent election regardless of their school or L/C/C affiliation. If that scenario is not possible, then the President of the University Senate shall appoint such a person regardless of their school or L/C/C affiliation. 
    5. No member of the committee shall be considered for promotion while they is on the committee.
    6. No more than two members from an academic department shall serve on the committee in any given academic year, except for the event that no eligible member from one of the five groups (see II.D. above) is willing to serve.

  3. Conduct of Business

    1. Meetings
      1. The first meeting of the committee following election of new members shall be convened by the previous chairperson if that individual shall continue to serve on the committee. In their absence, the President of the University Senate will designate a committee member to convene the committee.
      2. A quorum shall consist of 7 members.
      3. Meetings are in executive session.
      4. Decisions of the committee shall be made by majority vote of those members present.
      5. When a committee member is absent from a meeting which presents a candidate’s file for discussion, that member shall not vote in the recommendation on the candidate
      6. In the event of a “tie vote” on a candidate, the committee shall discuss that candidate’s file at a subsequent meeting and vote again. A second “tie vote” result shall represent a negative recommendation since a positive recommendation is based on a majority vote. (See also E.1. below)
      7. Scheduling committee meetings for the purpose of discussing candidacies shall allow for a final meeting to conduct any necessary reconsiderations of the candidates.
      8. When the Chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee communicates in writing to anyone outside the committee regarding committee business, copies of the communication shall be given to all members of the committee.
    2. Officers
      1. The chairperson for the following year shall be elected by a majority vote at the May meeting of each year, after the election of new members.
      2. The position of the chair may be shared by two co-chairs if the committee approves by a majority vote.
    3. Reports
      1. The committee, through its chair, shall report all policy recommendations to the University Senate.
      2. The committee, through its chair, shall submit an annual summary report to the University Senate.
    4. Amendments
      These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at any regularly scheduled meeting at which there is a quorum and with the approval of the University Senate and the University President.
    5. Procedures and Considerations
      1. Any member of the Committee who has participated in a recommendation (e.g., DEC) which is before the committee shall not vote again on the recommendation and shall not participate in the discussion on the recommendation unless asked to do so by other committee members. The only exception to this shall be a “tie vote” caused by the member not voting. Following such a “tie vote” the member, if present, shall vote on the recommendation (see also A.6. above). Members do not function as advocates for their schools or departments. 
      2. The University President or designee shall make available to the committee the personnel files and all materials submitted to and considered by the DEC and the Dean of those candidates to be evaluated.
      3. If the committee wishes to interview a candidate being considered for tenure or promotion or others on matters relevant to the consideration, the committee may request such an interview. If someone other than the affected candidate is called before the committee, the candidate must be informed in writing prior to the meeting and shall have the right to participate in the interview. Such an interview is not an adversarial situation. 
      4. If the candidate being considered wishes, they may appear before the committee, alone, or with others of their choice. All persons coming before the committee, at the request of the candidate, must speak from a prepared text and must leave a signed and dated copy of the text with the committee. (Additional information can be submitted within 48 hours of the appearance). Such a hearing is not an adversarial situation. Moreover, if the candidate wishes to appear before the committee prior to its recommendation, the candidate must inform the committee chairperson no later than January 15th, or if it is a tenure consideration in the Fall semester, no later than November 17, to facilitate scheduling. 
      5. The criterion used by the committee in its evaluations and recommendations of candidates shall be the quality of activity, including keeping current in one’s field, within each of the categories listed in Article 4.11.9 (for teaching faculty), Article 8.3.1 (for librarians), Article 7.3.1 (for Counselors), Article 6.8 (for Coaches), and Article 6.9 (for Non-Instructional Athletic Trainers) in the AAUP contract. The committee shall weigh these categories in the order listed. Any special conditions in the candidate’s letter of appointment or subsequent extensions or modifications and the expectations for tenure and promotion established by the candidate’s department in its bylaws shall also be considered. 
      6. The committee shall make a recommendation to the Provost after considering all previously submitted material and recommendations. In addition to the Dean’s recommendation, the only material not seen by the DEC that the committee will consider is additional information with supporting evidence, given to the committee if the candidate appears before the committee. All materials will be transmitted to the Provost for their consideration. .
      7. A copy of the committee’s recommendation shall be sent to the candidate at the time that the committee sends its recommendations to the Provost.
      8. In accordance with bylaws approved by the University President and the University Senate, the committee shall rank the candidates for promotion using the following two categories: Recommended and Not Recommended. In the event of a unanimous vote in the recommended category, the committee shall so inform the Provost and the candidate. The standard statement (see Appendix A) will be sent to each candidate each year by the committee. 
      9. In accordance with bylaws approved by the University President and the University Senate, the Promotion and Tenure Committee ranks the candidates for tenure using the following two categories: Recommended and Not Recommended. In the event of a unanimous vote in the Recommended category, the Committee shall so inform Provost and the candidate. The standard statement (see Appendix A) will be sent to each candidate each year by the committee. 
      10. In addition to the standard statements of Appendix A of these bylaws, and using the formats in the aforementioned Appendix, the committee shall give feedback on its decisions to candidates who are not recommended for: 
        1. tenure, or
        2. promotion
    6. In the event that members are replaced mid-term and this results in more than five members up for re-election, the committee shall choose the appropriate number of members by lot and request the University Senate President to extend the terms of those members by one year to restore the system to five and four. 

Appendix A of the Promotion and Tenure Bylaws

NOTE: The following examples are for teaching faculty. The “areas” listed should be modified appropriately for Librarians, Counselors, Coaches, and Non-Instructional Athletic Trainers. 


For a “recommended” decision for tenure: 

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee has recommended you for tenure. 

This recommendation is being forwarded to the Provost. Per 4.11.14 of the collective bargaining agreement by the appropriate date specified, the Provost, following consultation with the President, shall make recommendations for promotion and tenure to the Board informing the member at the same time. 

 

For a “not recommended” decision for tenure: 

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee has not recommended you for tenure. After careful consideration of your file and portfolio and a thorough discussion of your application for tenure, the Committee concluded that your credentials are not sufficiently strong in the area(s), checked below (see AAUP/BOT Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 4.11.9) 

________ Load credit activities 

________ Creative activities 

________Productive service 

________ Professional activities 

________Years in rank 

________ Special conditions in letter of appointment or its extensions or modifications 

This recommendation is being forwarded to the Provost. Per 4.11.14 of the collective bargaining agreement by the appropriate date specified, the Provost, following consultation with the President, shall make recommendations for promotion and tenure to the Board informing the member at the same time. 

 

For a “recommended” decision for promotion: 

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee has recommended you for promotion to Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor. 

This recommendation is being forwarded to the Provost. Per 4.11.14 of the collective bargaining agreement by the appropriate date specified, the Provost, following consultation with the President, shall make recommendations for promotion and tenure to the Board informing the member at the same time. 

 

For a “not recommended” decision for promotion: 

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee has not recommended you for promotion to Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor. Before you again apply for promotion, we strongly suggest that you give some attention to strengthening your credentials in area(s) checked below (see AAUP/BOT Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 4.11.9). 

________Load credit activities 

________ Creative activities 

________ Productive service 

________ Professional activities 

________ Years in rank 

________Special conditions in letter of appointment or its extensions or modifications 

This recommendation is being forwarded to the Provost. Per 4.11.14 of the collective bargaining agreement by the appropriate date specified, the Provost, following consultation with the President, shall make recommendations for promotion and tenure to the Board informing the member at the same time. 

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