Faculty Guide for Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure brought to you by the RPT Committee of the Faculty Assembly.
*Please note: the recommendations in this guide come partly from the VSC/VSCFF Agreement and partly from the committee’s review of exceptionally well-organized files. We strongly encourage you to read all the relevant sections in the Agreement and use this guide as a quick reference when building your file.
ABOUT THE RPT COMMITTEE:
Who is it? The Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee is one of the standing committees of the Faculty Assembly and its members are nominated from the available pool of faculty who have been through the RPT process multiple times or under review during the time of service. Criteria for the makeup of the committee are listed in the Faculty Assembly Bylaws.
What does it do? The purpose of the RPT Committee is to evaluate each faculty member who is being reviewed for reappointment, third-year review, promotion, and/or tenure. The Committee considers itself to be an advocate for faculty in the following sense: the members of the committee have all been through many RPT evaluations, and we know that it can be an emotional and potentially stressful experience. In the broadest sense we see our role as providing guidance for faculty, so that RPT reviews can become a meaningful part of professional development and growth, not just an anxiety-producing, and ultimately empty, exercise. The RPT Committee continually strives to be objective, fair, and consistent in its reviews of faculty.
How does it do it? The committee adheres strictly to the guidelines in the VSC/VSCFF Agreement and evaluates the faculty member’s performance in the areas of Teaching Effectiveness, Scholarly and Professional Development, and Service to the Campus and Community. The committee’s evaluation is summarized in a letter of recommendation that is then placed in the faculty member’s file by the appropriate date.
THE RPT PROCESS:
- You, the faculty member being reviewed, will receive a letter from the Provost (or other chief academic officer-CAO) and the RPT Committee. This letter will indicate your current year of service and it will list important dates about your personnel file and the review process. You must sign and return the letter to the CAO by the date listed. Be sure to write down the dates relevant to your review year (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Promotion and/or Tenure).
- Your self-evaluation and accompanying evidence must be handed to the President’s Office staff by the close date for your file. You may not place anything in your file after the close date.
- After your file closes, the RPT committee will review it and draft a letter of recommendation.
- You may respond to the committee’s letter, in writing or in person, within 7 days from the date the letter was sent. Minor errors or omissions are easily remedied via e-mail. Other considerations for revision are determined by a meeting with members of the committee and the faculty member. The decision of the committee is reflected in the final letter that is included in the faculty member’s file.
- The RPT Committee will place its final recommendation letter in your file by the specified deadline. Within 10 days of this, you have the right to comment in writing or orally to the CAO.
- The CAO will review your file and make a written recommendation that will go in your file by the specified deadline. Within 10 days of the CAO’s letter, you may comment on it to the President orally or in writing.
- The President decides if a faculty member is reappointed, promoted or tenured by the appropriate date.
VERY IMPORTANT:
“The only written material that the committee and the CAO may use in conducting the review… and that the President may use in judging the performance of a faculty member is the material placed in a faculty member’s personnel file” (Article 20, Section C.6). This means RPT cannot consider anything not documented in your file by the appropriate date.
SUGGESTIONS FOR BUILDING YOUR PERSONNEL FILE:
Familiarize yourself with the current VSC-Faculty Federation Agreement, most especially
Article 20 – Faculty Evaluation
Article 21. J. 3. And K. 3 Standard for Reappointment
Article 22. E. Standards for Promotion
Article 23. F. Standards for Tenure
The Full-Time Faculty Federation Agreement can be found on our Portal. https://www.vsc.edu/agreements-personnel-handbook/
Understanding your file
Your personnel file is divided into 5 folders.
- Appointment & Reappointment
- Promotion, Tenure & General Evaluation (Teaching Effectiveness)
- Scholarly & Professional Activity
- Service to Campus & Community
- Vita & Personal Correspondence
The RPT committee will use folders 2, 3, and 4 to evaluate your progress since your last review. For each, you should write a brief but thorough self-evaluation in which you list ALL your activities and contributions in the specified area followed by evidence to substantiate your narrative. See the sections below for what to put in each folder.
When writing and organizing information, keep the following in mind:
• The RPT Committee is here to help you. We are happy to go over your file with you and make suggestions. Please ask for our help early in the process, as we cannot do anything after your file closes.
•Members of the RPT committee may be completely unfamiliar with your field. You need to help us understand the value of your work in your discipline.
• The people reading your file most likely are not in your department or familiar with your work and cannot consider anything that is not specifically stated in your file.
• To avoid potential conflicts of interest, committee members must recuse themselves from reading or discussing your file if they work in your department or have other similar connections to you.
• Be careful not to list the same activity in more than one section. If you are not sure which section to put something in, please ask us.
• Try not to be repetitive. Brevity is everyone’s friend. On the other hand, don’t be overly modest at the expense of leaving out something important.
• A well organized file saves time, prevents confusion, and is greatly appreciated by the committee. The most effective method of keeping your file organized is to incorporate parenthetical references in your narrative that correlate to your evidence.
• When submitting your file, please keep your submission single-sided and free of staples so it may be easily scanned.
A word about self-evaluations (Faculty Agreement, pp. 33-34)
A faculty member in his/her fourth year of service who is being reviewed for reappointment to fifth and sixth years of service must write a self-evaluation. The self-evaluation shall present reasons from the faculty member as to why he/she should be reappointed and shall assess his/her progress toward tenure in each of the performance areas listed in (the three performance areas.)
A faculty member in his/her sixth year of service who is being reviewed for tenure must write a self-evaluation. The self-evaluation shall assess how the faculty member’s work in each of the performance areas listed in (the three performance areas) meets the standards for tenure.
A faculty member being reviewed for a personnel action other than those mentioned in above may choose to write a self-evaluation.
Promotion, Tenure & General Evaluation Folder (Teaching Effectiveness)
• List all courses and the number of sections taught for each since your last review. List them in order of the course number and use the following format: Discipline prefix in caps followed by course number followed by course title in italics followed by special designators (FYS, WI, CI, SI, CE) then number of sections.
Example: (HIS 1010 Roots: Historical Perspectives on Global Problems and Issues WI/SI, 6 sections)
• Summary and Self-evaluation of your teaching effectiveness. What is it about your teaching that makes it effective? This could include a statement of teaching philosophy, your particular approach to teaching, adjustments to your curriculum as the result of your previous review. What do you do to continue to improve as a teacher?
• Student evaluations—It is helpful if you make a brief summary of evaluations (note trends, explain negative comments, etc.). If you haven’t received your student evaluations by the expected date, check your junk folder or clutter folder in your email.
• Include peer evaluations, if you have them
• Administrative evaluation—comment as needed
• Letters from students, colleagues—specify if solicited or not
• Other (teaching a class at a local school, etc.)
•Make certain there is evidence in the folder for everything you mention in your narrative, preferably in the order in which it is mentioned.
Scholarly and Professional Activities Folder
• Summary and Self-evaluation of your scholarly and professional activities since your last review and how they have contributed to your field, the university, and your professional development.
•List ALL of your scholarly and professional activities since your last review.
•Make certain there is evidence in the folder for everything you mention in your narrative, preferably in the order in which it is mentioned.
(performance areas specified in the Agreement under Article 20. B. 1. b)
1) Published material: book—(title page, introduction, etc.), article—(title page, entry in table of contents, etc.) specify if journal is peer-reviewed, what its importance is in your field
2) Submission of material for publication—one copy of evidence is sufficient (letter requesting submission, or letter of acceptance, etc).
3) Exhibit of creative work, performance, etc.—include program or other printed evidence. If your role is not obvious, please explain.
4) Development of improved instructional materials/methods, not just updating notes or syllabi. Discuss creative additions to course (e.g. lab manual you’ve created)
5) Curriculum development, especially program development, not just teaching what you’re responsible for, but developing new additions to the college (e.g. new programs). Explain how developments aid our students and college, and how they affect your own professional growth.
6) Professional organizations
Explain importance of the organization in your field and use the full name, not just acronyms.
Presentations—include copy of program where your name appears, copy of published abstract, etc.
Positions—list/describe your role in the organization.
7) Grants, other financial support
8) Acquiring extra degree, – provide transcript/equivalent evidence
9) Acquiring professional certificate—provide evidence
Service to Campus and Community Folder
•Summary and Self-evaluation of your service to the University and the Community since your last review. How have your service activities developed? What new opportunities have you found? What service activities have you continued?
•List ALL of your service activities since your last review.
•Make certain there is evidence in the folder for every activity you list.
(performance areas specified in the Agreement under Article 20. B. 1. c.)
1) Department/college committees—describe your role on committee. If appropriate, include a letter from Chair or other committee member.
2) Department chair/program coordinator—describe activity unless self-evident.
3) Accreditation/reaccreditation activities—describe responsibilities
4) Advising students/student organizations—what do you do that goes beyond the regular advising that is expected of everyone?
5) Working with other groups in the community—describe activity, include letter from someone in organization when appropriate.
6) Holding public office
7) Serving in VSC FF—usually self-evident
8) Applying for/ 9)obtaining grants to aid college or community—describe granting agency and organization that benefits, and how.
10) New for 2021-22: Note your role and work performed on any Transformation or Optimization Teams
EVIDENCE, IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?
YES:
- Any examples of evidence listed in this letter or the Agreement
- Conference registration/program with your name listed
- One page of evidence per item listed in your self-evaluation
- A brief explanation of data and its importance in your field, no more than one page
- Thoughtful reflections to address critical course evaluations with proposed changes and goals for teaching improvement
- E-mail thanking you for your work/assistance/presentation
- One page from your grant application or your newest published manuscript that contains your name as author
- Evidence of performing/coaching/advising student activities
- Screen shots from Canvas that demonstrate significant or innovative teaching and student learning
• Only what you have done since your last review
NO:
• Anything not specifically listed as acceptable in this letter or the Agreement.
• Travel receipts, airline tickets, mileage, incidentals, etc.
• Entire books, manuscripts, or multi-page articles
• The whole research project
• Rambling tirades blaming students for low course evaluation scores
• Entire email chain spanning 6 months
• Your updated CV (OK to place into the file but RPT will not review it)
• “I Voted” sticker
• Blood donation sticker
• Jury duty summons
• Football tickets
• Your department’s 60 page PReCIP document
• CDs, DVDs, Jump Drives, or any other electronic media
The RPT Committee greatly appreciates the construction of a well-organized, concise file. Thank you!
Key dates, per Full-Time Faculty Federation Agreement 2018-2022
Periodically dates that close on a Sunday may be moved to a Monday per permission of the CAO in agreement with the RPT Committee.
