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Academic tenure and promotion in rank are subject to the general guidelines which were drawn up by the Faculty Senate, recommended to the President, and printed below in this document. At the time of initial appointment, the faculty member should be made aware by the appropriate department head of these general procedures as well as any guidelines specific to the academic department in which he/she holds a tenure-track position.
All regulations of Mississippi State University concerning employment, promotion, and the granting of tenure must adhere to the By-Laws and Policies of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (see Academic Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures below). Please note tentative deadline changes for applying for tenure and promotion as requested by the administration and approved by the Faculty Senate. The deadlines are listed in V.G.1, V.G.2, and V.G.3.
Carefully stated goals and objectives are essential to give direction to a university. Recruitment and retention of faculty to carry out the University's mission rest on known, consistent standards which reward superior performance and which provide incentives for all faculty to reach higher performance levels. Therefore, the establishment of standards and policies governing tenure, promotion and annual performance reviews is imperative. All faculty members of assistant professor rank and above will have the opportunity to participate in both the establishment and revision of tenure and promotion criteria, policies and procedures. Once established, regulations concerning promotion and tenure will be made available to all current and prospective faculty members. Further, since the initial appointment of a faculty member is a significant matter to every department, candidates for the position should be interviewed and evaluated by members of the hiring department and any allied departments or divisions.
B. General Criteria For Faculty Appointment and Eligibility For Tenure
All regulations of Mississippi State University concerning employment, promotion, and the granting of tenure must adhere to the By-Laws and Policies of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (1970, with subsequent amendments). Specific attention is called to section 400, Faculty and Staff.
B.1. Tenure is recommended by and held in an academic department or on an academic faculty. Tenure track positions, i.e., ranks in which one can work towards possible continuous employment at Mississippi State University, are instructor (in the sense that up to three years in this position may be counted toward meeting tenure requirements once the faculty member achieves the next higher rank), assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. All other positions or titles, e.g., lecturer, research assistant/associate, non-rank library positions, graduate assistant and adjunct, are non-tenure track and must be so indicated to prospective and incumbent holders of these positions or titles.
B.2. Every person employed by the University is expected to meet high standards of professional integrity, collegiality and objectivity, and to further the goals of his/her department and the University. In addition, a person of professorial rank must have either a professional/terminal degree appropriate for the discipline or its equivalent in training and experience; a strong commitment to higher education, and in particular to the mission of Mississippi State University; and a willingness to assume the responsibilities and obligations appropriate to a university faculty member (see Faculty Handbook, Section IV, Faculty Responsibilities.) In addition, the following is appropriate at each level:
a. Instructor: An instructor is a faculty member with either a professional master's degree appropriate for the discipline or the equivalent in training and experience and a potential for teaching.
b. Assistant Professor: An assistant professor is a faculty member with a terminal or professional degree (or its equivalent) in the discipline, who possesses the potential for successful performance in teaching, research (or creative achievement), and service in a university environment.
c. Associate Professor: An associate professor is a faculty member who has met the criteria for assistant professor, has consistently demonstrated an ability to perform at a satisfactory level in the three areas of teaching, research or creative achievement, and service, and excels in at least one of these areas.
d. Professor: A professor is a faculty member who has achieved demonstrated excellence in two of the three areas of teaching, scholarship/research/creative endeavors, and service to on-campus and off-campus communities. A rating of "satisfactory" or above in the third area will also be required.
e. Article C (below) must be utilized in assessing the performance by and of faculty members, as that performance affects considerations of promotion, tenure, and compensation.
f. Unless indicated otherwise at the time of appointment by the departmental committee on promotion and tenure, promotion and tenure applications by chairholders will be governed by Mississippi State University's promotion and tenure policies and procedures document.
B.3. The University recognizes faculty achievement both by advances in rank and the granting of tenure. Promotion is never granted routinely for simple satisfactory service, but reflects progressively higher professional competence and accomplishment. Faculty members who have met the requirements for promotion, but who have not fulfilled the probationary period for tenure, may be promoted without tenure. Beginning with the 1998-1999 academic year, if a faculty member is granted tenure as an assistant professor he or she automatically meets the standards for associate professor. A person who entered the tenure track prior to 1998-1999 shall be eligible for tenure without promotion. Rank also reflects comparable stature with others in similar disciplines in other university settings. Promotion is based on performance and demonstrated competence and not on length of service, but a reasonable time must elapse for the individual faculty member to demonstrate competence and have it confirmed by periodic evaluation. Professional achievement elsewhere will be considered for promotion and tenure.
C. Suggested Performance Standards of Professional Activities
C.1. In every case, the faculty member's performance will be judged by all parties involved in promotion or tenure decisions on the basis of written policy statements or criteria (i.e., specific requirements) developed by the specific academic units (departments and/or colleges) with which the faculty member is associated, which are to be in harmony with university criteria. All criteria should be based on the application of the highest professional standards associated with the university work. The criteria and process for promotion and tenure should be of similar design. Some suggested items to consider in establishing evaluative criteria at the department or college level would be (This is not intended to be a complete list, nor need any item on the list be of similar import in each department or college):
C.2. Teaching: Excellence in teaching is measured by such diverse standards as peer review, especially by faculty colleagues familiar with the nominee's teaching or who have taught his/her students; student evaluations of instructors and courses; ability to communicate effectively with students; counseling, advising, and motivating students; ability to transmit knowledge and cultural values via student learning in the regularly scheduled instruction; directing graduate work, readings, research, internships and fellowships and other academic pursuits that confer university credit; non-credit and off-campus lectures and talks; textbooks or other published materials relating to teaching; receiving teaching related grants; sound scholarship and continued intellectual growth; and academic integrity.
C.3. Research or Creative Achievement (Creative achievement refers to significantly original or imaginative accomplishments in literature or the fine arts, and to effective experience or practice of professional fields, such as agriculture, architecture, engineering, business and industry, or veterinary medicine.) : To qualify for excellence in research or creative achievement, the work must be submitted to a critical peer evaluation, using standards prevailing in the applicable discipline or professional area. It includes such things as development and validation of new knowledge essential for the maintenance of professional development and vitality; providing creative forms that bring greater meaning to life; systematic, original investigation directed toward the enlargement of human knowledge or solution of contemporary problems; books published by commercial or university presses and articles published in refereed journals of international, national, or regional prestige; other books and published articles; continued success in obtaining research grants, permitting high quality research; acceptance of papers for presentation before professional groups; invited participation in scholarly conferences; editorial and refereed work in professional journals or other publications; book reviews in professional journals; artistic or humanistic presentations; evidence of substantive progress on long-term projects that meet the criteria above.
C.4. Service: Service activities include any which (1) enhance the excellence of the education and scholarly life of the University or its programs. (2) improve the quality of life of society, or (3) promote the general welfare of the institution, the community and the state or nation.
C.5. Professional Development: Professional development may be exhibited in any or all of the above- mentioned areas of teaching, research or creative achievement, and service. It includes such things as membership and leadership in professional organizations, awards and achievements within the discipline, and continuous growth as a professional educator.
D. Annual Faculty Evaluation and Review
D.1. On an annual basis, each department head or appropriate officer and each of his/her faculty members will agree in writing to the faculty member's objectives, responsibilities, and expectations. This written agreement must be consistent with the tenure and promotion criteria of the department, the respective school or college, and the University. This agreement will be reviewed by the dean or director, and a copy of the agreement will be placed in the faculty member's tenure and promotion file. If the department head and the faculty member cannot reach an agreement, the matter will be referred to the appropriate dean or director.
D.2. An annual performance review, based on the predetermined agreement, will be conducted by the department head or appropriate officer and each faculty member in his/her department before the budget is made for the next year or when specified by the central administration of the University, whichever occurs first. A copy of this review, signed by both parties, will be reviewed by the dean or director and placed in the faculty member's tenure and promotion file. The faculty member has the right to attach a dissenting statement to all copies of this review.
D.3. A permanent file for each faculty member is to be maintained by the department head or appropriate officer. No record in the file is to be added, changed, or withdrawn without the knowledge of both parties. Each file is confidential and available only to the faculty member, department head, dean or director, vice president, or President. The responsible administrative officer will make all pertinent information available to the appropriate committee(s), when the faculty member is a candidate for promotion and tenure, or when the information is needed in an appeals or grievance case.
E. Tenure and Tenure Policies
E.1. Tenure is a commitment on the part of Mississippi State University to employ a person continuously until or unless the following condition(s) occur:
(a) the faculty member voluntarily resigns or retires;
(b) medical reasons prevent the faculty member's normal performance
of duties;
(c) demonstrated professional incompetence or unethical behavior of
the faculty member;
(d) financial exigencies as declared by the Board of Trustees;
(e) termination or reduction of programs, academic or administrative
units as approved by the Board of Trustees.
In (c), (d), and (e) above, action will be taken only after consultation with faculty members, staff personnel, administrators and where appropriate, students.
Tenure is granted with the University's expectation that the faculty member will continue to perform at or above the minimum standards set by the department, school or college, and University.
E.2. Attainment of tenure at Mississippi State University is by no means automatic, based on years of service, but is the result of a thorough evaluation of a faculty member's performance in instruction, research and/or creative achievement, and service to the University. It is understood that the balance of these activities will vary by discipline. Excellence in one area and satisfactory performance in the others are needed in order to qualify a faculty member for tenure. A faculty member who meets the established departmental, school or college, and university standards for tenure automatically meets the standards for promotion to Associate Professor.
E.3. At the time of initial appointment, each faculty member shall be informed in writing as to whether he/she will be progressing toward evaluation for tenure. Likewise, the new faculty member shall respond in writing to the department head that he/she understands the terms of employment with regard to tenure and accepts the position as a tenure or non-tenure track position.
E.4. During the probationary period of service, the faculty member shall be advised and counseled annually by the department head concerning his/her progress toward tenure.
E.5. In accordance with policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning (March 1991), "the probationary period shall be five to seven academic years, three of which may have been met in the rank of instructor." A maximum of four (4) years credit toward the minimum probation period may be allowed for service at another institution(s) of higher education. Such credit toward the probationary period must be determined at the time of initial appointment to rank. A recommendation regarding tenure can be made during the fifth year, thereby allowing tenure to be granted with the issuance of the sixth-year contract. (See Part H, Section H.1 for notice of non-reappointment.) Leaves of absence for professional advancement may be counted as part of the five-year probationary period. The department head must notify the faculty member as to how many years (if any) at the rank of instructor, or other credit, will be counted in the probationary period, as well as whether a leave of absence (if any) will be counted. Faculty transferring from another institution within the Mississippi system are subject to the same probationary period as any new faculty.
E.6. The first new contract following the tenure decision must clearly detail whether it is (a) a terminal contract, (b) another annual contract within which time reconsideration of tenure will be made (with the faculty member's approval), or (c) a contract indicating continuous employment by Mississippi State University. In any case, failure to grant tenure after six (6) years will require a terminal seventh (7th) year contract.
F. Procedures For Faculty Promotion and Tenure
Since Board of Trustees regulations stipulate that "There shall be appropriate tenure committees in each institution," a University Committee on Promotion and Tenure is hereby instituted. School/college committees and departmental committees should be instituted by majority vote of all faculty members with the rank of assistant professor and above; the vote to establish a promotion and tenure committee within a school/college and department will be taken by secret ballot early in the fall. If the unit votes not to establish a committee, another ballot will be held in the next fall. Should a school/college committee and/or a departmental committee on promotion and tenure be established by the faculty's vote, the committee will operate for a minimum of three (3) years; after three years of operation, another vote will be taken to continue the committee. Procedures for committees on promotion and tenure are given below.
The faculty member will be officially notified as to the disposition at each level of his/her nomination for promotion or tenure. Written recommendations of decisions will come from each level in the process and will be placed on file in all the appropriate offices. These recommendations will also become the basis for future discussions between the faculty member and department heads on further professional development or growth of the faculty member. The faculty member has the right to discontinue the review process for tenure or promotion at any point in the process.
University Committee on Promotion and Tenure
F.1.a. The University Committee on Promotion and Tenure shall consist of full-time, tenured faculty members, one from each academic unit having tenured faculty with an administrative head who reports directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.. Each such unit will elect its representative in the fall by a majority vote of its full-time faculty members with the rank of assistant professor and above. Service on the committee will be for three years, with staggered terms. Re-election is possible, but no more than six (6) consecutive years may be served by one representative. The committee will determine annually its chairperson, who will be a full voting member of the committee.
F.1.b. The University Committee on Promotion and Tenure will serve four functions: (1) an advisory body to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, to review criteria, policies, and procedures for promotion and tenure used by schools or colleges; (2) an appeals committee for individual faculty members whose nominations for promotion or tenure have been denied at the school/college level; (3) a review committee to consider suggested changes in the academic promotion and tenure policies and procedures in accordance with section J; and (4) to hear and make recommendations on cases referred to it on matters of tenured faculty terminations.
F.1.c. In order that the University Committee may function effectively, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will make available to the committee members all pertinent and available information. It will be the responsibility of all committee members to review all such information before voting on any issue.
School or College Committee on Promotion and Tenure
F.2.a. The faculty of each college or school shall determine the structure of its own promotion and tenure committee, subject to the condition that all positions on the committee are held by faculty who are elected from the college. The committee will determine annually its chairperson and all committee members will be made known to the faculty.
F.2.b. The committee will annually review all criteria, policies, and procedures followed by the departments, to insure that they are equitable and effective. The committee will also review all recommendations transmitted from departmental committees on promotion and tenure and from department heads, and will make its recommendations, with reasons, to the dean or director. Committee recommendations will be made on the basis of a majority vote of the committee members.
F.2.c. In order that the committee may function effectively, the dean or director will make available to committee members all pertinent and available information. It will be the responsibility of all committee members to review all such information before voting on any nomination for promotion or tenure.
F.2.d. All recommendations of the committee will be transmitted to the dean or director; the latter official will respond, in writing, to the chairperson of the committee indicating any future action to be taken, with accompanying reasons.
F.2.e. The recommendations of the committee and the dean/director will be conveyed to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for further action. Reasons for a negative recommendation concerning promotion or tenure at the school or college level will be transmitted to the faculty member by the dean or director.
F.2.f. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the recommendations of the committee and the dean/director. Reasons for a denial of promotion or tenure at this level will be transmitted by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs to the faculty member directly or through the dean/director and department head.
F.2.g. In an academic unit in which there may be no tenured faculty or no departmental structure, the dean or director will have the responsibility to recommend faculty members for promotion and tenure as they become eligible for consideration. These recommendations will be made to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Departmental Committee on Promotion and Tenure
F.3.a. A departmental committee on promotion and tenure shall consist of at least three (3) full-time, tenured faculty members elected for staggered three-year terms by the department's full-time faculty members with the rank of assistant professor and above. In no case will a department head serve as a member of the departmental promotion and tenure committee. Recommendations of the committee will be made by majority vote, with a written record kept of all proceedings.
F.3.b. Consideration for promotion or tenure can be initiated by the department head or by the individual faculty member who has met the minimum requirements. The committee will assist the department head in reviewing the eligibility of all faculty members who have met the minimum requirements for advancement in rank or tenure. F.3.c. The committee will base its decisions on all available, pertinent, and documented evidence; all such evidence should be in the faculty member's permanent, departmental file.
F.3.d. Committee recommendations, with accompanying reasons in the case of a negative vote, will be given to the department head. The department head's own recommendations, again based upon all available, pertinent, and documented evidence, may agree or disagree with the recommendations of the committee.
F.3.e. Both recommendations will be conveyed to the appropriate dean or director, who, after reviewing the recommendation(s), may (a) concur with the recommendation(s) of the departmental committee and the department head; or (b) not concur with the recommendations for good and sufficient cause.
F.3.f. The departmental promotion and tenure committee should be consulted and make recommendations prior to the initial appointment of any faculty member, administrator, or chairholder at the rank of associate professor or professor. The committee should also be consulted and make recommendations prior to the awarding of years of credit for service at another institution of higher education toward fulfillment of the minimum probationary period for tenure.
Provost and Vice President For Academic Affairs
F.4.a. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, after reviewing all recommendations will make final recommendations to the President, with copies to the appropriate dean or director and to the Chairperson of any promotion and tenure committees involved.
F.4.b. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will, each year, in consultation with the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure, review all criteria, policies, and procedures related to promotion and tenure, to insure that they are: (1) consistent with regulations of the State Board of Trustees and (2) internally consistent, equitable, and understandable.
President
F.5. The President of the University will make the final decision on all recommendations for promotion and tenure, utilizing whatever information is deemed appropriate. Once the final decisions have been made, the President transmits them to the Board of Trustees and to the faculty members and other appropriate individuals.
G. Schedule For Promotion and Tenure Decisions
G.1. Faculty members eligible for consideration for promotion or tenure must have provided the department head or appropriate official with all pertinent and available information by October 1 of each year. The department head or other appropriate official has the responsibility to assist, where appropriate, the faculty member in preparing material for tenure and promotion review.
G.2. Departmental recommendations must be submitted to the academic dean or director by November 15 of each year.
G.3. School and college recommendations must be submitted to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs by January 10 of each year.
G.4. Recommendations of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs must be submitted to the President by March 10 of each year.
G.5. Official notification, in writing, will be sent by the President or his/her designated officer to faculty members as soon as possible after the May Board meeting.
H. Notice of Non-Reappointment or Resignation
H.1. Notice of Non-renewal of Tenure Track Faculty
Notice of intention not to renew a tenure track faculty member shall be furnished in writing according to the following schedule:
a. not later than March 1 before the date of termination during the
first year of service,
b. not later than December 1 before the date of termination during
the second year of service,
c. not later than September 1 before the date of termination of a
contract after two or more years of service in the institution.
This schedule of notification does not apply to persons holding temporary or part-time positions, or persons with courtesy appointments, such as adjunct appointments.
H.2. Tenured Faculty Dismissal
H.2.a. Termination of service of a tenured faculty member is made only under these extraordinary circumstances:
a. Financial exigencies as declared by the Board;
b. Termination or reduction of programs, academic or administrative
units as approved by the Board;
c. Malfeasance, inefficiency or contumacious conduct; or
d. For cause.
H.2.b. Termination for cause of a tenured faculty member or the dismissal for cause of a faculty member prior to the expiration of a term appointment shall not be recommended by the Institutional Executive Officer until the faculty member has been afforded the opportunity for a hearing. In no event shall the contract of a tenured faculty member be terminated for cause without the faculty member being afforded the opportunity for a hearing.
In all cases, the faculty member shall be informed in writing of the proposed action against him/her and that he/she has the opportunity to be heard in his/her own defense. Within ten (10) calendar days of notification of the proposed action and opportunity to be heard, the faculty member shall state in writing his/her desire to have a hearing. He/she shall be permitted to have with him/her an adviser of his/her own choosing who may be an attorney. The institution is directed to record (suitable for transcription) all hearings. In the hearing of charges of incompetence, the testimony shall include that of faculty and other scholars. Tenured faculty members, who are dismissed for reasons stated as follows:
a. Financial exigencies as declared by the Board; or
b. Termination or reduction of programs, academic units and/or
administrative units as approved by the Board;
shall remain employed for a minimum of 9 - 12 months, consistent with
current contract periods of time, from date of notification.
Tenured faculty members, who are dismissed for reasons stated as
follows:
c. Malfeasance, inefficiency or contumacious conduct; or
d. For cause;
shall have their contracts terminated at any time subsequent to notice and hearing with no right to continued employment for any period of time. At the discretion of the Institutional Executive Officer, any faculty member's salary may be paid, and he/she may be relieved of all teaching duties, assignments, appointments and privileges when he/she is dismissed for any reasons stated above or pending a termination hearing.
H.3 Resignation
H.3.a. Resignation should be tenured at least three months prior to the expiration date of the current contract.
I. Appeals Process
I.1.a. Faculty members who have been denied promotion or tenure may, within ten (10) working days of the notification of a negative decision by the University, request an appeals hearing before the University Promotion and Tenure Committee. Acceptable grounds for requesting an appeal are: (1) that the decision was prejudicial, arbitrary, or capricious; or (2) that the procedures were not properly followed in the consideration. The request for appeal, along with the stated grounds, must be filed with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
I.1.b. The University Committee on Promotion and Tenure, upon request of an appellant or the Provost, will review the entire case, either as (1) a full committee, (2) a sub-committee(s) or (3) as an ad hoc committee(s) appointed by the chairperson of the University Committee. A review by the entire committee is the usual process. However, in the case of time constraints or where deemed necessary, a sub-committee will be appointed by the University committee chairperson. An ad hoc committee would be used to give the appellant representation from outside the committee, if necessary, in situations in which available committee members would have to disqualify themselves, or in which case no available committee member has knowledge of the appellant's field. The ad hoc committee, appointed by the University committee chairperson, will be composed of three full-time tenured faculty not from the appellant's department. The sub-committee or ad hoc committee will be charged with the review of all available information pertaining to the case and will, if necessary, conduct interviews with appropriate persons. Such committees will, within a 14 day period, except in extenuating circumstances, report their findings to the University committee. The University committee will consider the findings and render its recommendation to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Provost shall notify the appellant of all recommendations and forward both his/her recommendation and the recommendation of the committee to the President for the final decision. Except for unusual reasons, the decision of the President will end the university appeals process.
I.1.c. In accordance with Board of Trustees policies, one more appeal is possible:
1. Conditions of Appeals to the Board of Trustees: Miss. Code Ann., Section 37-1-1-15 (1990) sets forth the general obligations of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning with respect to employment at the various institutions of higher learning. It is the policy of the Board to allow faculty personnel decisions to be appealed to the Board. These appeals may take place only after the aggrieved faculty member has exhausted all administrative remedies at the institutional level. In the event that an appeal to the Board is requested by the aggrieved party, the Institutional Executive Officer shall transmit to the Board the full report of the grievance/tenure committee concerning the matter appealed.
The individual allegedly aggrieved will be allowed to submit a written statement of his grievance to the commissioner within a thirty (30) day period following notification of the decision of the institutional Executive Officer. Review by the Board is not a matter of right, but is within the sound discretion of the Board. No persons will appear personally before the Board unless invited. If allowed to appear, oral testimony and documentary evidence will be accepted. The Board in its discretion may mandate reasonable time limitations for testimony. If not allowed to appear, only documentary evidence will be accepted.
2. Review of Appeal by the Board:
The Board, upon receipt of such an appeal, shall review the records of the institutional committee's hearing and all documentation relative to the personnel decision. The Board shall then determine the following:
a. If the institutional due process procedures were followed;
and/or
b. If the decision was arbitrary or capricious.
The Board, after reviewing the written argument and documentary evidence (if no hearing is requested or allowed), or after a hearing (if requested and allowed), shall affirm the decision of the Institutional Executive Officer or make another decision which shall be final and binding.
J. Procedure For Amending Academic Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures
J.1. Any suggested change(s) in existing policies and procedures, along with a rationale, must be submitted, in writing, by October 1 of each year to the University Promotion and Tenure Committee.
J.2. The University Promotion and Tenure Committee will consider all suggested changes and make any recommendation(s) to the Chair of the Faculty Senate and to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs by December 15 of each year. The Chair of the Faculty Senate will distribute copies of the suggested change(s) and recommendation(s) of the committee to all Senate members by the January meeting of Faculty Senate of each year. At its March meeting, the Faculty Senate will prepare its own recommendation(s) and submit them to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President within a week. A courtesy copy will also be sent to the University Promotion and Tenure Committee. Final action on the recommendation(s) will be taken by the President and announced through all appropriate channels.
J.3. This outlined procedure will be followed, unless some extraordinary occasion should demand a more immediate change. In all cases, however, consultation with the Faculty Senate and the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure will be a part of the process of consideration.
K. Documentation
K.1. Materials to be provided by the candidate to the academic unit:
1. All materials required by the academic unit's procedural
guidelines.
2. All supportive documentation desired by the candidate.
3. Candidates may not add information to their files after a decision
has been made at the department level.
K.2. Materials to be provided by the department head to the dean:
1. A separate letter concerning each candidate, giving the following information:
a. Head's evaluation of the candidate's teaching effectiveness,
research and creative activity, and professional service.
b. The summary vote of appropriate faculty members.
c. The summary vote of any departmental committee making
recommendations to the department head.
d. A summary of the procedures followed by the academic unit in
evaluating the candidate.
2. Complete dossier of the candidate organized in an appropriate format. Copies of publications, works of arts, etc., shall be included only if specifically requested by the dean. Copies of these materials shall not be forwarded to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs unless requested.
K.3. Materials to be supplied by the dean to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs:
1. A cover letter summarizing collegiate procedures.
2. A letter of recommendation by the dean for each candidate.
3. Recommendations of any college-wide review committee, including
the summary vote of each such committee.
4. The dossier of each candidate.
L. Non-tenure Track Faculty
L.1. Section 404, IHL Policy, authorizes universities to establish professional positions designated as non-tenure track positions. Each institution shall prepare annually, along with its budget, a list of positions so designed for submission for approval by the Institutional Executive Officer. Subsequent requests for such designations submitted during the budget year must also be approved by the Institutional Executive Officer. Positions designated as non-tenure track positions may be converted to the other type only with approval by the Institutional Executive Officer.
L.2. Non-tenure track faculty positions may be established for full-time professional faculty personnel employed in technical, special, career, research and public service programs or programs which are anticipated to have a limited lifespan or which are funded, fully or partially, through non-system sources. There shall be no maximum time limitation for service in positions in this category.
L.3. The following provisions shall apply to all non-tenure track personnel:
a. Individuals employed in non-tenure track positions shall not be eligible for consideration for the award of tenure. Individuals in non-tenure track positions may not have their status converted to tenure track positions. However, they are eligible to apply for tenure track positions.
b. Individuals employed in non-tenure track positions may apply, on an equal basis with other candidates, for tenure track positions which may become available.
L.4. Notice of Non-Renewal or Termination of Non-Tenure Track Personnel:
a. Notice of intention not to renew non-tenure track personnel shall be furnished in writing thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date of the contract.
b. Lack of Funds - Notice of termination of non-tenure track personnel prior to expiration of the contract due to a lack of funds shall be furnished in writing thirty (30) days prior to the termination.