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College Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Committees

Background

Although some colleges had college committees which provided consultation in reappointment, promotion and tenure before 1999-2000, it was in that year when every college began the practice.

Composition

College RPT committees should consist of tenured faculty who are members of the voting faculty of departments within the college.  The composition of the college RPT committee should be determined by the dean of the college who should ensure that the final roster of members is representative of:

  • as many as possible of the professional and disciplinary specialties within the college;
  • six general realms of responsibility of faculty within the teaching, research, and extension and engagement missions of the college, and
  • the diversity of people on the faculty of the college (including the composition of the Committee as a whole with regard to gender, race, ethnic background, and age).

Service on college RPT committees should be regarded as an important opportunity for proactive participation of faculty in the governance of the college. In order to ensure reasonable continuity of judgment and experience within the college RPT committees. Staggered membership terms should be practiced.

Role

1.Provide college-stage faculty review of the reappointment, promotion and tenure processes within each department within the college. These review functions should include assessment of:

a. The quality of the written criteria for reappointment, promotion, and tenure decisions within each department in the college, with special regard to the fairness, transparency, and appropriateness of these criteria across all departments within the college,

b. The quality of dossiers within each department in the college, and

c. The fairness and objectivity with which the tenured associate and full professors and the department head judge the quality of performance by faculty in each realm of responsibility within each department of the college. That is, did the faculty and department head formulate their assessment and recommendation and make their votes with fidelity to the department’s own criteria for reappointment, promotion, and tenure?

2.  Review the dossiers for each candidate within the college and provide a written assessment and vote.

3.  Provide advice and counsel both to the dean of the college and to each department head about the RPT processes of each department within the college, and

4.  Advise the dean, the department heads, and the various departmental voting faculties within the college about more general aspects of the RPT processes of the college. This advice should include comments and recommendations about:

a.  Quality of the criteria for evaluation of faculty performance within each department,

b.  Quality of the formal and/or informal mentoring processes of each department

c.  Strengths and weaknesses of the processes by which dossiers were prepared within each department, and

d.  Processes by which evaluations and recommendations were formulated.