5.6 Process for Tenure Review

The next-to-last year of the probationary period shall be the year of formal evaluation and review prior to the decision of the granting or denial of tenure. At the beginning of this year, the Provost/Dean of Faculty shall notify the faculty member and Chair in writing of the procedures and timetable for tenure review.

Utilizing the Criteria for Tenure in the Faculty Handbook, the candidate will compile a portfolio that will include:

• A completed Application/Recommendation Form;
• An updated curriculum vitae;
• Evidence of excellence as a college teacher:
  • Three classroom evaluations which represent different levels of teaching; one of these evaluations must be from the previous twelve months.
  • Six summary sheets of student evaluations which should represent different levels of teaching and different kinds of courses.
  • Two of these evaluations must be from the previous twelve months.
  • End-of-year evaluations by the Department Chair for every year that the faculty member has been in his/her current rank. (Allowance will be made for those faculty members whose departments have not previously conducted such end-of-year evaluations.)
  • Grade distribution records from the past three years indicating fairness in setting standards for and evaluating student achievements.
• Presentation of a narrative reflection on the candidate’s teaching experience.
• Evidence of continued professional development, with a range of significant scholarly achievement in several areas (refer to the Criteria for Tenure in this Faculty Handbook);
• Evidence of appropriate participation in the responsibilities of the department and the faculty (refer to the Full-Time Instructional Faculty Responsibilities in the Faculty Handbook);
• Evidence of dedication and commitment to the mission and values of the College of Mount Saint Vincent;
• Evidence of any additional claims made in the applicant’s self-evaluation; and,
• Any information that the applicant believes will support his/her request.

This portfolio will be submitted to the Department/Committee Chair by November 15th.

Utilizing the candidate’s portfolio, the Department/Committee Chair (whenever possible, committee members should observe at least one class taught by the applicant) will complete the Application/Recommendation Form and convene the Department Rank and Tenure Committee. The Department Rank and Tenure Committee consist of all tenured members of a department.

In departments in which there is no tenured member, the Provost/Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the applicant and the Department Chair, will select a committee of five tenured faculty members to serve as the applicant’s review committee. The committee will select a Chair who will convene the committee and execute the functions usually performed by the Department Chair.

In the event that the applicant is the Department Chair, the Provost/Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the applicant, will select a Chair of another Department to function as the applicant’s review committee chair.

In departments with fewer than five tenured faculty, the Provost/Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the applicant and the Department Chair, will select additional tenured faculty members, until the number of committee members is equal to five, to serve as members of the applicant’s review committee.

The Tenure Committee Chair will:

• Convene a meeting of the Department Rank and Tenure Committee, which will serve as the applicant’s review committee.
• Plan a conference with the tenure candidate to review the tenure procedure and the candidate’s academic and professional activities;
• Review the procedures for Tenure with the candidate;
• Request the candidate to submit letters of support clearly stating approval of tenure from three tenured faculty. The three tenured faculty members should not be from the same department as the candidate and should not currently be serving as members of the Rank and Tenure Committee. (Letters of support are not required for Mid-probationary Review.)
• Observe the faculty member each semester of the tenure review year; distribute and collect student evaluations of selected courses; and, prepare a report of the observation.

After reviewing all material in the candidate’s portfolio, each member of the review committee will cast a vote for or against the candidate’s request for advancement in rank. Minority or dissenting opinions require submission of a detailed explanation of the department members’ rationale.

The Recommendation for Tenure, signed by the members of the candidate’s review committee, including dissenting views, will be included in the applicant’s dossier.

The Tenure Committee Chair will inform the candidate of the findings of the committee and provide the candidate with a synopsis of their findings.

The Provost/Dean of Faculty will discuss separately, with the candidate and Chair, the Committee’s recommendation and the faculty member’s evaluation. In the event of serious discrepancy, the Provost shall inform both the Committee Chair and faculty member of the conflict and seek a resolution before presenting the material to the Rank and Tenure Committee.

All applications for tenure must be filed by January 10th. Eight copies of all documents must be submitted. (Specific data may be kept on-file in the Office of the Provost for review by committee members).

All data shall then be considered by the College Rank and Tenure Committee. The Academic Vice-President will compile the recommendations of the Rank and Tenure Committee and submit those recommendations, along with his/her own recommendation to the President. The President will make an independent evaluation of the faculty member’s suitability for tenure. The President is not bound by the recommendation of the Rank and Tenure Committee.

Faculty who have been denied tenure have the right to appeal to the Faculty Grievance Committee (see Section 7.5) based on alleged substantial violations of College policy or procedures. Qualitative judgments required by College policy are not grievable.

Approved May 15, 2014