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Tenure Process
The following is a detailed description of the tenure process in The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Note that this is meant to augment, not replace, the Tenure Procedures booklet distributed from the Provost's office. Please review the Principles and Customs Governing the Procedures of Ad Hoc Committees and University-Wide Tenure Review before nominating any candidate (internal or external) for tenure.
Referee List Approval
The department Chair compiles a list of approximately fifteen (15) distinguished outside referees, which usually includes 4-6 comparison scholars* . The list should be alphabetical and is expected to contain all contact information necessary for follow-up from the Dean's Office: address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
It is essential that well-known scholars/researchers be chosen and the following should be indicated with a sentence or two for each referee:
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His/her significant professional status; e.g. Member of NAE or NAS, recipient of major honors, Department Chair, Chaired Professorship, author of well-known text, editorship of major journal, etc.
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It is expected that peer institutions such as Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Michigan, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton and others will be on the list. If not, the chair must be prepared to justify their absence on the basis of the discipline, etc.
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Depending upon the discipline, the list may include a few (1 or 2) distinguished individuals from industry.
In addition, the Provost has requested that three (3) names on the referee list be selected for possible use as outside members of the University-wide ad hoc committee. The list of referees must be submitted to the Dean for approval. The list will then be sent to the Vice Provost’s office for review and selection of the external ad hoc member. Please note: NO letters or emails should be sent to possible referees until the Vice Provost has concluded his review.
In addition to the referee list, the Provost's office would like the name of a designated specialist in the field, who can recommend outside experts for the University-wide ad hoc process. This specialist may be someone with closer ties to the University (a former student of the department or colleague of the candidate), since he/she would not take part in the actual ad hoc review.
A draft of the referee letter should be submitted to the Dean's Office at the same time as the referee list. It is extremely important that the Dean review the exact wording of all referee letters, especially descriptions of field specialties.
Preliminary Emails
The Provost is now requesting that preliminary emails be sent to all prospective referees, asking if they are willing to write tenure review letters. While this additional step does delay sending out letters, it is intended to speed response and reduce the number of unresponsive referees. Only those who respond positively should sent letters and reported as referees in the tenure dossier. Please check with Dean’s Office for the exact text for email.
Referee Letter Processing
Appropriate letters will be prepared by the department on Dean’s Office stationary using the sample templates recommended in the Provost’s document on tenure procedures. Any proposed departures from a Provost's template because of special circumstances, must be approved by the Dean. The final letters will be reviewed and signed by the Dean. The letters should be dated forward at least three business days from the day it is delivered to the Dean's Office.
Response letters are received by the Dean's Office, logged, and copies are sent to the department. When a reasonable period has passed, the Assistant to the Dean follows up by e-mail or phone, urging referees to send in their letters.
Formal Nomination from Department:
When all but 1 or 2 of the letters have been received, and reviewed by the Executive Committee of the department, the Committee votes and records one final time whether or not to recommend that the Dean proceed with the tenure case.
With the approval of the Dean, the department prepares the dossier of the candidate in accordance with the dossier template provided in the Provost's document. The department provides the Dean's office with 4 copies of the dossier for the internal review.
SEAS-Internal Review:
The Vice Dean appoints an internal ad hoc committee of 3 faculty members from outside of the department, from SEAS and when appropriate, from other parts of the University. The committee is charged to review the dossier and to advise the Dean on the strength of the case and whether changes to the dossier should be recommended in order to clarify certain aspects of the case.
The internal ad hoc committee meets and may request the presence of the department chair or others, to respond to questions. The chair of the internal ad hoc committee writes a memo to the Dean, signed by each committee member, expressing the recommendations of the committee.
Like the University-wide ad hoc, all aspects of the proceedings are conducted with strict confidentiality, including its membership. Information regarding the committee's deliberations and final vote are restricted to the Dean and Vice Dean, the President, the Provost, and their representatives. The Vice Dean informs the department chair of any suggested changes to the dossier.
With the Dean’s approval, the department then provides 8 copies of the dossier to the Provost’s Office and one (revised, updated) dossier for the Dean.
Additional Resources
Tenure Tips for Untenured Faculty (Notes from Workshops on Tenure)
Myths and Realities of Tenure (Notes from Workshops on Tenure)