Tenure and Promotion

Updated August 2020

Charge

To make recommendations to the CAS and SEBHS deans on applications for tenure and promotion.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Review the criteria, guidelines and assessment procedures of the departments of instruction for a merit increase, reappointment, non-reappointment, promotion and tenure, to confirm that they conform with the faculty evaluation guidelines in the Faculty Handbook. Each department will be reviewed at least once every three years, with the review staggered so that the committee reviews one-third of the departments of instruction in any one year.
2. The departments of instruction will send to the Tenure and Promotion Committee the appropriate A- series form for promotion (A-2) or tenure (A-5) by the deadline for requests. The Tenure and Promotion Committee shall ensure the request complies with the relevant eligibility criteria in the UF Handbook, indicating this by signature on the form.
3. The Tenure and Promotion Committee will review all official paperwork and the candidate's professional portfolio as well as an abridged file prepared by the candidate. The committee's review shall focus solely on whether or not the candidate has met the criteria for promotion or tenure established by the candidate's department and the requirements for promotion or tenure found in the University Faculty Handbook. If it is the committee's decision that the candidate has not met the criteria for promotion or tenure established by the candidate's department, they may, if they feel the situation so warrants, recommend to the dean that the requested personnel action be supported. Such an action may be taken only under unusual or extraordinary circumstances, which are to be shared with the dean, the faculty candidate, and the department chair.
4. At the end of its review, the Tenure and Promotion Committee shall submit its recommendation to the Dean, the candidate, and the candidate's department chair. If applicable, the Committee's report to the Dean shall specify each instance that the candidate has failed to meet the criteria established by either the candidate's department or the University Faculty Handbook. The report to the candidate and to the candidate's department chair shall consist of a statement of the committee's specific decision.
5. Faculty who appeal a tenure or promotion decision to the Grievances Committee may use the Tenure and Promotion Committee's recommendation to the Dean as part of their appeal. In the event the Dean has not followed a recommendation by the Tenure and Promotion Committee, Faculty may ask for the Committee to comment in writing on the Dean's rationale.
6. Promotion is subject to final decision by the University Administration. The Board of Trustees will make final decisions on the granting of tenure.
7. The committee members shall be expected to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality in all matters relevant to service on this committee.
8. The Tenure and Promotion Committee will advise the Faculty Welfare Committee annually of any department's criteria for faculty evaluation that is unclear, does not comply fully with the UF Handbook, is egregiously inconsistent with the level of standard used by the majority of departments, or in any other way has departmental promotion or tenure criteria that is problematic during evaluation. Feedback may include suggestions for how to improve UF Handbook criteria related to promotion and tenure.

Authority

This Committee has the following authority:

• Makes recommendations to Deans

Membership

The committee shall consist of 9 members, 7 elected by the Faculty and 2 appointed by the Chair of the Faculty. Membership will be divided between CAS and SEBHS faculty in the same ratio as the number of faculty in each school.