FHSU-AAUP Article XVI: Promotion

NOTE: Promotion decisions are not subject to the grievance procedure, contained in Article XVII of this Memorandum of Agreement. See Article XV:& Tenure, Section 6, Procedural Due Process.

1. General Promotion Considerations

Promotion is not an entitlement awarded to a faculty member for longevity. The Promotion is not an entitlement awarded to a faculty member for longevity. The applicant must earn the promotion by fulfilling the requirements and demonstrating in the promotion file that they have been fulfilled. New faculty members should become familiar with the qualifications, the procedures, the schedule for application, and the structure of the promotion file that each applicant must prepare. Department Chairs should do what is reasonable to assure that new faculty are familiar with the guidelines of this policy and assist their faculty in the preparation of the promotion files well in advance of the deadline for submission. Faculty should be aware that FHSU-AAUP is available to help them if they encounter difficulties in the promotion process. Faculty should understand that it is better to contact the FHSU-AAUP sooner rather than later if you encounter a problem.

2. Professional Rank

The following descriptions of professional rank specify the minimum level of achievement and performance necessary for promotion in rank.

1. Instructor: An instructor is an individual who ordinarily does not possess a terminal degree or the equivalent in the field.
2. Assistant Professor: An assistant professor is an individual who normally possesses a terminal degree or the equivalent in the field (e.g., M.F.A.).  The rank of assistant professor can be a beginning-level appointment for one who holds the terminal degree or its equivalent in the field, or it can be a rank achieved after service in the rank of instructor.
1. Assistant Professor Qualifications:
1. Education and experience: Promotion from instructor to assistant professor should normally follow achievement of the terminal degree or its equivalent in the field.
2. Additional college and department qualifications may be required.
3. Associate Professor: An associate professor is an individual who in all but exceptional circumstances possesses a terminal degree or its equivalent in the field and appropriate professional experience.
1. Associate Professor Qualifications:
1. Education and experience: Promotion from the rank of assistant professor to associate professor requires demonstrated noteworthy contribution and definite potential for further major contribution to the field and the university.
2. Normally, individuals promoted to associate professor would be in prior rank for a minimum of four years.
3. Normally, promotion from assistant professor to associate professor is not granted prior to the granting of tenure. Promotion does not guarantee that tenure will be granted.
4. Additional college and department qualifications may be required.
4. Professor: A professor is an individual who in all but very exceptional circumstances possesses a terminal degree or the equivalent in the field and who has demonstrated meritorious teaching, scholarship, and service in the field as defined by the individual's department and college. The rank of professor shall be awarded only to those who are proven masters of their field, are outstanding in that field, and whose general attributes of culture are recognized by their fellows with such determination to be made by administrations and faculties in traditional manner.
1. Qualifications:
1. Education and experience: Promotion from the rank of associate professor to professor requires demonstrated major contributions to the field and to the university.
2. Normally, individuals promoted to professor would be in prior rank for a minimum of five years.
3. Additional college and department qualifications may be required.

3. Promotion Pathway

* Items are actions initiated by the candidate.

1. Applicant applies to Chair*
1. The faculty member submits his or her application for promotion in the form of a promotion file to the faculty member’s department Chair.
2. The Chair forwards the applicant's file to the departmental promotion committee as described in step two below and according to the promotion pathway contained in this article.
3. The promotion files must be submitted to the Chair no later than September 10 of the fall semester of any year in which the applicant wishes to be considered for promotion.
2. Department Promotion Committee considers application.
3. Rebuttal and/or hearing with Department Promotion Committee (if requested).*
4. Additional application or file material may be inserted in the file by the application following receipt of the Department Promotion Committee’s initial recommendation. *
5. Chair considers application.
6. Additional application or file material may be inserted in the file by the application following receipt of the Chair’s initial recommendation. *
7. Rebuttal and/or hearing with Chair (if requested).*
8. College Promotion Committee considers application.
9. Rebuttal and/or hearing with College Promotion Committee (if requested).*
10. Dean considers application.
11. Rebuttal and/or hearing with Dean (if requested).*
12. University Promotion Committee considers application.
13. Rebuttal and/or hearing with University Promotion Committee (if requested).*
14. Provost considers application.
15. Rebuttal and/or hearing with provost (if requested). *
16. President considers application.
17. Rebuttal and/or hearing with president (optional).*

4. Promotion Procedures

1. The applicant for promotion should read and be familiar with all the steps of the promotion procedure and the promotion pathway. Special note should be made of the steps outlined in this article.
2. All timelines are important, but can be waived by mutual consent or for documented family or medical emergency. Recommendations from reviewers will be hand-delivered to the faculty member and placed in the faculty member’s mailbox at the department or college, whichever is appropriate. If the faculty member is not on campus, and a recommendation or notice is due under this process, the faculty member has the responsibility to inform the chair of the department if and how to get the information to the faculty member
3. Promotion applicants should note that at each level of review, as described in the promotion pathway (number “3” above,) a pattern is followed as described herein. The pattern is essentially:
1. A review of the applicant’s file by the reviewer or committee;
2. Though initial recommendations are addressed to the next level of review, copies are sent only to applicant and previous reviewers and chairs of previous reviewing committees;
3. Appeal if desired by applicant;
4. Rebuttal and/or informal hearing on the applicant’s appeal;
5. Final recommendation placed into the file;
6. Response by applicant to final recommendation placed in file; and
7. Forwarding of the file to next level of review.
4. At each level of the promotion pathway (number “3” above,) the designated reviewer or committee will review the file and formulate initial recommendations regarding the promotion of the applicant.
1. If a committee is reviewing the application for promotion, the committee will conduct a vote regarding the applicant’s promotion recommendation and the numeric result of that vote (i.e. 8-0) will be reported in all recommendations made by any committee considering a promotion application.
2. ii. The applicant may request an appeal hearing of the reviewer’s initial recommendation within 2 days of the date of the initial recommendation.
5. Within 3 days of the date of the applicant’s appeal hearing request, the applicant will receive a hearing by the reviewer or committee.
6. Following the hearing, the committee shall once again consider the file, the information received at the hearing and vote upon the promotion requested.
7. Within 2 days following the date on which the hearing before the reviewer or committee is held, the reviewer or committee will formulate and issue a final recommendation. If the committee’s vote is not unanimous, a dissenting opinion may be written and included as part of the committee’s final recommendation.
8. The reviewer or committee will place the initial and final recommendations in the file and forward the file to the next reviewer or committee in the promotion pathway.
9. Though addressed to the next level of review, the reviewer or committee will send copies of the final recommendation to the applicant, and all reviewers and committee chairs preceding this reviewer or committee in the promotion pathway.
10. The applicant shall have 3 days after date of the final recommendation to respond in writing to any unresolved differences regarding the evaluation.
1. The applicant's response must be sent to the next level of review or committee.
2. ii. The applicant’s response will become a part of the promotion file.
3. The response will be filed immediately behind the final recommendation of the reviewer or committee to which the response is written.
4. Review of the file by the next level in the promotion pathway may proceed prior to inclusion of the applicant response in the file.
11. Promotion Committees
1. When a promotion committee is required, the committee it will be established at the department level by the Chair and the college level by the Dean, in consultation with the college’s department Chairs. The University Promotion Committee is selected by the Faculty Senate.
2. Departmental committees:
1. A promotion committee shall be established at the department level by the Chair, in consultation with the department’s faculty and the college Dean.
2. The Chair shall determine the size of the committee, and it will be composed of tenured faculty members of the department.
3. In a department with few tenured members, the committee may include tenured faculty of other departments, but shall not include the Chair.
4. The committee members should not serve on other committees that would review the applicant’s file at another level of review in the promotion pathway.
5. The Department Chair will initially chair the committee to assist in committee organization; however, once it is organized, the Department Chair will withdraw and the committee shall meet, consider and review as an individual body.
3. A promotion committee shall be established at the college level by the Dean in consultation with the department chairs within that college.
1. The college level promotion committee shall be composed of tenured faculty members that are not serving on departmental promotion committees.
2. The Dean shall determine the size and distributional representation of the committee.
3. The Dean will initially chair the committee to assist in committee organization; however, once it is organized, the Dean will withdraw and the committee shall meet, consider and review as an individual body.
4. University promotion committee:
1. There will be five members on the Committee who will serve two-year terms.
2. Terms will be staggered so that approximately half of the members will change each year.
3. Two members will be chosen from the College of Arts and Sciences and one member from each of the other three colleges. It is preferable to have one member from the College of Arts and Sciences in the humanities area and one member from the science and math area.
4. The Faculty Senate will select the five tenured faculty members that will serve on the University Promotion Committee. These faculty members will normally be selected in the Spring and their service on the committee will be consistent with paragraphs 1-3, above.
5. The Provost will initially convene the committee to assist in committee organization, however, once organized, the Provost will withdraw and the committee shall meet, consider and review as an individual body.
6. Committee members shall select a chair who will prepare the recommendations that will be sent to the Provost.
7. If Committee members feel that a written ballot should be used, the Chair will tabulate the results.
8. Upon request by the committee, the Provost, Dean and/or the department Chair will attend a hearing of the University Promotion Committee to answer questions pertaining to the candidate and the promotion file.
5. All committee members shall be familiar with the guidelines of this policy.
6. A committee should strive for unanimity in its vote, but a simple majority vote is all that is needed. If the committee’s vote is not unanimous, a dissenting opinion may be written.
12. Rebuttal and/or Hearing Procedures
1. Hearings are designed to provide information, or seek clarification.
2. Hearings are informal in nature. No motions, appeals or other related items are allowed.
3. Each reviewer or committee may establish additional rules for hearings as they see fit.
4. The applicant may choose to have an AAUP representative present at the hearing, or the applicant may select any other person to accompany the applicant to the hearing.
5. Any person accompanying the applicant is present to advise, and no statements or questioning by the advisor are allowed, except as follows. FHSU-AAUP may assist the applicant or speak on the applicant’s behalf regarding procedural due process if requested to do so by the applicant. However, the applicant may be required to provide information or in other ways explain the “problem. The scope of assistance provided by FHSU-AAUP with regard to procedural due process shall be limited to the definition adopted by the parties in Section 6 of the Tenure Article. The Provost or other administrative representative may address any misconceptions or sources of confusion regarding procedural due process. If deemed advisable by the committee, FHSU-AAUP may be invited to attend the organizing meeting of the committee in order to address procedural due process.

5. Promotion File Format

1. Promotion files will consist of a single three ring binder notebook no more than 2 inches thick.
2. All publications of the applicant need not be submitted as a part of the file, but a representative sample is required. For the service category, meetings attended shall be listed, but actual meeting announcements shall not be included.
3. Exceptions to the one notebook limit should be explained in the department Chair's letter of recommendation.
4. The promotion file emphasis should be on quality and not quantity.
5. Although the aesthetic appearance of the promotion file is not paramount, the file represents the applicant and consequently aesthetic cannot be ignored by those evaluating the applicant's file.
6. The format indicated below shall be utilized in preparation of the applicant's promotion file. (In exceptional cases, the candidate, in consultation with the immediate supervisor, may substitute other documentation related to the specific nature of one's employment.)
1. A statement by the applicant: This would normally be the last item the applicant prepares before submitting the promotion file to the department Chair.
   
   This statement should clearly state the applicant's qualifications for the promotion and focus attention on the unique strengths and credentials of the applicant.
   
   In addition, the statement should stress the activities and accomplishments of the applicant since the last promotion.
   
   The applicant should recognize that members of the various committees might not be entirely familiar with the applicant's particular academic field or emphasis. It is to the advantage of the applicant to explain the significance of his/her contributions or accomplishments to his or her selected field of emphasis. An applicant might, for example, comment on the relative importance of an exhibit in a gallery or on the professional reputation of a journal that features the applicant's work.
   
   A new statement must be prepared each year that the applicant is considered for promotion.


2. List of departmental/unit criteria for promotion.
3. The following recommendations; depending on the stage of review.
1. The departmental promotion committee’s recommendation.
2. The department Chair's recommendation.
3. The college promotion committee's recommendation.
4. Dean’s recommendation.
5. The university promotion committee’s recommendation
6. The Provost's recommendation.
7. Statements of responsibilities negotiated between the applicant and the Chair for the years under consideration.
4. Vita
1. Personal information
2. Education
3. Areas of expertise within a discipline
4. Courses taught since last promotion
5. Other
6. Date of appointment to the faculty at Fort Hays State University and date of last promotion
7. Prior service at other institution
8. Departmental and institutional service:
1. Since last promotion;
2. Other [See Part 5(G) (xii)]
9. Scholarly submissions, publications, and presentations:
   1. Since last promotion;
   2. Other [See Part 5(G) (xi)]
10. Research grants received:
1. Since last promotion;
2. Other [See Part 5(G) (xi)]
11. Honors and distinctions:
1. Since last promotion;
2. Other
12. Community service:
1. Since last promotion;
2. Other [See Part 5 (G) (xii)]
5. Evidence of teaching activities and excellence.
1. A chart summarizing course information for all of the applicant's classes since the last promotion or at least the last three years.The chart should indicate course level, the number of students enrolled and grade distribution (A - 12%, B- 27% etc.). Syllabi for at least two courses of the most recent semester should be included. The applicant should keep copies of all syllabi in one’s office, or available on-line, and be prepared to make them available should any level of review ask to see them.
2. Student ratings are only one source of data regarding the applicant's teaching skills.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to include other sources of validation as deemed appropriate by the applicant and the department Chair. Items "a." through "c." listed below must be included in the applicant's promotion file; item "d." is an item for the applicant to consider. The Chair and faculty member will determine what weight will be given to each of the items. Departmental policy shall establish weighting of each of these items.
1. tudent rating summaries for the last three years should be presented in summary form, e.g., bar graphs.Student rating summaries, as well as comparisons across departmental faculty and courses for the last three years along with an explanation of the comparisons, if appropriate, are to be included in the file.  Student’s written comments for the last three years, if available, should be typed and included in the file. Any exceptions to this rule must be explained in the Chair’s letter of recommendation. The applicant may include a statement of explanation regarding the student ratings of a particular class or particular student, if so desired.
2. Statements from the Chair or colleagues who have systematically observed classroom teaching or reviewed the applicant's classroom materials, e.g., course syllabi, assignments, tests, etc. This statement may be contained in a letter of recommendation from colleagues, and hence would be located in that section of this file; if so, the applicant should include a statement here referring to the letter.
3. Description of steps taken by the applicant in order to improve instructional and evaluation techniques generally, and in one's field in particular. Items that could be included are such things as participation in workshops, seminars, training sessions (local, regional, national, international) pertaining to one's field, to education generally, or to the use of technology in the classroom, etc. If these items are documented elsewhere, then merely refer to them and briefly explain them in this section.
4. Statements by alumni on the quality of the instruction in the applicant's classes.
6. Examples of scholarly writing/creative activity/research. Only a sampling of scholarly work should be presented; work that exemplifies the applicant at his or her best. The applicant should keep copies of all other such works (listed in the Vita) in one’s office, or available on-line, and be prepared to make them available should any level of review ask to see them.
7. Documentation of service. Only service documentation for the last year should be presented. Other documentation should be kept in one’s office, or available on-line, and the applicant should be prepared to make them available should any level of review ask to see them.
8. Colleague letters of evaluation: Local letters must have been written in the current school year for this particular promotion, but letters from off campus may be used for two years. It is recommended that there should be a minimum of three letters in this section of the file with a maximum of five letters. The department Chair should explain any exceptions to this requirement in the Chair's letter of recommendation written for the applicant. If the applicant wishes to keep older letters in the file, then the letters should be transferred to section ix of the file (Other materials), but only letters of recommendation written since the last promotion are permitted anywhere in the file.
9. Other material deemed appropriate by the applicant.

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