2024-25 Sam Fox School Tenure and Promotion Calendar and Important Information

Here is a brief overview regarding dates and procedures for the Sam Fox School tenure and promotion process.

Tenure and Promotion Calendar

For those seeking tenure and/or promotion in the 2024-25 academic year, the following dates apply:

March 1, 2024: Deadline for letters from faculty to college director with intent to be considered for tenure and/or promotion in the 2024-25 academic year

By March 15, 2024: Tenure and Promotion Advisory Subcommittee (or mentor in the case of promotion to full professor) appointed by the college director to advise the candidate for tenure and/or promotion

April 1, 2024: External reviewer recommendations due to college director from the Advisory Subcommittee and the candidate

June 1-Aug. 1, 2024: Candidate materials for external review due to college director (college directors will provide a deadline)

Sept. 1-Oct. 1, 2024:  Deadline for letters from external reviewers

October/November 2024:  Eligible faculty review case materials and vote (within the college)

December 2024: Director letter(s) of recommendation due to the Dean

December 2024:  Sam Fox School Dean’s Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion reviews materials and votes

January 2025:  Promotion materials to the Office of the Provost (for cases not involving tenure)

February 2025:  Tenure materials to Office of the Provost (for tenure cases only)

March 2025:  Tenure cases provided to the Board of Trustees

Tenure and Promotion Process

The Tenure and Promotion Advisory Subcommittee is appointed by the director of the college by March 15. In the case of promotion with tenure or granting of tenure, the three-person subcommittee will include one or two of the candidate’s mentors as well as an additional member or members of the tenured faculty. This subcommittee will support the candidate in the tenure and/or promotion process and advise on the preparation of materials for external review. A chair will be designated by the college director. In the case of promotion to full professor, a mentor at the rank of full professor will support the candidate; if the candidate does not already have a faculty mentor, one will be assigned at that point.

Sam Fox School policy indicates that a minimum of six objective, external letters of evaluation should be secured for every case of tenure and/or promotion. Letters should be solicited from universities with well-regarded departments in the candidate’s field, and letters should be from well-regarded senior people in the field. Typically, evaluators will hold the rank of full professor; however, the director may use discretion in cases for tenure and promotion to associate professor and select associate professors as evaluators who add specific expertise or diversity to the external review process. One of the recommenders for tenure and/or promotion may be a highly ranked specialist in the field without academic affiliation.

The candidate and the subcommittee/mentor should independently develop lists of proposed external reviewers. The final list will be determined by the college director in consultation with the Advisory Subcommittee chair or mentor, in the case of promotion to professor. Ideally, at least three letters come from the committee/mentor list, without overlap on the candidate’s list. In order to guarantee six total letters, committees/mentors and candidates will provide between six and twelve qualified names each, with the total number to be determined by the school director.

Cases for promotion that do not involve decisions on tenure do not require approval by the University’s Board of Trustees. Once affirmative faculty votes have been cast on both the College and School levels, the Dean of the Sam Fox School drafts a letter to the Provost requesting approval of promotion, accompanied by the external letters and the basic dossier materials. The Provost reviews cases for promotion as they are received.

A sum up to $1,000 will be provided for candidate expenses associated with the production of materials for external review for all cases (tenure and/or promotion). Digital dossiers are encouraged.