Faculty Policies Handbook:

3. Faculty

3.1.2 General Guidelines

3.1.11 Tenure To be eligible for tenure, one must hold a full-time appointment as a member of the faculty of instruction. The total period of full-time service prior to acquiring continuous tenure may not exceed seven years, including an allowance of up to three years of credit for previous full-time service with the rank of instructor or higher in university-level appointments in other institutions. The amount of credit for previous service must be established at the time of initial appointment. Four years of service at Drake is required prior to granting tenure, except with the special approval of the Board of Governors. University policies on conditions of tenure as stated in the Bylaws of the University, the Academic Charter, and the Faculty Manual are applicable in the College.

3.1.12 Promotion A faculty member appointed at the rank of instructor, pending completion of an advanced degree, may be promoted to the rank of assistant professor when the dean receives official notice that all requirements of the degree have been satisfied. The time required in rank for assistant and associate professors before eligibility for promotion is typically six years, including service in rank in another institution for which credit is granted at the time of appointment at Drake. In unusual circumstances, exceptions to the six-year requirement may be permitted.

3.1.21 All evaluation procedures and practices must comply with the established equal employment policy of the University and with the University Bylaws, Academic Charter, and Faculty Manual.3.1.22 At the beginning of the academic year, the Dean of the College, in consultation with the Provost and Department Chairs, shall conduct a detailed assessment of all positions occupied by prospective candidates for tenure to determine their long-term place in the University's programs and plans, taking into account the educational needs and resources of the University. Upon completion of this review, the Dean shall notify Department Chairs of a) the names and appointment dates of untenured faculty, specifically identifying those eligible for consideration for tenure; b) the names of those untenured faculty for whom tenure consideration is mandatory; and c) the names of those faculty holding positions subject to discontinuance for administrative reasons. The Dean shall also provide Department Chairs with the names of tenured and untenured faculty members whose years of service in rank qualify them for consideration for promotion.

3.1.23 To ensure a fair and impartial review, the faculty member under review must be informed of the procedures to be followed and the criteria to be applied in the review process and have access to all materials considered by the Departmental and College committees, except in instances where access is waived (see 3.1.62). The evaluation criteria shall be teaching, scholarship, service, and advising and mentoring unless different criteria are approved in writing and contained in the letter of appointment.

3.1.24 All individuals involved in the review process must be informed of the procedures applicable at each stage of the review and the performance criteria used to evaluate the candidate. Distribution of this handbook to all faculty shall be regarded as satisfying this requirement, provided that these individuals are also given copies of the department statements of criteria and procedures for faculty evaluations specified in the concluding paragraphs of 3.1.31, 3.1.32, and 3.1.33.3.1.25 Evaluation of a candidate for tenure and/or promotion shall take into account the evolution of the candidate's responsibilities as reflected in the assignments made and accepted and in initiatives undertaken by the candidate to accomplish the objectives stated in the criteria outlined below from the date of initial appointment to the time of consideration for tenure and/or promotion. These assignments and initiatives should be reflected in the annual evaluations in the candidate's personnel file.

3.1.26 Candidates are responsible for knowing the Criteria for Review of Faculty Performance (see 3.1.3 below) and for presenting a record of achievement in teaching, scholarship/creative activity, service, and advising and mentoring within the guidelines of these criteria. Any exceptions to or exemptions from the criteria and standards shall be recorded in writing.

3.1.27 The Guidelines for Preparing Credentials for Tenure and/or Promotion Review (addendum to the Faculty Handbook) shall be disseminated to all new tenure-track faculty in the College, and shall serve as a guide for preparation of credentials for promotion and/or tenure review. Faculty preparing credentials for review will be informed that the document provides helpful, but non-mandatory, guidelines for the preparation of such documents.The Guidelines for Preparing Credentials for Tenure and/or Promotion Review must be consistent with the policies on promotion and tenure as stated in Section 3.1 of this Handbook. Should any inconsistencies appear, Section 3.1 of the Handbook shall prevail. The Guidelines are to be reviewed by the Promotion and Tenure Committee at the conclusion of its deliberations each academic year, and any changes they may deem appropriate are to be submitted to the Arts and Sciences Council. Any change in the Guidelines must be approved by the Arts and Sciences Council.[Note: Initial Guidelines for Preparing Credentials for Tenure and/or Promotion Review were approved by the Council on February 12, 1992. Consistent with 3.1.27, proposed revisions were approved on April 7, 1993 and the revised copy was given to new tenure-track faculty, faculty to be reviewed in 1993-94, and department chairs. No revisions were proposed for 1994 throught 2000-01. In 2001-02 guidlines for evaluation of advising were added to the Guidelines.

3.1.28 Annual review of probationary (i.e. tenure-track) faculty leading to recommendations for reappointment or non-reappointment requires the participation of all tenured faculty in the department, allowing those who are on sabbatical or other leaves of absence and those in their final year before retirement to be excused. The evaluative memorandum presenting the recommendation to the Dean shall record who participated in making the recommendation, and the recommendation shall be signed by all tenured faculty (except those excused by the provision in this paragraph).First year faculty members who will not be recommended for reappointment for the subsequent year are to be so notified, by AAUP standards, as early in the academic year as possible, and not later than March 1. Recommendations concerning first-year faculty must therefore reach the Dean no later than February 15 to allow time for consultation and counseling.AAUP guidelines provide for early notification (December 15) of second-year faculty members in cases of non-reappointment for the subsequent year. Accordingly, recommendations regarding reappointment or non-reappointment of persons in each department must be made by the department, in accordance with established procedures, and submitted to the Dean no later than November 15, again, to allow time for consultation and counseling.Recommendations concerning the reappointment of third-, fourth-, and fifth-year faculty members must be submitted by February 15. Recommendations affecting third-year faculty are regarded as particularly critical. Persons for whom the eventual attainment of tenure is regarded as at all problematical should not be recommended for reappointment at any stage, but particularly not at this time. Persons not recommended for reappointment in the tenure-track will be given a terminal appointment for the subsequent year.Recommendations concerning candidates for tenure in the year of mandatory review are due in the Dean's office October 1. This means that department review processes must be completed by this time.In the evaluation leading to the recommendation at every stage, chairs and departments address both the strengths and the weaknesses of the faculty member in the areas of teaching, scholarship/creative activity, and service. The evaluation must reflect the agreed-upon standards of the department as well as those specified in this handbook.Questions that the recommendation is likely to raise should be the subject of a discussion between the department chair and the Dean at least several weeks before the recommendation is formally submitted. A conference between the Dean and the department chair about recommendations regarding reappointment or nonreappointment is desirable in all instances.