Promotion and/or Tenure Procedures for Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty

I.  General

1. Guidelines for all policies and procedures affecting recommendations for promotion and/or tenure of tenure-track and tenured faculty shall fall within the principles, policies, and procedures set forth in the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations Sections 320.035 Policy and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure and 310.020 Regulations Governing Application of Tenure, policy Memorandum Number II-10 (dated Oct. 1, 1990), or its equivalent.

2. Any additional University and/or campus-wide guidelines not covered in I.A. shall be made available to the faculty at the beginning of each academic year.

II.  Procedure

1. Department Level
   1. 1. Recommendations for promotion and/or tenure for persons holding rank in an academic department will be initiated in that department.
      2. Each department chairperson shall prepare a departmental review procedure which shall provide for faculty participation consistent with the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations 320.035 Policy and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure. In the promotion and/or tenure review process, the department chairperson shall attach to each dossier a copy of the departmental faculty procedures with specific references to faculty participation. The department may establish special criteria for recommending promotion and/or tenure, providing that such special criteria conform to the general guidelines listed in Section I. The department chairperson shall make the procedures and criteria available to the faculty.
      3. All evidence relevant to a recommendation for promotion and/or tenure shall be directed to the department chairperson.
      4. The files on candidates as assembled by the department chairperson shall at all times be available to the candidate (with the exception of confidential matter) and to the appropriate review committees at the campus level. A reasonable period of time in advance of his/her action on the recommendations, the department chairperson shall advise all candidates so that the candidate may ensure the currency of information made available to the department chairperson. The promotion and/or tenure files as assembled in the department shall normally be considered complete (and closed) at the time of the chairperson's action. If, during the course of review of a promotion and/or tenure decision beyond the departmental level (during an appeal procedure, for example), any major documentation is added to the dossier, the dossier shall be returned to the department for review and recommendation.

      5. The department chairperson shall then review all data submitted or received in regard to the proposed recommendation, including the recommendations of the departmental promotion and tenure committee. The department chairperson shall communicate, in writing, the recommendations of the departmental promotion and tenure committee to the candidate. In the event of a negative recommendation, the candidate shall have the option of preparing a rebuttal as described in Section III.A of this document.

      6. After reaching his/her recommendations, whether favorable or unfavorable, the department chairperson shall advise in writing each candidate of the action taken with respect to their candidacy. Further the department chairperson shall offer to discuss with the candidate involved any decision regarding promotion or tenure.   In the event of a negative recommendation, the candidate shall have the option of preparing a rebuttal as described in Section III.B of this document.

      7. All recommendations by the department chairperson along with all documentation and attachments shall be forwarded to the Provost. Each dossier shall follow the general outline available from the office of the Provost. Appendices of supporting material may be submitted, but should be assembled in a separate package.

B.    Campus Level

        1. There shall be a campus review committee consisting of one faculty member from each academic department.  Elected faculty members shall be elected by a vote of their department and serve for a two-year period.

 Membership of the campus review committee shall consist of full-time tenured full professors.  Any administrator with promotion and/or tenure decision-making authority over faculty members including, but not limited to department chairs, provosts (as well as vice provosts), and the chancellor, shall not serve on the campus review committee.

Departments with an insufficient number of eligible full professors may substitute tenured associate professors who shall recuse themselves from voting on tenure for full professors and promotion to full professor.  Departments with an insufficient number of tenured professors must find a tenured faculty member to represent the candidate as suggested by the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations 320.035 Policy and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure.

The campus review committee is further organized into area subcommittees whose membership is defined in Section II.B.8 of this document.

The Provost’s office will provide administrative support to the campus review committee.

2. At the start of the preceding spring semester, the Provost shall establish deadlines for the departmental recommendations, area subcommittee and campus review committee meetings, and responses to Conformance to General Guidelines as defined in II.B.4.a of this document.

3.  The campus review committee shall elect its own chair and shall establish procedures for reviewing recommendations brought to it by the Provost.

a. Area subcommittees shall review the relevant dossiers and provide a report including a vote to the full campus review committee for review of recommendations. 

b. The full campus review committee shall vote on each dossier.

4.  The campus review committee shall first ascertain that all procedures and criteria used within the respective department conform to the General Guidelines listed in Section I.

a. If the procedures and criteria used within the respective department do not conform to the General Guidelines, the campus review committee shall inform the department chair in writing and state what specific action the department must take and shall return all recommendations from the department without prejudice to any individual's recommendation or appeal. The campus review committee shall then allow a reasonable period of time for compliance with or appeal to its decision.

b. When the procedures and criteria used within the respective department conform to the General Guidelines, the campus review committee shall review each recommendation and/or appeal request.

5.  The campus review committee shall submit its promotion and/or tenure recommendations to the Provost.  The Provost shall communicate, in writing, the recommendations of the area subcommittee and of the campus review committee to the candidate.  In the event of a negative recommendation from either the area subcommittee or the campus review committee, the candidate shall have the option of preparing a rebuttal as described in Section III.A of this document.

6.  The Provost’s review shall be consistent with the requirements of the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations 320.035 Policy and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure.  The Provost shall advise in writing each candidate of the action taken with respect to their candidacy. Further the Provost shall offer to discuss with the candidate involved any decision regarding promotion and/or tenure. In the event of a negative recommendation, the candidate shall have the option of preparing a rebuttal as described in Section III.B of this document. The Provost provides a written recommendation back to the campus committee who, in turn, has the discretion to submit a supplemental report to the chancellor. The Provost shall transmit to the Chancellor his/her promotion and/or tenure recommendations along with appropriate forms and supporting information.

7.  Recommendations from the campus review committee and decisions from the Chancellor follow the procedures described in the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations Sections 320.035 Policy and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure and 310.020 Regulations Governing Application of Tenure.

8.  Procedures for the Establishment and Maintenance of Areas

a. Area Subcommittees shall be proposed/reviewed by the Tenure Committee and submitted to the Faculty Senate (FS)

b. The FS makes a recommendation to the Provost based on the proposal.

c. The Provost refers the recommendation to the Committee of Department Chairs for review.

d. The Committee of Department Chairs (CDC), by their own procedures, finalizes area membership and reports to the Provost for inclusion in the P&T Procedures.

e. On a yearly basis, the Tenure committee reviews the area membership and files a report with FS.  On a five year cycle, the Tenure committee proposes area changes (if any) – Refer to Step 8.a

i. During academic years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, area committee membership may change each year.

ii. New departments/programs or merger of departments/programs shall warrant immediate area committee reconsideration.

f. Proposed Initial Area Committees

The indicated departments shall comprise the following area committees:

•        Social Sciences: Business, Psychology, Economics. 

•        Sciences: Biology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics.

•        Engineering: Chemical and Biological, Civil, Architectural and Environmental, Geological Sciences and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mining and Nuclear and Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace, Electrical and Computer, Interdisciplinary, Engineering Management/Systems Engineering.

•        Arts and Humanities: Arts Languages and Philosophy, English, History & Political Science.

III. Appeal Policy and Procedure

Appeals of tenure decisions follow procedures outlined in University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations 310.020 Regulations Governing Application of Tenure. Appeals of recommendations from subcommittees, committees, department chairs and the Provost follow the following procedure:

A.  Subcommittee and Committee recommendations

A candidate who receives a negative recommendation from any committee in the procedures of Section II of this document will be informed by letter through the appropriate administrator giving the vote and the reasons for the recommendation (redacted of any identifying or confidential information).  The candidate will have a reasonable period of time (as indicated in the Provost’s schedule as set by Section II.B.2) to write a rebuttal to this letter and include any additional documentation for the next step in the review process. 

B. Department Chair and Provost recommendations

A candidate who receives a negative recommendation from any administrative officer in the procedures of Section II of this document, will be informed by letter from the appropriate administrator giving the recommendation. The candidate may request a hearing before said administrative officer making the recommendation (at a time indicated in the Provost’s  schedule as set by Section II.B.2). The candidate will have a reasonable period of time to write a rebuttal to this letter and include any additional documentation for the next step in the review process. 

Regardless of whether the recommendation is positive or negative at that step, the dossier and rebuttal, if any, will move forward to the next step unless the faculty member wishes to withdraw from the process.