Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost

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Promotion and Tenure

2006-2007 Tenure Revision Process

On June 7, 2007, the Board of Regents approved historic changes in the Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure. These changes represent a faculty-driven process to increase the rigor in tenure and promotion standards at the University of Minnesota while increasing the flexibility of the standards to improve work-life balance for faculty.

Download PDF: Rationale and Process for Revising the Regents Policy for Faculty Tenure

Note: For some faculty hired prior to fall 2007, the 2001 policy is still applicable for promotion and/or tenure:

Download PDF: 2001 Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure

Tenure is the keystone for academic freedom and excellence, awarded for academic and professional merit. The Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure is the comprehensive institutional code that articulates the formal relationship between the University and its faculty. The tenure code was adopted by the Board of Regents in 1945 and continues to uphold "the conviction that a well-defined statement of rules is essential to the protection of academic freedom and to the promotion of excellence at the University of Minnesota. A well-designed promotion and tenure system ensures that considerations of academic quality will be the basis for academic personnel decisions, and thus provides the foundation for academic excellence." (Preamble, Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure)
Download PDF: 2007 Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure

2008-2009 Workshops

Promotion and Tenure Workshop for Probationary Faculty
This is an annual workshop for probationary, tenure-track faculty at any stage who are interested in learning about the promotion and tenure process. The workshop will include information about recent changes to the tenure code and to the administrative procedures governing promotion and/or tenure, new departmental 7.12 statements, and a dialogue with faculty panelists who have been recently tenured.

Workshops are scheduled for:

  • May 21, 2009, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (location TBD)
  • May 27, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (location TBD)

Promotion to Full Professor Workshops
These are workshops for associate professors about promotion to full professor. Workshops include information about the newly approved tenure code and how it addresses promotion to full professor, as well as a panel of recently promoted full professors.

Workshops are scheduled for:

  • November 13, 2008, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  • May 19, 2009, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. (location TBD)

Previous workshop presentations:

For more information about these workshops, please contact Karen Zentner Bacig.

2007-2008 Tenure, Promotion, and Appointment Guidelines:
Faculty, Academic Professional, and Administrative Staff

2007-2008 Schedule and Guidelines for Submission of Faculty Tenure, Promotion, or Nonreappointment Recommendations and Annual Appraisals of Probationary Faculty (download PDF)

2007-2008 Guidelines for: 1) Due Dates for Recommendations for Continuous Appointment, 2) Due Dates for Annual Appraisals of Probationary Academic Professionals, 3) Non-reappointment and Non-renewal Notice Dates for Academic Professional and Administrative Staff, and 4) Promotions of Academic Professionals (download PDF)

Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE)

The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) is a project of Harvard University.  All University of Minnesota probationary faculty members on the Twin Cities campus who joined the University prior to the summer of 2005 were invited to complete a survey, along with probationary faculty at institutions across the country.  The survey asks faculty to assess their experiences regarding promotion and tenure, the nature of their work, policies and practices, and the general climate, culture and level of collegiality on their campuses.

Provided here is a PowerPoint presentation by Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Arlene Carney that summarizes and highlights some of the key findings for the University of Minnesota, along with a copy of the survey instrument.

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