Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
Promotion and Tenure:
Key Changes to the Faculty Tenure Policy (2007)
Sections of the Faculty Tenure Policy on Criteria for Tenure and/or Promotion
The following sections of the Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure (2007) address the specific university-wide criteria for tenure and/or promotion. They are provided for quick reference to the criteria for tenure and/or promotion.
Section 7.11 General Criteria (for tenure). What the University of Minnesota seeks above all in its faculty members is intellectual distinction and academic integrity. The basis for awarding indefinite tenure to the candidates possessing these qualities is the determination that each has established and is likely to continue to develop a distinguished record of academic achievement that is the foundation for a national or international reputation or both [3]. This determination is reached through a qualitative evaluation of the candidate’s record of scholarly research or other creative work, teaching, and service [4]. The relative importance of these criteria may vary in different academic units, but each of the criteria must be considered in every decision [5]. Demonstrated scholarly or other creative achievement and teaching effectiveness must be given primary emphasis; service alone cannot qualify the candidate for tenure. Interdisciplinary work, public engagement, international activities and initiatives, attention to questions of diversity, technology transfer, and other special kinds of professional activity by the candidate should be considered when applicable. The awarding of indefinite tenure presupposes that the candidate’s record shows strong promise of his or her achieving promotion to professor.
[3] "Academic achievement" includes teaching as well as scholarly research and other creative work. The definition and relative weight of the factors may vary with the mission of the individual campus.
[4] The persons responsible and the process for making this determination are described in subsections 7.3 through 7.6.
"Scholarly research" must include significant publications and, as appropriate, the development and dissemination by other means of new knowledge, technology, or scientific procedures resulting in innovative products, practices, and ideas of significance and value to society.
"Other creative work" refers to all forms of creative production across a wide range of disciplines, including, but not limited to, visual and performing arts, design, architecture of structures and environments, writing, media, and other modes of expression.
"Teaching" is not limited to classroom instruction. It includes extension and outreach education, and other forms of communicating knowledge to both registered University students and persons in the extended community, as well as supervising, mentoring, and advising students.
"Service" may be professional or institutional. Professional service, based on one's academic expertise, is that provided to the profession, to the University, or to the local, state, national, or international community. Institutional service may be administrative, committee, and related contributions to one's department or college, or the University. All faculty members are expected to engage in service activities, but only modest institutional service should be expected of probationary faculty.[5] Indefinite tenure may be granted at any time the candidate has satisfied the requirements. A probationary appointment must be terminated when the appointee fails to satisfy the criteria in the last year of probationary service and may be terminated earlier if the appointee is not making satisfactory progress within that period toward meeting the criteria.
Section 9.2 Criteria for Promotion to Professor. The basis for promotion to the rank of professor is the determination that each candidate has (1) demonstrated the intellectual distinction and academic integrity expected of all faculty members, (2) added substantially to an already distinguished record of academic achievement, and (3) established the national or international reputation (or both) ordinarily resulting from such distinction and achievement [8]. This determination is reached through a qualitative evaluation of the candidate’s record of scholarly research or other creative work, teaching, and service [9]. The relative importance of these criteria may vary in different academic units, but each of the criteria must be considered in every decision. Interdisciplinary work, public engagement, international activities and initiatives, attention to questions of diversity, technology transfer, and other special kinds of professional activity by the candidate should be considered when applicable. But the primary emphasis must be on demonstrated scholarly or other creative achievement and on teaching effectiveness, and service alone cannot qualify the candidate for promotion.
[8] "Academic achievement" includes teaching as well as scholarly research and other creative work. The definition and relative weight of the factors may vary with the mission of the individual campus. Not being promoted to the rank of professor will not in itself result in special post-tenure review of a tenured associate professor.
[9] The persons responsible for this determination are the full professors in the unit who are eligible to vote. The outcome of the vote is either promotion to the rank of professor or continuation in rank as an associate professor. The procedures for voting are identical to those outlined in Section 7.4 for the granting of indefinite tenure, the nondisclosure of grounds for the decision (Section 7.5), and the review of recommendations (Section 7.6). In addition, a petition to the Judicial Committee for review of a recommendation of continuation in rank as an associate professor follows the procedures specified in Section 7.7 for decisions about promotion to associate professor and conferral of indefinite tenure.
All units (this includes colleges, campuses, departments, or divisions) are expected to make all criteria and standards of performance for securing tenure and/or promotion clear and unambiguous and to communicate the criteria and standards readily within a transparent process. This unit-based document is informally called a "7.12 statement", referring to Section 7.12 of the Faculty Tenure policy. Following an approval vote by the faculty of a unit, including both tenured and untenured faculty, 7.12 Statements are reviewed and approved at the collegiate or campus level and then by the Senior Vice President and Provost. Section 7.12 of Faculty Tenure (2007) is below:
Section 7.12 Departmental Statement. Each department or equivalent academic unit must have a document that specifies (1) the indices and standards that will be used to determine whether candidates meet the threshold criteria of subsection 7.11 (“General Criteria” for the awarding of indefinite tenure) and (2) the indices and standards that will be used to determine whether candidates meet the threshold criteria of subsection 9.2 (“Criteria for Promotion to Professor”). The document must contain as an appendix the text and footnotes of subsections 7.11 and 9.2, and must be consistent with the criteria given there but may exceed them. Each departmental statement must be approved by a faculty vote (including both tenured and probationary members), the dean, and other appropriate academic administrators, including the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. The chair or head of each academic unit must provide each probationary faculty member with a copy of the Departmental Statement at the beginning of the probationary service.
Section of the Faculty Tenure Policy Addressing the Extension of the Probationary Period
Probationary faculty members who want to extend the maximum time for probationary service must follow the procedures for Extending the Probationary Period for Tenure-Track Faculty as described in Section 5.5 of the Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure and in the Procedures for Reviewing Candidates for Promotion and/or Tenure: Tenure-Track or Tenured Faculty. Faculty must submit form 1626 (download PDF) to their academic unit head. This form is approved by the collegiate dean, campus chancellor, and the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences for AHC faculty and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for all faculty. This section of the Faculty Tenure policy is provided below:
5.5 Exception For New Parent Or Caregiver, Or for Personal Medical Reasons. The maximum period of probationary service will be extended by one year at the request of a probationary faculty member:
- On the occasion of the birth of that faculty member's child or adoptive/foster placement of a child with that faculty member; or
- When the faculty member is a major caregiver for a family member[2] who has an extended serious illness, injury, or debilitating condition. A faculty member may use this provision no more than two times; or
- When the faculty member has an extended serious illness, injury, or debilitating condition.
The request for extension must be made in writing within one year of the events giving rise to the claim and no later than June 30 preceding the year a final decision would otherwise be made on an appointment with indefinite tenure for that faculty member.
There is also a specific form for the extension of the maximum period of probationary service for Academic Professionals. This applies to a very small subsection of P & A employees who have probationary appointments that lead to a continuous appointment (in contrast to the more common annually renewable appointment). Form 1627 for continuous_P & A (download PDF)