SELECTION OF COLLEGE COMMITTEE
The College Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee shall consist of tenured faculty members who have achieved the rank of professor--one representative elected from each department.
Eligibility: To be eligible to serve on the Promotion and Tenure Committee, members must be tenured professors or tenured associate professors not serving as an Academic Administrator as defined by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. To be eligible to serve as the Energy and Mineral Engineering representative to the Earth and Mineral Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee, the representative must be a tenured professor who is not serving as an Academic Administrator and who has previous experience on the departmental promotion and tenure committee but has not served in the previous two years.
Members, Size and Composition: The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be composed of five tenured faculty members elected by the entire faculty. At least three will be at the rank of professor. Three members of the committee shall be elected each year. Eligibility will be restricted to tenured faculty. The two faculty members receiving the most votes will serve two-year terms. If any of the two faculty members with the most votes served in the previous year, however, they will be limited to a one-year term. The faculty member receiving the third most votes will serve a one-year term. Each faculty member may vote for three candidates in the election. After serving on the committee for two consecutive years, a faculty member may not serve for the following two years. A faculty member elected to a one-year term on the committee will be ineligible to serve on the committee in the second year following the expiration of the one-year term. The chair of the committee must hold the rank of Professor and shall be elected annually by the membership of the committee for a one-year term. Chairs may serve multiple successive terms. Per AC23, the P&T committee may seek non-binding input from other EME senior faculty members, as needed.
Election procedures: Elections shall be held at the end of each spring semester, after May 15, for a term of July 1 that year until June 30 the following year. The department shall notify all faculty of the election results within one week of the election. Eligibility for election will be based on a faculty member’s rank or expected rank as of July 1 (the start of the service year on the committee). All tenure-track and tenured faculty members, excluding those serving as an Academic Administrator as defined by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, are eligible to vote. A faculty member on sabbatical leave for the coming year is not eligible to be a candidate. A faculty member taking sabbatical leave in her/his second year of their term may not serve on the P&T committee while on sabbatical. In such cases, the Department Head shall hold a special election for a one-year term on the P&T committee. Election of the representative to the EMS committee shall be held first, followed by election for members of the Energy and Mineral Engineering committee. The ballot will be organized into sections for votes on the Professor ranked member and votes on the Associate Professor ranked member, with one vote allowed in each category. If any election is needed for a replacement to fill out a term, that will be conducted as a separate ballot following elections for the full-term members. The top vote recipients will be elected. Tie votes shall be resolved by a run-off election of those individuals receiving the same number of votes. The election of the chair for the Energy and Mineral Engineering committee will be held immediately once the members have been established. Faculty members who are elected may not decline to serve, except in unusual circumstances when permission from the Department Head is required
Representative: The representative to the EMS promotion and tenure committee shall be elected for a three-year term and shall be eligible for renewal.
Duties: Working within college and university (AC-23) guidelines, the promotion and tenure committee has the following responsibilities:
- The promotion and tenure committee shall conduct formal evaluations of the progress of pre-tenure faculty towards tenure and/or initial promotion. These evaluations shall culminate in a formal written evaluation and recommendation for granting of tenure or promotion (if applicable) submitted to the Department Head as per the schedule set out by the Department Head.
- The promotion and tenure committee shall conduct formal evaluations of Associate Professors seeking promotion to Professor, when such candidates are identified, including by candidate’s request, and put forward by the Department Head. These evaluations shall culminate in a formal written evaluation and recommendation for granting of promotion (if applicable) submitted to the Department Head as per the schedule set out by the Department Head. Evaluations for promotion to the rank of Professor shall follow the rules specified in AC23, “Only tenured faculty should be eligible to serve on peer tenure and promotion committees, and only faculty of higher rank than the candidate should make recommendations about promotion”. Committee members holding the rank of Associate Professor shall be excluded from participating in deliberations around evaluations for promotion to Professor and may not vote on any such promotions.
- At the request of the Department Head, the promotion and tenure committee shall conduct informal evaluations of Associate Professors who seek to be put forth for promotion to Professor in the following academic year. The evaluations will culminate in an informal review of the faculty member’s progress towards promotion. A recommendation by the committee for a full review in the next cycle is not a determination of whether a promotion is justified or not and should not influence the formal review process or final decision about the candidate. For these informal review cases, the associate professor needs to prepare an up-to-date dossier and provide the document to the department head by February 16th of the year prior to when the promotion is formally sought. The department head will forward the dossier to the departmental P&T committee chair for informal review of the entire committee. If an associate professor fails to provide an up-to-date promotion dossier in a given year, the presumption is that the candidate does not want to be given consideration for promotion in the following year.
- Where applicable and requested by the Department Head, the committee will evaluate faculty members in non-tenure track academic ranks (as described in AC-21) for promotion.
- The promotion and tenure committee shall conduct an annual review of this policy document, and the Chair will alert the Department Head of any revisions that the committee believes may be necessary.
Format for P&T committee's meetings: Consistent with University guidance, every Promotion and Tenure committee must decide at the outset whether all meetings will occur in-person or virtually if there is a significant reason to do so. Meeting format should remain the same throughout the P&T cycle. Prior to the committee’s first meeting, committee members must formulate a plan for meetings and decide upon one meeting mode (in-person or virtual) for all of the committee’s meetings. Promotion and Tenure committees may not meet via a hybrid approach (i.e., with some members in person and some virtual). For extenuating circumstances, one-time exceptions to keeping meeting format consistency during the cycle would need to be approved by the majority of the committee with the concurrence of the Department Head.
Format of EME P&T teaching peer-review evaluations: Peer teaching reviews in EME will be based on observations collected during class visitations by faculty evaluators. Feedback must be provided though the same standardized evaluation form, which must be agreed upon by the committee prior to the start of the evaluations of the cycle. For classes delivered in mixed (remote and in-person) mode, evaluations based on in-class visitations should be given preference. For classes exclusively in remote mode, evaluations based on synchronous participation in class should be given preference for performing the peer review.
Vacancies: If a member of the EME Promotion and Tenure Committee or the Representative to the EMS Promotion and Tenure Committee resigns their position, retires, or is unable to fill a full term, a replacement of the same academic rank shall be selected to fill the remaining term. When any vacancy occurs, the replacement to fill the open term will be selected through a special election in which faculty who are eligible to vote can vote for one candidate from the set of eligible candidates.
Under-performing Committee Member: If the faculty member is not fulfilling their duties, the P&T committee chair and/or department head may meet with the committee member to discuss ways the person can better meet obligations. However, the department head should not request the member’s resignation or take part in replacing the member. If the faculty member continues to be unable to meet their obligations to the committee, the P&T committee can vote to remove the member, and then a new member will be elected by a vote from the department faculty through normal voting procedures (detailed earlier).
Changes to this departmental policy are discussed in a faculty meeting and voted on by the tenured and tenure- track faculty with tenure-home in Energy and Mineral Engineering on September 27, 2023.
Eligibility: To be eligible to serve on the Promotion and Tenure Committee, members must be tenured professors or tenured associate professors not serving as an Academic Administrator. To be eligible to serve as the Geography representative to the Earth and Mineral Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee, the representative must be a tenured professor who is not serving as an Academic Administrator and who has previous experience on the departmental promotion and tenure committee but has not served in the previous two years.
Size and Composition: The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of five people including one elected chair and four elected members, two associate professors and three professors. There shall be one department representative to the EMS Promotion and Tenure Committee.
Election procedures: Elections shall be held at the end of each spring semester for the following academic year. All tenure-track and tenured faculty members, excluding those serving as an Academic Administrator, are eligible to vote. A faculty member on sabbatical leave for the coming year is not eligible to be a candidate. Election of the representative to the EMS committee shall be held first, followed by election for members of the Geography committee with each eligible faculty member voting for two candidates (unranked) to fill the two elected positions open each year (see explanation below of staggered terms). The top two vote recipients will be elected. Tie votes shall be resolved by a run-off election of those individuals receiving the same number of votes. The chair for the Geography committee will be held immediately once the members have been established.
Chair: The Chair shall be elected every year for a one-year term. The Chair must be a professor and be elected from among the three professors serving on the committee during the coming year. Chairs may serve multiple successive terms.
Representative: The representative to the EMS committee shall be elected for a two-year term and shall be eligible for renewal.
Members: Professors shall be elected for three-year terms. Terms will be staggered among members to ensure regular change in membership. Professors may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms followed by a two-year break, during which time they are not eligible.
Associate Professors shall be elected for a two-year term. Terms will be staggered among members to ensure regular change in membership. Associate Professors may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms followed by a two-year break during which time they are not eligible.
At the end of every spring semester two members shall be elected to serve for their appropriate term. Elected members may be either associate professors or professors. The ballot will be organized into sections for votes on the Professor ranked member and votes on the Associate Professor ranked member, with one vote allowed in each category. If any election is needed for a replacement to fill out a term, that will be conducted as a separate ballot following elections for the full term members.
Vacancies: If a member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee or the Representative to EMS resigns his/her position, or is unable to fill a full term, a replacement of the same academic rank shall be selected to fill the remaining term using the procedure specified below.
Under-performing Committee Member: If the faculty member is not fulfilling their duties, the P&T committee chair and/or department head may meet with the committee member to discuss ways the person can better meet obligations. However, the department head should not request the member’s resignation or take part in replacing the member. If the faculty member continues to be unable to meet their obligations to the committee, the P&T committee can vote to remove the member, and then a new member will be elected by a vote from the department faculty through normal voting procedures (detailed above/below).
When any vacancy occurs, the replacement to fill the open term will be selected through a special election in which faculty who are eligible to vote can vote for one candidate from the set of eligible candidates.
Changes to this departmental policy are discussed in a faculty meeting and voted on by the tenured and tenure-track faculty with tenure-home in geography.
Adopted by the Geography Faculty April 18
There shall be a single departmental committee to consider matters of promotion and tenure on the University Park campus.
Eligibility: To be eligible to serve on the Promotion and Tenure Committee, members must be tenured professors not serving in an academic administrative position.
Size and Composition: This committee shall be composed of five tenured faculty members elected by the entire faculty. At least three must be at the rank of professor.
Election/Appointment Procedures: Three members of the committee shall be elected each year. Each faculty member may vote for two committee members in the election. The Head of the Department of Geosciences shall be excluded from membership on the committee.
Term Lengths and Leadership of the Department Committee: The two eligible faculty members who receive the most votes will serve two-year terms; the third will serve a one-year term. After completion of a two-year term of service, the member may not serve on the departmental promotion and tenure committee for the following two years. The Chair of the committee shall be elected annually by the membership of the committee.
EMS College Committee Representation: The departmental representative to the College Promotion and Tenure Committee serves a three-year term. Therefore, every three years an election for this position shall be held with votes being cast by all tenure-line faculty, with the Department Committee Chairs from two, three, and four years prior as candidates for election to the College P&T Committee. For example, in Spring 2016 the Departmental Committee Chairs from spring 2012, 2013 and 2014 will form the slate of candidates. The candidate with the most votes will be appointed to a three-year term. At the discretion of the Department Head, the serving chair could be reappointed to serve a second term.
Under-performing Committee Members/Replacement Procedures:
Committee Member Requests Replacement
- If the Faculty Member cannot fulfill their duties due to time restraints, travel schedule, or research needs, they may request removal from their P&T Committee responsibilities
- Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the Election procedures captured above)
Under-performing Committee Member
- If the Faculty Member is not fulfilling their duties, for any reason, the P&T Committee Chairperson, the Dean and/or department head (as appropriate to committee level) may meet with the under-performing committee member to discuss behaviors, causes of behaviors, and ways to meet obligations. However, neither the dean nor the department head should request the member’s resignation or take part in replacing the member
- If the Faculty Member continues to be unable to meet their obligations to the committee, the under-performing committee member may be replaced by a vote from the department’s P&T Committee members or a vote from the department faculty
- Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the Election procedures captured above)
The Department P&T Committee Chair two years prior serves as the EMS P&T Committee Representative (i.e., Professor X was the department committee chair in 12-13 so he serves as the EMS representative in 14-15).
Eligibility: To be eligible to serve on the Promotion and Tenure Committee, members must be tenured professors not serving in an academic administrative position.
Size and Composition: The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of five people including one chair and four members, all of whom are tenured and hold the rank of professor. There shall be one representative to the Earth and Mineral Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee.
Election/Appointment Procedures: Elections shall be held at the end of each spring semester for the following academic year. All tenure-track and tenured faculty members, excluding those holding academic administrative appointments, are eligible to vote. Each year the department head will nominate a new member of the committee at a department faculty meeting. Nominees will be selected based on time since last service, as well as balance on the committee with respect to discipline and diversity. Additional nominations may be made at the faculty meeting, including self-nominations. A faculty member on sabbatical leave for the coming year is not eligible to be a candidate. After the faculty meeting an electronic vote will take place as to the suitability of the faculty candidate(s) to serve on the committee.
Term Lengths and Leadership of the Department Committee: EEach committee member will serve for five years. The committee member serving his/her fourth year will be the chair of the committee.
EMS College Committee Representation: To be eligible to serve as the Materials Science and Engineering representative on the Earth and Mineral Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee, the representative must be a tenured professor who has previous experience on the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee. The representative will be selected by the department head, approved by the faculty, and will serve on the college committee for three years.
Vacancies: If a member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee or the representative to the Earth and Mineral Sciences Committee resigns his or her position or otherwise fill a full term due to illness, sabbatical, extensive travel in fulfillment of professional duties, or other reasons, a replacement shall be elected to fill the remaining term using the same process described above. If the chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee is unable to fulfill his or her duties, the member serving his/her third year shall become chair of the committee.
Under-performing Committee Members/Replacement Procedures
Committee Member Requests Replacement: If the faculty member cannot fulfill their duties due to time restraints, travel schedule, or research needs, they may request removal from their P&T committee responsibilities. Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the Election/Appointment procedures captured above).
Under-performing Committee Member:
If the faculty member is not fulfilling their duties, for any reason, the P&T committee chairperson, the dean and/or department head (as appropriate to committee level) may meet with the under-performing committee member to discuss behaviors, causes of behaviors, and ways to meet obligations. However, neither the dean nor the department head should request the member’s resignation or take part in replacing the member. If the faculty member continues to be unable to meet their obligations to the committee, the under-performing committee member may be replaced by a vote from the department’s P&T committee members or a vote from the department faculty. Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the Election/Appointment procedures captured above).
Revised and approved by the Faculty, Spring 2021
Eligibility: Full professors
Size: 3 members, 1 of whom is chair.
Election: Each spring, the department head looks ahead to likely P&T activities during the coming academic year. The head identifies needed disciplinary expertise and approaches full professors to ask if they would be willing to serve if elected. Consideration is given to continuity from year-to-year and having someone with past experience as a member of this committee. The chair is also identified in this process. This slate of 3 is then brought to the full faculty for a vote during the last faculty meeting of the spring semester.
Term lengths: Service is for 1 year, with potential for renewal. There are no restrictions on the number of years that someone can serve.
EMS College Committee P&T Representative: The college P&T representative is selected by the department head and will be a full professor.
Vacancies: If needed, the head will suggest replacement(s) for any vacancies and bring these to the faculty for a vote.
Procedure changes: The head would discuss any changes with the faculty and seek approval.
Under-performing Committee Members/Replacement Procedures
Committee Member Requests Replacement: If the faculty member cannot fulfill their duties due to time restraints, travel schedule, or research needs, they may request removal from their P&T committee responsibilities. Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the election procedures captured above).
Under-performing Committee Member:
If the faculty member is not fulfilling their duties, for any reason, the P&T committee chairperson, the dean and/or department head (as appropriate to committee level) may meet with the under-performing committee member to discuss behaviors, causes of behaviors, and ways to meet obligations. However, neither the dean nor the department head should request the member’s resignation or take part in replacing the member. If the faculty member continues to be unable to meet their obligations to the committee, the under-performing committee member may be replaced by a vote from the department’s P&T committee members or a vote from the department faculty. Replacement of the member will follow the department's normal appointing procedures (found in the election procedures captured above).
Affirmed by Meteo Faculty, 4/18/2023