In adhering to the OSU Faculty Handbook guidelines for promotion and tenure, the faculty of the Department of Microbiology have certain responsibilities for providing information necessary to their own case for promotion and tenure, and to contribute to the establishment, review and evaluation of candidates as they go forward. These guidelines are to ensure that the Promotion and Tenure (P&T) process is clear and consistent with College (CAS and COS) and University guidelines, and defines specific roles within the P&T committee. In the case of mid-tenure (3rd year) review of tenure-track faculty, all of the following apply with the exception of the requirement for external letters.

Committee membership

All faculty of at least the rank to which a candidate may be promoted are eligible and expected to participate in the P&T committee and in all discussions leading up to a vote for promotion and/or tenure. The following are exceptions that are not clear from University guidelines and we adopt the following policy:

• The Department P&T committee may invite faculty members with split appointments to participate on the committee and vote on specific P&T cases when the faculty member in question actively contributes to and interacts with the department through teaching, departmental meetings, and the like.
• Research appointments (FRA ranks, Research Professor ranks) are not eligible to vote on cases of promotion in the instructor ranks.
• Instructor rank faculty are not eligible to vote on cases for promotion of faculty in the FRA and Research Professor ranks.
• Courtesy and Adjunct faculty are not eligible to vote on P&T cases, but they may offer a separate letter to be included in “Other Letters and Materials” if that is deemed useful for evaluation of the dossier.
• Faculty on sabbatical are not expected to participate in cases arising during their sabbatical
• Any member of the committee may recuse themselves in the case of a perceived conflict of interest. In this case, the Chair of the P&T committee shall be notified in writing and the committee shall vote on whether to recuse the individual.

Committee leadership responsibilities

• The Chair(s) of the P&T will ensure that the review process proceeds according to the OSU Faculty Handbook and Department of Microbiology guidelines. They will call meetings of the P&T committee to review and discuss files and call for votes. They are responsible for ensuring adherence to deadlines for submission of the P&T committee letter to the department head.
• In the case of both instructional and tenure-track faculty, the chair of the candidate’s Peer Review of Teaching Committee will provide a letter of evaluation of teaching in time for inclusion in the material sent to external reviewers.
• In the case of instructional faculty, the chair of the candidate’s Peer Review of Teaching Committee will serve as lead for that promotion case and will be responsible for providing guidance to the candidate, and for soliciting any required letters to be included in the dossier.
• In the case of tenure track faculty, the candidate’s research mentor will serve as lead for that promotion case and will be responsible for providing guidance to the candidate, and for soliciting external letters to be included in the dossier.
• The P&T committee chair(s) will assign writers to compose the department P&T committee letter.

Department head responsibilities

• Provide the committee with all Position Descriptions used during the period of review.
• Solicit student letters evaluating the candidate’s teaching and mentoring and delegate a student committee to write a summary letter to be included in the dossier.
• Assist with any requests to add material to the dossier.
• Ensure that the dossier conforms to University and College guidelines.
• Writes the letter to the dean based on the dossier and recommendations of the department P&T committee.
• The department head does not participate in committee deliberations unless invited by the committee when additional information or clarification is needed for any point in the dossier.

Candidate responsibilities

• Candidates have the responsibility to maintain and update a curriculum vitae containing the required elements for the P&T dossier as stated in the OSU Faculty Senate Handbook. The candidate should consider material included in the “other materials” section, such as letters from university collaborators, instructional portfolios and any other material that would not be structurally evident in the CV.
• For all faculty, the complete dossier in electronic form is due no later than Sept 1 of the calendar year that the candidate is being considered for promotion and/or tenure.
• In addition to the completed dossier, the following are required:
  • A list of 3-6 recommended student participants in the review process, by May 1 of the calendar year that the candidate is being considered for promotion and/or tenure
  • A list of recommended (6) external reviewers by June 15 of the calendar year that the candidate is being considered for promotion and/or tenure.

These individuals should currently hold at least the rank (or rank equivalent) of the promotion the candidate is seeking. Selection of leading figures in the candidate’s field is encouraged. Candidates for promotion to Associate or Full Professor should recommend persons external to OSU who are ideally of senior rank and knowledgeable about the scope and impact of the candidate’s work. Candidates for promotion to Senior Instructor I or II or Senior FRA I or II should suggest reviewers both within the OSU community and external who are familiar with the expectations of the particular position; ideally these reviewers will be able to comment on the scope and impact of the candidate’s work.

As per University guidelines, materially significant developments between the Sept 1 CV submission date and the eventual decision can be identified and letters attesting to them added to the dossier at any point by notifying the chair of the relevant Department, College or University committee considering the case at the time. The Department Chair will assist in identifying the process to add material.

This document is subject to change as required by either formal changes to University guidelines via the Faculty Senate, College guidelines or the Office of Academic Affairs. This document may be formally revised upon majority vote of Department of Microbiology Faculty

Timeline

This is a general guideline, actual dates may vary annually

June 15

Candidates provide their list of reviewers, COI list, and do-not-ask list

July and August

Lead faculty member contacts reviewers, asking for letters by October 15

August 15

Peer teaching committee provides its letter to the candidate for inclusion in the dossier

August 24

Candidates provide their dossier and waiver to their lead faculty members and the department head for review

September 5

Reviewers and committee receive dossiers

October 1

Reviewers receive first reminder letter

October 10

Reviewers receive second reminder letter, if necessary

October 15

Committee receives external reviewer letters

October 16-20

Committee meets to discuss dossiers

October 20-30

Sub-committee writes evaluations, with faculty lead responsible

November 1-5

Committee meets, if necessary

November 10

Committee forwards evaluations to department head

December 1

Department head forwards package to Dean's office

December 7

Candidate sends rebuttal in response to department P&T letter to dean's office (or email stating no rebuttal)