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Service often involves activities beyond the campus that develop and sustain important
connections between the College and the larger community.
III.B.1. Pre-tenure Reviews
Non-tenured, tenure-track faculty members will be evaluated in two pre-tenure reviews. .
Favorable pre-tenure reviews are not to be construed as an assurance that tenure will be granted
at the end of the probationary period.
Pre-tenure reviews typically take place in the faculty member’s second and fourth year as an
assistant professor. At the beginning of those academic years, the Provost will inform the
Promotion and Tenure Committee of all faculty members who will be undergoing the pre-tenure
review. The faculty member prepares an assessment of his or her teaching, scholarship and
service. This self-assessment, a current CV, all numerical course evaluation scores, and a
representative sampling of responses to narrative course evaluation questions should be
submitted to the Department Chair no later than January 20. The Department Chair will add the
Department’s assessment of the candidate’s teaching (based on classroom observations and
review of teaching evaluations), scholarship, and service, and submit the entire dossier to the
Area Chair no later than February 1. The Area Chair discusses progress toward tenure with the
faculty member and the Department Chair. The Area Chair prepares a written summary of the
faculty member’s progress toward tenure and the discussion held with the faculty member and
Department Chair. This summary is shared with the Provost. A copy of the summary is placed in
the faculty member’s file for later use in the promotion and tenure review process, and a copy is
given to the faculty member.
III.B.2. Procedures for Granting Tenure
Tenure is granted to members of the Faculty by the College through the President, to whom this
authority has been delegated, and goes into effect following ratification by the Board of Trustees.
This action is taken only after a detailed examination of a faculty member’s work at the College
and of his or her professional accomplishments. Tenure is rarely offered with the initial
appointment of a senior academic to the College Faculty. A candidate for tenure is expected to
hold the appropriate terminal degree. Normally, no member of the Faculty may teach more than
seven years at the College without being granted tenure. Exceptions are made only in those
special circumstances where the College determines that a term contract is appropriate.
All tenure recommendations are confidential until acted on by the President, with whom the final
decision rests for promotion, tenure, and non-reappointment. However, if the President intends to
pursue an action other than that recommended by the Promotion and Tenure Committee, the
President, or the Provost acting on the President’s behalf, will meet with the Promotion and
Tenure Committee to discuss the difference. If the President and the Committee continue to
disagree, the President will report the facts surrounding the disagreement to the Chair of the
Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees may review the action of the President if the Board
deems such a review as necessary.