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III.B.3. Procedures for Granting Promotion in Rank
Promotion 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. The College requires a faculty member
to hold the appropriate terminal degree to be eligible for promotion in rank. The College, at the
Provost’s discretion, may consider an exception when a faculty member has demonstrated
exceptional research, scholarship, and/or creative work.
All promotion recommendations are confidential until acted on by the President, with whom the
final decision rests. 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.
Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor normally requires a minimum of six
years’ full-time teaching experience at the college or university level. Promotion from Assistant
Professor to Associate Professor usually accompanies tenure and always involves the same
expectations.
Faculty may apply for promotion to the rank of Professor during or after their eighth year of
service in the rank of Associate Professor. (Promotion in rank prior to the normal term of service
may be recommended by the Provost only in exceptional circumstances.) Promotion to Professor
is not automatic once sufficient years have accrued.
If the Promotion and Tenure Committee decides not to recommend promotion to Professor, the
Committee will provide a rationale to the Provost in reaching its recommendation. The Provost
will communicate the substance of that recommendation to the faculty member. Associate
Professors may reapply for promotion after a term of three years.
III.B.3.a. Application for Promotion
The application, review, and approval procedures and deadlines for promotion in rank are
the same as those articulated for tenure applications, except that applications for
promotion to Professor need only cover the time since the candidate’s promotion to
Associate Professor. For candidates for promotion to Professor, the letter of
recommendation prepared by the Promotion and Tenure committee when tenure was
awarded will be added to the file by the Provost. Candidates for promotion in rank
should also include all post-tenure review letters written by their Area Chairs since the
time they received tenure.