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Handbook of Operating Procedures
Chapter 2 - Faculty and Academics
Publication Date:August 16, 2018
Policy Reviewed Date: September 11, 2020
Policy Owner: VP for Academic Affairs


2.10 Faculty Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure


I. POLICY STATEMENT


The purpose of promotion at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is to recognize and reward faculty with records of sustained professional accomplishment that contribute to the university mission and who demonstrate future potential in support of UTSA’s dedication to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement, and public service.  


II. RATIONALE


Reappointment, promotion and tenure policy at UTSA accords with University of Texas (UT) System policy as set forth in the Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations Rule 31007 Tenure and Rule 31001 Faculty Appointments and Titles.


III. SCOPE


This policy applies to all UTSA tenured and tenure-track faculty.


IV. WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY


http://www.utsa.edu/hop/chapter2/2.10.html


V. RELATED STATUTES, POLICIES, REQUIREMENTS OR STANDARDS


UTSA or UT System Policies or the Board of Regents' Rules & Regulations

  1. Board of Regents’ Rule 31001 Faculty Appointments and Titles
  2. Board of Regents’ Rule 31002 Notice of Nonrenewal to Non-tenured Faculty Members
  3. Board of Regents’ Rule 31007 Tenure
  4. UTSA HOP policy 1.33, Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment, and Outside Activities
  5. UTSA HOP policy 2.09, External Joint Appointments
  6. UTSA HOP policy 2.13, Termination and Nonreappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member
  7. UTSA HOP policy 2.14, Faculty Workload and Minimum Faculty Teaching Requirement
  8. UTSA HOP policy 2.24, Third Year Review
  9. UTSA HOP policy 2.36, Procedures for Review of a Nonreappointment of a Nontenured Tenure-Track Faculty Member

VI. CONTACTS


If you have any questions about HOP policy 2.10, Faculty Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure, contact the following office:

Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
210-458-4110


VII. DEFINITIONS


Tenure: Tenure denotes a status of continuing appointment as a member of the faculty at UTSA.  Only members of the faculty with the academic titles of Professor or Associate Professor may be granted tenure.  Only untenured members of the faculty with the academic titles of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor are tenure-eligible and are hereafter designated as “tenure-track” faculty.  Tenure may be granted at the time of appointment to the rank of Professor or Associate Professor, or tenure may be withheld pending satisfactory completion of probationary service.

Full-Time Probationary Service - Eligible Ranks: Only full-time service as a tenure-track faculty member shall be counted toward the maximum probationary period related to the award of tenure.

Full-Time Probationary Service - Leaves of Absence: Periods during which a tenure-track faculty member is on approved leave of absence shall not be counted against them in the calculation of the probationary period. A Faculty Development Leave does count in the calculation of the probationary period.

Full-Time Probationary Service - Prior Service: Any prior service at other academic institutions, whether inside or outside UT System, shall not be counted toward fulfillment of the maximum probationary period.

Maximum Period of Probationary Service: The maximum probationary period for tenure-track faculty at UTSA shall not be more than seven (7) years of full-time academic service.  No later than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the end of the sixth (6th) academic year of probationary service, all tenure-track faculty shall be given notice that the subsequent academic year will be the terminal year of employment or, that beginning with the subsequent academic year, tenure will be granted.  In the event that a tenure-track faculty member is not to be reappointed, notice shall be given in accordance with Regents' Rule 31002 Notice of Nonrenewal to Non-tenured Faculty Members and HOP policy 2.13, Termination and Nonreappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member.

Academic Year: An "academic year" shall be equivalent to the academic appointment period for full-time regular faculty, as defined in Regents Rule 31007 Tenure.  If a faculty member is initially appointed during an academic year (e.g., an appointment starting in January), the period of service from the date of appointment until the beginning of the following academic year shall not be counted toward the maximum probationary period.  One year of probationary service is accrued by full-time academic service during any academic year.  A faculty member shall be considered to be on full-time academic service when in full compliance with Regents’ and institutional standards pertaining to minimum faculty workloads (See HOP policy 2.14).


VIII. RESPONSIBILITIES


  1. Faculty Member
    1. Prepares the application packet for review. The packet contains the materials that form the basis for the review at all levels of evaluation. It is important that faculty members under consideration for promotion and/or tenure make every effort to ensure that the material contained in the packet is complete, accurate, and professionally presented.
  2. Department Faculty Review Advisory Committee (DFRAC)
    1. Evaluates faculty member’s file and provides a recommendation on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or to hold without prejudice when applicable).
  3. Department Chair
    1. Evaluates faculty member's file and provides a recommendation on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or hold without prejudice when applicable).
    2. Gives full consideration to the recommendations from prior level before forming final, independent judgment.
    3. Notifies the candidate in writing about the nature of the DFRAC and Chair’s recommendations. See “Promotion and Tenure Application Guidelines” on the Provost’s website for details regarding this communication.
  4. College Faculty Review Advisory Committee (CFRAC)
    1. Evaluates faculty member’s file and provides a recommendation on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or to hold without prejudice when applicable).
    2. Gives full consideration to the recommendations from prior levels before forming final, independent judgments.
  5. Dean
    1. Evaluates faculty member's file and provides a recommendation on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or hold without prejudice when applicable).
    2. Gives full consideration to the recommendations from prior levels before forming final, independent judgment.
    3. Notifies the candidate about the nature of the CFRAC and Dean’s recommendations. See “Promotion and Tenure Application Guidelines” on the Provost’s web site for details regarding this communication.
  6. University Faculty Review Advisory Committee (UFRAC)
    1. Evaluates faculty member's file and provides a recommendation on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or to hold without prejudice when applicable).
    2. Gives full consideration to the recommendations from prior levels before forming final, independent judgments.
  7. Provost
    1. Conducts a full and complete review of the applicant's file and makes an independent judgment. May also seek such additional information as needed.
    2. Makes a recommendation to the President.
    3. As part of the appeal process, reviews the tenure/promotion application and the new information provided by the candidate that might support a successful appeal.
  8. President
    1. Conducts a full and complete review of the applicant's file and makes an independent judgment. May also seek such additional information as needed.
    2. Shall take into account the Provost’s recommendations on each application.
    3. Notifies the candidate in writing of the final decision.
    4. Reviews written appeals and informs the candidate of the final decision in writing.

IX. PROCEDURES


  1. Faculty Appointments
    1. President's Appointment Authority
      1. No untenured member of the faculty shall expect continued employment beyond the period of his or her current appointment as approved by the President.
      2. Any commitment to employ an untenured member of the faculty beyond the period of his or her current appointment shall have no force and effect until approved by the President.
    2. Non-reappointment Decisions
      In the event of a decision not to reappoint a tenure-track faculty member, all parties shall follow the procedures prescribed in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) policy 2.13, Termination and Non-reappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member, and policy 2.36, Procedures for Review of a Nonreappointment of a Nontenured Tenure-Track Faculty Member.
    3. Reappointment Decisions
      1. Reappointment of tenure-track members of the faculty to a succeeding academic year may be accomplished only by written notice. Award of tenure, may be accomplished only by written notice by the President, with final approval from the UT System Board of Regents.
      2. Notwithstanding any provisions of Regents’ Rule 31007, Number 2, Section 1 Granting of Tenure, or Section 5 to the contrary, no person shall be deemed to have been reappointed or to have been awarded tenure because notice is not given or received in the manner prescribed in Regents’ Rules 31002 Section 1 Notice of Nonrenewal to Non-Tenured Faculty Members or by the time prescribed in Regents’ Rules Series 31007, Number 2, Section 5. See HOP policy 2.13, Termination and Nonreappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member.
      3. Should it occur that no notice is received by a faculty member by the time prescribed in Regents’ Rule 31007, Number 2, Section 5 and HOP policy 2.13, Termination and Nonreappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member, it is the duty of the faculty member concerned to make inquiry to determine the decision of the President who shall without delay give the required notice to the faculty member.
  2. Appointments at Other Institutions (also see HOP policy 2.09, External Joint Appointments, HOP policy 1.33, Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities, and HOP policy 4.05, Outside Employment of UTSA Employees and the Appointment of Employees of Other Texas State Agencies and Public Educational Institutions to Positions at UTSA.)
    1. A person appointed to a full-time faculty position or to a position with the title of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor at UTSA may not, during the term of such appointment, hold a salaried position on the faculty of another educational institution without the prior approval of the President or designee.
    2. Appointments at UTSA to the titles specified in section IX.B.1 above shall be conditioned upon the appointee having resigned any tenure-track or tenured position that the appointee may then hold on the faculty of an educational institution outside of the UT System. Such resignation must be completed and effective prior to the effective date of the appointment at UTSA; otherwise, such appointment at UTSA shall be void and of no effect.
    3. The acceptance of a full-time appointment at an educational institution outside UTSA without the preapproval of the Provost shall be considered as a resignation of any faculty position with the title of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor that such appointee may hold at UTSA.
  3. Categories of Performance and Criteria for Promotion and Tenure
    1. General Provisions
      1. Annual evaluations are not the only criteria considered in decisions regarding promotion and tenure.
      2. In addition to meritorious accomplishments, successful applicants for promotion and/or tenure must demonstrate a high potential for continued excellence and effectiveness.
      3. Satisfaction of university criteria is judged in each individual case.
      4. Years of service are not a factor in promotion recommendations.
      5. In the review of applications for tenure and/or promotion, only faculty at or above the rank under consideration may review applications for that rank.
    2. University Criteria
      1. Faculty applicants for tenure and promotion are evaluated based on accomplishments in each of the three categories of performance: teaching, research/scholarship/creative activities, and service.
        1. In order to earn promotion and/or tenure, a faculty member must have a demonstrated record of consistent productivity in teaching effectiveness, the scholarship of discovery and/or the scholarship of teaching, and service activities.
        2. Greater weight shall be given to teaching effectiveness and research/ scholarship/creative activities, including the creation and dissemination of knowledge and the development of intellectual property.
      2. Teaching
        1. Teaching activities shall include, but are not limited to:
          1. classroom and laboratory instruction;
          2. service learning courses;
          3. development of new courses, laboratories, and teaching methods;
          4. publication of instructional materials;
          5. supervision of undergraduate and graduate students;
          6. mentoring and advising students; and
          7. competitive funding for instructional/pedagogical development.
        2. Effective teaching is a necessary prerequisite to promotion and/or tenure; excellence in research and/or service is insufficient grounds for promotion and/or tenure in the absence of effective teaching.
        3. Effective teaching is assessed by multiple indicators including, but not limited to:
          1. performance on student surveys;
          2. departmental assessments of classroom performance;
          3. pedagogical preparations; and
          4. evidence of peer observation of teaching must be included in application packets for tenure and promotion.
      3. Research / Scholarship / Creative Activities
        1. Research/scholarship/creative activities are characterized by the creation and dissemination of new knowledge or of other creative works and activities, including, but not limited to:
          1. peer-reviewed publications;
          2. exhibitions, and performances;
          3. architectural design;
          4. engineering technology;
          5. development of intellectual property such as patents and licenses;
          6. external competitive research funding; and
          7. community-based participatory research.
        2. Tenure-track faculty must be engaged in research or creative work beyond their dissertations by the time they apply for tenure.
        3. Associate Professors applying for promotion to full Professor must have a sustained research program and a substantial body of publications or equivalent creative works with a demonstrated impact on the field in addition to the work they presented for promotion to Associate Professor.
        4. Excellence in research and creative activity is defined by the quantity, quality, and impact of publications and creative works, and the success of applied research, as judged by peer review. Peer review for purposes of this standard is defined to include review by independent external nationally and internationally recognized experts in the faculty member's field.
      4. Service
        1. Service activities shall include, but are not limited to:
          1. service to students, colleagues, the department, college, and university;
          2. administrative and committee service within the university;
          3. service to the profession, including academic or professionally related service to disciplinary based societies, editorial boards, and other educational entities and extended education; and
          4. community-engaged service, including public service and extended education to the community, state, and nation.
        2. Tenure-track faculty should demonstrate a willingness to contribute to departmental and college service.
        3. Faculty seeking promotion to full Professor should demonstrate substantial service beyond the Assisstant Professor level, including leadership roles.
      5. Colleges and departments may draft and distribute statements articulating disciplinary criteria for promotion and tenure, for the purpose of faculty mentoring. Such criteria should address all three faculty performance categories and draw on national practices in the discipline.
      6. Disciplinary criteria must not be expressed in lists of requirements, but in the form of multiple comprehensive scenarios of successful cases, either actual (with the faculty member’s name removed) or hypothetical. Such statements will be drafted by the Dean or Department Chair in consultation with appropriate faculty.
      7. College and department statements of criteria are advisory only and do not substitute for or take precedent over the individualized review and decision of the faculty review advisory committees and university administrators as provided in this policy.
      8. Evolution of Criteria
        1. As the faculty of the university develops definitions of excellence and expectations for promotion and tenure should change.
        2. If a faculty member’s accomplishments do not keep pace with evolving standards of performance for promotion and tenure, that individual may not be awarded tenure or advancement in rank.
  4. Review Timetables
    1. General Guidelines
      1. Recommendations and all supporting data for reappointment, tenure and promotion are to be submitted to the Office of the Provost according to the timetable for the year under consideration, which shall be given in a memorandum issued each year prior to fall by the Provost through the Deans to Department Chairs.
      2. The Provost shall make his or her recommendations to the President, who shall make the final decisions or recommendations as applicable in accordance with The Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations.
      3. Final decisions on promotion and tenure shall be transmitted to the Dean of the college no later than January 31 of the review year.
    2. Review and Reappointment or Non-Reappointment of Tenure-Track Faculty
      1. Formative review of tenure-track faculty is an on-going process. Reviews during the third year of probationary service are required by university policy, as outlined in the UTSA HOP policy 2.24, Third-Year Review.
      2. Tenure-track faculty members may be reviewed for reappointment at any time in their period of probationary service at the request of the Dean, the Department Chair, or the DFRAC. The DFRAC, Department Chair, and Dean shall give full consideration to the recommendations from prior levels before forming final, independent judgments.
      3. The Dean is responsible for forwarding all recommendations concerning reappointment or non-reappointment of tenure-track faculty to the Provost. The Provost will make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision. A decision will be transmitted to a faculty member in accordance with deadlines appropriate to each recommendation (see HOP policy 2.13, Termination and Non-reappointment of a Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty Member).
    3. Timeline for Application for Tenure
      1. A tenure-track faculty member seeking continued employment must apply for tenure no later than the penultimate year of the Maximum Period of Probationary Service.
      2. The Maximum Probationary Period may be extended according to the following procedures.
        1. Regents' Rule 31007 permits extensions of the maximum probationary period under some circumstances, but does not mandate that the granting of these extensions be automatic or obligatory.
        2. Personal circumstances that may justify an extension include but are not restricted to:
          1. disability or illness of the faculty member;
          2. status of the faculty member as a principal caregiver of a preschool child; or
          3. status of the faculty member as a principal caregiver of a disabled, elderly or ill member of the family of the faculty member.
        3. It is the responsibility of the tenure-track faculty member to request an extension in writing and provide appropriate documentation to adequately demonstrate why the request should be granted.
        4. An extension shall be limited to one (1) academic year.
        5. A tenure-track faculty member may request a second academic year's extension, but must follow the established request process anew, and approval is not dictated by the prior decision. The maximum cumulative duration of extensions is two (2) academic years, whether consecutive or nonconsecutive.
        6. Requests for extension may be made at any time during the probationary period but no later than six (6) months prior to the deadline for initiation of the mandatory tenure review. Ordinarily, requests for extension should occur within six months of any circumstance cited as the primary reason for the request. Exceptions will be considered only due to extreme extenuating circumstances.
        7. The procedure for requests for extension shall be as follows:
          1. The faculty member requesting an extension shall submit his or her written request to the Department Chair.
          2. The Department Chair will make a recommendation to the Dean within ten (10) work days from receipt of the request.
          3. The Dean will make a recommendation to the Provost within ten (10) work days from receipt of the Department Chair’s recommendation.
          4. The decision regarding the request shall be made by the Provost within ten (10) work days from the date of receipt of the Dean's recommendation.
      3. A tenure-track faculty member may apply for tenure earlier than the penultimate year of the probationary period if he or she feels the performance record merits consideration. Prior to submitting an application, the faculty member shall consult with his or her Department Chair and/or college Dean.
      4. The performance standards outlined in Section IX.C shall apply in all evaluations, no matter the length of time served in the probationary period.
    4. Tenured Associate Professor Seeking Promotion
      1. A tenured Associate Professor seeking promotion to the rank of full Professor may apply at any time that he or she feels the performance record merits consideration.
      2. Performance standards for promotion to full Professor rank, as outlined in Section IX.C, shall apply in all evaluations, no matter the length of time in current rank.
    5. New Faculty Hired at the Rank of Associate Professor or Professor:
      1. New faculty hired at the rank of Associate Professor may begin their appointment without tenure or apply for and be granted tenure prior to their start date.
      2. Appointment at the rank of either Professor or Associate Professor with tenure shall be conducted on a case-by-case schedule, subject to review and recommendation by the DFRAC, Department Chair and Dean, with final approval by the UT System Board of Regents.
  5. Review Process
      1. Authority to recommend tenure and/or promotion rests with the President. Such recommendations are made to the UT System Board of Regents, who has the final authority to approve or disapprove.
      2. Initiation of Review
        1. Intent to conduct or undergo review is established in communication between the faculty member and Department Chair in the long semester prior to the review period.
        2. The applicant initiates the internal review process with the submission of a promotion file.
        3. After the intent to proceed with a promotion/tenure application is initiated, the Department Chair shall solicit external evaluations.
        4. Applicants shall follow the Provost’s guidelines for preparing their files, ensuring that they are as succinct and complete as possible. The Provost’s Guidelines are specified online, including the forms used to indicate intent, the procedure for soliciting and including external evaluations, the form and contents of the file, the deadline for its submission, the timetable for evaluation, and additional procedures for evaluation.
      3. Levels of Review
        1. Evaluations of the file, including recommendations on whether or not to promote and/or tenure (or to hold without prejudice when applicable), are written and added to the file in turn by the DFRAC, Department Chair, CFRAC, Dean, and the UFRAC.
        2. Reviewers at each level shall give full consideration to the recommendations from prior levels, before forming independent judgments.
        3. The Provost and the President then conduct a full and complete review of the applicant's file and make independent judgments. The Provost and President may also seek such additional information as needed. The President’s final recommendations shall take into account the Provost’s recommendations on each application.
      4. Review Committees
        1. DFRAC and CFRAC membership
          1. The DFRAC shall be composed only of tenured faculty members appointed at least half time in the department, with membership as defined in the department's written police and procedures or bylaws.
            1. When the DFRAC includes fewer than two tenured faculty appointed at least half time in the department, the Chair, in consultation with the tenured faculty and with approval of the Dean, may invite tenured faculty from other departments to participate as members of the DFRAC on a year-to-year basis.
          2. Membership on the DFRAC enables tenured faculty members to vote on tenure cases in their departments. Faculty members will only be able to vote at DFRAC on tenure cases in their department even if they serve on the CFRAC and UFRAC.
          3. The CFRAC shall be composed only of tenured faculty members appointed at least half time in the college, with membership as defined in the college bylaws.
          4. Faculty with full time administrative appointments shall not serve on a DFRAC or CFRAC unless they teach and continue to participate in departmental or college activities and if they do not have a separate role in the review process (e.g., Chair, Dean, Provost, President).
          5. Only full Professors on the DFRAC or CFRAC may consider applicants for promotion to full Professor. When the DFRAC or CFRAC has fewer than three full Professors, the Dean shall appoint additional full Professors until there are three on the committee.
        2. UFRAC Membership
          1. Selection of UFRAC members
            1. The UFRAC shall include at least one tenured Professor from each college.
            2. Each department shall elect one Professor to form a pool from which the Provost will select one per college.
            3. The Provost shall select no more than two additional members from a list of eligible tenured Professors throughout the university.
            4. A UFRAC member holding an administrative appointment in a direct line of supervision over a candidate shall not participate in the deliberations for that candidate.
          2. Term of UFRAC Membership
            1. Elections and appointments shall occur in the spring prior to the promotion and tenure review process.
            2. Members selected by the colleges and appointed by the Provost shall each serve three-year terms.
            3. At-large members appointed by the Provost shall each serve two-year terms.
            4. Terms of the UFRAC members shall be staggered such that approximately one-third of the appointees recommended by the colleges will rotate off the UFRAC each year by a method determined by the full committee. One-half of the appointees selected by the Provost shall rotate off each year.
            5. At the completion of a term, a member shall not be eligible to serve on the UFRAC again for a one-year period.
        3. Each Faculty Review Advisory Committee shall elect a chair from among its members. In the case of CFRAC, this should be done in accordance with college bylaws.
        4. The DFRAC, CFRAC, and UFRAC, where applicable, shall limit their recommendations to:
          1. faculty reappointment,
          2. tenure of an untenured Associate Professor,
          3. promotion to Associate Professor with tenure,
          4. promotion to Professor, or
          5. the initial appointment of a faculty member with tenure.
        5. The DFRAC, CFRAC, and UFRAC reports shall be considered at all subsequent levels of review.
        6. Minority opinions and analyses from members of the DFRAC, CFRAC, or UFRAC may optionally be included as part of the committee report along with other committee analyses and recommendations. These “minority opinions” may be segregated in a separate section of the report, but should not be submitted separately, and should be made available for review by the entire committee to ensure consistency with DFRAC, CFRAC, or UFRAC discussions.  No other information or correspondence may be placed in the applicant’s file for transmittal to the Department Chair, Dean, or Provost.
        7. DFRAC, CFRAC, and UFRAC Committee chairs will maintain attendance records of all meetings. Only committee members who attend all deliberations for a given candidate may vote on the application of that candidate. Voting by email, proxy or absentee is not permitted.
        8. Regardless of whether a person is a member of more than one review committee for a case (e.g., DFRAC and CFRAC, and UFRAC), that person may only vote on the case once, and that vote occurs at the department level.
          1. If that person is on the DFRAC and CFRAC and/or UFRAC that person may only vote on the case at the department level and may not vote on this case at the CFRAC or UFRAC levels.
          2. Even if that person did not serve on the DFRAC and serves only on the CFRAC and UFRAC, they may not vote at either the CFRAC or UFRAC level.
          3. Faculty members on the CFRAC may not write the committee report for tenure cases from their department.
        9. In the CFRAC and/or UFRAC deliberations, each committee member shall present a balanced description of the decisions rendered at lower levels for cases originating in his/her department or college. It is expected that members of CFRAC will not advocate an outcome not supported by DFRAC (i.e., a member of DFRAC and CFRAC will not advocate at CFRAC an outcome inconsistent with the DFRAC recommendation). Likewise, members of UFRAC will not advocate an outcome not supported by one of the lower levels.
      5. Applicant Access to File
        1. Once the review process is under way, the applicant no longer has access to their electronic box, except for the “late materials” folder. After the review process is completed, the applicant may have access to materials placed in the file by others to the extent provided by the Texas Public Information Act.
      6. Opportunity to Submit Additional Information
        Applicants may add new information to the “late materials” folder until the Dean forwards the file to the Office of the Provost.  Once the case has been forwarded to the Office of the Provost, no additional materials may be added. The contents of the “late materials” folder will be accessible to DFRAC, the Department Chair, CFRAC, and the Dean, but are not available during subsequent levels of review, unless requested.
      7. Provision of Information to Applicants
        1. The Department Chair shall provide applicants with a written notification, as specified in the provost's guidelines, of the final department recommendation transmitted to the Dean.
        2. The Dean shall provide applicants with a written notification, as specified in the Provost’s guidelines, of the final college recommendation transmitted to the Provost.
        3. Applicants shall be informed in writing by the President or Provost of the final decision.
      8. Professional Responsibilities
        1. All those involved in the peer review process have the responsibility to read all tenure and promotion materials, to review the applicant's performance on each of the performance criteria thoroughly, and to participate in committee discussions and formulation of committee recommendations.
        2. Abstentions should be exercised only in limited, unusual circumstances.
        3. Absentee voting, voting by proxy or voting by email is not permitted.
      9. Ethical Standards and Confidentiality
        1. All those involved shall adhere to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, shall focus on factual information, shall avoid practices that would conflict with the ability to be fair and unbiased, and shall guard against inaccuracies caused by either emphasis or omission of information.
        2. The material under review, the substance of review committee discussions and their final recommendation is confidential (subject only to the provisions of the Texas Public Information Act) except that the Department Chair, Dean, and Provost shall report outcomes to applicants. Violations of confidentiality (for example, of committee deliberations) shall be subject to disciplinary action.
  6. Appeal of Promotion and Tenure Decisions
    1. General Provisions
      The promotion and tenure review process is a comprehensive one requiring several layers of thorough review. In general, appeals should be made only in cases where new, compelling information relevant to a promotion decision has become available since the completion of the college-level review. Such information might include, for example, a new major publication of research results, a prominent public review of the faculty applicant’s scholarly work, major external competitive funding awarded for research, or receiving a significant award for scholarly achievements.
    2. Appeal Procedure
      1. The faculty candidate shall first consult with the Provost to discuss the university review of the tenure/promotion application, and the new information that might support a successful appeal.
      2. Within thirty (30) work days of the first work day in February the candidate shall submit the appeal in writing to the President.
      3. The written appeal is limited to the following materials:
        1. a succinct cover letter explaining the nature of the new material being submitted for consideration and its significance; and
        2. new material in support of the tenure/promotion application that was not available prior to the time the case was sent forward by the Dean to the Office of the Provost.
      4. The President shall personally review the written appeal, but may consult with reviewers from any or all of the review levels used in the promotion and tenure processes.
      5. The President shall inform the candidate in writing of the final decision within twenty (20) work days of receiving the written appeal.
      6. The President's decision is final for the current application review cycle. If the decision is to withhold promotion and/or tenure without prejudice, then the candidate may reapply in a subsequent academic year.

X. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION


None


XI. FORMS AND TOOLS/ONLINE PROCESSES


The following forms can be located on the Office of the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs website at http://provost.utsa.edu/home/Evaluation/PromotionTenure/index.asp

Preparation of the Promotion Packet
Solicitation of External Review
Criteria for Promotion and Tenure
Review Process
Coversheet and Checklist


XII. APPENDIX


None


XIII. Dates Approved/Amended


08-16-2018
02-11-2015
02-10-2009