Factors for promotion and tenure

Department of Environmental Science and Geology

I. Factors for recommending promotion to the rank of professor

Scholarship

The most important factor when being considered for the rank of Professor shall be evidence of outstanding scholarship, for the Professorship has traditionally been awarded in recognition of a national and international reputation in one's chosen specialization. The recognition of that level of attainment is, of course, subjective. Therefore, the candidate's performance may be demonstrated through the various scholarship categories that are listed below, roughly in order of importance. Nevertheless, in most instances, scientific publication best reflects a person's contribution and standing in his/her particular field.

Research publications

Publication in the leading journals of a particular research area, especially those with a stringent referee system, is taken as an indicator of high-quality work. Moreover, to assist in the evaluation, advice from outsiders who are in a better position to evaluate the candidate's publications and standing in his/her field shall be solicited.

Numbers of publications per se shall not necessarily be a factor. Clearly, the results of research should be judged for what they are, regardless of whether they appear in print as a single unit or are divided into many small papers. Abstracts, although they represent contributions to science, are of lesser value than are peer-reviewed publications.

Grants and contracts

Granting and contracting agencies may give indirect information on a person's standing in his/her research area. In general, support by a major funding agency is a reflection of recognized standing in that field. When grant and contract monies are in short supply, the lack of support is not necessarily indicative of any deficiency. However, grant and contract support in times of financial austerity is probably an excellent indicator of high standing. The use of this index must be qualified because some research areas are better funded than others.

Awards

This category covers a wide range of recognitions. Examples include Fulbright research and teaching awards, travel grants, awards such as the outstanding man/woman in a particular field for that year, etc.

Books and review articles

The synthesis of widely scattered literature and review of the work of others into a readily available and concise form must rank as an important contribution to a given field.

Offices in scientific organizations and societies

Positions in an organization, the size of that organization, and whether it is local, state, national or international will necessarily determine the weight given this category.

Scientific meetings

Whether the meeting is local, state, national or international, and whether the work that is presented is invitational or submitted, will determine the weight given to this category. Simple attendance at a meeting conference, while professionally useful, is not regarded as a factor for promotion.

Teaching

A candidate for promotion to Professor will be evaluated as a teacher. This role is probably the most important that s/he fills, yet it cannot be used as the prime factor of promotion at this level. A person holding the rank of Associate Professor and granted tenure has already demonstrated that s/he is a competent teacher. Therefore, only those indications that the candidate is a truly outstanding teacher will carry weight. Conversely, deterioration of teaching quality after the granting of tenure will count heavily against the candidate's qualifications.

1. Evaluation as a Teacher. Student evaluations shall be utilized.

2. Number of graduate degrees. The number of such degrees awarded over a period of time will be considered under this category. Moreover, the value of students' research will be gauged by the quality of publications in peer-reviewed journal articles and will be used as an indicator.

3. Teaching aids. The production of texts, manuals, and various other teaching aids will be evaluated according to their impact in a particular area of study.

University and civic services

It is expected that a candidate for promotion shall have served at one time or another on a number of important committees and/or has performed some administrative services, and it is assumed that the performance of these tasks has been at an adequate level. Lack of committee service would decrease chances for promotion. However, committee service alone (in the absence of outstanding research or teaching ability) is never grounds for consideration.

Committee responsibilities are important, but this can best be rewarded by the mechanism of selective salary increases. Subcategories of this type are listed below:

1. Service to the University or College

2. Service to the Department

3. Service to the Community

II. Factors for recommending promotion to the rank of associate professor

Roughly the same factors are to be used in judging the candidate at both the Associate Professor and Professor level but consideration for tenure at the Associate Professorship, research and teaching are regarded as co-equal. The prospective Associate Professor must be a competent teacher. No one, no matter how outstanding his/her level of scholarship, is acceptable in the absence of proven teaching ability.

III. Factors for recommendation to tenure

1. The most important factor for initiating tenure recommendation must be the candidate's demonstrated excellence as a teacher and researcher.

2. Non-instructional service to the department (college or university or public service that benefits the university) is of importance in considering tenure, but only secondarily to the scholarship factor. Yet, no candidate may be considered for recommendation to tenure unless:

   1. S/he has performed such non-instruction service, or

   2. S/he has demonstrated achievement in the scholarship and teaching sectors.

3. Teaching ability.

   1. Student evaluations shall be utilized in the review.

   2. The candidate's graduate student program shall be used, including but not limited to the graduate degrees actually completed or written progress on each student. Consideration in evaluating the candidate's graduate student program shall be given to the level of graduate student support available in the Department.

   3. Colleagues' evaluations shall be used as evidence of effective teaching, pro and con, and shall be submitted to the Chair of the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee for presentation to this Committee. In addition, the voting at this Committee meeting would be a reflection of colleagues' evaluation. If there are not enough faculty to constitute this Committee, then the materials shall be given to the Chair of the Department for his/her evaluation.

   4. Candidate's efforts to improve education in Geology shall be used.

4. Research ability. The candidate will be evaluated by the following factors, commensurate with the resources to support research provided by the Department and College:

   1. Evidence of research conducted at Wayne State University published in refereed journals, and submitted for expert opinion (from outside the University) on the quality of the candidate's publications.

   2. Evidence of external financial support for research. In times when obtaining funding is known to be difficult, sincere attempts to obtain external funding will be considered as a factor.

   3. Demonstrated ability to establish a productive research program. In evidence of this, the candidate shall have directed one or more graduate student(s) who have made significant progress towards completion of their graduate degree. Graduate student progress reports, and/or the students' publications, or published abstracts of papers presented prior to attendance at national meetings should be submitted to the personnel committee for their evaluation of a graduate student's progress towards the degree.

   4. Additional data as the candidate may wish to submit, that would reflect his/her research standing among colleagues, such as offices held in national societies, invited papers at national and international societies, would strengthen his/her case.

5. In every case, the initiative for tenure recommendation must be based not only on past achievement but also on prospects for continuing development in the future.