Factors for promotion and tenure

Pursuant to AAUP article XXII section 3, part A, the Department of Public Health has adopted these factors for promotion and tenure. The determination of which factors will be applied is based on the candidate’s status as either a tenure-stream faculty member or a member of the teaching faculty.

In accordance with the AAUP contract, promotion and tenure factors and formal recommendations will be made by the department chair in consultation with the department’s tenured faculty until such time as there are enough tenured members to constitute a Promotion & Tenure Committee.

Overview

The Department of Public Health values collaborative, interdisciplinary work that promotes justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and expects faculty to demonstrate increasing independence, maturity and impact in all of their work. The Department of Public Health has articulated the following factors that set the expectations for promotion and tenure. While each element – scholarship, teaching and service – is important in its own right, successful candidates are expected to be able to evidence high-level performance in all three categories concurrently. Each candidate for promotion and/or tenure is evaluated on their record of achievement in terms of:

Scholarly independence and research excellence
Teaching effectiveness and instructional competence
Relevant and meaningful service

Specific factors related to each of these criteria are delineated below. Within each section, the evaluative factors – and evidentiary examples – are offered in order of importance.

Scholarly independence and research excellence

Public health faculty are expected to demonstrate independence and maturity as scholars advancing a coherent body of research. The department especially values collaborative, community-engaged, intervention-driven research. Considerable weight is given to evidence that the faculty member’s research has impact and reduces health disparities/inequalities in specific populations.

Evaluative factors

Record of scientific research, funding, publications

Evidenced by:

Published articles in refereed journals; chapters in edited volumes published by university presses; books and monographs published by reputable presses.
External research funding, particularly from federal and state sources, philanthropic and foundation funding and fellowships.
Research reports and policy studies.
Papers, academic posters and creative work presented at scholarly and professional meetings.
Edited volumes.
Chapters in non-refereed edited volumes, journals, encyclopedias.
Creative knowledge products (websites, data dashboards, Photovoice or film materials, etc.).
Translation of other scholarly and creative works.

Impact and quality of independent research and publications

Evidenced by:

Quality and standing of journals and presses in which published works appear.
Evidence of increased seniority and standing in research teams, development of own research lab/team in department/at WSU.
Evaluations rendered in book reviews and review essays.
Citations/references to published scholarship found in the works of other researchers.
Professional awards, acknowledgements, endowed positions.
Evaluations by external references/referees.

Evidence of system-level change and intervention research program

Evidenced by:

Evidence of substantive contributions to public health policy, structures, health care delivery or intervention programs Evidence of successful interdisciplinary/collaborative research.
Evidence of intervention research to prevent or remediate persistent negative outcomes for individuals, groups or populations.

Scholarly potential and contribution to the intellectual climate of the department

Evidenced by:

Research and creative works under review or in progress.
Grant submission and fellowship applications.
Assessment by external references.
Assessments by departmental colleagues and/or tenured adjunct faculty.
Evidence of productive research mentorship of new junior faculty and post-doctoral fellows measured by joint publications, presentations, grant applications; delivery of workshops, seminars, brown bag presentations that catalyze research partnerships among department members.

Quality of community and/or student engagement, particularly that centered in Detroit and its environs

Evidenced by:

Evidence of fostering new collaborations between the department/university and community in ways previously absent or underutilized.
Evidence of substantive inclusion of external community members/ public partners reflecting the breadth and depth of their knowledge and lived experiences.
Evidence of data use, dissemination and/or translation of work that is accessible and useful for community/public partners, public health researchers, policymakers and the profession at large.
A clear research agenda driven by community needs and improvement.
Demonstration of significant impact of results on the field and community, particularly that which closes health inequality and health disparity gaps.
Scholarly publications, conference presentations and grant funding that includes or supports students.

Teaching effectiveness and instructional competence

Public health faculty are expected to demonstrate quality teaching performance to help train and prepare the next generation of public health practitioners, researchers and clinical professionals for diverse settings. The department especially values colleagues who actively participate as faculty leads in curriculum development; deliver high-quality needed courses; engage and assist others in assessment; and utilize evidence-based best practices in their teaching.

Teaching effectiveness

Evidenced by:

Peer teaching evaluations by departmental colleagues.
Number and type/variety of courses taught; evidence of ability to deliver full teaching load at a high level of performance.
Quantitative and/or qualitative course evaluations provided by students.

Instructional competence

Evidenced by:

Leadership in delivery of core required, general education, concentration-specific and elective PH courses; teaching courses. needed to meet student and curricular demands.
Development and implementation of new courses, curriculum and approaches to student learning and assessment.
Course syllabi are easy to read, accessible and include all WSU, CLAS and PH required elements.

Evidence of mentoring students particularly those from historically unrepresented backgrounds

Evidenced by:

Number and quality of supervised MARC, UROP, etc. students and mentored projects.
Number and quality of masters and Ph.D. students trained.
Number and quality of undergraduate honors projects, independent studies supervised.

Use of evidence-based best practices in teaching

Evidenced by:

Engages in efforts to upgrade teaching skills and incorporate new lessons learned into curriculum and instructional efforts.
Timely, accurate participation in general education and accreditation assessment activities.
Receipt of teaching excellence or other teaching-centered awards.
Peer teaching evaluations by departmental colleagues.
Student evaluations of teaching; unsolicited student assessment and feedback.

Evidence of diversity in community engagement and delivery of service-learning experiences

Evidenced by:

Inclusion of service-learning and/or community-engaged practices in course delivery.
Experiential teaching that combines course objectives with community-engaged learning, service learning or practice-based learning.
Structured assessments and feedback from community partners, service-learning preceptors and students.
Evidence of teaching enhancing the ability of trainees or students to assume positions of leadership and community engagement.

Relevant and meaningful Service

Public health faculty are expected to demonstrate their consistent and meaningful service to a diverse array of constituencies and partners including, but not limited to the department, college, university, profession/field and community. Public health faculty have specialized skills that can lift area health care organizations, government, non-profits etc. (e.g., through community engagement, group processes and community capacity building; research methodology, survey design, data collection and evaluation; health care administration, management and policy; etc.).

Evaluative factors

Service to the department

Evidenced by:

Membership on and meaningful contribution to work of committees.
Departmental offices held and committees chaired.
Collegiality, meaningful presence in department events, provision of assistance to colleagues across the department.

Service to the college

Evidenced by:

Membership on and meaningful contribution to college committees.
Elected college offices held and committees chaired.
Collegiality, meaningful presence in college events, provision of assistance to colleagues across the college.

Service to the university

Evidenced by:

Membership on and meaningful contribution to work of university committees.
Elected university offices held and committees chaired.
Collegiality, meaningful presence at broad range of university events, provision of assistance to colleagues across the university.

Service to the field

Evidenced by:

Editorship and board membership of professional journals.
Organizing and/or coordinating scholarly conferences.
Participation in the governance of professional associations and service on association committees.
Refereeing for journals; service on study sections for grant-giving agencies.
External examinator for faculty, programs, dissertations.
Evaluate manuscripts for university/commercial presses; book reviews.

Public service

Evidenced by:

Participation in public forums or expert testimony.
Non-compensated or nominally compensated consulting.
Other non-compensated professional services to the community.

Quality of community engagement

Evidenced by:

Participation in relevant community boards and consultation with recognized community organizations and non-profits.

Promotion and tenure

Candidates for tenure and promotion are evaluated in terms of their overall contribution and promise with respect to these factors. Outstanding achievements or promise with respect to some may offset weaknesses with respect to others. However, all candidates must at a minimum provide evidence of:

Substantial independent scholarly achievement and research excellence
Substantial teaching effectiveness
Considerable performance of meaningful service

The recommendation for promotion to full professor would require continued high levels of performance in the above areas, though the weight given to different elements may vary. For instance, more attention may be given to scholarship and national recognition within the discipline and profession for promotion to full professor than for promotion to the associate professor level.

Reviewed and accepted by the department on Feb. 14, 2024
Approved by the CLAS Dean’s Office on Feb. 23, 2024