Faculty Senate Tenure & Promotion Committee

Report to the 2009-2010 Faculty SenateApril 14, 2009

Bryan L. Spangelo, Chair

UNLV BylawsCHAPTER I - Organization of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Section 4. Faculty Organization

4.5 Faculty Senate Authorized. The faculty of UNLV has representation in a Faculty Senate, which shall be governed by its own internal bylaws.

 4.6 Faculty Senate Committees Authorized. Authority has been delegated

by the President to the Faculty Senate to appoint members to the following standing committees and for these committees to function pursuant to their charges. The Senate shall create at least the following standing committees.

 4.6.16 Tenure and Promotion Committee (B/R 12/04)  

UNLV Bylaws 4.3.3 Administrative Channels for Tenure Recommendations. The

recommendation for tenure shall move through proper faculty and administrative channels from department or school to college to the Executive Vice President and Provost to the president; the Executive Vice President and Provost shall provide the Tenure and Promotion Committee with the tenure recommendations. The Faculty Senate Tenure and Promotion Committee shall consult with the Executive Vice President and Provost to ensure comparable rigor of criteria and procedures for recommendations across units. Faculty members not recommended for tenure may request reasons for denial, request reconsideration, and file a grievance with the Faculty Senate Grievance Committee. (See Nevada System of Higher Education Code, Chapter 5, Sections 5.2.3 and 5.2.4, and UNLV Bylaws, Chapter I, Section 4.6.9.) (B/R 12/04)

4.3.4 Tenure Standards and Procedures. Each department or school and college shall establish standards and procedures, including a reconsideration procedure, for tenure recommendations. Only persons who hold tenure at UNLV may vote on the application of a candidate for tenure. (B/R 12/04)

Faculty Senate BylawsUNLV Faculty Senate Bylaws (August 2008) Section 6.0 Article 6: Functions of Standing Committees 6.17 The Tenure and Promotion Committee shall perform the

following functions. 6.17.1 Consult with the Executive Vice President and Provost to

ensure comparable rigor of criteria and procedures in promotion and tenure recommendations across units. The recommendation for promotion or tenure shall move through proper faculty and administrative channels from department or school to college to the Executive Vice President and Provost, prior to being presented to the committee. Faculty members not recommended for promotion or tenure may proceed by way of the Grievance Committee.

Faculty Senate BylawsSection 5.0 Article 5: Committees 5.1 Unless changed in a manner consistent with the Senate Bylaws or Constitution of the

Faculty Senate, the following committees, composed of the following membership, shall be maintained:

 Tenure and Promotion1 Tenured academic faculty from each degree granting college and school1 Tenured alternate academic faculty from each degree granting college and school1 Tenured librarian1 Tenured alternate librarian1 Vice Chair of the Senate (ex‑officio, non‑voting)1 Immediate Past Chair of the Senate (ex-officio, non-voting) a) An alternate committee member shall be elected from each unit to serve in the event the

committee member is on leave or in cases of conflict of interest. Alternates shall attend in place of the principal member only when the principal member is on leave or in case of conflict of interest.

 b) The Immediate Past Chair of the Senate shall serve as the chair of the Tenure and Promotion

committee for one year.

Schedule of MeetingsNovember & December 2008

7 total meetingsapproximately 22 hours49 total Tenure and/or Promotion cases

19 Tenure and Promotion 29 Promotion only 1 Tenure only

Strong recommendation for Friday meetings

Committee TemplateMeeting Date & Time: Faculty Senate Tenure and Promotion Committee (FSTPC)  College or School: Department: Applicant: Application for Tenure: Promotion: Teaching: Research: Service: Overall: PROVOST RECOMMENDATION: Vote: 

StatisticsOverall consistency

78% consistent vote across department, college, dean, and Tenure & Promotion Committee 85% consistent vote for tenure 72% consistent vote for promotion

StatisticsOverall consistency

78% consistent vote across department, college, dean, and Tenure & Promotion Committee 85% consistent vote for tenure 72% consistent vote for promotion

What about the Provost? 49 total cases Provost followed 47 of 49 recommendations from

Tenure & Promotion Committee

RecommendationsDistribute a campus-wide letter-template for

outside letters of reference requestsRemind department chairs that “outside”

referee letters must not be from another UNLV department

Remind chairs that outside letters should be solicited from comparable institutions

Mandate that outside letters are included in all tenure and promotion cases from all colleges and schools

RecommendationsEncourage additional measures of teaching and

research evaluationsStandards and criteria for promotion must be

defined for Faculty-In-Residence positions by the respective colleges and schools

Remind deans and chairs to not “burden” tenure-track faculty with excessive service tasks

Remind administrators and college committees to use language properly descriptive of their recommendations and/or their votes

Reminder!Faculty Senate Tenure & Promotion

Committee Spring ForumThursday, April 16, 2009, 12:30-2:00Student Union 219