Lewis-Clark State College                              No. 2.111             Date   8/97     Rev. DRAFT 2006

Policy and Procedures Manual                                                     

First Senate Reading Draft of Policy 2.111

I.     Policy Pertaining to Tenure

A.    Definition and Philosophy

Tenure refers to a faculty member’s continuous employment following the end of a probationary period, and upon fulfillment of the appropriate criteria.  After tenure is awarded, the faculty member’s service may be terminated only for adequate cause as defined by Board policy: in the case of retirement or financial exigency as declared by the Board; where extreme shifts in enrollment have eliminated the justification for a program; or if the Board has otherwise authorized the elimination or reduction of a program.

Tenure is based upon the principle of academic freedom, specifically:  1) freedom to teach, conduct research, and participate in extramural activities, and 2) the assurance of sufficient stability to establish a mutually-beneficial commitment between a faculty member and the institution.  Toward that end, tenure embodies a long-term relationship of trust, commitment, and reciprocal obligation between the institution and the faculty member.  Tenure is granted only to faculty members who demonstrate they have made and will continue to make significant contributions in their disciplines through effective teaching, advising, scholarly/creative activity, professional development and service.

B.    Eligibility for Tenure Status

Pursuant to SBOE policy, tenure is available only to eligible, full-time institutional faculty members, as defined by the institution.  Eligible full-time faculty members as defined by the institution include those academic faculty holding the rank of assistant, associate, and full professor.  Faculty holding the rank of lecturer or instructor are not eligible for tenure, and the rank of instructor is not considered “tenure-track.”  If  promoted from Instructor to assistant professor, faculty may become eligible for tenure.

Unless hired prior to July 1, 1993, faculty in the professional-technical division are not eligible for tenure.

All faculty appointments are subject to the approvals required in Board policy.  Nontenured members of the faculty are appointed to term appointments, for a period not to exceed one year.  All first-year faculty appointments are made for a period not to exceed one (1) year.  Ordinarily appointments are made for periods of one (1) year each before a tenure decision is made.

1.  Faculty

A probationary period typically precedes the granting of tenure.   A faculty member will usually be evaluated for tenure after at least four (4) full years of service and in no case later than during the faculty member’s sixth (6^th) full academic year of employment.  A faculty member may be considered for promotion and tenure in the same year.  

All satisfactory service in any professorial rank may be used to fulfill the time requirement for acquiring tenure.  A maximum of two (2) years satisfactory service in the rank of instructor at Lewis-Clark State College may be allowed toward fulfillment of the time requirement in the professorial ranks.  In cases involving prior service, tenure may be granted following less than the usual period of service.  Where performance can be adequately documented, faculty members with prior experience at other accredited institutions may be granted credit for up to a maximum of two (2) years and may be considered for tenure during the second (2^nd) full year of service at the college.  Eligibility for early tenure consideration, however, must be stipulated in writing by the Provost at the time of hire or no later than the end of the first (1^st) academic semester after hire.

2.  Academic Administrators

Academic administrators include the chief academic officer of the institution, deans and division chairs of the academic units.  An individual hired for or promoted to an academic administrator may be considered for a tenured faculty rank in the appropriate department, contingent upon approval by the institutional president.  Upon termination of employment as an administrator, a tenured employee may return to employment in the department in which he or she holds tenure unless such employee resigns, retires, or is terminated for adequate cause.  An employee with tenure in an academic department who is appointed to an academic administrator position retains tenure in that department. 

 An individual hired as a non-academic administrator from outside the institution
will not be considered for tenured faculty rank in conjunction with such appointment.  However, if the individual will teach and otherwise contribute to that department, he or she may be granted an adjunct faculty appointment, upon the recommendation of the appropriate department and dean and with the approval of the provost and president

  Comment: This is covered elsewhere in policy.

C.  Notice of and Standards for Non-Reappointment or Termination of Appointment of Non-Tenured Faculty Members Hired in Tenure Track Positions.

1. First Amendment Guarantee

All non-tenured faculty members are under First Amendment and institutional guarantees of academic freedom.

2.  Non-Reappointment or Termination 

Notice of non-reappointment or termination, or of intention not to recommend reappointment, must be given in writing in letter form (See Section II, A, Procedures Pertaining to Non-Reappointment or Termination).

D.  Criteria for Granting Tenure

Criteria for granting tenure are consonant with the role and mission of Lewis-Clark State College.  Accordingly, a faculty member advancing through the ranks is expected to meet escalating standards of performance and assume additional responsibilities in teaching and advising, scholarly/creative activity and professional development, service, and collegiality.

Each division shall maintain a written policy that identifies appropriate standards for granting tenure.  These standards will address levels of performance in  teaching and advising, scholarly/creative activity and professional development, service, and collegiality.  Division criteria for granting tenure must be developed by division faculty and be approved by division faculty, the division chair, the respective dean, and the provost.  Changes to the criteria will follow the same approval process.  Each list of criteria must include the date the faculty approved the division criteria.  Copies of the criteria will be maintained in the offices of the provost, dean, and division chair.  The division chair will distribute copies to all division faculty.

For faculty whose duties are primarily instructional, teaching and activities that develop and improve teaching will be weighed most heavily in any evaluation.  However, it is recognized that the faculty of Lewis-Clark State College perform varied tasks, and that the relative value placed on teaching and advising, scholarly/creative activity and professional development, and service differ among faculty.  Because of this, division chairs are to negotiate with the faculty member the relative importance of each criterion to the evaluation of an individual faculty member’s performance.  Each criterion will be weighed relative to its value to the division and its appropriateness to the college’s role and mission.  This weighing shall be used in a consistent fashion by all reviewers.

E. Policy Pertaining to Materials for Evaluation

Candidates for tenure will determine what materials will be used in preparing their portfolios; however, at a minimum, the following materials are required:  division criteria; candidate statement; current curriculum vita; job descriptions and annual peer and chair evaluation (last four (4) years); course syllabi; student course evaluations (last four (4) years); and other materials as determined by division guidelines.  Reviewers may request additional materials.  If additional material is requested by the Individual Tenure Committee, Standing Tenure and Promotion Review Committee (STPRC), Division Chair, Dean, Provost, or President, the request and its justification must be in writing to the applicant.  If the applicant chooses to honor this request, the requested information will be added to the portfolio as it is forwarded to the next level of review. If the request includes materials that are in the applicant’s personnel file and the applicant chooses to honor the request he/she must sign a waiver available in the Human Resources office allowing access to the requested materials. The applicant may respond in writing to clarify the situation if he or she believes his or her record has been or may be misinterpreted.  Any such letter will be added to the portfolio and forwarded with the rest of the portfolio.

II.  Procedures Pertaining to Tenure

Comment:  Covered in 3.118

A.    The Applicant’s Tenure Portfolio

1.   Applicants eligible for tenure shall prepare a tenure portfolio.  The applicant shall receive copies of all items subsequently sent to the Provost or placed in the portfolio by reviewers.

     The applicant’s portfolio may also be used for promotion decisions if tenure and promotion occur simultaneously (see Promotion Policy 2.106). 

Comment: Already covered.

B. Tenure Process

1.  Portfolio Review

a.   The portfolio will be made available for review in the Division Office for the Division Faculty, Division Chair, Dean, and Individual Tenure Committee.  The portfolio will be made available for review in the Provost’s office for the Provost and President, and if necessary, the STPRC.

b.   Each reviewer or group of reviewers will write a tenure recommendation. The recommendation will address the candidate’s fulfillment of institutional and divisional tenure criteria.  The original recommendations of the Division Chair, division faculty, Individual Tenure Committee and Dean will be placed in the portfolio with copies to the applicant and chair of the STPRC.  

c.   At the completion of the applicant’s review process, the original recommendations will be sent to Human Resources for filing in the applicant’s personnel file and the Pportfolio will be returned to the applicant. 

2.  Individual Tenure Committee

  a. The Individual Tenure Committee may be the same as the Individual Promotion Committee as long as criteria for both committees are met (see Promotion Policy 2.106).

  b. There shall be an individual tenure committee for each applicant.  The individual tenure committee will consist of five (5) members and be composed as follows:

(1) Two (2) or more tenured faculty members, and one (1) or more non-tenured faculty members from the applicant's division, if available 

(2) One (1) or more faculty from outside the division,

(3) One (1) or more students, but not more than 50 percent of the committee membership (Student members must have declared a major and taken upper-division course work in the applicant's division).

c. Faculty in the applicant's division will elect one (1)  member from the division's faculty and one (1) student to serve on the committee; the applicant will select the remaining members.

d. Faculty in the applicant’s division will elect the chair from the members of the Individual Tenure Committee. 

3.      Standing Tenure and Promotion Review Committee (STPRC)

         The name of the academic faculty standing tenure review committee is the Standing Tenure and Promotion Review Committee (STPRC) (see 1.104 Article IV, Section 5 for the committee’s responsibilities, makeup and terms of
service).

C.  Procedures for Tenure Evaluation

1.   After review of all credentials and criteria, the Provost notifies faculty of their eligibility to apply for tenure.

2.  Following notification by the Provost of eligibility to apply for tenure, the applicant submits a "Request for Tenure Evaluation” to the Provost's Office.  Application for tenure authorizes the Individual Tenure Committee to secure current formal student evaluations and formal teaching evaluations and annual performance evaluations. 

3.  The Provost provides the faculty senate chair, STPRC Chair, Division Chairs, and Deans with a list of faculty members who have indicated they will be applying for tenure.

4.  The applicant’s division submits names of Individual Tenure Committee members, including the chair, to the STPRC Chair.

5.  The STPRC Chair issues the list of approved Individual Tenure Committees, identifying the chair, to the applicant, the Faculty Senate Chair, the Division Chairs, the Deans, and the Provost.

6.  The applicant submits the portfolio to the division office where it will be housed for review by the Division Chair, the division faculty, the Individual Tenure Committee and the Dean.

7.      The Dean will ensure that a portfolio for each faculty member is completed and made available for review in the division office by the Division Chair, the division faculty, the Individual Tenure Committee, and the Dean.  The Dean will notify the above mentioned reviewers that the file is ready for review.

8.      The Division Chair will write a summative tenure evaluation/recommendation of the applicant member based on annual evaluations and other materials in the applicant’s portfolio.  Prior to submission, the Division Chair and applicant must discuss the summative evaluation/recommendation.  The summative evaluation/recommendation should be attached to copies of prior annual performance evaluations, including those by both the division’s evaluating body, if applicable, and the Division Chair or Director.  The original copy of the evaluation/recommendation is to be placed in the portfolio.  A copy will be given to the applicant and to the chair of the STPRC.

9.      The division faculty members may choose to review the portfolio and make a written recommendation to be placed in the portfolio.  A copy will be submitted to the applicant and the Division Chair.

10.  The Individual Tenure Committee will review the portfolio and arrive at a recommendation.  Each member of the committee will have a full vote.  Voting will be by secret ballot with no tally recorded.  The chair of the Individual Tenure Committee will prepare a written recommendation.  The committee’s recommendation shall be signed by each member of the committee or by the chair only.  The original copy of the recommendation will be added to the portfolio with a copy submitted to the applicant and the chair of the STPRC.

11.  The Dean shall review the portfolio and prepare a recommendation.  The original copy of the recommendation will be added to the portfolio and a copy forwarded to the applicant and the chair of the STPRC, the Division Chair, and the Individual Promotion Committee Chair.

12.  The Dean will then move the portfolio to the Provost’s office for review of the Provost, the STPRC if warranted, and the President.

13.  The Provost will review the recommendations submitted by all reviewers and the portfolio and determine whether the portfolio will be reviewed by the STPRC.

a.       The Provost will review the Tenure File portfolio and prepare a recommendation to the President.

b.      If the Provost intends to disagree with the recommendation of the STPRC, the Provost will, in writing, inform the STPRC and candidate of that decision.  Before forwarding a recommendation to the President or sharing it with the applicant, the Provost will meet with the STPRC to discuss how the applicant has met or failed to meet the criteria for tenure, or other reasons for the recommendation.

14.  The STPRC will review the portfolio if the Division Chair, Individual Tenure Committee, or Dean recommends against tenure or if requested to do so by the Provost.  The STPRC will submit its recommendation to the Provost, and provide a copy to the applicant, the Division Chair, the Individual Tenure Committee Chair, and the Dean.

a.       The STPRC will review the Tenure File and arrive at a recommendation by simple majority vote.  Votes shall be cast by secret ballot, and no tally of the votes shall be reported.  Each member of the committee will have an equal vote in all matters.  The chair of the STPRC will prepare a written recommendation.

b.      The committee’s recommendation shall be signed by each member of the committee or by the chair only.

c.       If the STPRC recommends against granting tenure, it shall inform the applicant before submitting its recommendation to the Provost.  The applicant shall then be given an opportunity to meet with the STPRC within seven business days to present additional material in support of the granting of tenure.  Immediately after the meeting with the applicant the STPRC will review all materials and again arrive at a recommendation.

15.  When any reviewer or the Provost recommends against granting tenure, the applicant shall be afforded the opportunity to present a written response to the Provost, who will consider all pertinent material prior to submitting a recommendation to the President.  The applicant’s written response will be added to the portfolio.

16.  The complete portfolio and the Provost’s final written recommendation shall be forwarded to the President.

      The President shall review the portfolio and determine whether to recommend approval of the application for tenure.

      If the President decides not to recommend tenure, he/she shall, in writing, notify the applicant, the Individual Tenure Committee Chair, the Division Chair, the Dean, the STPRC, and the Provost.  The applicant may meet with the President to discuss the recommendation. 

      If the President recommends tenure, he/she shall submit a recommendation for granting promotion to the State Board of Education, with a copy to the applicant, the Individual Tenure Committee Chair, the Division Chair, the Dean, the STPRC, and the Provost.

         D.     Procedures for Appeal

1. The candidate may appeal to the Hearing Board (see Policy 2.115, Faculty Grievance Policy).

2. The President's decision on the Hearing Board's recommendation is final.

         E. Timeline

Each year the Provost’s office will publish the specific dates on which activities are to be completed.