ORGANIZATION AND WORKING POLICY FOR THE ANDREWS UNIVERSITY RANK AND TENURE COMMITTEE
The following philosophy, procedures and policies shall govern the appointment of the Rank and Tenure Committee of Andrews University.
I—Purpose
Section 1
The purpose of the Rank and Tenure Committee, with respect to advancement in rank and the granting of tenure, shall be to:
Provide greater faculty participation in administrative decision-making with respect to the promotion of faculty, without sacrificing the neutrality of peer status in a process that requires fair deliberation, due process and impartiality.
Recommend qualified candidates for promotion and tenure to the dean of the School of graduate studies and research (where appropriate), the provost, and the president.
Advise the Advancement Criteria Committee and the Faculty Policy and Development Council with respect to the development and implementation of appropriate policies with respect to the promotion of faculty.
II—Membership
Section 1
Membership in the Rank and Tenure Committee shall be open to full professors who do not hold administrative positions such as that of dean, associate or assistant dean, in one of the schools of the university.
Section 2
The number of members shall be 14.
Section 3
Membership of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall be determined as follows: Each of these entities shall elect faculty members as representative(s): College of Arts and Sciences, four; School of Architecture, Art, and Design, one; School of Business Administration, two; School of Education, two; School of Health Professions, two; the SDA Theological Seminary, two; and attached departments (if appropriate), one.
Section 4
Where there are not enough eligible professors in a given entity, the dean1 of the entity in question shall, in consultation with the full professors of that school or the library, the dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, and the provost, request the services of a full professor(s) from another school.
Section 5
A member’s service shall be for three years. The rotation of members shall start after the second year with one third of the elected members retiring each year thereafter. The provost shall arrange for the continued staffing and functioning of the committee.
Section 6
Members may be elected for no more than two consecutive terms of service.
Section 7
Vacancies in membership shall be filled as outlined in section II-3 & 4 above.
III—Officers of the Committee
Section 1
Chair
The chair shall be chosen by the members at the initial annual meeting of the committee, and again as the position becomes vacant. It shall be the duty of the chair to call meetings and to prepare an agenda. He/she shall also be the contact person for the deans of the schools, the director, and the provost with respect to rank and tenure matters.
Section 2
Secretary
The secretary shall be chosen by the members at the initial annual meeting of the committee, and again as the position becomes vacant. The secretary shall keep confidential the minutes and documents relating to an individual’s promotion or tenure.
IV—Terms of Reference of the Committee
Section 1
The committee as a whole shall be fully conversant with the rank and tenure policies of the university as outlined in the Andrews University Working Policy and shall apply the same without fear or favor when making their recommendations to the provost.
The members of the Rank and Tenure Committee represent the totality of the university with its diverse disciplines and professional methodologies. Members shall use white papers2 prepared by schools, the James White Library, or disciplinary groups within schools as reference documents in making their recommendations. In the event such documents are not sufficient, members should seek counsel from experts, either on or off-campus. Such consultation is mandatory where the committee becomes divided between those favoring a promotion and those not favoring a promotion.
1In this context “dean” refers to the dean of an academic unit: college, school, or library.
2A white paper is a statement of the standards held for faculty advancement in rank and tenure by an academic or professional discipline with respect to quality scholarship, teaching, and service.
Section 2
From time to time, the committee shall review rank and tenure policies and make appropriate recommendations to the Advancement Criteria Committee which is the committee that formulates and amends rank and tenure policies for recommendation through the Faculty Policy and Development Council to the General Faculty of the University.
Section 3
The committee shall consider only the rank and tenure requests that have come to it from the Office of the Provost with the support of appropriate documentation.
Section 4
The committee shall work within an overall annual timetable and sequence of events (see section VI) to ensure due process and conformity with the Board of Trustee meetings.
V—Meetings
Section 1
Meetings of the Rank and Tenure Committees shall be called by the chair as business demands.
Section 2
The conduct of official business at a meeting requires a quorum of eight.
Section 3
A member of the Committee may be dismissed by the provost for non-attendance, malfeasance, and/or breach of confidentiality after a committee of three appointed by the provost investigates the infraction. Vacancies are filled as outlined in section II-3 above.
Section 4
Minutes shall be kept of all meetings, filed and secured. Minutes of meetings are read at meetings and are not circulated except for a confidential copy sent to the provost.
Section 5
Supporting documents or copies of same that deal with a specific faculty member are not kept on file by the secretary but rather are given to the provost as soon as a decision has been taken by the Rank and Tenure Committee. (See section VII below for final disposition of documentation.)
Section 6
The chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall be its only spokesperson to the provost in regard to the official business of the committee.
Section 7
Recommendations made by the Rank and Tenure Committee are not final but rather represent valuable peer input as one of several steps in the recommendation process to the president and to the Board of Trustees where the final decision on promotion is made.
Recommendations made by the Rank and Tenure Committee on the appropriate forms shall, however, be taken very seriously by the administration of the university in the process of making recommendations on promotion and tenure to the Board of Trustees. Where any administrator’s recommendations differ with those of the Committee, such variances shall be made known to the Rank and Tenure Committee by way of the procedures outlined in VI-7, 9, and 10 below.
VI—Annual Promotion Timetable and Sequence of Events and Appeals
Section 1
In preparation for the annual Board of Trustee meetings the timetable and sequence of events outlined in sections 2-8 shall be followed with the deadlines for the Board of Trustee meetings.
Section 2
Normally, promotion and tenure decisions are voted by the Board of Trustees in March.
Although candidates for promotion or tenure may apply at any time during the year, in March (one year before a particular March Board meeting) general eligibility lists of candidates are sent to academic deans by the Office of the Provost. The criteria of eligibility shall be the ones stated in the Andrews University Working Policy. Deans shall adjust the list in the light of initial employment agreements, and return the same to the Office of the Provost by April 1.
Section 3
Deadline – by May 1
The Office of the Provost sends out invitations for application to promotion to all relevant individuals, hosts an information session, and provides links to promotion material.
Section 4
Deadline – by October 1 and November 1
By October 1 all promotion applicants should have completed their portfolios and submitted them for review to chairs, who will then submit them to the deans. Chairs and deans will review the portfolios, advise candidates on the strengths and weaknesses of submissions, and write recommendations as appropriate.
Department chairs and deans must indicate to the eligible candidates the nature of their recommendations prior to submission of materials to the next level of review so that eligible candidates may decide whether to proceed to the next step. The completed portfolio, with recommendations, should be submitted to the provost’s Office in electronic or paper format no later than November 1. Three copies of the material should be available.
Section 5
Deadline - by February 15
The provost will meet with the Rank and Tenure Committee no later than early January to provide them with the advancement portfolios and review policies. At that time a chair will be chosen to manage the review stage of the process. After the committee has deliberated within the parameters of this document, the chair of the committee will share the recommendations in writing with the provost, together with all relevant documentation of the faculty member in question.
If the provost does not concur with the decision of the committee, he/she will ask to meet with the committee to explain reasons for disagreement. These comments should be in writing. The committee may review their opinion based on this input. If the decision is not reversed, the provost will pass on the recommendation of the committee to the president, along with his/her stated reservations.
Once the deliberations of the committee have concluded and the recommendation has been sent to the president, the provost shall inform the relevant dean of the committee’s recommendations so that the dean/director can immediately inform the department chairs and the eligible faculty members.
Section 6
Appeals
In the event of a negative decision regarding promotion or tenure, the faculty member may appeal through the following process. Within four weeks of receipt of notification, the faculty member must provide the provost with a letter of appeal that details in specific terms the basis of the appeal. The provost then makes an appointment with the faculty member to discuss the basis for appeal and the appeal process. If the faculty member continues to desire an appeal, the provost then informs the chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee whose duty would be to convene the committee. The provost presents the letter of appeal and a summary of the discussion with the faculty member to the members at the appeals committee meeting. The faculty member may supply relevant evidence related to the appeal for the committee to consider. The committee may request the faculty member to meet with the committee in order to explain further the basis for appeal and the relevant evidence. After the committee has heard the relevant appeal, it may or may not decide to reverse the prior decision. In either case, it must supply the provost of the rationale for the appeal decision. The provost will then provide a written summary of the decision along with the reasons for the decision to the faculty member. The total appeal process shall not consume more than eight weeks of time from the time of the initial committee decision to the date of the final decision by the committee and the administration.
Section 7
No fewer than 2 weeks before the Board meeting
The president shall inform the provost of his/her intention with respect to promotion and tenure matters for the ensuing meeting of the Board so that the provost can immediately inform the Rank and Tenure Committee, the candidates in question and their deans/directors. (See section 9 in cases of negative recommendations).
Section 8
No less than one week before the Board meeting in situations where the president has decided not to recommend a specific advancement in rank and/or tenure, the provost shall call a meeting of the members of the Rank and Tenure Committee, and the deans and department chair(s) involved. The president of the university shall then give the reasons for his/her decision. If, by mutual agreement, the decision not to recommend a specific promotion or tenure stands, the provost shall immediately inform the relevant candidate in writing of the reasons for the decision.
VII—Final Disposition of Rank and Tenure Documentation
Section 1
After Rank and Tenure Committee decisions have been made, and the total promotion process has been completed, one copy of all supporting documentation and correspondence will be filed in the Office of the Provost, one copy in the dean’s/director’s office, and one in the department chair’s office.
Section 2
The relevant documents and correspondence are appropriately kept in a faculty member’s promotion file and after consultation with the provost, may be opened for review by the faculty member concerned.
VIII—Final Decision on Recommendations for Advancement In Rank and Tenure
Section 1
Official promotions in rank and tenures for the university are made by the Board of Trustees.
Section 2
The Board of Trustees decisions on promotions in rank and tenure are usually made in March at the recommendation of the president.
Section 3
Recommendations by the president are made only after s/he shall have received counsel by way of the promotion review process as outlined in Sections 1-8 above.
Section 4
Official promotion in rank and tenure actions taken by the Board of Trustees, are conveyed in writing to the particular faculty members by the provost within two weeks after the Board of Trustees meeting. Copies of these letters to faculty members are sent to the relevant deans and department chairs.
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