Senate Document 06-06 (2nd revision)

                                                               Faculty Affairs Committee

                                                               For Discussion
                                                               March 5, 2008

                                                                                               

 

TO:  Faculty Senate

FROM: Faculty Affairs Committee

RE:  Revisions to Promotion Procedures at Purdue University Calumet

 

The Faculty Affairs Committee requests the approval of the Faculty Senate of the attached Revisions to Promotions Procedures at Purdue University Calumet.  The attached document addresses the concerns raised by the Provost’s office to SD 06-06 as follows. 

 We have inserted two additional sentences in Section IV, “Procedure;” both are currently in italics and underlined.  The first is  the third sentence overall in the section, and refers to who may apply for promotion.  It reads “The support of a faculty member’s Department Head may be helpful, but is not necessary.”  The second is the second sentence in the third paragraph, and gives the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs the power to bring forward to the University Committee a candidate considered, but not recommended, by an Area Committee.  It reads “The Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs may also bring forward for consideration candidates considered, but not recommended, by their area committees, although this prerogative should be exercised only in exceptional circumstances.”  We believe these insertions satisfy the Provost’s concerns.  In particular, no change is necessary to ensure an “escape clause” enabling a candidate to go forward despite a negative vote by the Departmental Committee, since the Dean is already empowered to bring forward such candidates.  The inserted language allowing the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs to exercise the same prerogative at the next level gives a similar escape clause by an analogous administrator.

We found the Provost’s concern about “nominations” and “self-nominations” puzzling, since the procedure is stated as starting with the candidate’s preparation of documents, which must be considered by the Departmental committee.  Although we feel this makes it clear that any eligible faculty member wishing to apply for promotion may do so, we have inserted the statement that the support of the faculty member’s Department Head may be helpful, but is not necessary.  Hopefully this clarifies the intent of the document.

  

Approved:

C. Boiarsky

F. Colucci

A. Elmendorf (Chair)

M. Fathizadeh

J. Tazbir

E. Vockell

Disapproved:

Absent:

D. Rinke

 

 

 

http://library.calumet.purdue.edu/Faculty_Senate/Documents/2005-2006/May/SD_06-06_promotion_procedures_4-2006_files/image001.gif

Promotion Procedures at Purdue University Calumet

 

I. INTRODUCTION.  

This document gives the procedures that shall be used for promotion of faculty at Purdue University Calumet.  It is intended that this document be consistent with President’s Executive Memorandum B-48 and successor documents.  Individual schools and departments may adopt additional policies concerning promotion that are consistent with this document.  The schools at Purdue Calumet referred to in this document are:

  • School of Education
  • School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science
  • School of Liberal Arts and Social Science
  • School of Management
  • School of Nursing
  • School of Technology

Promotion at Purdue University Calumet can be granted only by the Board of Trustees, and this document governs only the procedures by which a faculty member will, under normal circumstances, be recommended to the Board for promotion.

 

II. ELIGIBILITY. 

This document applies to full-time faculty holding the rank of instructor, assistant professor, or associate professor.  Eligibility for promotion is as follows: instructors may be promoted to assistant professor, assistant professors may be promoted to associate professor and associate professors may be promoted to professor.  Promotion to associate professor or professor confers tenure automatically.

 

III. COMMITTEES.  

In order to be recommended for promotion, a candidate appointed to a single academic unit must normally be recommended by three committees: an academic unit primary committee, a school area committee, and the University Committee on Promotions.  In cases of joint appointments, the administrative Heads of each appointing academic unit shall provide for proportionate representation and participation, congruent with the following provisions for single appointments.  No one may serve as a member with or without vote on more than two of these committees, and it is preferable that no one serve as a member of more than one of these committees.  All votes to recommend candidates by these committees shall be taken by secret ballot.  The deliberations of all committees must be kept in strictest confidence except as stated explicitly in this document.

The primary committee shall consist of tenured professors and tenured associate professors, and shall have at least five voting members during the consideration of any candidate.  The Head of the candidate’s academic unit shall chair the committee without vote except in the following circumstances: the school is not organized into departments, the Head is untenured, the Head is serving (with or without vote) on both the area committee and the University Committee on Promotions, or the Head is the candidate.  In these cases the Head shall not be a member of the primary committee, the committee shall elect its chair from among its voting members, and the chair shall be allowed to vote.  The procedure for selecting voting members of the committee shall be determined by the faculty of each academic unit.  Voting members may come from outside an academic unit if there are insufficient numbers within the unit.  Committee members with vote may only consider candidates for promotion to a rank equal to or below their own. Clinical/Professional faculty at the rank of associate or full professor, selected in accordance with school procedures, may vote with the primary committee only when considering promotion documents of clinical professional faculty.

There shall be at least five voting members of the area committee, all of them tenured associate or full professors.  Associate professors may only consider promotion documents for associate professor.   The Dean shall chair the area committee without vote.  The procedure for selecting voting members of the committee shall be determined by the faculty of each school.  Clinical/Professional faculty at the rank of associate or full professor, selected in accordance with school procedures, may vote with the area committee only when considering promotion documents of clinical professional faculty.

 

The University Committee on Promotions shall have sixteen members, including the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who will chair without vote.  It shall include administrative personnel consisting of the Deans of all Purdue Calumet schools.  The remaining members shall consist of: one tenured full professor from each of the schools, as nominated by the Dean of the school and appointed by the Vice Chancellor for a two year term, with terms arranged so that half of these members are appointed each year; and three additional tenured full professors without administrative appointment at the level of Head or above, appointed by the Vice Chancellor to staggered two year terms.  Clinical/Professional faculty at the rank of full professor, selected in accordance with school procedures, may vote with the University Committee only when considering promotion documents of clinical/ professional faculty. Research faculty with the rank of full professor, selected in accordance with school procedures, may vote with the University Committee only when considering promotion of other research faculty.

 

IV. PROCEDURE.  

In all cases, the procedure shall begin in the fall after the preparation of documents by the candidate.  Candidates are encouraged to seek guidance from senior colleagues well in advance of submission when preparing their documents. The support of a faculty member’s Department Head may be helpful, but is not necessary.  These documents will then be considered by the candidate’s primary committee, which must vote to recommend or not.  A simple majority of the primary committee shall be necessary for recommendation of the candidate.  The committee will then prepare a written evaluation of the candidate, which must include the vote.  In all cases, the evaluation will be forwarded to the Dean, along with a separate evaluation by the Department Head (except in those cases where the Head is the candidate.) or by the chair of the primary committee in those schools not organized into departments.  The committee chair will meet with the candidate as soon as possible after the vote of the primary committee to inform the candidate of the recommendations of both the Head or chair and the committee.  

The area committee will consider all candidates recommended by the primary committees subsidiary to it.  The Dean may also bring forward for consideration candidates considered, but not recommended, by their primary committees, although this prerogative should be exercised only in exceptional circumstances.  In all cases, the documents to be considered by the area committee shall consist of the original document prepared by the candidate, the written evaluation of the primary committee, and the recommendation of the Head (except in those cases where the Head is the candidate) or chair of the primary committee.  As with the primary committee, the area committee must vote to recommend or not, with a simple majority necessary to recommend the candidate.  Also as with the primary committee, the area committee will then prepare a written evaluation of the candidate, which must include the vote.  In all cases, the evaluation will be forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, along with a separate evaluation by the Dean.  The Dean will meet with each candidate as soon as possible after the vote of the area committee to inform the candidate of the recommendations of both the Dean and the committee.

The University Committee on Promotions will consider all candidates recommended by the area committees. The Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs may also bring forward for consideration candidates considered, but not recommended, by their area committees, although this prerogative should be exercised only in exceptional circumstances. The documents to be considered by the University Committee on Promotions shall consist of the original document prepared by the candidate, together with the recommendations of the primary committee the Head or Chair of the Primary Committee, area committee, and Dean. The University Committee on Promotions must vote to recommend or not, with a two-thirds majority vote necessary for recommendation of the candidate.  In all cases, the candidate’s Dean will meet with the candidate as soon as possible after the vote of the University Committee on Promotions to inform the candidate of the result and, in case the result is to not recommend, its rationale.  

 

Following the deliberations of the University Committee on Promotions, the Vice Chancellor transmits the recommendation of the University Committee on Promotions to the Chancellor, who, after conferring with the Vice Chancellor, make a recommendation to the President, who in turn makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which makes the final decision.  Official notice will be sent to promoted faculty members after the President and the Board of Trustees approve the promotions.