Renewal, Promotion, and Continuing Appointment Information

Welcome to the Academic Affairs web page for processes and procedures for renewal of term appointments, continuing appointment, and promotion! This site is intended to be a resource for faculty and staff who want to better understand what to expect and what is required of them when considering and carrying out renewal of term appointments, continuing appointment, and promotions. The contents of this webpage are congruent to the processes and procedures that are laid out in the handbook from the Office of the Provost, “Academic Affairs Processes and Procedures for Renewal of Term Appointments, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion,” updated 9/1/2022.

Processes and Procedures for Renewal of Term Appointments, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion Handbook

Here is the pdf handbook that addresses all processes and procedures for renewal of term appointments, continuing appointment, and promotion.

Criteria for Appointment, Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

Criteria for Appointment, Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

(Adopted by College Senate on April 30, 1991)

INSTRUCTOR

Requirements include pursuit of a terminal degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers. Teaching experience at the college level and some evidence of research, writing, publication, or creative activity in the arts are desirable.

LECTURER

Requirements include an advanced degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers. Teaching experience at the college level and some evidence of research, writing, publication, or creative activities in the arts are desirable. Continuing appointment shall not be granted to holders of this rank.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Requirements include the earned doctorate or other terminal degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers, and wherever possible some successful teaching experience, evidence of depth and breadth in mastery of subject matter, and clear evidence of ongoing research.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Requirements include the earned doctorate or other terminal degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers; demonstrated teaching effectiveness based upon evaluation by superiors, colleagues and students, continuing expertise in subject matter; contributions to curriculum and course design; evidence of significant research and publication (e.g. conference papers, refereed articles in important journals in the field, books or books-in-progress, textbooks, funded research activities) or creative activities in the arts (e.g. exhibitions, performances); participation in professional organizations; and significant service to the department and college. Usually, those who hold this rank will hold continuing appointment.

PROFESSOR

Requirements include the earned doctorate or other terminal degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers; demonstrated evidence of consistent and superior teaching for a number of years based upon the evaluation of superiors, colleagues and students; continuing expertise in subject matter; significant contribution to course design and curricular development; a track record, recognized by authorities in the field, of important research and publication or creative activity in such forms as books, articles, musical compositions, performances, or works of art; a demonstrated leadership role in service at the departmental, college community or national level. Usually, those who hold this rank will hold continuing appointment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TERM RENEWALS

Requirements include increasing teaching effectiveness based upon evaluation by superiors, colleagues and students; evidence of on-going research presented in paper or article form, or in the case of the fine arts, performances, exhibitions, and the like; participation in professional organizations; and significant service to the department and college.

CONTINUING APPOINTMENT

Requirements include the doctorate or other terminal degree as defined by the discipline or in some cases extensive practical experience in a professional field as with performing artists or writers; demonstrated teaching effectiveness based upon evaluation by superiors, colleagues and students, including classroom visitation; evidence of growing expertise in subject matter; contributions to course design and curriculum development; evidence of recognized accomplishment in one's field that included research and publications, or in the fine arts, performance activity or exhibitions; and significant departmental and college-wide service. Normally, at least three years of term appointment status shall be required before continuing appointment is granted.

Timelines for Term Appointments, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

Term Renewal

Term Renewal - Spring

February 1
- Candidate’s Evaluative Dossier Due to Dept. Chair / School Dean and Dept. / School Personnel Committee
March 15
- Dept. Chair’s / School Dean’s and Dept. / School Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
June 1
- Provost’s Recommendation Due to President
September 1
- Contractual Notification Due to Candidate

Term Renewal for Lecturers on Initial 1-year Appointment

February 1
- Candidate’s Evaluative Dossier Due to Dept. Chair / School Dean and Dept. / School Personnel Committee
February 28
- Dept. Chair’s / School Dean’s and Dept. / School Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
March 23
- Provost’s Recommendation Due to President
March 31
- Contractual Notification Due to Candidate

Term Renewal for Faculty in 2nd Year of Initial Appointment

September 15
- Candidate’s Evaluative Dossier Due to Dept. Chair / School Dean and Dept. / School Personnel Committee
October 15
- Dept. Chair’s / School Dean’s and Dept. / School Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
November 15
- Provost’s Recommendation Due to President
December 15
- Contractual Notification Due to Candidate

Continuing Appointment

Spring Term Continuing Appointment

February 1
- Candidate’s Evaluative Dossier Due to Dept. Chair / School Dean and Dept. / School Personnel Committee
March 1
- Dept. Chair’s / School Dean’s and Dept. / School Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
April 25
- Faculty Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
July 1
- Provost’s Recommendation Due to President
September 1
- Contractual Notification Due to Candidate

Promotion

Promotion - Only Considered in the Spring Semester

March 1
- Candidate’s Evaluative Dossier Due to Dept. Chair / School Dean and Dept. / School Personnel Committee
April 15
- Dept. Chair’s / School Dean’s and Dept. / School Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
June 1
- Faculty Personnel Committee’s Recommendation Due to Provost
July 1
- Provost’s Recommendation Due to President

Classroom Observation Procedures and Criteria

Guidelines for classroom observation and teaching evaluation can be found below or in this document for use when a faculty member is being considered for a term renewal, continuing appointment, or promotion.

Classroom Observation Procedures and Criteria for Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion Candidates

Procedures for Classroom Observations:

Classroom observations of teaching shall be conducted during each review cycle by a minimum of two members of the department or school, at least one of whom is a member of the Personnel Committee of the Department or School of the observed faculty member, and by the Chair of the Department or the Dean of the School.
A second classroom observation by the same observer shall take place if requested by either the observer or the observed faculty member.
Faculty members who are being observed have the option of requesting an additional classroom observation from a department member or another faculty member of their own choosing.
Each observation shall be preceded by examination of syllabi and pertinent instructional materials provided by the faculty member to be observed and/or a pre-observation conference with the faculty member.
Each observer shall provide written feedback on each classroom observation to the faculty member observed and the departmental or school Personnel Committee. A post-observation conference may take place in addition to the written feedback given to the faculty member.
Written feedback from classroom observations provides evidence to be considered in the preparation of official evaluation documents such as Personnel Evaluation Report (PER) Form narratives.

Suggested Criteria for Classroom Observations

Context of the class
- Class prefix and title
- Number of students enrolled
- Number of students present
- Day and hour of class meeting
- Type of class (e.g. satisfying core requirement, required in the major, requirement related to the major, elective, studio, laboratory, etc.)
Intellectual rigor
- Appropriateness of course content, readings, and instructional materials
- Clear presentation of materials to stimulate understanding
Mastery of subject
- Appropriate choice of research, topics, and/or findings in the field
- Currency in the field
- Incorporating the faculty member’s own research into teaching (as appropriate)
Careful preparation and clear organization of classroom activities
- Effective use of class time
- Encouragement of critical thinking
- Appropriate response to students’ questions and comments
Clear and effective communication with students
- Ability to arouse student interest and curiosity
- Clear explanation of important ideas
- Willingness to seek and respond to feedback from students

External Review

Information regarding the external review of candidates can be found below or in this pdf.

External Review of Candidates for Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

When a faculty member is being considered for a term renewal, continuing appointment, or promotion, external evaluation of the professional work (publications, written research in progress, art works, musical compositions, etc.) of the candidate may be sought by any of the parties to the process (the candidate, a Department / School committee, a Department Chair / School Dean, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Provost, or the President).

If a candidate wishes to initiate an external review, s/he will make this request in writing to the Provost no later than when the Provost receives the recommendations from the Department / School (October 15 for Fall Term Renewal and Continuing Appointment review – March 15 for Spring Term Renewal and Continuing Appointment review – April 15 for Promotion to Associate Professor).

If a party to the process other than the candidate wishes to initiate an external review, that party will make this request in writing to the Provost. Before any of the parties to the review process take action to seek a written external review, the Provost will inform the candidate in writing that this action is to be taken.

The candidate will be asked to sign the following brief statement and return it to the Office of the Provost:

"______________________ (one of the parties to your review process) has requested an external review of your scholarly work. Information supplied by the external reviewers will be restricted to the Department / School committee, the Department Chair / School Dean, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Provost, and the President. Please sign below indicating your acknowledgement of this review. The Provost’ Office will contact you in the next few days concerning this process."

All candidates for promotion to Full Professor will have samples of their scholarly work evaluated by external reviewers. Because this requires considerable lead time to find appropriate reviewers and for the reviewers to complete their evaluations, samples of scholarly work (publications, written research in progress, art works, musical compositions, etc.) must be submitted prior to the submission of other review materials (see Process for Submitting the Evaluative Dossier for Promotion Consideration document).

On or before January 15, the following documents must be submitted to the Provost’s Office in pdf form:

Current vita
2-3 samples of scholarly work
List of 3 or 4 potential external reviewers’ names and contact information

The Department Chair / School Dean and the Provost may also be requested to provide a list of potential external reviewers’ names and contact information.

External evaluations that identify the evaluator are confidential documents that may be read only by the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Department Chair/Dean, the Provost, and the President. If the external reviewer has authorized release of the evaluation to the candidate, the external evaluation will be released to the candidate at the conclusion of the review process at the candidate’s request. This information can be useful to the candidate in assessing the value of his/her academic research or creative endeavors.

Flow Chart for Continuing Appointment Process

Flow Chart for Term Renewal Process

Flow Chart for Promotion Process

Preparing Your Evaluative Dossier

Information regarding how to prepare your evaluative dossier can be found below or in this pdf.

Evaluative Dossier for Consideration for Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

The evaluative dossier includes the following required documents:

A current vita
A reflective self-evaluation statement of:
1. accomplishments to date in teaching,
2. contributions to your discipline
3. service to the College, community and profession.

Supplementary documents such as the following would also be included in the evaluative dossier:

Evidence of teaching effectiveness
- Representative samples of syllabi and other instructional materials from courses taught,
- Peer evaluation
  - Classroom visits by the department chair / school dean and at least one other faculty member,
  - Written comments on the visits in some common format that is specific to the department,
  - An evaluation record from several years, including the present, reflecting the full tenure of your appointment,
  - Evaluations of more than one course taught, but not necessarily all courses, reflecting the varied teaching assignment.
- Systematic prose comments reflecting the varied teaching assignment.
Student Opinion of Faculty Instruction (SOFI) statistical information and grade distribution data
- Graphs of all classes where SOFIs were given
- SOFI written comments, if desired. (Submission of SOFI written comments is voluntary. Should SOFI written comments be submitted for review, it is strongly recommended that all SOFI forms from any given course be included.)
Selected publications
Correspondence from publishers, grant reviewers, etc. specifying and acknowledging contributions to research or public service, if relevant
Documents which are required by departmental/school regulations

If you wish, you may embed links in your CV or reflective self-evaluation to relevant supplementary documents. When inserted as follows, the links will be accessible when the document is saved and uploaded as a pdf.

To embed a link, first upload to Google Drive the document to which you wish to link. Rightclick on the document, click “Get shareable link,” then return to the document into which you wish to embed the link, and highlight the word(s) where you wish to embed the link. You will then right click on the highlighted word(s), select “Hyperlink”, then right-click and paste the link into the address field of the popup box, and click OK. (Please note that Apple commands may differ slightly.)

Suggested Vita Format

The suggested format for your Vita can be found below or in this pdf.

Suggested Format of Vita for Consideration for Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

I. EDUCATION

II. ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT/EXPERIENCE HISTORY

III. COURSES TAUGHT

List all courses taught at Geneseo with indication of new courses or curricula developed
Awards related to teaching

IV. SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Publications (in proper bibliographic form with acceptance/rejection rate of journal if known)
Exhibitions/Performances (juried or invited)  Works Submitted
Works in Progress
Conference Presentations (indicate if juried or invited)
Discussant/Panelist at Professional Meetings  External Grants Funded
External Grants Submitted
Adjudications/Workshops
Other Invited Work
Honors and Awards Related to Scholarly and Creative Activity V.

SERVICE

Department & College Service
Community Service Related to Profession
Service to Discipline/Profession

VI. PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

VII. OTHER RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR WORK

All entries should be listed in chronological order with the most recent dates first. Be as clear and specific as possible about dates, titles, organizations, etc. Documentation supporting the entries in your vita should be included in the supporting materials submitted.

If you wish, you may embed links in your CV to relevant supplementary documents. When inserted as follows, the links will be accessible when the document is saved and uploaded as a pdf.

To embed a link, first upload to Google Drive the document to which you wish to link. Rightclick on the document, click “Get shareable link,” then return to the document into which you wish to embed the link, and highlight the word(s) where you wish to embed the link. You will then right click on the highlighted word(s), select “Hyperlink”, then right-click and paste the link into the address field of the popup box, and click OK. (Please note that Apple commands may differ slightly.)

Preparing a Reflective Self-Evaluation Statement

Information for preparing a reflective self-evaluation statement can be found below or in this pdf.

Preparing a Reflective Self-Evaluation Statement for Consideration for Term Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

Purpose

The reflective self-evaluation statement is an opportunity for the candidate to provide an interpretation of the materials submitted in support of term renewal, continuing appointment, or promotion. This statement should not merely restate accomplishments or information already presented in the vita, but rather should reflect on the significance of the evidence presented in the areas of teaching effectiveness, contributions to the discipline, and service.

Reflections on teaching should include brief teaching philosophy, how that philosophy is used in practice, adjustments and changes to teaching methodology over time, and use of SOFI scores and comments and peer reviews to make improvements and/or adjustments to teaching.
Reflections on the contributions to the discipline should include a brief discussion of progress in research/creative agenda, and how the contributions relate to and advance debates and knowledge in the discipline, or contribute artistically to the field.
Reflections on the significance of service contributions should include how they contribute to the goals of the department/college and/or how professional service has been used for the public good.

Outline

The reflective self-evaluation statement should be organized according to the sections that are based on the SUNY Board of Trustees guidelines and that are consistent with the Personnel Evaluation Report (PER) Form:

Introduction – include mastery of subject matter, as demonstrated by such things as advanced degrees, licenses, honors, awards and reputation in the subject matter field.
Teaching Effectiveness – as demonstrated by such things as judgment of colleagues, development of teaching materials or new courses and student reaction, as determined from surveys, interviews and classroom observation.
Contributions to the Discipline – as demonstrated by such things as success in developing and carrying out significant research work in the subject matter field, contribution to the arts, publications and reputation among colleagues.
Service – as demonstrated by such things as college public service, committee work, administrative work, and work with students or community in addition to formal teacher-student relationships.
Growth – as demonstrated by such things as reading, research or other activities to keep abreast of current developments in the academic employee’s fields and being able to handle successfully increased responsibility.

If you wish, you may embed links in your reflective self-evaluation to relevant supplementary documents. When inserted as follows, the links will be accessible when the document is saved and uploaded as a pdf.

To embed a link, first upload to Google Drive the document to which you wish to link. Right click on the document, click “Get shareable link,” then return to the document into which you wish to embed the link, and highlight the word(s) where you wish to embed the link. You will then right click on the highlighted word(s), select “Hyperlink”, then right-click and paste the link into the address field of the popup box, and click OK. (Please note that Apple commands may differ slightly.)

Submitting Evaluative Dossier for Continuing Appointment

Information regarding the process for submitting the evaluative dossier for continuing appointment can be found below or in this pdf.

Process for Submitting the Evaluative Dossier for Consideration for Continuing Appointment

At the beginning of the review process, a Google Drive folder having Faculty-Undergoing-Review-Name Evaluative Dossier as its title will be shared with the faculty member undergoing review (hereafter referred to as candidate) for the purpose of holding and sharing his/her evaluative dossier with reviewers. (The candidate will receive an email from the Provost’s assistant with an invitation to collaborate in the shared folder.)

The candidate will then upload in pdf form his/her current cv and reflective self-evaluation into the Evaluative Dossier folder, and his/her supplementary documents into the Supplementary Documents folder (within the Evaluative Dossier folder). On or before the appropriate deadline (September 15 for Fall review – February 1 for Spring review), the candidate will share the complete Evaluative Dossier with his/her department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members, granting them “Can view” (not “Can edit”) permission. (Please do not use or share the sharable link.)

The candidate’s department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members will review the evaluative dossier and will prepare recommendations (via Personnel Evaluation Report [PER] Forms). On or before the appropriate deadline (October 15 for Fall review – March 1 for Spring review), the department chair/school dean will submit both hand-signed hard-copy original PER Forms to the Provost’s Office and provide a copy of the PER Forms to the candidate. The Provost’s assistant will, upon receipt, upload the PER Forms in pdf form to the candidate’s Review Folder, in which his/her Evaluative Dossier is contained, and will share the Review Folder (as “Can view”) with the Faculty Personnel Committee (FPC) and the Provost.

At this time the Provost’s assistant will remove shared permissions to the candidate’s Evaluative Dossier from the department/school personnel committee members, and will change to “Can view” the candidate’s permission to the Dossier. Should the candidate wish to include revised or additional documents, s/he may email them to the Provost’s assistant, who, after consulting with the Provost, will upload them into the Dossier.

The FPC will review the Evaluative Dossier and PER Forms, and, on or before the appropriate deadline (November 15 for Fall review – April 25 for Spring review), will provide its recommendation to the Provost and the President. After receiving the FPC’s recommendation, the Provost’s assistant will upload it to the Review Folder.

The Provost will review the Evaluative Dossier and the PER Forms, consult with the department chair/school dean and FPC as necessary, and prepare his/her recommendation. The Provost will then send the candidate both a letter containing the Provost’s recommendation and a memo providing the candidate with five working days to review the PER Forms. (At this time, the Provost’s assistant will remove the shared permissions from the FPC, upload the Provost’s recommendation to the Review Folder, and share the Review Folder [as “Can view”] with the candidate for five working days.) The candidate may, during this time, file a statement in response to the recommendations by emailing it to the Provost’s assistant, who will upload it to the Review Folder. At the end of the five days, the Provost’s assistant will remove shared permissions from the department chair/school dean to the Evaluative Dossier and from the candidate to the Review folder.

On or before the appropriate deadline (December 15 for Fall review – July 1 for Spring review), the Provost’s assistant will share with the President (as “Can view”) the complete Review Folder (containing the evaluative dossier, the PER Forms, the Provost’s recommendation, and the Candidate’s statement of response to the recommendations, if any).

The President will review the documents, consulting with the Provost as appropriate, and prepare his/her decision. On or before the contractual notification date (Official start of 2nd semester for Fall review – September 1 for Spring review), the President will notify the candidate of his/her decision via letter. At this time the Provost’s assistant will remove from the Provost and the President the shared permissions to the Review Folder, and will ensure the candidate has “Can edit” permission of the Evaluative Dossier for continued/future use.

Please note: When any of the above deadlines fall on a weekend, materials will be due on Monday. If a deadline falls on an official holiday, materials will be due the day immediately following the holiday.

Submitting Evaluative Dossier for Term Renewal

Information regarding the process for submitting the evaluative dossier for term renewal can be found in this pdf.

Process for Submitting the Evaluative Dossier for Consideration for Term Renewal

The candidate will then upload in pdf form his/her current cv and reflective self-evaluation into the Evaluative Dossier folder, and his/her supplementary documents into the Supplementary Documents folder (within the Evaluative Dossier folder). On or before the appropriate deadline (September 15 for Fall review – February 1 for Spring review), the candidate will share the complete Evaluative Dossier with his/her department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members, granting them “Can view” (not “Can edit”) permission. (Please do not use or share the sharable link.)

The candidate’s department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members will review the evaluative dossier and will prepare recommendations (via Personnel Evaluation Report [PER] Forms). On or before the appropriate deadline (October 15 for Fall review – March 15 for Spring review), the department chair/school dean will submit both hand-signed hard-copy original PER Forms to the Provost’s Office and provide a copy of the PER Forms to the candidate. The Provost’s assistant will, upon receipt, upload the PER Forms in pdf form to the candidate’s Review Folder, in which the Evaluative Dossier is contained, and will share the Review Folder (as “Can view”) with the Provost.

The Provost will review the Evaluative Dossier and the PER Forms, consult with the department chair/school dean as necessary, and prepare his/her recommendation. The Provost will then send the candidate both a letter containing the Provost’s recommendation and a memo providing the candidate with five working days to review the PER Forms. (At this time, the Provost’s assistant will upload the Provost’s recommendation into the Review Folder, and share the Review Folder [as “Can view”] with the candidate for five working days.) The candidate may, during this time, file a statement in response to the recommendations by emailing it to the Provost’s assistant, who will upload it to the Review Folder. At the end of the five days, the Provost’s assistant will remove shared permissions from the department chair/school dean to the Evaluative Dossier and from the candidate to the Review folder.

On or before the appropriate deadline (November 15 for Fall review – June 1 for Spring review), the Provost’s assistant will share with the President (as “Can view”) the complete Review Folder (containing the evaluative dossier, the PER Forms, the Provost’s recommendation, and the Candidate’s statement of response to the recommendations, if any).

The President will review the documents, consulting with the Provost as appropriate, and prepare his/her decision. On or before the contractual notification date (December 15 or Official start of 2nd semester for Fall review – September 1 for Spring review), the President will notify the candidate of his/her decision via letter. At this time the Provost’s assistant will remove shared permissions from the Provost and the President to the Review Folder, and will ensure the candidate has “Can edit” permission of the Evaluative Dossier for continued/future use. Please note: When any of the above deadlines fall on a weekend, materials will be due on Monday. If a deadline falls on an official holiday, materials will be due the day immediately following the holiday.

Submitting Evaluative Dossier for Promotion

Information regarding the process for submitting the evaluative dossier for promotion can be found below or in this pdf.

Process for Submitting the Evaluative Dossier for Consideration for Promotion

On or about November 1, the Provost’s assistant will send an email to all Academic Faculty inviting them to the Provost-hosted Promotion Workshop and informing them of the process and timeline of requesting Promotion to Associate or Full Professor. Interested qualified faculty members will contact the Provost’s assistant regarding the intent to request promotion. Those requesting promotion to Full Professor will have samples of their scholarly work evaluated by external reviewers, which will require an earlier start to the review process (see External Review of Candidates section below).

The Provost’s assistant will then prepare and share with the faculty member (hereafter referred to as candidate) a Google Drive folder having Faculty-Undergoing-Review-Name Evaluative Dossier as its title for the purpose of holding and sharing his/her evaluative dossier with reviewers. (The candidate will receive an email from the Provost’s assistant with an invitation to collaborate in the shared folder.)

The candidate will then upload in pdf form his/her current cv and reflective self-evaluation into the Evaluative Dossier folder, and his/her supplementary documents into the Supplementary Documents folder (within the Evaluative Dossier folder). On or before the March 1 deadline, the candidate will share the complete Evaluative Dossier with his/her department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members, granting them “Can view” (not “Can edit”) permission. (Please do not use or share the sharable link.)

The candidate’s department chair/school dean and his/her department/school personnel committee members will review the evaluative dossier and will prepare recommendations (via Personnel Evaluation Report [PER] Forms). On or before the April 15 deadline, the department chair/school dean will submit both hand-signed hard-copy original PER Forms to the Provost’s Office and provide a copy of the PER Forms to the candidate. The Provost’s assistant will, upon receipt, upload the PER Forms in pdf form to the candidate’s Review Folder, in which his/her Evaluative Dossier is contained, and will share the Review Folder (as “Can view”) with the Faculty Personnel Committee (FPC) and the Provost.

The FPC will review the Evaluative Dossier and PER Forms, and, on or before the June 1 deadline, will provide its recommendation to the Provost and the President. After receiving the FPC’s recommendation, the Provost’s assistant will upload it to the Review Folder.

The Provost will review the Evaluative Dossier and the PER Forms, consult with the department chair/school dean and FPC as necessary, and prepare his/her recommendation. The Provost will then send the candidate both a letter containing the Provost’s recommendation and a memo providing the candidate with five working days to review the PER Forms. (At this time, the Provost’s assistant will remove the shared permissions from the FPC, upload the Provost’s recommendation to the Review Folder, and share the Review Folder [as “Can view”] with the candidate for five working days.) The candidate may, during this time, file a statement in response to the recommendations by emailing it to the Provost’s assistant, who will upload it to the Review Folder. At the end of the five days, the Provost’s assistant will remove shared permissions from the candidate to the Review folder and from the department chair/school dean to the Evaluative Dossier.

On or before the July 1 deadline, the Provost’s assistant will share with the President (as “Can view”) the complete Review Folder (containing the evaluative dossier, the PER Forms, the Provost’s recommendation, and the Candidate’s statement of response to the recommendations, if any).

The President will review the documents, consulting with the Provost as appropriate, and prepare his/her decision. The President will then notify the candidate of his/her decision via letter. At this time, the Provost’s assistant will remove from the Provost and the President the shared permissions to the Review Folder, and will ensure the candidate has “Can edit” permission of the Evaluative Dossier for continued/future use. Please note: When any of the above deadlines fall on a weekend, materials will be due on Monday. If a deadline falls on an official holiday, materials will be due the day immediately following the holiday.

External Review of Candidates

As stated above, all candidates for promotion to Full Professor will have samples of their scholarly work evaluated by external reviewers. Because this requires considerable lead time to find appropriate reviewers and for the reviewers to complete their evaluations, samples of scholarly work (publications, written research in progress, art works, musical compositions, etc.) must be submitted prior to the submission of other review materials.

On or before the January 15 deadline, the following documents must be submitted to the Provost’s Office in pdf form:

Current vita
2-3 samples of scholarly work
List of 3 or 4 potential external reviewers’ names and contact information

The Department Chair / School Dean and the Provost may also be requested to provide a list of potential external reviewers’ names and contact information.

At the conclusion of the review process, external evaluations will be released to the candidate only if the external reviewer has authorized release of the evaluation to the faculty member. This information can be useful to the candidate in assessing the value of his/her academic research or creative endeavors. (External evaluations that identify the evaluator are confidential documents that may be read only by the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Department Chair/Dean, the Provost, and the President.)

Evaluation Forms

Below are links to all necessary evaluation forms:

Additional Information Related to Continuing Appointment

Additional information related for continuing appointment can be found below or in this pdf.

Additional Information Related to Continuing Appointment

Typical Timeline to Tenure

Tenure-track faculty are hired on 1 September and are appointed for a two-year term. They undergo review during the fall semester of the academic year following their appointment date for their next two-year term. During the spring semester of their third academic year of service, they will undergo review for their next two-year term. During the spring semester of their fifth academic year of service, they will undergo review for their remaining one-year term. During the spring semester of their sixth academic year of service, they will undergo review for continuing appointment, which will be effective seven years following their appointment to the college.

Supposing you were hired on 9/1/2020.

Your first two-year term was 9/1/2020-8/31/2022. You were reviewed in Fall 2021 for your contract renewal.

Your next two-year term was 9/1/2022-8/31/2024. You will be reviewed in Spring 2023 for your contract renewal.

The next two-year term will be 9/1/2024-8/31/2026. You will be reviewed in Spring 2025 for your contract renewal.

Your final one-year term will be 9/1/2026-8/31/2027. In Spring 2026, you will undergo review for continuing appointment effective 9/1/2027.

Actions Affecting Tenure Timeline

There are three instances that could affect this typical timeline: two that would shorten it (prior service credit and early promotion) and one that would lengthen it (pausing the tenure clock). In all cases, it is recommended that a conversation be held with the department chair/dean/library director and the provost prior to beginning the process.

Prior Service Credit

Faculty hired on a tenure-track line at SUNY Geneseo who previously held an academic rank (tenure-track position) at a SUNY institution may be granted those years of service towards tenure at SUNY Geneseo, thus shortening the time to continuing appointment.

Faculty hired on a tenure-track line who previously held an academic rank (tenure-track position) at a non-SUNY institution are provided an opportunity when they are hired at Geneseo to request to have up to three of those years of service counted towards tenure, thus shortening the time to continuing appointment.

Early Promotion

In the Spring following the time when an assistant professor or a senior assistant librarian has met the departmental/library and college criteria for promotion to associate professor or librarian, they may pursue promotion. Per SUNY policy, a faculty member can hold the Associate title for a maximum of three years without being tenured (there is not a minimum number of years).

Please note: Those pursuing early promotion will want to ensure they meet/will meet the criteria for continuing appointment within those three years, since faculty can apply for continuing appointment one time only. If denied continuing appointment, their appointment will end at the time of the expiration of their current term.

Pausing the Tenure Clock

Per SUNY policy (Article XI, Title B, §3(d)(3)), an academic employee may request a temporary cessation (one or two semesters) of the tenure clock for the birth/adoption/foster care placement of a child. A Tenure Stop Clock Form, which may be accessed on the HR Forms web page, must be filled out and submitted to the Provost, who will forward it to HR, prior to the commencement of the clock stoppage. A new continuing appointment eligibility date will be determined, thus lengthening the tenure track.

Faculty Personnel Committee

The Committee on Faculty Personnel (FPC) is one of the Standing Committees of the Faculty. The functions of the FPC may be found in the Constitution of the Faculty of the State of New York, College at Geneseo in Article III Section 3 subsection c.

For any questions, contact the Senior Assistant to the Provost, Kathleen Atts, at mcintyrek@geneseo.edu.

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