1. Preamble

The principle of tenure in the academic profession confers the right of self-direction for faculty members to teach, to carry on research, and to pursue studies in a special area of competence without concern for the stability of their position.

Faculty members earn the right to tenure by demonstrating high standards in teaching, scholarship and service, and they should recognize their responsibility for maintaining this quality of performance after receiving a tenured appointment. Faculty members being considered for a tenured appointment shall have demonstrated concern for the personal worth and development of individual students with whom they come in contact. Faculty members with tenure also recognize their responsibility to the entire faculty for continuing this quality of education for themselves and for all of their peers.

The central purpose of tenure policy at RIT is to establish a career teaching staff of demonstrated excellence in instructional skills, in scholarship and competence, and in effective participation in the academic and cultural life of the Institute. In order to ensure that those achieving tenure will be a group of proven distinction, the judgment of colleagues will be considered primary in making recommendations for tenure.

Tenure decisions should be based upon the criteria and documentation outlined in the following policy.

2. Conditions of Tenure Appointments

a. Appointment

(1) Appointment to the RIT faculty shall be consummated through agreements made between the dean of a college and the candidate for appointment with the approval of the chief academic officer. Such agreements shall be final and binding only when confirmed by a signed, written contract issued by the Personnel Office and signed by the appointee. The contract shall clearly state whether the candidate is or is not to be granted a tenure track appointment, and, in the case of a joint appointment, in which colleges the appointments shall reside.

(2) If an appointment is to a tenure track position, relevant Institute and college tenure policies shall be provided and a separate written statement of the expectations for the achievement of tenure by the particular faculty member shall be agreed upon and signed by the dean and the faculty member. This statement may be changed with the mutual consent of both parties. Such statements will be governed by Institute and college criteria.

(3) This individual statement of expectations, along with all subsequent statements related to the conditions of the faculty member's employment, prospects for tenure, and evidence bearing on the faculty member's performance, shall be kept on file. (See 4,a below.)

(4) Written notice of non-reappointment or of intention not to recommend reappointment, except in situations of financial exigency or program discontinuance, shall be given by the dean as follows:

(a) Not later than 1 March of the first academic year of service on the tenure track (which may be less than 10 months if contract commences after 1 September).

(b) Not later than 15 November of the second academic year of service on the tenure track.

(c) After two or more years of tenure track service, notice of intent not to reappoint must be given by 30 June of the current contract; in which case the tenure track faculty member will receive a terminal contract for one additional academic year.

b. Tenure Location

(1) Normally a faculty member shall be granted tenure in one of the colleges of the Institute, although joint tenure is allowed.

(2) In the case of a tenured faculty member changing from a single to a joint appointment or of a tenured faculty member who moves from one college to another, the location(s) and status of the faculty member's tenure should be established by following in general the provisions of section 4,c of this policy at the time of the appointment or change of appointment. A written agreement shall specify the tenure location and status of the faculty member's tenure.

c. Probationary Period

(1) The probationary period before granting of tenure shall be seven contract years for a faculty member who has had no teaching experience before appointment to the Institute faculty. The tenure consideration and evaluation shall be made in the sixth year.

(2) For each year of equivalent teaching experience, the probationary period may be reduced by one year, but the minimum probationary period shall be four years, except by action of the chief academic officer in very unusual circumstances. In these very unusual circumstances a recommendation from the dean to the chief academic officer will be developed following in general the provisions of section 4,c of this policy. Equivalent teaching experience normally shall be full- time teaching at the rank of Instructor or above in a regionally accredited institution of higher learning or full-time teaching in a non-tenure track position at RIT.

(3) Credit may also be given for research or for developmental activities in fields related to the subject- matter field in which the candidate is expected to teach. The equivalency of previous teaching or other professional experience shall be evaluated by the dean and approved by the chief academic officer.

(4) Faculty members who have received the maximum credit of three years' equivalent teaching experience may, before the time of their consideration for tenure and with the agreement of the dean, reduce their initial equivalency credit if they desire a longer probationary period.

(5) Tenure track faculty who apply for leaves of absence shall discuss with, and receive a written statement from their dean concerning the extent to which the leave would count toward the probationary period.

3. Criteria for Granting Tenure

The criteria to be used for granting tenure are stated below. The list of qualities or achievements is to be considered suggestive rather than exhaustive and is more specifically defined in each college's published tenure criteria. The categories are presented in priority order but without any assigned weight. The dean, director, or other appropriate administrators and the faculty member may wish to give weights to categories and items in the initial agreement of expectations and/or in subsequent annual reviews.

The view that teaching is the foremost activity of the RIT faculty is deeply rooted in the traditions of the institution, and the primacy of teaching continues to be a hallmark of RIT. Consequently, the basic consideration, both in initial appointments and matters pertaining to salary adjustments, promotion and tenure, is the extent to which high standards of teaching can be achieved and maintained.

Effective teaching, among other things, consists of clearly and enthusiastically communicating special knowledge and expertise based on an understanding of curricular objectives and the learner's needs and abilities. Further, it entails selecting and using appropriate instructional methods and materials which lead to learning, and providing fair and useful evaluations of the quality of the learner's work. Effective teaching requires a sensitivity to and rapport with the learner.

The evaluation of teaching cannot be totally objective, but such evaluation must include a conscientious effort to obtain and consider information bearing upon the work of the classroom and the activities which make effective classroom performance possible.

The Institute endorses the view that good teaching is undergirded, and indeed made possible, by selective attainments in the areas outlined below which are appropriate to individuals in the circumstances of their academic units:

(1) Academic and Professional Qualifications

These achievements refer to past and present professional and career experiences, professional recognition in the form of licenses, honors, degree attainment, and sustained effort directed toward professional and career updates.

(2) Professional Activities and Scholarship (see E4.0.5)

These include research and creative activity in a professional specialty, writing and publication in a specialized area, development of new courses and curricula, modification of existing courses or programs and investigation of alternative learning strategies.

(3) Service

These include working with students and colleagues outside the classroom such as might be found in college and Institute committee work, student advising and student activities as well as linking the professional skills of members of the faculty to the world beyond the campus.

No faculty member can be deeply engaged in all of the foregoing activities at any one time. Rather, specific forms of endeavor should be planned and agreed upon with the appropriate college authorities to the end that full opportunity is provided for individual development and enhancement of the teaching function.

Each college faculty shall develop, approve, and publish its own additional specific tenure criteria, as well as acceptable forms of evidence and documentation based on the previous general criteria and on section 4 of this policy. College criteria for tenure and for acceptable forms of evidence and documentation shall be no less than, and must be consistent with, sections 3 and 4 of this policy.

4. The Tenure Process

The administration of the tenure granting process shall be consistent with Institute policy and under the direction of the chief academic officer.

a. Documentation

(1) All tenure recommendations shall be supported by responsible available documentation. This should include all agreements relating to the faculty member's conditions of employment; expectations and requirements with respect to tenure; annual reviews as well as appropriate and reliable documentation related to the faculty member's teaching performance, academic and professional qualifications, professional activities, contributions to the Institute and community activities; and such other matters as the faculty and administration of a given college shall deem appropriate. Review committees and recommending administrators shall use this documentation at the appropriate and necessary points in the tenure process.

(2) The documentation for each faculty member with a tenure track appointment shall be maintained in the office of that faculty member's college and access to it shall be governed by the Institute's policy on "Access to Official Professional Staff Files" (E31.0).

(3) In order to assure that recommendations are completely candid and accurate, all recommendations for or against the awarding of tenure made by the tenure committee and administrators shall remain confidential, and not become a part of a candidate's documentation.

b. Annual Reviews

Although the committees are not bound by any tenure implication contained in annual reviews, such reviews made during a candidate's probationary period are an important measure of a candidate's progress toward tenure. These reviews are furnished in writing to the candidate by the dean or other administrator of the college. The annual reviews will be supported by responsible available documen tation and should include student and faculty evaluations as well as accounts of professional development and creative or scholarly production. If the college has special areas of competence to be emphasized or if there is any change in the original statement of expectations with respect to tenure, candidates should be clearly informed of this. The reviews will conclude with a statement indicating whether current performance would normally lead to a recommendation for tenure.

c. Tenure Review and Recommendations

(1) For purposes of determining the composition of the college tenure committees in colleges with more than six departments or academic units, the faculty shall define by appropriate grouping of such units a maximum of six units of intellectual or academic affiliation.

(2) Immediate Administrator

The chair, director, or immediate administrator for the faculty member as determined by the college's organizational structure shall prepare a written recommendation based on Institute and college tenure criteria, as well as on the candidate's documentation and forward it to the dean by 15 September.

(3) College Tenure Committees

(a) In any year during which there are candidates for tenure in a college, a tenure committee shall be formed and hold its initial meeting by 30 September, comprised of six tenured members of the faculty of the college and one tenured member of another college in the Institute.

(b) The college tenure committee shall review each candidate in the light of the Institute criteria for tenure, the college's criteria for tenure, the candidate's documentation, and comprehensive written evaluations of the immediate administrator and dean.

(c) Recommendation for approval for tenure shall require five members in favor as determined by secret vote. There shall be no abstentions nor avoidances of voting by absence. Recommendation for approval or non-approval of tenure, a written statement of reasons for approval or non-approval, and the vote shall be forwarded by the chair of the tenure committee to the dean of the college and to the chief academic officer by 1 February.

(4) Composition of a college tenure committee

(a) one tenured faculty member from another college appointed by the Academic Senate from a list of nominees elected by the tenured and tenure-track faculty of each college.

(b) six tenured faculty, with one member from each department or academic unit (or other grouping as specified in 4,c (1) above) elected by the tenured and tenure track faculty of each unit and the remainder (if any) of the committee elected by the tenured and tenure track faculty of the college as a whole.

The exact model for a college's tenure committee must be developed and approved by the college faculty to meet the above criteria. In the case of joint appointment, the candidate will be considered separately in each college by the committees involved.

(5) Election of the members of College Tenure Committee

Each college shall determine its procedure for electing the members specified in 4,c,(4)(b) above. College procedures shall, however, ensure that no less than one member was on the college tenure committee during the immediately preceding year to provide for continuity over time. The Academic Senate shall determine its procedure for appointing the outside member specified in 4,c,(4)(a) above. Elections each academic year shall be conducted before 1 June of the prior year.

(6) Dean of the College

(a) Shortly after the membership of the college tenure committee is determined by the above process, the dean shall:

· Announce to the college the names of the committee members. The records of the election process shall be kept on file in the dean's office until 15 November and be placed at the disposal of those who wish to examine the process.

· Call the committee to its initial organizational meeting. This meeting shall be called prior to 30 September.

· During that meeting, the dean shall:

-announce to the committee the names of that year's candidates for tenure.

-provide the documentation, the written recommendation of the immediate administrator and the comprehensive written evaluation of the dean for each candidate.

-instruct the committee to elect a chair from the faculty elected in 4,c (4)(b) above. The dean shall depart before the election of the chair.

(b) The dean of the college shall prepare a tenure recommendation, separate from that of the college tenure committee described in 4,c,(3)(c), based on Institute and college criteria and on the candidate's documentation, and forward it to the chief academic officer by 8 February along with the recommendation of the unit administrator and the candidate's documentation.

(7) The Chief Academic Officer

In making a tenure recommendation, the chief academic officer may call upon the unit administrator, the college tenure committee or the dean for clarification or additional information and may meet with any of them to reconcile opposing views. When a discrepancy exists between the recommendation of the college tenure committee and the dean, the chief academic officer will consult with the chairman of the college tenure committee and the dean. When satisfied on all points, the chief academic officer shall make the official recommendation to the president and forward the prior recommendations received.

(8) The President

The president in turn shall make recommendations on tenure to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall in all cases make the final decision in granting tenure.

d. Granting or Denial of Tenure

The granting or denial of tenure shall be in the form of a written communication from the chief academic officer to the candidate no later than 1 March. In the case of denial of tenure, the letter shall set forth the specific reasons for denial.

If granted, tenure becomes effective on 1 September of the following academic year; if tenure is denied, the candidate shall have a one-year contract for the following academic year.

If a candidate wishes to appeal a tenure denial, the Institute Faculty Grievance Procedures are available to the extent provided in E24.0. Such appeal shall be limited to the question of whether the policies and procedures set forth in this tenure policy have been followed in the candidate's case.

The chief academic officer will inform the candidate of his recommendation and of the college tenure committee's number of votes recommending and not recommending tenure between 1 March and 8 March.

5. Addendum for Implementation of Tenure Policy

a. If there are any perceived differences, tenure track probationary years completed before adoption of this policy, September 1, 1985, should be evaluated in accordance with the former tenure policy III-G.

b. Faculty granted tenure in two colleges under former tenure policy III-G may retain it.

c. Faculty formerly tenured at the department or school level will be adjusted to tenure at the college level.

d. During the implementation of this tenure policy, the chief academic officer may call on the Academic Senate chair to convene the Institute-wide tenure committee representatives (see 4,c,(4)(a)) to review and comment on individual college tenure criteria and procedures.

Approved September 23, 1963

Last revised January 9, 2003