Promotion & Tenure Workshop September 7, 2010 Carol S. Weisman, PhD Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology

New Faculty Orientation Wednesday, September 29, :50 am – 4:00 pm University Conference Center Overview of P&T: 2:00 – 3:10 pm

Basic Principles promotion  All faculty members below the rank of Professor are reviewed periodically for promotion performance  Promotion at Penn State is always based on performance rather than time-in-rank criteria  Performance criteria for faculty ranks are spelled out in University, College, and department policies Dossier  Performance is evaluated using the Dossier, a standardized format for reporting activities and scholarship reviews  Independent dossier reviews are conducted by both faculty committees and administrators timetable  Reviews take place on an annual timetable with fixed deadlines

Comparison of Faculty Tracks Tenure track (1/3 of faculty) 7-year provisional appointment period Reviewed for tenure in 2 nd, 4 th, 6 th years Denial of tenure means termination from PSU faculty Reviews at department, College, and University levels Must achieve excellence in at least 2 mission areas Fixed-term (2/3 of faculty) Annual (usually) renewable contracts (not eligible for tenure) Reviewed for promotion at least every 5 years No penalty for negative promotion review Reviews at department and College levels only Must achieve excellence in at least 1 or 2 mission areas (per department)

Levels of Review President of the University* Executive Vice President and Provost of the University* University Promotion and Tenure Review Committee* Dean of the College of Medicine College of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee* Department Chair Department Promotion and Tenure Committee * For tenure track only

COM P&T Committee, Chester Ray, MD (Medicine) – Chair James Ballard, MD (Humanities, Medicine, Pathology) James Conner, PhD (Neurosurgery, NBS, Pediatrics) Henry Donahue, PhD (Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, CMP) Kevin Gleeson, MD (Medicine) Robert Levenson, PhD (Pharmacology) Christopher Lynch, PhD (Cellular and Molecular Physiology) Barbara Miller, MD (Pediatrics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) Leslie Parent, MD (Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology) W. Brian Reeves, MD (Medicine) Ingrid Scott, MD (Ophthalmology, Public Health Sciences)

Penn State Tenure Reviews, There were 93 sixth-year tenure reviews, of which:  10 (11%) denied at the College level  83 cases forwarded to the University P&T Committee  1 denied by the University Committee  83 approved by President Spanier  89% tenured

Be aware that ….  Transfers between the tenure track and non-tenure track are generally not allowed at Penn State - Transfers are rare, occur only in highly unusual situations, and require approval at both the College and University levels - Those denied tenure may not switch to a fixed-term position and may not remain on the faculty at Penn State  Fixed-term faculty may apply for open tenure-track positions when national searches are conducted

Annual Timetable for Review  Promotion/tenure reviews occur on an annual timetable, not on a rolling basis  Deadlines are set each year and are not negotiable  Timetable is different for tenure-track and fixed-term faculty (because the process takes longer for tenure-track)  Process begins with review by Department P&T Committee December  College of Medicine P&T Committee meets in December April  Fixed-term faculty reviewed in Dean’s office in April mid-May  Process ends in mid-May with letters to candidates

COM Promotion and Tenure Criteria  Demonstrated accomplishments in the mission areas: Teaching Teaching Patient care (if applicable) Patient care (if applicable) Research Research Service Service  You must achieve excellence in at least two areas* in accordance with your effort allocation the thoughtful discovery, transmission, and application of knowledge  The essential element must be scholarship: the thoughtful discovery, transmission, and application of knowledge  Award of tenure requires evidence of sustained scholarship and promise of further achievement * For fixed-term faculty, some departments require one area

Be aware that …  Performance expectations increase as you advance in academic rank Growing mastery and independence in your field Increasing scholarly accomplishments Growing reputation and professional leadership  At each review, performance since the last review is evaluated (in addition to meeting criteria for appropriate rank)

The Dossier  Each time you are formally reviewed for promotion or tenure, you must prepare a Dossier in standard format*  The Dossier is a record of your accomplishments in the mission areas and is used by internal reviewers to evaluate your performance and scholarship  Each department has a staff assistant for Dossier preparation, but you must provide the information!  Your signature on the Dossier attests to the accuracy and completeness of the information * Exceptions: Instructors, Research Assistants

The Dossier: Key Sections  Narrative Statement  Scholarship of Teaching and Learning  Patient Care Activities  Patient Care Activities (if applicable)  Scholarship of Research  Service and the Scholarship of Service

Be aware that …. The Dossier is not a cut-and-paste of your CV!  The information required is more detailed  The information must be provided in a specific format in the correct sections  The staff assistant cannot prepare this information without your help and review

Narrative Statement  1-3 page first-person statement about your scholarship in the context of your overall goals  Supplements information elsewhere in the dossier  Written so that those outside your discipline can understand your scholarship (avoid jargon!)  Reviewers outside your department look at this first to get a “picture” of who you are

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning  Refers to your teaching at Penn State*  Courses taught; guest lectures; PBL sessions; theses, dissertations, and MSR projects supervised  Student/resident teaching evaluations (quantitative information; summary of comments)  Peer review of teaching (at least 2 letters from senior faculty members in your department; requested by Chair)  Your teaching interests/philosophy (Narrative Statement) ______________ * For tenure reviews, from date of employment at Penn State; for promotion reviews, from last promotion or most recent 5 years (whichever is shorter)

Patient Care Activities  Statement of PSHMC clinical assignment(s) including time commitment  Detail on quantity and complexity of cases (productivity)  Quality of care: patient satisfaction data, QI activities  Letters from peers, colleagues, and referring physicians commenting on patient care ability and effectiveness __________________________________ * For tenure reviews, from date of employment at Penn State; for promotion reviews, from last promotion or most recent 5 years (whichever is shorter)

Scholarship of Research  This section pertains to your entire career  Publications Peer-reviewed journal articles (note authorship role on each!) Non-peer-reviewed publications (books, book chapters, government reports, etc.) Include “accepted” and “in press” (provide acceptance letter)  Research projects Completed, current, planned (note role on each project!) Internal and external grants/contracts from any sources Collaborative projects count!  Other creative products (e.g., educational methods or computer software developed; inventions; clinical guidelines disseminated)

Service and the Scholarship of Service Committee work and leadership in your profession* INTERNAL (at Penn State) Department: search committee, curriculum committee, etc. College: medical student interviews, IRB, unified campus team, etc. University: University Faculty Senate, etc. EXTERNAL (outside Penn State) Profession: journal editorships and reviews, study sections, organizing conferences for professional associations, offices held in professional associations, government advisory groups, etc. Community: citizen/client groups, outreach activities, etc. _________________________________________________________________________ * For tenure reviews, from date of employment at Penn State; for promotion reviews, from last promotion or most recent 5 years (whichever is shorter); provide dates for all activities

Your responsibilities for the dossier  Write the Narrative Statement  Work collaboratively with your staff assistant: you provide the detailed information for the dossier sections!  Review the completed dossier before signing it Is it accurate? (If not, make corrections) Is it complete and up-to-date?  Provide 6 names, with full contact information, as possible external reviewers* Do not contact the reviewers! The OFA solicits the letters and places them in a confidential section of the dossier * Not required for 2 nd and 4 th -year tenure reviews

Criteria for selection of external reviewers  “ External” = outside Penn State University  Must be experts in your field who are of higher rank (and tenured, if you are up for tenure)  Should come from multiple institutions  May not have a conflict of interest (i.e., no former students, teachers, mentors, or significant collaborators)

Be aware that…. you will not know who is asked to provide an external review, and these letters are confidential  Your Chair also recommends external reviewers: you will not know who is asked to provide an external review, and these letters are confidential make sure your CV is comprehensive, up-to-date, and documents your scholarship  External reviewers are sent your CV (not your Dossier): make sure your CV is comprehensive, up-to-date, and documents your scholarship you must provide 5 items (preferably peer-reviewed articles) that show what knowledge you have created and disseminated  External reviewers also are sent 5 examples of your scholarship: you must provide 5 items (preferably peer-reviewed articles) that show what knowledge you have created and disseminated

Be aware that…. Dossiers should not include  Evaluative statements from you  Letters of appreciation or thanks from students or patients  Samples of publications  Course materials

Common problems in dossiers  Narrative Statement merely summarizes dossier rather than providing the larger career context  Inadequate documentation of teaching evaluations by students  Inadequate documentation of patient care activities or quality  Failure to note authorship role on multi-authored publications  Failure to provide letters of acceptance for “in press” articles  Failure to provide details of grants (e.g., title, grant number, dates, grant PI, your role and % effort)  Failure to list all internal service activities  External reviewer has conflict of interest

After the review is completed in May …  You are entitled to review all of the internal evaluation letters in the dossier (Department P&T Committee, Chair, Dean, etc.)  Your department Chair or Division Chief should discuss the review with you

What you can do now …  Read Penn State, COM, and your Department’s P&T policies; understand the promotion process for your track  Borrow a dossier from a successful faculty member in your department keep a file for each dossier section, with dates for each item!  Keep detailed records of the required information for each of the dossier sections: keep a file for each dossier section, with dates for each item!  Maintain an updated CV  Attend conferences and build professional network to ensure future external reviewers will recognize your work

Penn State and COM P&T Policies HR 21 – Definition of Academic Ranks* HR 23 – Promotion & Tenure Procedures and Regulations* Administrative Guidelines for HR 23* Frequently Asked Questions About Promotion and Tenure* P&T Statement of the Dean of the College of Medicine* Your department’s P&T policy * Available on the Office of Faculty Affairs web site:

P&T Workshops  Faculty workshops are held annually with the Vice Provost (Dr. Bowen) for Academic Affairs (Dr. Bowen) & biannually with the Associate Dean (Dr. Weisman) for Faculty Affairs (Dr. Weisman)  Workshop for administrative assistants is held annually with the administrative coordinator for the Office of (Cindy Devine) Faculty Affairs (Cindy Devine)

Questions?  Ask your Department Chair or Division Chief: the promotion process begins in your department!  Ask me:  Ask Cindy Devine:  Visit the Office of Faculty Affairs website: