Promotion and Tenure From a Candidate’s Perspective Bill Bales Associate Professor College of Criminology and Criminal Justice 1

Building relationships and learning from others Your Dean and other faculty want you to succeed. Seek their advice and counsel on your progress in the areas of teaching, research and service. Do not hesitate to approach senior faculty with questions and to solicit their advice. Rely on Mentor(s) – their experience is invaluable. 2 2

Collaboration and Teams Our fields have become complex and very few faculty can do it all on their own. Approach faculty and graduate students to collaborate in the writing of articles, grants, etc. Learn and increase your productivity through team work. These can be both productive and enjoyable experiences. 3

Bringing Value to Your College and the University Challenge yourself by asking, “What else can I do to help my College and the University?” Bring added value to your college and the university. Make it clear to your Dean and the faculty that you are available to contribute to the mission of your college. 4

Solicit feedback on your progress In my college, we have annual reviews by the Promotion and Tenure Committee. Constructive suggestions for how to improve are offered. Do not be discouraged if your initial reviews are not stellar. Solicit feedback from your Dean during the course of the year. 5

Documentation of Achievements Be diligent about documenting every aspect of your work as you proceed. Retracing your accomplishment during the binder preparation process will be much more taxing and time consuming. 6

Binder Preparation Read examples from recently tenured and/or promoted faculty. Talk with recently tenured faculty about their approach to binder preparation and content. Do not hesitate to boast about your accomplishments and contributions to your field. Bring something personal about yourself and your experiences. 7