1 Promotion & Tenure Process and Thoughts Richard Brow Bob Montgomery NFTS Luncheon, 8 April 2009 (Updated from previous presenters Barry Flachsbart and Bruce McMillin)

2 Flow Chart (Excludes appeals) Dossier Dept. Comm. Dept. Chair External Reviews Ltrs. of Support Area Comm. Campus Comm. Provost, Chanc.

3 Department (Chair) Candidate Campus (Provost) Campus P&T Committee Dept. P&T Committee The Current Process Area Subcommittee Appeal

4 First Hurdle Is Departmental May be most difficult Complete dossier is first reviewed here Attention to detail Be familiar with departmental guidelines A wonderful attribute not described well does not help- Write effectively!

5 External Reviewers: Very Important Play critical role Usually chosen by Department Committee or Chair You can suggest –People qualified –Areas they should know Need plenty of them Campus committee will rely heavily on these letters

6 Letters Of Support Encouraged Not decisive Wide variety helps Co-authors can give emphasis to impact of research Current/former students can support teaching and advising roles

7 Department Committee Vote May be unusual In final analysis: –Decision will be positive if you are a clear asset to your department and meet departmental requirements

8 Note: You Will Probably Get Tenure &/Or Promotion Because You Are Mobile! If you are an asset to other Universities, you're also an asset to Missouri S&T Attraction: Primarily research work & grants; reputation of your publications –Burnish your reputation outside of Missouri S&T!

9 But You Need To Be Effective At Teaching! Taken very seriously at Missouri S&T Let's return to this later

10 Department Committee Advises Department Chair Chair's letter can be a big help –Explain unusual situations –Emphasize key points of External Reviewers You'd rather, of course, not need any explanations

11 An Area Sub-Committee Review Is Next Organized by similar disciplines with similar standards for excellence Again, if you are wanted by other programs, you are likely to be OK

12 The Full Campus Committee Is Next Take job seriously Appear to look for "did candidate exceed the 'expected value'"? Very cognizant of publication records Careful in examining research & grants Strong on teaching Third-year review may be cited!

13 Teaching: Help For Low Class Scores Positive evaluations from colleagues or chair Positive trends in teaching evaluations Participation in teaching workshops Testimonials from graduates –See things now from more mature view –Reflect back on what they learned, rather than what they liked

14 Personal Opinion About Reliance On Student "Scores" CET - Not the sole indicator, but is used heavily You or your chair/mentor should request peer reviews to supplement your CET scores. I think we need to evaluate what students learn, not what they like - present system may not do this consistently. Good teaching evaluations do have a correlation with effective learning.

15 NFTS Program NFTS will help you –Contacts –Examples –Ideas But what works in one context doesn't always work in others Situations are different

16 Service Haven't said much yet More like a hurdle than a big factor? There is an "expected" level - Chair sets expectations Significant service can be a plus, but not to distraction Professional Societies can help in many ways Good departmental citizenship is as important

17 Mentor Mentor can explain all this for your discipline Guide you through the process Help you through 3 rd year review

18 Summary You need contributions in Research, Teaching, & Service for tenure and/or promotion Quality research is hardest to establish, so it often becomes most important –Know your departmental expectations! –Build your professional reputation outside of MoS&T Teaching is also important -- it really is! –You may be able to do extra well in some courses Service is necessary, but not a game-changer. –Professional society activities are important –Departmental citizenship is considered