1. Promotion & Tenure in the College of Medicine
New Faculty Orientation, 2016
Carol S. Weisman, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine

2. Welcome to the Office of Faculty Affairs
Carol Weisman, PhD Cindy Devine
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Administrative Coordinator
sites.psu.edu/facultyaffairs

3. Who is a COM faculty member?
Any employee of the College of Medicine or Penn State Hershey Medical Center who holds a faculty title
-- Includes faculty on the tenure track and fixed-term track*
Volunteer faculty who are employed elsewhere and hold an “adjunct” or “clinical” faculty title
All faculty appointments are through the College of Medicine
and are governed by College and University policies
* Track is determined at time of hire

4. Current employed faculty (9/2016)
Men
Women
Total
Fixed-term track
536
476
1,012 (79%)
Tenure track (not tenured) 25 16
41 ( 3%)
Tenured
190 46
(18%)
751
(58%)
538
(42%)
1,289

5. Why discuss P&T now?
Your career as a faculty member at Penn State COM has already begun
You eventually will be reviewed for promotion or tenure (or, if you are a Full Professor, you will serve on P&T committees and will mentor junior faculty)
There are many things you can begin doing now to prepare for a successful promotion or tenure review

6. The goal of P&T policy is…
“To achieve a faculty appropriate to a major research university with a commitment to teaching and service, so that the internal and external reputations of each unit are constantly improving.”
Blannie E. Bowen, PhD
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
The Pennsylvania State University

7. College of Medicine Mission
“To educate medical and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and residents; to develop research programs for the advancement of medical and scientific knowledge; and to provide a range of fully integrated patient care.”
Promotion and Tenure: Statement of the Dean
of the College of Medicine, 2012

8. The Basics Promotion is always based on performance, not time-in-rank
Performance criteria for faculty ranks are described in departmental, College of Medicine, and University policies
Performance is evaluated using the Dossier, a standardized format for reporting your activities and accomplishments
Reviews of the Dossier occur at multiple levels (department, College, University)
Reviews take place on an annual timetable, with promotions effective July 1

9. “When will I be reviewed for promotion?”
Tenure Track
You will have provisional tenure reviews in your 3rd and 6th years and the final tenure review in your 9th year
Promotion to Associate Professor typically occurs at same time as final tenure review but may occur earlier
Nomination for promotion to Professor may occur at any time
Fixed-term Track
Your eligibility for promotion will be assessed by your department at least every 5 years
Nomination for promotion may occur at any time

10. “How does the review process differ by track?”
Tenure track
Provisional tenure reviews are conducted by department committee, chair, and Dean
Final tenure reviews (and promotion reviews) are conducted by department committee, chair, College committee, Dean, University committee, Provost and President
Denial of tenure  termination
Fixed-term track
Reviews for promotion eligibility are conducted by department committee and chair at least every 5 years
Promotion reviews are conducted by department committee, chair, College committee (beginning in AY ), Dean
No penalty for negative decision
 The decider 

11. “Can the tenure clock be paused?”
A “stay” of the tenure clock may be requested for:
Birth or adoption of a child
Serious personal illness
Caring for a close family member
Tenure clock can be paused for maximum of 2 years
Requires approval of Department Chair, Dean, and Provost
We encourage COM faculty members to apply for stays

12. “Can I switch tracks?”
Fixed-term faculty members may apply for an open tenure-track position when a national search is conducted
Tenure-track faculty members may transfer to fixed-term prior to the 9th year, if in good standing, with approval of Chair and Dean
Those with a negative tenure review may not switch to a
fixed-term faculty position

13. P&T Criteria Demonstrated accomplishments in the mission areas:
Teaching , Patient Care, Research, Service
Excellence in 2 mission areas (other than service), defined based on your effort allocation
Basic Scientists: Research and Teaching
Clinicians: Patient Care and Teaching; Patient Care and Research
Regional reputation required for Associate Professor;
National reputation required for Professor
For tenure: potential for further achievement
Sustained scholarship is the essential element
Source: Promotion and Tenure: Statement of the Dean of the College of Medicine, 2012

14. What is scholarship?
Penn State defines scholarship as the thoughtful discovery, transmission, and application of knowledge
Scholarship can be demonstrated in any of the mission areas, including patient care
In the COM, peer-reviewed publications or other accepted forms of publication/dissemination are essential for demonstrating externally recognized scholarship

15. The Dossier: a preview
Each time you are reviewed for promotion or tenure (including provisional tenure reviews), you will prepare a Dossier *
The Dossier documents your accomplishments in the mission areas and is used to evaluate your performance and scholarship
You will work with your department’s staff assistant who is trained in Dossier preparation
* Exception: Instructors, Research Assistants

16. Key Dossier sections * Narrative Statement (1-3 pages)
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Patient Care Activities (if applicable)
Scholarship of Research
Service and the Scholarship of Service
Internal and External Letters of Evaluation
* Fillable template for Scholarship sections is available

17. Narrative Statement
Explain your accomplishments in the context of your overall professional goals (1-3 pages)
If you participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary, or team research, explain your role and unique contributions
The COM encourages and supports team science

18. Teaching and Learning
Covers all of your teaching and advising over the past 5 years at Penn State *
Must include student/trainees’ evaluations of your teaching (quantitative and qualitative)
Your department chair solicits 2 peer review of teaching letters from senior faculty
* Or since last promotion, if less than 5 years ago; or longer,
if stay of tenure

19. Patient Care
Covers all of your patient care assignments over the past 5 years, including leadership roles *
Must provide evidence of quality of care (e.g., data on patient outcomes, patient satisfaction scores, involvement in departmental or PSHMC quality improvement activities)
Your department chair (or Dean) solicits letters from internal (or external) peers who can evaluate your clinical effectiveness

20. Research
Include all of your publications from your entire career (e.g., case studies, research reports, MedEdPORTAL publications, book chapters, books) -- indicate your authorship role for each co-authored publication
All funded projects (awarded and pending)
Presentations, invited talks, etc.
Activities that use your expertise (e.g., consulting, journal reviewer, peer review of grants, service to government agencies)
Research or creative accomplishments (e.g., new technologies, patents)

21. Service
Service to department, college, university in past 5 years (committees, administrative support) *
Service to society as a representative of the university (community, government, commercial)
Service to the discipline or profession, not already noted in the Research section (conference committees, professional associations)

22. 4 external letters of evaluation are required *
“External” = outside Penn State University
Evaluators must be senior experts in your field
They should have no conflicts of interest: no former teachers, mentors, supervisors, bosses, students/trainees, or significant collaborators
Do not contact them! Your chair provides the names, and
the Dean’s office solicits the letters.
* Except for provisional tenure reviews

23. “What do the external evaluators see?”
Your CV,* narrative statement, departmental and COM P&T criteria, and 5 items of scholarship:
Peer-reviewed articles (includes print and electronic journals, MedEdPORTAL)
Books or book chapters
Other publications
New educational or patient care approaches that have been evaluated or disseminated
Preferably based on work conducted at Penn State during the
period under review
* COM does not have standard CV format; check with your department

24. “HR-40” performance evaluations take place each spring
Your Department Chair or Division Chief conducts the evaluation and provides written feedback
Your opportunity to…
Review your progress and identify areas for professional development in preparation for promotion
Clarify or renegotiate your effort allocation and 2 expected areas of excellence
Modify your mentor team as needed

25. Read the P&T policies “How can I prepare?”
Your department’s P&T policy
P&T Statement of the Dean of the College of Medicine *
HR-23: Promotion & Tenure Procedures and Regulations *
Administrative Guidelines for HR-23 (see Appendix F) *
Frequently Asked Questions About Promotion and Tenure *
* Available on the Office of Faculty Affairs web site

26. Keep a detailed file for each of the Dossier sections
Continuously update your CV
Ask mentors to observe your teaching and give feedback
Ensure that student/trainee evaluations of your teaching are collected and compiled
Write and disseminate your scholarly work
Network externally: attend conferences, give talks, participate in professional associations
Get to know the leaders in your field
Use COM faculty development tools (e.g., Junior Faculty Development Program, OSLER Workshops, Grants Academy)

27. Attend Dossier Preparation Workshops
Held each spring at the COM – MediaSited to regional campus
Important to attend before you prepare your dossier
~ The University tweaks the directions each year
~ We provide tips on avoiding common errors

28. Questions? Carol Weisman: cweisman@psu.edu
Cindy Devine:
Office of Faculty Affairs website: