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Tenure, Promotion and Evaluation:Lecturers 2009

Revised November, 2009
I. Statement of Purpose.
This document describes the procedures and criteria under which Lecturers of the Department of Mathematics will be evaluated and considered for tenure and/or promotion. For information about College and University procedures and guidelines, see the following documents:

  • University and College Tenure and Promotion Guidelines.
  • University Constitution.
  • Florida Administrative Code.
  • University of Florida Faculty Handbook.
  • Agreement between Board of Regents and the United Faculty of Florida.

II. Preliminary Consideration.
1. Each spring semester the department chair will compile a list of candidates who will undergo the formal process of consideration for promotion during the following year. The Department Criteria for Promotion will be applied as appropriate to the assigned duties of the faculty member.
2. The Promotion and Tenure Committee will first prepare a slate of nominees. The slate will consist of (1) anyone who requests consideration, (2) anyone nominated by the department chair, (3) anyone nominated by three or more faculty at or above the rank sought, (4) anyone who has been in the same rank for at least five years, who has not been a nominee during the preceding two years and who is willing to be considered.
3. For each nominee, the committee will prepare a faculty inspection file which will consist of (1) the current committee summary of the faculty member’s professional activities, (2) the faculty assignment reports for the current academic year, (3) the curriculum vita, (4) all recent teaching evaluations, including peer reviews, (5) any supplementary information which the faculty member may wish to include. The faculty member has the right to review the file and to attach a response to any materials.
4. Faculty members at or above the rank sought by a nominee for promotion will meet for consultation and assessment of each nominee. Faculty voting on promotion of Lecturer to Senior Lecturer will be by Senior and Master Lecturers, and Associate and Full Professors. Faculty voting on promotion of Senior Lecturer to Master Lecturer will be by Master Lecturers and Full Professors. The faculty inspection file should be available for at least one week before this meeting. The secret ballots of the unit faculty eligible to vote shall be taken no earlier than one day following the meeting.
5. Ballots for preliminary consideration will have the following form:

  • (The nominee) should ________, should not________ be encouraged to undergo formal consideration for promotion to the rank of Senior (Master) Lecturer during the upcoming academic year.

6. The results of the assessment will be communicated to the nominee, who will decide, in non-binding consultation with the department chair, whether to proceed with formal consideration.
 
III. Formal Consideration.
1. Each fall semester the Department will consider for promotion the list of candidates compiled by the department chair during the spring.
2. By the end of the spring semester, the department chair will compile a list of references who will later be requested to write letters of recommendation. The candidate shall be informed of the names of all references before the letters are requested.
3. University guidelines state that Lecturers do not need external letters. College guidelines call for a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 6 internal letters of evaluation. The candidate may suggest writers of evaluation letters but the final selection is determined by the Chair with no more than half of the letter writers chosen from the candidate’s list.
4. If the candidate wishes to waive the right to review the letters of recommendation, he or she must fill out the college waiver form before the letters are requested.
5. The department chair will write to each reference to request letters of recommendation. This should be done at least two months before completed packets are due in the College office (normally about the end of October). The request will indicate whether the candidate has waived the right to review the letters of recommendation.
6. For each candidate, the committee will assist the Chair in preparing the tenure/promotion file, which will contain (1) the letters of recommendation, (2) the annual letters of evaluation by the chair for the past five years, (3) the curriculum vita, (4) all college and university forms and required attachments (5) any supplementary information which the faculty member may wish to include. University guidelines state that Lecturers should include in their packets samples of materials that document their instructional accomplishments, such as sample exams, excerpts from syllabi and any evidence of teaching effectiveness.
7. The faculty members at or above the rank sought by a nominee for promotion will meet for a discussion and assessment. Faculty voting on promotion of Lecturer to Senior Lecturer will be by Senior and Master Lecturers, and Associate and Full Professors. Faculty voting on promotion of Senior Lecturer to Master Lecturer will be by Master Lecturers and Full Professors. The file should be available to the appropriate faculty members for at least one week prior to this meeting. The secret ballot of the unit faculty eligible to vote shall be taken no earlier than one day following the meeting.
8. The ballot will allow the voter to vote for or against the promotion or tenure or to abstain from voting.
9. The department chair will transmit the file to the college for consideration, including the vote and the chair’s letter of recommendation. The chair’s letter should include a summary of the discussion and vote of the faculty.
10. The chair will communicate the vote and the letter of recommendation to the candidate. The candidate always has the right to withdraw from consideration at this time.
APPENDIX. Department Criteria for Promotion
From the College Guidelines:
“For promotion to Senior Lecturer there must be evidence of consistent meritorious achievement in teaching, advising, and in other assigned administrative administrative or service activities. Student evaluations of teaching should be superior. In addition, the evaluation will consider such items as strong peer reviews of teaching, importance to, and role in improving, the instructional or academic program in course development (or other areas of assignment), and use of innovative techniques or technologies.”
“For promotion to Master Lecturer, in addition to the above, there should also be evidence of superior achievements in teaching (or other areas of assigned duties), development of innovative techniques or technology, nominations or receipt of teaching awards, grants, or other forms of recognition for achievement.”
The following factors contribute to the recognition of excellence and promote the goals of the mathematics department and the University.
TEACHING:
Examples of factors which may be considered are: success of students taught, teaching awards, advising of students, instructional materials, published papers on the teaching of mathematics, conducting workshops for school teachers and teaching assistants, curriculum development, conducting and participating in seminars, receipt of grants.
SERVICE:
Examples of factors which may be considered are: chairing and serving on departmental, college and university committees, councils and senates, service in appropriate professional organizations, service to public schools, evaluating persons or programs within the University or for external groups, organization of meetings, coordinating courses, recruiting of students.