Revised November, 2009
I. Statement of Purpose.
This document describes the procedures and criteria under which tenure-track faculty 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. Annual Evaluation.
1. Every untenured tenure track assistant professor will receive an annual review each spring semester prior to formal consideration for tenure.
2. The Promotion and Tenure Committee will prepare a faculty inspection file for each untenured assistant professor which will consist of (1) the current committee summary of the faculty member’s professional activities, including the faculty assignment reports for the current academic year, (2) any previous committee reports, (3) the curriculum vitae as provided by the candidate, (4) reprints or preprints of all papers as provided by the candidate, (5) all teaching evaluations, including peer reviews, (6) 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.
3. The tenured members of the department will meet for consultation and assessment of the progress of the untenured tenure-track assistant professors. The faculty inspection file should be available to the tenured members for at least one week before this meeting.
4. Ballots for the annual review will be available no sooner than 24 hours after the meeting. Ballots will have the following form:
- Overall performance in the areas of research, teaching and service in the profession has been (1) superior, (2) meeting department standards, (3) somewhat below expectations, (4) unsatisfactory.
5. The annual letter of evaluation of the untenured faculty member by the department chair shall include a summary of the faculty discussion and vote. The Department Criteria for Evaluation, Promotion and Tenure will be applied as appropriate to the assigned duties of the faculty member.
III. Preliminary Consideration for Tenure and Promotion
1. Each spring semester the department chair will compile a list of candidates who will undergo the formal process of consideration for tenure and/or promotion during the following year. The Department Criteria for Evaluation, Promotion and Tenure 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 professors at or above the rank sought in the case of a promotion and anyone nominated by three or more tenured professors in the case of tenure, (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 as in II.2 above, except that for cases not involving tenure, only selected reprints and preprints and recent teaching evaluations need be included.
4. The tenure-track faculty members at or above the rank sought by a nominee for promotion (the tenured faculty members, in the case of a nominee for tenure) will meet for consultation and assessment of each nominee. 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 distributed no earlier than one day following the meeting.
5. Ballots for preliminary consideration will have the following form:
- (a) For promotion: (The nominee) should ________, should not________ be encouraged to undergo formal consideration for promotion to the rank of (associate, full) professor during the upcoming academic year.
- (b) For tenure: (The nominee) should ________, should not_________ be encouraged to undergo formal consideration for tenure 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.
7. University regulations require that a faculty member in the seventh year of tenure accrual must be either granted tenure or given a notice of non-renewal. Therefore, formal consideration will be automatic for a faculty member in the seventh year of tenure accrual unless he or she submits to the chair a letter of resignation, with an effective date no later than the end of the following academic year. University guidelines permit a one-year extension of the tenure probationary period under certain circumstances if requested by the faculty member no later than March 31st of the final year of the probationary period. If circumstances warrant, a candidate may be considered prior to this time. Under the policy of “Tenure when ready”, it is usual for faculty members with extensive postdoctoral experience to be considered for tenure and promotion before the seventh year of tenure accrual. Formal consideration will be automatic (with the consent of the nominee) if promise of this consideration was made in the letter of appointment.
IV. Formal consideration for promotion and/or tenure.
1. Each fall semester the Department will consider for promotion and/or tenure 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. The list must include a minimum of 5, and a maximum of 6 qualified scholars in pertinent disciplines outside the university. University Guidelines state that the candidate submits a list of at least 7 names and the Department chooses other names so that no more than half of the letters come from the candidate’s list. This list may also include internal references, that is, members of the department or colleagues in other units at the University of Florida where the candidate has significant scholarly activity (see section 2 of CLAS Guidelines). These members should be at or above the rank sought by the candidate, and they should be tenured in the case of a candidate for tenure.
CLAS guidelines state
“While it is acceptable (and understandable) that perhaps one, and in extreme cases two letters might come from the candidate’s senior colleagues (i.e. research collaborators, etc.), the majority should be from more disinterested parties. It is not recommended that a candidate’s dissertation advisor be asked for a letter of reference for tenure and/or promotion…You are encouraged to solicit outside letters from those who do not have personal relationship with the candidate.”
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 (in 2009, this was October 12). 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) selected reprints and preprints, (4) the curriculum vitae, (5) all college and university forms and required attachments, (6) any supplementary information which the faculty member may wish to include. The college currently requires an assessment of teaching by a faculty review team. The candidate has the right to review the file and to attach a response to any materials therein.
7. The faculty members at or above the rank sought by a nominee for promotion (the tenured faculty members, in the case of a nominee for tenure) will meet for a discussion and assessment. 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 distributed 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.
V. Tenure upon Appointment
A new faculty member may be recommended for tenure upon appointment. University guidelines currently restrict tenure upon appointment to faculty at the rank of associate professor or above. A formal vote must be taken by the tenured faculty before such an offer is extended to the candidate.
VI. Faculty Appointments with Promise of Early Consideration for Tenure and/or Promotion
The chair’s written offer of formal consideration for tenure and/or promotion in the first year of appointment should be preceded by a consultation with the tenured faculty or with the faculty at or above the rank sought.
VII. Distinguished Professor
Nominations for promotion to the rank of Distinguished Professor originate with the Dean and are given preliminary consideration at the University level. Formal consideration follows the same procedure as promotion from associate to full professor. In particular, faculty voting on the promotion are the Full Professors.
APPENDIX I. The College Promotion and Tenure Committee.
The department nominee for the College Promotion and Tenure Committee will be selected by a majority vote of the department faculty early in the spring semester. The vote will be preceded by a period of open nominations.
APPENDIX II. Criteria for Evaluation, Promotion and Tenure
The University criteria for promotion and tenure (Faculty Handbook, p. 19) recognize three broad categories of activity: (1) instruction, (2) research and (3) service. The Mathematics Department expects its candidates for tenure and promotion to have achieved excellence in at least two of three areas, and normally these are research and teaching. At the same time, performance is expected to be commendable in all areas. The following factors contribute to the recognition of excellence and promote the goals of the mathematics department and the University.
RESEARCH: The faculty member has demonstrated research activity of high professional standards which results in national or international recognition for the member, the department and the University. The work of a candidate for tenure or promotion will be evaluated by outside experts in the field.
Examples of factors which may be considered are published articles, invited talks and colloquia, receipt of grants and contracts, awards, conducting and participating in research seminars, supervision of doctoral students, development of advanced graduate curricula, consulting.
TEACHING: The faculty member has shown dedication to teaching. The member’s classes are conducted with high professional standards, and the member’s teaching enhances the teaching reputation of the department and the University. The review of teaching for a candidate for tenure and promotion will include evaluation by peers as well as by students.
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, the supervision of graduate students, conducting workshops for school teachers and teaching assistants, curriculum development, the level and range of classes taught, conducting and participating in seminars.
SERVICE: The faculty member has made a positive contribution to the life of the department, the university, the profession and/or society.
Examples of service which may be considered are: chairing and serving on departmental, college and university committees, councils and senates, service in appropriate professional organizations, refereeing papers and grant proposals, editorships of professional journals, service to public schools, reviewing papers, evaluating persons or programs within the University or for external groups, organization of meetings, coordinating courses, recruiting of students.