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PTR at UCONN:
Promotion, Tenure and
Reappointment of our Faculty
Sally M. Reis
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Board of Trustees Distinguished
Professor
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Our Core Beliefs
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Having an outstanding faculty is the most
critical element of our status as a worldclass university.
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Our goal is to recruit and then develop
that world-class faculty.
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We value ALL faculty and welcome
different talents and areas of
expertise—but there are many
categories of faculty:
Tenure Track, Visiting Instructor, Assistant
Clinical Professors, Visiting Assistant
Professor, Assistant Research Professor,
Clinical Instructors
+ Realities About Tenure and Promotion
 The
probability of success is high.
 More than 90% of those who apply for tenure
and promotion receive either or both, but
some leave before they apply, or in the case of
promotion – choose not to apply.
Standards for Tenure and Promotion
Standards must be
met in teaching,
scholarship, and
service, for tenure
track faculty.

The
activity weight
of each depends on
the faculty member’s
position description.
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Factors Considered
Research
Teaching
Service
These factors combine to reach a decision, BUT the specific
combination varies widely across the institution and is related to
specific positions and department requirements.
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Research
Publications or Creative and Artistic Products
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Used to evaluate your productivity
 Demonstrate your contributions
 Provide evidence of
your productivity and impact
 Numbers and type of work vary among disciplines
 Different expectations at different promotion points
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Used to assess the quality of work produced
 Citations, Impact Factor, Quality of Journal
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What our by-laws say:
 Tenure
and promotion in the professorial ranks
will be granted only to persons of outstanding
achievement consistent with standards
expected of a top public research university.
Specific evidence of superior performance in
scholarship and in teaching is of primary
importance. In addition, other contributions to
the University will be considered. In individual
cases where it is demonstrated that there has
been meritorious professional service through
which the faculty member has achieved
distinction in the profession, such service may
also receive significant weight.
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Research
 Grants — important national review of work
 Demonstrate ability to secure funding for research
 Presentations
 Invitations
reflect status in the field
 Visibility/Engagement/Focus
 Presentations
at conferences
 Engagement at those conferences
 Reflect on level of focus in work and, if broad, engage
multiple communities
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Teaching
 Effectiveness
 Often
evaluated by students (SET)
 Ask assigned or selected mentor to provide review
 Innovation
 Think
about ways to do it better/more effectively
 Engagement of students
 Range/breadth
 Assignments may be
focused or broad
 Be prepared to teach beyond your comfort zone
 Enthusiasm
 Convey why
you love what you do
 Occasionally try something different or extra
+SERVICE / OUTREACH / ENGAGEMENT
 Department
 Help
the department accomplish our institutional goals
 University
 Engage
in the broad community, but wisely in the
beginning
 National
 Choose
Organizations
wisely for visibility and connections
 Civic/K12/ARTS/Outreach
 Make careful
Opportunities
selections wisely and make a difference
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Resources
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Faculty Manual – University web page
http://resource.uconn.edu/ptr/index.html
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Provost’s Instructions for Tenure and Promotion – Provost’s web page
http://provost.uconn.edu/?page_id=2209
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University By laws
http://policy.uconn.edu/?p=122
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Schools/Colleges/Departments often have their own PTR websites
(Business, CLAS, Education, Engineering)
You Should Understand
 Guidelines
from
department, college
or school, and
university.
 Specific
responsibilities
% teaching, % research
& % service
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Examples of Faculty Policies
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Leaves (Personal, Medical, Sabbatical) & Tenure Clock
Adjustment
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Voluntary Leave & Schedule Reduction Policy
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http://policy.uconn.edu/?p=1081
Military Leave
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http://worklife.uconn.edu/flextime_leave/employees.html
University Bylaws: Article XIV.L.1.h
http://policy.uconn.edu/?p=925
Faculty Professional Responsibilities
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http://policy.uconn.edu/?p=659
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sally.reis@uconn.edu
The provost’s office is here to help