<Promotion to associate professor with tenure>
<date>
<name and title>
<address line 1>
<address line 2>
<address line 3>
<address line 4>
Dear <name>:
The Department of <department's name> is considering <faculty member's name> for promotion to the
rank of associate professor with tenure. The basic standards for all actions are the determination that the
candidate's achievements have increased the quality of the candidate's department and raised its stature, are
comparable to those of the candidate's peers, and are consistent with the expectations of the candidate's
department and the College of Engineering. This promotion requires the determination that these basic
standards have been achieved and that it is likely that such achievements will continue over the course of
the candidate’s academic career. The primary objective to be considered at this level is professional
distinction in research and scholarly activity. Contribution to and effectiveness in teaching as well as
appropriate public and institutional service are also necessary. The nominal assignment of effort between
teaching, research and outreach/service for <faculty member's name> is xx%, xx% and xx% respectively.
An essential component of the evaluation procedure for promotion is a set of appraisals of the candidate's
ability by outstanding individuals who are familiar with the candidate's technical field and work.
Accordingly, we hope you would be willing to provide such an appraisal. We are interested in your
evaluation of [his*her] achievements and future potential in research and, as you can pass such judgment,
in teaching and public and institutional service as well. We are also interested in your assessment of any
weaknesses you may perceive in [his*her] ability to meet the standards as described above for an associate
professor with tenure in the College of Engineering at Michigan State University. As you evaluate the
extent and quality of <faculty member's name>’s scholarship, including its contribution to the discipline,
it would be especially helpful to us if you could compare [his*her] record with that of other scholars at
approximately the same stage of career development. For your information, a copy of [his*her] curriculum
vitae, a reflective statement, [and several recent reprints [and preprints]] [is*are] enclosed.
<Insert here any additional information on the candidate or requests of the addressee. It is critically
important that the contents of this paragraph be stated in absolutely neutral language.>
Your letter of evaluation, as part of an official review file, will be held in confidence and will not be
disclosed to the faculty member under consideration or to the public except as required by law or
University policy. In all such instances, the information made available will be provided in a form that
seeks to protect the identity, privacy, and confidentiality of evaluators. We request that you disclose any
potential conflicts of interest in your letter of evaluation, and that you submit your evaluation on
institutional letterhead.
We thank you in advance for your efforts to fulfill our request and hope you will be able to respond within
the next several weeks.
Sincerely yours,
<requester’s name>
<requester’s title>
cc: department chairperson (if not requester)
enclosures