Graduate School of Education (GSE) Promotion & Tenure Guidelines
1/21/2016
I.
Post-Tenure Review Goals
The goals of post-tenure review are:
● To assure that individual faculty members work responsibly within their units to ensure that unit
contributions are shouldered equitably. A key aspect of this process is collaboration in aligning each
faculty member’s career path with unit missions while upholding academic freedom and a faculty
member’s proper sphere of professional self-direction;
● To be a collegial, faculty-driven process that supports faculty development;
● To recognize and motivate faculty engagement.
II.
Guidelines and Eligibility
AAUP-represented tenured faculty members, tenured department chairs/unit heads and program directors
in the department of the Graduate School of Education must undergo PTR every five years after the
award of tenure. Please consult page 7 of the Procedures for Post-Tenure Review (PTR) at Portland State
University (PSU), hereafter referred to as the University PTR Procedures, for additional details regarding
eligibility as well as conditions for deferring or opting out PTR.
III.
Funding of Post-Tenure Review Salary Increases
Refer to University PTR Procedures, pages 7 and 8.
IV.
Post-Tenure Review Cycle and Timelines
Refer to PTR Review Cycle and Timelines, University PTR Procedures, pages 8 and 9.
V.
Departmental Authority and Responsibility
In the case of a faculty member holding a divided appointment between two or more departments, the
memorandum of understanding (MOU) describing such appointments will be obtained by the candidate’s
GSE department chair to determine which department is responsible for PTR. The Department Chair will
inform the candidate and Dean in writing of the GSE’s responsibility to provide PTR within two weeks of
the candidate’s notification of eligibility.
For more information regarding departmental responsibility in the PTR process, refer to University PTR
Procedures, pages 9 and 10.
VI.
Procedures for Post-Tenure Review of Tenured Faculty Members
A. Notification
1. Notification of eligibility must occur by June 1st of each year beginning in 2016. Refer to the timeline
(pages 8 and 9) and the narrative (page 10) of University PTR Procedures for notification dates.
2. OAA shall notify each tenured faculty member eligible for post-tenure review by June 1 of the academic
year prior to the year of eligibility. Requests for deferral shall be made by June 15 of the year a faculty
member is notified.
3. OAA shall forward the list of eligible faculty to the Dean and chair/head of the appropriate academic
unit.
B. Dossier
1. The faculty member shall compile a dossier that includes
a. Current curriculum vitae
b. Narrative of work done since the last review (for tenure, promotion, or post-tenure) in relation to
the faculty member’s career path. If the career path changed significantly since the last review, the
faculty member should explain how and why in the narrative. The narrative should succinctly
describe the faculty member’s activities that demonstrate continuing professional development and
contributions to the life of the university and external communities that he or she has served during
the review period. The narrative may also inform the review committee of the changes in work or
life circumstances that occurred that have affected the faculty member’s work during the review
period. In addition, the narrative should speak to future plans. See also section VI C2c.
The narrative statement should range from 1500-3000 words.
c. No additional documentation is required; however, candidates may submit additional materials that
he or she feels are relevant for the review.
C. Post-Tenure Review Committee
1. Composition
a. Committee Formation: The department/unit will create a PTR Committee for each faculty member
under review. This committee will consist of three (3) people. All committee members must be
tenured.
i. One faculty member who currently represents the candidate’s department on the P&T
committee (this member shall serve as PTR Committee Chair)
ii. One faculty member appointed by the candidate’s Department Chair (must be a tenured
faculty member whose work aligns with the candidate’s career trajectory or who has the
capacity to understand the candidate’s impact on and/or service to the department and/or
profession)
iii. One faculty member selected by the department chair from a list of three names submitted by
the candidate. The Department Chair contacts that faculty member to secure appointment to
the committee then reports that appointment to the PTR committee by the specified deadline.
b. Multiple Candidates from one department: If there is more than one faculty member eligible for
PTR, the department shall create a different and separate committee of three faculty members
utilizing the aforementioned committee formation process.
c. Committee Chair: each PTR Committee shall be chaired by the committee member who serves as a
department representative on the Promotion and Tenure Committee (P&T). In the case of multiple
PTR committees from one department, the two P&T representatives from that department will each
serve as chairperson to an equal number of committees except when one representative is serving
as Chair/Co-Chair of the P&T Committee. In that case, the remaining representative and the
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department representative who is serving as alternate for the P&T committee shall each chair PTR
committee(s).
2. Committee Review Procedures and Criteria
a. Refer to details on page 11 of the University PTR Procedures:
b. The faculty member must be given the opportunity to review his or her file, including the PTR
committee reports and the department chair’s letter and indicate he/she has done so by signing the
form in Appendix PT-1, before the file is forwarded to the dean. Information about the approval
process and the form used to indicate approval is on page 13, section D-4. Procedures for requesting
reconsideration are outlined on pages 13-14 of the University PTR Procedures.
c. Scholarly accomplishments in the areas of research, teaching, and community outreach all enter into
the evaluation of faculty performance. Scholarly profiles will vary depending on individual faculty
members’ areas of emphasis. The weight to be given factors necessarily varies with the individual
faculty member’s assigned role and from one academic field to another. Research, teaching, and
community outreach often overlap. For example, a service-learning project may reflect both teaching
and community outreach. Some research projects may involve both research and community
outreach. Pedagogical research may involve both research and teaching. When a faculty member
evaluates his or her individual intellectual, aesthetic, or creative accomplishments, it is more
important to focus on the general criteria of the quality and significance of the work than to
categorize the work. The PTR committee reviewers also should focus on the quality and significance
of work rather than on categories of work when evaluating an individual’s achievements. It is
understood that contributions change over time depending on the individual’s scholarly interests,
needs and demands of the department or unit, and other factors.
d. In cases where the committee lacks a unanimous decision, the majority and minority views must be
included in the committee report.
D. Role of the Department Chair/Designee
Refer to pages 12 and 13 of the University PTR Procedures
VII.
Procedures for PTR of Department Chairs/Unit Heads and Program Directors
In the case of a Department Chair or other individual who is eligible for PTR and is under the direct
supervision of the Dean, the Dean will elect another (e.g., Associate Dean) to serve in the capacity of
immediate supervisor for the purposes of the review.
VIII.
Roles and Procedures for Administrative Review
Refer to guidelines on pages 14 and 15 of the University PTR Procedures.
IX.
The Professional Development Plan (PDP)
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A. Summary of PDP
Refer to the University PTR Procedures, pages 16 and 17 for complete description of PDP. PDP goals must
be clear, objective, and measurable.
The PDP is for faculty who do not meet the PTR standards as determined through the PTR process. The
PDP can continue for up to three years with a fourth year available only under exceptional circumstances.
Chair/Designee and faculty member will jointly agree on a PDP no later than 30 business days after PTR.
See page 16 IX, B2 in the event consensus cannot be reached.
B. The Role of the Dean
Refer to University PTR Procedures, pages 14-15.
C. Progress and Resolution of PDP1.
1. Chair/designee and faculty candidate meet for a check-in every six (6) months for the duration of the
PDP. Chair specifies the basis for approving/denying an extension of PDP. Faculty member submits
completed report to department chair. If chair/designee and faculty agree objectives are met, letter of
completion and PDP report are forwarded to dean.
2. If chair/designee and faculty member do not agree, chair writes letter to dean indicating which
objectives are not met. Faculty member may request in writing a conference with chair within 10
working days of receipt of chair’s letter. The PTR candidate may provide additional materials for review.
Chair may reverse decision and submit revised letter to dean.
3. If faculty member refuses to comply with PDP he or she may be subject to sanctions pursuant to Article
27. Refer to guidelines on page 16 of the University PTR Procedures.
4. If chair and dean agree PDP is complete, PTR salary increase will be effective the beginning of the next
AY. PDP and information on how it was fulfilled must be signed within 20 working days of completion.
D. Funding of PDP
Refer to the University PTR Procedures, page 18.
X.
Assessment of PTR
A ‘Statement of Assessment of PTR’ will occur after second year of review by an ad hoc committee of
faculty senate members [per University PTR Procedures].
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