College of Liberal
Arts & Sciences
REAPPOINTMENT,
PROMOTION AND TENURE WORKSHOP
Nancy A. Gutierrez
Spring 2012
Faculty File
http://clas.uncc.edu/cat_view/32policies-a-procedures/37reappointment-promotion-andtenure.html
Faculty File

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Statement

Appendices
 Scholarship or Discovery –all relevant articles, books,
book contracts, grant reviews, etc.
 Teaching Contributions – syllabi, peer reviews, etc.
 Service Contributions - appointment letters, etc. This
appendix will usually contain fewer documents than the
previous appendices.
Curriculum Vitae
A detailed synopsis of your
background, skills and
contributions to scholarship
or discovery, teaching and
professional service/
engagement.
Definition of
Personal Statement

The personal statement is the faculty member’s opportunity to
put into context his or her scholarly/creative work, teaching and
service contributions. The personal statement thus address all
three of these areas.

The narrative is a coherent document, with an organizing thesis,
much like any scholarly paper. To this end, each section is part of
a whole, and each appendix is evidence for the assertion in the
narrative. In order to be useful in the context of RPT review, the
narrative should be as concise as possible. In total the narrative
should not be more than eight pages.
Criteria for Reappointment as
an Assistant Professor
 Effective teaching
 High quality research/creative activity
 Appropriate service contributions at the unit level
 Projected growth as a teacher, scholar, and
university citizen that shows promise of satisfying
criteria for promotion to associate professor with
conferral of permanent tenure.
Criteria for Tenure and
Promotion to Associate Professor

A demonstrated record of effectiveness as a teacher

A continuous and distinctive record of peer reviewed publication
and/or peer-reviewed creative activity, and appropriate external
funding, as determined by the departmental guidelines, in the
candidate’s field of specialization

Demonstrated commitment to service, with a level of engagement
appropriate to the discipline, the academic unit and, where
possible, the Department, College, and/or University

Projected growth as a teacher, scholar, and university citizen that
could lead to promotion to the rank of Professor.
Criteria for Promotion
to Full Professor

A record of academic achievement that has led to national or
international recognition as a scholar, creative performer or
teacher

A cumulative record of teaching effectiveness since promotion to
associate professor

Substantial peer-reviewed publications and/or peer-reviewed
creative activity; grantsmanship where appropriate; a
demonstrated growth in scholarship since promotion to associate
professor

A significant service record within the individual’s academic
profession and also within the university community at large.
Purpose of
Personal Statement
 Tells a story about who you are as a
contributing faculty member to the institution
and to your discipline
 “What work have I done?”
 Why are these activities/ products significant?”
 Are these activities inherently
 intellectual?
Personal Statement:
Definition
 Makes an argument: I am making appropriate progress
towards tenure and promotion; my record is tenurable
and/or promotable.
 Addresses the three traditional areas of review:
research/creative activity; teaching; professional service
 Is written in the first person
 Is organized according to guidelines provided by the
department or college
(VI. Academic Personnel Review Process)
Research/Creative Activity
Research or other creative work, with some indication of
their impact, including but not limited to peer-reviewed
publications, juried exhibitions, patents, software, digital
resources including internet-delivered projects,
performances, presentations of scholarly papers, plenary
addresses, research awards, and successful grantsmanship
(as defined by the department). Evidence that the work is
of high quality and is part of the candidate’s ongoing
agenda. Trajectory for scholarly and creative activities is
important.
Research/Creative Activity
 Define/describe your areas of interest
 How does it (do they) fit into your
department/program initiatives?
 Into the college mission?
 Into the future directions of UNC
Charlotte?
 Of your larger discipline/field?
 Of your own intellectual development?
Things you should do
Research/Creative Activity
 Explain why your subject/research questions
are interesting
 Explain the impact of your work
 Demonstrate how you are visible in your field
 Provide evidence for each of your assertions
Teaching (or
Instructional Contributions
 Teaching as it relates to classroom teaching, direction of
theses and dissertations, academic advisement, and extension
programs. Evidence of competence and currency in subject
matter, of proper organization and design of courses taught,
of ability to present the subject matter in an interesting and
clear manner that is appropriate for students at the level for
which that course is designed. Where appropriate, evidence of
effective advising, effective direction of student research, and
expertise in development of curriculum. Evidence that
teaching contributions are effective in light of the
Department’s teaching mission.
Teaching (or
Instructional Contributions
 Define/describe how your teaching activities
contribute to the Department/College mission
 Narrative includes the following:
 Goals/Philosophy
 Strategy/ Strengths/ Development
 Evaluations
 Future Directions
 Teaching Enrichment
Professional Service
Service as it relates to University, community,
and profession. At the University level this
includes evidence of high quality contributions
to academic development and governance. At
the community level this is most often based on
professional expertise in areas related to the
University’s public- service objectives. At the
professional level this is based on the
leadership roles within professional
organizations or the discipline as a whole.
Professional Service
 Again, tell a story, but remember that you want to
stress how your unique expertise is brought to bear on
any service you do—
 To department, college, and university
 To discipline on local, regional, national, and
international levels
 To community (“engagement”)
Impact of these
products/activities?
 On your unit
 On your college
 On the university
 On your disciplinary/interdisciplinary field(s)
 On the local and global community
Things you should do
 Examine the mission of your unit, college,
university
 Place your institutional research/creative activity,
teaching and service within these missions
Things you should do
Remember that your statement will be read by
non-experts in your field, as your file leaves
your unit (college committee, dean, provost,
and possibly the chancellor and /or the Board
of Governors).
Things you should do
Things you should do
Remember that your statement will be read by
non-experts in your field, as your file leaves
your unit (college committee, dean, provost,
and possibly the chancellor and /or the Board
of Governors).
Things you should do
 Ask a colleague who is not in your field to read
your statement and critique it for you—well
before your file is due!
 Ask your chair (or a senior colleague in your
unit) to read your statement and critique it for
you—well before your file is due!
Things you should do
Document each
of
your assertions.
Things you should avoid
 Restating what is on your vita (i.e. making a
grocery list)
 Using language that only your disciplinary
colleagues can understand
 Garrulity
 Terseness
Things you should avoid
Ignoring areas in that might be perceived as
weaknesses (for example, a dip in productivity,
lower-than-average teaching evaluations,
limited departmental service, etc.). These
should be placed in context.
Models
The website contains models from current
College faculty, who have successfully
completed the review process. None are
perfect. Read to understand what kind of
different strategies you can use!
Important URLS
 For CLAS RPT Documentation:
http://clas.uncc.edu/faculty-and-staff/clas-policiesprocedures
 For Personal Statement Models:
QUESTIONS?