Appointments, Promotion and Tenure
KU School of Medicine
Applying for Promotion - Where Do I Start?
FAD’s Mission
Applying for promotion is an important part of your career, but the application process should not be difficult. Our mission in
Faculty Affairs and Development (FAD) is to make sure everyone is prepared and successful with their application for
promotion.
We understand that completing your CV and searching for documentation may be time consuming and even a bit daunting,
so we wanted to make the application process as simple as possible. We have put together a few things that will guide you
each step of the way. And if you think of something that would help you while completing your packet, just let us know!
Chances are that others would find it useful too.
After Registration
The first step after submitting your registration form is to check out the Applying for Promotion webpage.
Curriculum Vitae
The most important part of your application is your CV.
It should be all-inclusive, from when you started college to the present day. Here is the SOM CV template.
The Step-by-Step Instructions for Completing the CV was developed as a companion piece to the SOM CV template.
Explanations and examples are included in this document.
Ask a colleague for feedback, another set of eyes is never a bad idea. Once you feel that your CV is complete and a colleague
or mentor has reviewed, the FAD office is happy to meet with you to give feedback. To meet with us, simply email
APT@kumc.edu with a copy of your CV, and we will set up an appointment.
HINT: Make the CV work for you. If you feel adding a table, heading, or other item to your CV, will help give a more
organized picture of your accomplishments, you are welcome to do so. Just be sure to add….not remove.
Documentation for the Application Packet
Some faculty have a lot of documentation, but for others, it may just be a few things. All faculty careers are vastly different
and there are too many factors to give a standardized number of publications, teaching evaluations or grants needed for a
successful application. The APT Committee Members understand this and review each application individually and
thoroughly. A comprehensive checklist is available to determine what is needed and where to include it within your
SharePoint folder.
Teaching Evaluations
Grant Information
These are the second most important part of your application, next to the CV. The reviewers rely on
these to determine the quality of your teaching. However, if you do not have formal evaluations,
there are couple of options for you.
 Ask former students or junior faculty that you have mentored to write a letter of support.
 Or you may want to ask peers to evaluate your teaching. More information about peer
evaluations can be found here.
For grant information, if you do not have the cover sheet, abstract or notice of award for a
grant/contract, try to contact the PI before reaching out to the Research Institute. Every year they
receive a large number of requests for documentation, so if you could find it through another
venue, RI has asked that you start there.
Publications
Links to the articles and PubMed ID’s are helpful additions to your CV. PDF’s for the last five years
only are required. It is not necessary to upload books or book chapters. If the reviewers request a
book or chapter, we will contact you directly. See the checklist for more information.
Notification of Awards/Honors, teaching materials developed, applicant requested letters (from
Other Documentation former students or mentees), RVU graphs, are all examples of the additional documentation to add
to your application packet. Examples RVU Graphs and Information.
Reference Letters and Eligible Referees
FAD receives a lot of questions this time of year and many of them are about references. Your first stop should be the
Reference Letters and Eligible Referees information sheet.
Some Basics:

If you are applying for Associate Professor (or for Tenure at the Associate Professor level), three letters are required
for your packet to be reviewed. A minimum of six names with contact information are required to assure receipt of
the three letters.

If you are applying for Professor (or for Tenure at the Professor level), five letters are required for your packet to be
reviewed. A minimum of eight names with contact information are required to assure receipt of the five letters.

For applications at the Associate Professor level – referees must be at the Associate Professor or Professor level.

For applications at the Professor level – referees must be at the Professor level.

Letters from referees at a lesser rank will not count toward your three or five letter requirement, but they will be
shared with the committee, if received.

Requirements for external (not KUMC) versus internal (at KUMC, but a different department) differ according to
track. Please see the Reference Letters and Eligible Referees information sheet for the details.

Contact information for your referees are entered through a webform on SharePoint.
SharePoint
SharePoint is the tool used to submit your application electronically. It is a secure site that has special “permissions” set up in
order for you to access your folder. While you are uploading your materials, only you, an assistant (if requested) and the
SOM Faculty Affairs offices in KC and Wichita can see your folder. Once the APT Committees are ready to start the reviews,
they are given access to the folders. SharePoint is also where you enter your referee contact information into a webform.
Introduction to SharePoint and your
application folder
Uploading Documents to SharePoint
Adding Referee Contact Information
Best Practices for Application

Reviewers are only allowed to evaluate your promotion request based on the information that is presented in your
application. They are not able to do any further research beyond what is submitted, so be sure that your application is
clear and documented to the best of your ability.

Each application is reviewed by individuals who may have very different professional backgrounds from your own. Keep
this in mind while preparing your application and offer adequate explanation where necessary. For example:
o For Clinicians: A basic scientist on the committee may not necessarily know what a "busy clinical schedule" looks
like. Including information such as RVU's, for you AND department averages, is very helpful.
o For Basic Scientists: The process of preparing of a scientific paper or grant application may be unfamiliar to a
clinician on the committee. Explaining the time commitments involved or impact of the project is helpful.

Contacting your Referees. Verifying availability and willingness to write a letter of reference is recommended. You can let
them know the requests will be sent in August or September with usually a month to submit the letter. We will send
your CV with the request, but sending them your CV ahead of time is encouraged.
Reference Materials
Tracks-Ranks-Levels Summary
This summary will tell you exactly what career levels you need for each domain
according to your track and rank. It even lists what type of reference letters you
need (internal or external) on it.
Domain Definitions-Examples-Levels
matrix
This document describes each domain and give a variety of examples for both basic
and clinical science faculty.
It’s always good to go to the Guidelines when you have specific questions. This has
Guidelines for Academic Promotion and
been reformatted recently and the table of contents has links to take you to exactly
the Award of Tenure
the information you need.
Manual for Volunteer Faculty
The Guidelines for our volunteer and affiliate faculty. This is overdue for updating,
but the information is accurate. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to let us know.
Timelines and Deadlines
A list of the complete APT process timeline, with deadlines for the applicant.
SOM CV template
Formatted specifically to showcase all of your accomplishments clearly for the APT
Committee.
Step-by-Step Instructions for SOM CV
If you have questions when completing your CV, this document will likely have your
answer and includes examples at each step.
Peer Evaluation Information and
Example Template
Assessing the quality of your teaching through your CV is difficult. If you do not have
standardized teaching evaluations, or just want extra documentation to show your
excellence in teaching, ask a peer (or peers) to evaluate for you.
Summary of Academic Tracks
Definitions of the tracks and general expectations of the faculty on them.
Intro to APT SharePoint site
How to find your SharePoint folder and what it looks like.
Uploading Documents to SharePoint
Step-by-Step instructions to add files to your customized folder.
Reference Letters and Eligibility of
Referees
The documents explains everything you need to know about Reference Letters and
who is eligible to write them.
FAQ’s for APT
No information would be complete without an FAQ. Check out our new FAQ for APT page.