University College
Zayed University
Guidelines for Faculty Promotion
1. University College will adhere to Zayed University’s policies on Evaluation of Faculty Performance and
Faculty Promotions when considering faculty for promotion in academic rank. Faculty seeking
promotion should therefore consult the following documents on the Zayed University, Human
Resources (University Policies & Procedures) Intranet:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
HR-FAC-01 Policy - Academic Rank and Promotion for Faculty
HR-FAC-01 Procedures – Academic Rank and Promotion for Faculty
HR-FAC-03 Policy – Evaluation of Faculty
HR-FAC-03 Procedures – Evaluation of Faculty
2. The Dean will appoint a University College Faculty Promotion Advisory Committee (UCFPAC) to
review and evaluate applications for promotion, and to submit its comments and recommendations to the
Dean.
Normally this committee will comprise of University College faculty at the rank of Professor, and with
representation from both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai campuses. The committee will elect one of its
members to the position of Chair, and one of its members to the position of Secretary. Promotion
recommendations result from simple majority votes.
3. Faculty become eligible for promotion to a higher rank upon providing satisfactory evidence of
achievements which fulfill the University criteria for the higher rank (see Policy HR-FAC-01).
Additional criteria may be specified by University College provided that these do not conflict with the
University criteria. Faculty members who do not meet the criteria for time-at-rank should submit a preapplication, to determine their eligibility for consideration for promotion, to the Dean of University
College who will then make a recommendation to the University’s Provost.
4. Evaluation of faculty for promotion in rank is guided by both the Zayed University mission,
“Zayed University seeks to prepare students for meaningful and successful twenty-first
century personal and professional lives; to graduate students who will help shape the
future of the region and the world; to support the economic and social advancement of
the U.A.E.; to lead innovation in higher education through teaching, learning, research,
and outreach; and to do so in a culturally diverse, humane, technologically advanced,
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and increasingly global environment.”
and the University College mission,
“University College offers high quality foundational education, the Colloquy, to students
and prepares them for their future majors and eventual employment. The experience
instills in the students a desire for lifelong learning, fosters intellectual curiosity, and
engenders critical thinking.”
and the extent to which the faculty member has contributed to both Zayed University and University
College in achieving these missions.
5. Candidates for promotion must submit an electronic version of their Promotion Dossier (Portfolio) to the
Dean of University College by the date published on the University’s annual Calendar of Personnel Actions.
The Promotion Dossier must be consistent with the format specified by the template “Format for Promotion
Dossiers” in Appendix A of Procedures HR-FAC-01 ((Date Last Revised: 28 January 2008). Materials
should be categorized according to this format, including those related to teaching effectiveness, research and
scholarship activity, and University/College service since last promotion. The Dean’s office will then add
Section III (Results of Review by the University College Faculty Promotion Advisory Committee) and
Section IV (Recommendation of the Dean). The candidate’s current Curriculum Vitae (Section VI) must be
submitted in standard SEDONA format; the candidate may also choose to include an additional copy of their
Curriculum Vitae in an alternative format.
Additionally, candidates for promotion must include a complete record of their “Annual Performance
Review” documents and “Classroom Observation Reports” accumulated during their period of employment
at Zayed University. If the candidate has not retained personal copies of these documents, copies are
available from the University College Dean’s Office where they are retained in the College Personnel File
(see Procedures HR-FAC-03).
Supporting materials, such as books, journals, and copies of articles or creative work, may be submitted with
the Promotion Dossier to the Dean’s office, where they will be available for review by a member of the
UCFPAC or University Faculty Promotion Advisory Committee (UFPAC) if requested.
6. As specified in the University Policy document HR-FAC-01, the promotion candidate’s achievements in
research and scholarly activities will be submitted to “at least two and not more than three” External
Reviewers for assessment. The evaluative commentary from the External Reviewers shall be limited to a
candidate’s research and scholarly accomplishments. Candidates for promotion must submit a short-list
containing the names and contact information of a minimum of three, and a maximum of five, potential
External Reviewers; each holding the academic rank to which the candidate is applying or above. External
Reviewers should not have a personal or family association with the candidate, professional association is
acceptable and permitted.
In exceptional circumstances, candidates for promotion from the Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies
may propose potential External Reviewers who are likely to submit their reference letters written in the
Arabic language; the candidate is expected to indicate this fact when preparing their short-list of potential
External Reviewers. University College will make arrangements for a legal translation of the reference letter
to be prepared and included in the promotion dossier presented to UCFPAC and UFPAC.
The names of three prospective External Reviewers will be selected by the Dean and then submitted to the
Provost for approval. The Dean reserves the right to select the External Reviewers from the candidate’s
short-list or from alternative sources.
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7. The organizational structure of University College, as a College of Departments, necessitates formal input
from the candidate’s Department Chair to the promotion process. On receipt of the candidate’s promotion
dossier the Dean’s Office will submit a request to the candidate’s Department Chair for a letter of
recommendation in support, or otherwise, of the candidate’s case for promotion. This letter of
recommendation will be included in the copy of the promotion dossier which is subsequently presented to
UCFPAC and UFPAC.
If the Department Chair does not support the candidate’s application for promotion, it is expected that the
candidate will be informed of the Department Chair’s decision prior to the promotion dossier being presented
to UCFPAC. The candidate will then be given the opportunity to decide whether to withdraw his/her
application for promotion or to request that the promotion dossier is presented to the members of UCFPAC
for their review and recommendation to the Dean.
8. When making promotion recommendations to the Dean, the University College Faculty Promotion
Advisory Committee evaluates the candidate’s performance and contributions in each of the three
primary domains of faculty activity:
(a) Teaching and teaching-related activities.
(b) Research and scholarly activities.
(c) University and professional service, and outreach activities.
None of these primary domains of faculty activity lends itself easily to numerical
measure. Rather, candidates for promotion are expected to show a pattern of attention to
improvement, and to increasing professional visibility and accomplishment in all areas of
their work. Assessment of the strengths, and weaknesses, of the candidate’s case for
promotion will also include consideration of the balance and development of the
candidate’s activities throughout their period of employment at Zayed University.
8.1 Teaching & Teaching-related Activities
Teaching effectiveness will be given primary consideration in the awarding of promotion in rank.
Student evaluations of teaching and classroom observations by the Dean, or the Dean’s designee, will be
considered in every case. Candidates are expected to document (and comment on) their achievements in
teaching and teaching-related activities appropriate to their assigned duties in Zayed University and
University College.
Accomplishments in the domain of teaching and teaching-related activities that might be considered for
inclusion in the candidate’s promotion dossier are:
(i)
Creating learning experiences and assessments that reflect integration of discipline-specific and
generic abilities.
(ii) Organizing learning experiences that assist students to achieve learning outcomes.
(iii) Providing feedback directed toward specific abilities and individual need.
(iv) Responding to students with sensitivity to culture and learning style.
(v) Generating student enthusiasm for learning.
(vi) Refining teaching practices based on self-assessment and feedback.
(vii) Integrating research and new knowledge with teaching to shape course content.
(viii) Integrating theory and practice in course design and delivery.
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(ix) Creating a variety of opportunities for students to pursue specialized interests.
(x) Engaging in dialogue about teaching with colleagues.
(xi) Taking leadership in developing materials and professional development
presentations that address curriculum and teaching enhancement.
(xii) Guiding new faculty and advising students.
(xiii) Creating co-curricular and extra-curricular links between classroom learning the
application of learned skills and abilities.
(xiv) Demonstrating appropriate assessment practices.
Faculty performance in the domain of teaching and teaching-related activities will be
rated at one of five levels:
Superior: Achievements in teaching and teaching-related activities rank in quality
and quantity with those of the best faculty at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Excellent: Achievements in teaching and teaching-related activities rank in quality
and quantity at a level well above average at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Good:
Achievements in teaching and teaching-related activities meet College
expectations in all areas at a satisfactory level.
Fair:
Achievements in teaching and teaching-related activities meet College
expectations in most areas, though not every area at a satisfactory level.
Unsatisfactory: Achievements in teaching and teaching-related activities are below
expectations in many areas and are unsatisfactory overall in meeting
College and University objectives.
8.2 Research & Scholarly Activities
Research and scholarly activities, second only to teaching and teaching-related activities, will be
carefully considered in awarding promotion. In addition to the reviews by UCFPAC members, the
recommendations of the External Reviewers are extremely important in determining the quality of the
candidate’s activities.
Scholarly research for promotion purposes at Zayed University is traditionally measured by published
writing. A solid record of scholarship can be evidenced by articles published in refereed journals
respected in the field. The significance of a publication is often determined by the journal’s acceptance
rate and circulation. Candidates for promotion must clarify their role in joint efforts and describe their
research agenda. Refereed conference paper presentations, though published in conference proceedings,
are not valued on the same level as those which are refereed and published in scholarly journals. When
evaluating candidates for promotion, only research since the last promotion is considered. Candidates are
expected to document (and comment on) their scholarly achievements in activities appropriate to their
assigned duties in Zayed University and University College. Accomplishments in the domain of research
and scholarly activity that might be considered for inclusion in the candidate’s promotion dossier are:
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(i)
Publishing in an established refereed scholarly journal.
(ii) Presenting research papers at conferences.
(iii) Authoring academic books, authoring textbooks or authoring chapters in books.
(iv) Serving as the editor for scholarly books or serving as the editor of a scholarly
journal.
(v) Developing connections and collaborations with the professional community.
(vi) Participating in professional development activities for the professional
community.
(vii) Pursuing scholarly activity that integrates the discipline and teaching.
(viii) Maintaining current knowledge in a discipline.
(ix) Pursuing specialized research that advances knowledge in the field or discipline.
(x) Applying specialized research to the needs of the UAE.
(xi) Seeking collaborators in scholarly pursuits.
(xii) Engaging students in research and scholarly activity.
(xiii) Sharing scholarship and new knowledge with faculty colleagues, professionals and
community.
(xiv) Translating, normally a service, may be considered research when the translation is
a major part of an academic project, especially when it involves research and
adaptation of concepts to a second language.
(xv) Evidence of citations of the candidate’s published research by other researchers in
the same field, or by scholars in other fields to which the candidate’s work has
been applied.
Faculty performance in the domain of research and scholarly activities will be rated at
one of five levels:
Superior: Achievements in research and scholarly activities rank in quality
and quantity with those of the best faculty at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Excellent: Achievements in research and scholarly activities rank in quality
and quantity at a level well above average at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Good:
Achievements in research and scholarly activities meet College
expectations in all areas at a satisfactory level.
Fair:
Achievements in research and scholarly activities meet College
expectations in most areas, though not every area at a satisfactory level.
Unsatisfactory: Achievements in research and scholarly activities are below
expectations in many areas and are unsatisfactory overall in meeting
College and University objectives.
8.3 University & Professional Service and Outreach Activities
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University service (inclusive of College and Department service), professional service and outreach
activities are important and valued by Zayed University. Satisfactory service and outreach activities
undertaken by faculty can be internal to the University, external to the University or a combination
of both. To be considered as part of a faculty member’s service obligation for promotion purposes,
such service must be related to the faculty member’s training and professional expertise. Service to
the nation or community that draws on such expertise will be given special weight. Service beyond
the University is strongly encouraged but it is not a specific requirement for promotion, since it is
recognized that not all faculty have equal opportunities to engage in such expertise-based service in
the community or in their profession. Accomplishments in the domain of service and outreach activity
that might be considered for inclusion in the candidate’s promotion dossier are:
(i)
Participation in required meetings and workshops.
(ii) Collaboration with other faculty and staff.
(iii) Implementing College or University goals.
(iv) Identifying, refining and acting upon individual faculty professional development goals.
(v) Making contributions to faculty governance.
(vi) Making contributions that influence the College and the University at large.
(vii) Providing leadership in developing curriculum and learning outcome assessment.
(viii) Creating strategies to enhance effective collaboration within the University.
(ix) Developing connections and collaborations with the professional community.
(x) Participating in professional development activities for professionals and the community.
(xi) Providing translating and interpreting services.
Faculty performance in the domain of service and outreach activities will be rated at
one of five levels:
Superior: Achievements in service and outreach activities rank in quality
and quantity with those of the best faculty at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Excellent: Achievements in service and outreach activities rank in quality
and quantity at a level well above average at Zayed University and
other similar institutions.
Good:
Achievements in service and outreach activities meet College
expectations in all areas at a satisfactory level.
Fair:
Achievements in service and outreach activities meet College
expectations in most areas, though not every area at a satisfactory level.
Unsatisfactory: Achievements in service and outreach activities are below
expectations in many areas and are unsatisfactory overall in meeting
College and University objectives.
9. The University College Faculty Promotion Advisory Committee uses the minimum evaluation standards
stated below for recommending promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, and from
Associate Professor to Professor:
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From
Rank
To
Rank
Assistant
Professor
Associate
Professor
Associate
Professor
Full
Professor
Teaching &
Teaching-related
Activities
Excellent
Research &
Scholarly
Activities
Good
University Service
& Outreach
Activities
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
10. If the University College Faculty Promotion Advisory Committee and/or the Dean of University College do
not support the candidate’s application for promotion, it is expected that the candidate will be informed of
this prior to the promotion dossier being presented to UFPAC. The candidate will then be given the
opportunity to decide whether to withdraw his/her application for promotion or to request that the promotion
dossier is presented to the members of UFPAC for their review and recommendation to the Provost of Zayed
University.
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