Dean’s Memorandum 2007-08 #1
TO:
SAS Department Chairs and Administrators
FROM:
Rebecca W. Bushnell
DATE:
July 23, 2007
RE:
2007-08 Calendar for Faculty Personnel Actions
This memo contains important information regarding the calendar for faculty personnel
actions during academic year 2007-08. It is essential that we spread out the workload for the SAS
Personnel Committee so that cases can be given careful evaluation in time for Provost’s Staff
Conference consideration. Please refer to SAS Policies and Procedures for Appointments and
Promotions (available at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/deans-office/faculty/) for detailed guidelines
on all personnel actions.

Promotion to Associate Professor: We will continue to ask departments to submit dossiers for
such actions to the Dean’s Office by December 15. Please time your deadline to reviewers
accordingly. The relevant departments have already been reminded that lists of recommended
external reviewers should be sent to the Dean’s Office before July 31, even if the request letter
to the reviewers will not be sent until later in the summer or early fall. The Provost has set a
deadline of September 15 for submission of consultant lists. Exceptions to all of these
deadlines are possible in the face of a large departmental caseload or the special
circumstances of a specific candidate, but all exceptions must be approved in advance by
your divisional dean.

Promotion to Full Professor: Cases for promotion to full professor will continue to be
considered by the Provost’s Staff Conference only in the fall. Proposals that are received in
the Provost’s Office after the fall semester will risk being deferred for consideration until
September 2008. Obviously, departments should have already begun the process of sending
lists of recommended external reviewers, with the candidate’s curriculum vitae, to the Dean’s
Office.
Dean’s Memorandum 2007-2008 #1
Page 2

Timing issues for outside appointments: Please bear in mind the following: the time
required to process the appointment of an external scholar is approximately 14-16 weeks, and
the School’s Personnel Committee stops meeting regularly by the end of May (while the
Provost’s Staff Conference meets throughout June). The time-consuming part is the solicitation
of external letters. The normal time period to ask for return of such letters is six weeks. It is
thus in your best interest to not delay in obtaining letters. There is no need to wait for a
candidate’s acceptance before beginning the dossier assembly process. You should expect
approximately eight weeks to elapse between the arrival of your dossier to this office and final
action by the Provost. In view of this timeline, it is prudent to submit your department's
recommendations for appointments well in advance.

Changes in SAS Personnel Committee procedures: Last year a faculty task force
recommended that department chairs have the opportunity to answer questions in person
from the SAS Personnel Committee about any case involving tenure (appointment or
promotions). We will work out the mechanics of this procedure in the fall, but chairs who
anticipate having such cases may wish to note that the standard meeting time of the SAS
Personnel Committee is Wednesdays from 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Please also note that as a
result of the changes to the SAS Bylaws approved by the faculty this spring, the SAS
Personnel Committee will no longer be reviewing any cases involving non-standing faculty;
such cases will of course still require approval by the Dean’s office and, where appropriate,
the Provost’s office.

Tracking system: Last year we instituted an online system to track personnel cases across
their many stages of preparation and approval. The system is located at:
https://fusion.sas.upenn.edu/faculty/ftrack/ and has been updated to allow access to new
department chairs. I remind you that departments (chairs or designated staff) are required
to indicate in this system when the steps for which they are responsible have been completed.
If you have questions about the use of the system, please contact Kathy Fey.

Dean’s Office staffing: All cases involving tenure (appointment or promotion to Associate or
Full Professor) continue to be handled by Kathy Fey, while all other cases should be
submitted directly to Kathy Clawson, who will process cases that do not involve tenure
(Assistant Professors, Associated Faculty, and Academic Support Staff, i.e., Lecturers). Each
will work with the appropriate divisional deans.

Offer letters: I remind chairs that all letters offering--or tentatively offering--appointment to
the standing or research faculty at any rank must receive prior approval from me or the
appropriate divisional Associate Dean. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
Thank you for your cooperation. The calendar follows on the next page.
Attachment (Calendar)
cc:
SAS Administrative Committee
Kathy Fey
Kathy Clawson
School of Arts and Sciences
Calendar for Faculty Personnel Actions
2007-2008
Submission of Lists of Recommended External Reviewers for Promotions
Action
Deadline
1.
Promotion to Full Professor
should already be
complete
2.
Promotion to Associate Professor
July 31, 2007
Submission of Dossiers
Action
Deadline
1.
Promotion to Full Professor
October 13, 2007
2.
Reappointment of Assistant Professors and Senior Lecturers
October 27, 2007
3.
Promotion to Associate Professor
December 15, 2007
4.
Initial Appointment at Tenured Rank
March 30, 2008
5.
Initial Appointment at Untenured Rank
April 13, 2008
6.
Appointment to the Associated Faculty
April 13, 2008
SAS Policies and Procedures for Appointments and Promotions:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/deans-office/faculty/
07/23/07