Emerson College has conducted a comprehensive review of existing departmental tenure and promotion standards. The process for the review is set out below under Promotion and Tenure Standards: Iterative Process.
The twin goals of this endeavor were to clarify and update the standards. Please see the tabs below to see the standards previously in effect on November 30, 2017 and the current standards put into effect by the College as of December 2017. Faculty members who joined the College on or after December 2017, or did not declare their selection by the February 2018 deadline, will have the standards put into effect by the College as of December 2017 apply to their dossier.
Department Promotion and Tenure Standards
Promotion and Tenure Standards: Iterative Process
The below information is the process that was followed to develop the December 2017 standards.
August 26, 2014
In April 2014, the FSC reviewed each department's P&T standards and returned a set of findings to the DPTC's. This page outlines the process for continued development and clarification of departmental P&T standards. The overarching goal is to provide candidates with a clear and consistent set of departmental expectations for tenure and/or promotion in their field.
Since teaching and service standards are detailed in the Faculty Handbook, departmental standards should focus on scholarly and creative work and should include new standards for civic and global engagement. The DPTC should consider standards for promotion from Associate to Full Professor as well as promotion and tenure from Assistant to Associate Professor. In keeping with best practices in other institutions and with FSC recommendations, promotions from Associate to Full will assess work completed since tenure-not work over the entire period of the faculty career. The Deans Council will research some standards for promotion to Full professor at other institutions and provide draft language for consideration by DPTC's.
Once revisions as well as new standards have been drafted by the DPTC's in response to the FSC feedback, the department chair, DPTC chair and school dean will meet to discuss and revise the standards. Any changes to the standards will be returned to the department for review and feedback.
The Deans' Council will then review standards from across the college and make adjustments for consistency of rigor and process. Again, changes to the standards will be returned to the department for review, feedback and ratification.
The Academic Cabinet will review the final set of standards across all departments and recommend their adoption to the CAO.
The CAO will adopt the new standards and publish them online with a date on the academic affairs/Nexus website.
In the case of substantive change, the CAO will devise a framework for current faculty to choose the application of the existing or new standards in her/his tenure/promotion case and set a timeline for this process. Based on this, the CAO will send a memo to all faculty about the new standards, giving them a choice and then documenting that choice.
Previous Opportunity to Elect Standards
The following archived message outlines the opportunity to allow faculty members to opt in to either the previous or current standards, which ended in on February 23, 2018.
Dear Faculty Member,
As you are likely aware, Emerson College has conducted a comprehensive review of existing departmental tenure and promotion standards. The twin goals of this endeavor were to clarify and update the standards. I am pleased to announce that after three years of effort involving the input of FSC, department faculty, chairs and deans, I have approved these new standards and have posted the revised standards on the academic affairs website. Please see below for the existing standards and the revised standards listed by department. The College believes that the newly articulated standards will continue to uphold our commitment to excellence in our fields.
For those of you on the tenure track or preparing for promotion to Professor, since you joined Emerson before the revised standards were in effect, the College would like to offer you the opportunity to elect the standards to be applied to your dossier. The College believes that no candidate for promotion will in any way be disadvantaged by the application of the new standards and offers this option because of its commitment to providing faculty with notice and choice.
Accordingly, please review the applicable standards carefully and complete the form attached here to declare your selection. Please return it to Angela Tsiotos no later than Friday, February 23rd, 2018. If you have any questions about the new and old standards, please consult with your chair, dean or DPTC.
Sincerely,
Michaele Whelan
Provost
