The purpose of these guidelines is to assist faculty seeking tenure and promotion to assess what their colleagues believe to be acceptable standards in each discipline and to help colleagues on the Development, Promotion and Tenure Committee and Faculty Status Committee understand the particular nature of the work in the Performing Arts professions.
As faculty of Emerson College, faculty members from the Department of Performing Arts seeking tenure and promotion will be reviewed under the criteria set forth in Section 8 of the Faculty Handbook, Assessment of Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty and its subsections as they define the general assessment of a candidate’s Teaching, Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work, Service and Long-Term Usefulness. However, due to the unique makeup of the performing arts, we believe that certain special evidence should also be considered in the evaluation of Performing Arts faculty for tenure and promotion. For instance, for professional work that may be identified as grassroots and/or Community Active Theatre, experimental and/or interdisciplinary performance work, movement/theatre and solo performance that is often devised rather than scripted or directed, and design work that takes place outside of the theatre such as in museums and exhibits and for special events, should also be considered. Evaluation of this work should be based on the reputations of the designated artistic, social/political and/or community organizations and its impact documented by civic leaders, community partners and/or collaborators, and/or a peer review process specific to each production/performance when and if it is likely not going to be reviewed by the local/national press.
We propose that to better comply with the requirements of Section 8 of the Faculty Handbook, a candidate for tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor or promotion to the rank of Professor in the disciplines of Directing, Dramaturgy, Performance, Theatre Design and Technology, and Theatre Education may include additional materials or be evaluated by additional criteria in the areas of Teaching, Service, Scholarship, and Creative/Professional Accomplishments.
Departmental Standards for interpreting Teaching, Scholarship and Creative/Professional Work, and Service are noted below. They are organized by discipline, in alphabetical order: Directing, Dramaturgy, Performance, Theatre Design and Technology, and Theatre Education.
