College of Arts and Sciences: Women’s and Gender Studies Policies on Faculty Personnel Actions

Unit Policy

Title

College of Arts and Sciences: Women’s and Gender Studies Policies on Faculty Personnel Actions 

Introduction

Purpose

This document outlines the personnel policies for the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, covering standards and procedures for faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and tenure decisions. It applies to both tenure-track/tenured faculty and fixed-term teaching faculty, detailing the criteria for evaluation in research, teaching, and service.

Scope

This policy document applies to both tenure-track and tenured faculty, as well as fixed-term teaching faculty (teaching assistant professors, teaching associate professors, and teaching professors) in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at UNC Chapel Hill.

PART I. Policies for tenure-track and tenured faculty

I. Introduction

The principal aims of the Department of Women's and Gender Studies are to preserve, increase, and transmit knowledge and understanding of feminist research and feminist creative activity across the disciplines. We understand feminism to be the perspective through which we study all aspects of women and gender. These aims are furthered by the scholarly or equivalent creative activity of the faculty and by their teaching of undergraduate and graduate students. In hiring and promoting faculty, the Department seeks to maintain its high standards of scholarship or the equivalent in artistic endeavor, and teaching.

It also encourages service to the Department, the University, the professional community, the state, the nation and the world; as appropriate, it also encourages engagement with groups outside academia. The Department of Women's and Gender Studies seeks to be objective, fair, and honest in matters of hiring and promotion. It reaffirms at this time its goal of quality combined with diversity. All hiring and promotion take place within the context of departmental needs and resources. The Department subscribes wholeheartedly to the guidelines of Affirmative Action and commits itself to make personnel decisions with all possible justice to both the University and the individuals concerned.

The Department's policies are subject to those set forth in the following University publications. The most recent edition of each document takes precedence.

  1. The Code, Board of Governors, UNC
  2. Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
  3. The Faculty Code of University Government, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
  4. Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct Including Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment, Sexual Violence, Interpersonal Violence and Stalking.
  5. Personnel Policies for Academic Personnel, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
  6. College of Arts & Sciences Chair’s Manual 
  7. Memorandum from the Dean on Peer Faculty Teaching Observations for Tenure, Promotion and Post-Tenure Review, August 21, 2012. 

This departmental document is supplemental to, and subject to, the policies found in the above publications. Each faculty member has the responsibility to become familiar with their provisions. We encourage faculty members to familiarize themselves with this document and the Chair will make the policy available to new faculty members as well as ones undergoing review and/or promotion.

II. Standards

The Department, College and University continually aspire to enhance their academic stature. Such stature is achieved primarily through the continual recruitment, development, and retention of outstanding faculty.

Some of the standards that this Department applies to the evaluation of candidates are qualitative and cannot be expressed quantitatively. Therefore, they inescapably entail subjective judgment. As a result, it is not possible to reduce the evaluation of academic personnel to a purely objective enumeration of expected accomplishments within a specific period of time.

The Department may recommend a candidate for promotion and/or permanent tenure before the expiration of his or her probationary term if the quality of the candidate's record meets the standards and makes a compelling case for an early recommendation. A candidate's prior record in a tenure track or equivalent position at another institution of higher education may form part of a compelling case for an early recommendation.

Prerequisite to the appointment or reappointment of any candidate is the continuing need by the Department, College and University for the services that they, as a scholar-teacher-artist-performer in a particular field, is qualified to carry out. An appointment of an individual to a tenure-track position is based on the belief that the appointment meets a continuing need of the Department. However, where this need is found not to exist, or has disappeared or may disappear, or where program change or curtailment of funding obliges the University to discontinue support, appointment or reappointment is precluded.

Quality research or equivalent creative artistic activity, teaching excellence and a commitment to service are important areas of evaluation of faculty by the Department of Women's and Gender Studies. In addition to long-standing criteria for such evaluation, innovative faculty work in these areas should also be considered when germane. Thus, tenure and promotion guidelines must balance the need for precedent and consistency with openness to new approaches and ideas for which establishing criteria for evaluation may be difficult, at least at first. Candidates for promotion and their departments share the responsibility for effectively evaluating innovative contributions. Candidates should help articulate the nature and value of their new work. Departments should continually educate themselves on the changing landscape of the profession, and they should consider when to seek evaluations of the candidate's work that inform and can help explain particular innovations. Some of the prominent areas in which innovation occurs include engagement, digital technologies, and interdisciplinarity.

As a public university, we recognize the importance of faculty engagement. Engagement may be embedded in one or more aspects of a faculty member's research, teaching, and service activities. Faculty engagement refers to scholarly, creative, pedagogical, and service activities directed toward persons and groups outside UNC, Chapel Hill and outside the usual spheres of professional academic work. Such activities typically take the form of collaborative interactions, include partners outside the University, and seek to enhance the “public good” or “public life” of the state, nation, or wider world.

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies supports and encourages faculty engagement with partners outside the University, especially in areas of teaching and service. The field of Women's and Gender Studies is engaged, by definition, with community outreach in many venues. We feel that these activities should be encouraged among the tenured faculty because they help promote the role and function of the University beyond its walls, but in addition to, not instead of, normal teaching commitments in the Department or service commitments to the Department and the University.

When present, engagement should be recognized as a significant component of a tenured faculty member's professional achievement. Yet, it should be left to the discretion of each faculty member. Engagement is not required for promotion to associate professor with tenure or for promotion to full professor; faculty whose work does not include engaged activities should not be penalized or denied tenure or promotion on those grounds.

Digital technologies are reshaping every profession. Digital technologies shape not only how we communicate new knowledge, but also how we perceive and develop knowledge in the first place. Since digital technologies influence every aspect of professional life, including research, teaching, and service, the Department of Women's and Gender Studies should, therefore, regularly evaluate this changing landscape. Candidates for promotion or tenure should help articulate the nature and reception of their digital work.

Interdisciplinary work provides opportunities for creating knowledge in new and unanticipated ways, often representing cutting-edge scholarship and teaching. Since many challenges and problems require skills and perspectives from multiple academic and professional disciplines, evidence of innovative inter- and cross-disciplinary research, teaching, and service should therefore be valued in a candidate's promotion and tenure dossier.

General Standards

The following standards will be employed in evaluations for reappointment, promotion, and tenure:

  1. A demonstrated commitment to, and achievement of, research excellence or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity as appropriate to certain disciplines is required for consideration for tenure and/or promotions in rank.
  2. A demonstrated commitment to, and achievement of, teaching excellence is required for consideration of tenure decisions and/or promotions in rank, and while its presence without the other two general standards also being met will not bring tenure or promotion, its absence is sufficient to deny tenure or promotion.
  3. Service to the Department, University, community, state, nation and world, and to one's academic profession is a further, additional consideration in the overall assessment of a faculty colleague. Service is not a substitute for excellence in research and excellence in teaching.

A. Standards of Research

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies expects and encourages its faculty to be actively involved throughout their careers in achieving excellence in scholarly research or creative artistic activity.

Scholarly Research:

Scholarship is understood as the advancement of knowledge and understanding and consists substantially of original research or interpretation that is part of a coherent project.

The central result of scholarship is publication. The Department of Women's and Gender Studies requires such publication as an obvious way of extending knowledge and of sharing the fruits of scholarly thought and investigation with a wider audience that can be both critical and appreciative. We understand published scholarship to be scholarship evaluated by independent scholars beyond members of an editorial board and generally, but not always, documented in readers reports.

Creative Artistic Activity:

Artistic activity is for some faculty in the Department what published scholarship is for others. The dissemination of artistic activity, such as through art exhibitions, commissions, catalogues of an artist's work, sales of creative work to museums and art collectors, performance, or other tangible forms of expression, contributes to the Department's aim of advancing feminist creative work across disciplines. The Department also acknowledges the value of artistic work being circulated in the form of catalogues, reviews and articles that describe, interpret, and evaluate the candidate's work. The Department expects that faculty members in the creative arts will exhibit their work consistently. National and international exhibitions are more significant than local exhibitions, and we expect faculty members to exhibit their work in meaningful venues. The Department affirms the value of work that is exhibited locally and nationally in venues that are members of The Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG). Invitational exhibitions are generally considered of greater import than juried exhibitions, and solo shows are generally more significant than group shows. However, a group show in a prestigious gallery or museum can be more significant than a solo show in a more obscure venue. While the Department values the national and international exhibition, we also encourage faculty members to exhibit locally and to become a contributing member of the local art community.

In both scholarly research and artistic activity, the Department insists on regarding quality as more important than quantity.

Engaged scholarship refers to research on projects that include collaborative interactions with partners outside the University and outside the usual spheres of professional academic work. Engaged scholarship is characterized by a reciprocal relationship with communities; it involves innovations with disciplinary expertise, is professionally or peer-reviewed, can be replicated, and “produces documented results that are impactful” (Abel and Williams 11)1. In order to satisfy the criterion for engaged scholarship, the faculty member's work must meet the same rigorous standards as other publications or creative work listed above. Moreover, the Department distinguishes between engaged scholarship and service, noting that the former requires disciplinary expertise, building upon knowledge, research, or practice, a methodology that is “clear and sound,” and results that are “valid and reliable” (ibid. 25). Published research must be scholarship evaluated by independent scholars beyond members of an editorial board and generally documented in readers' reports. Engaged scholarship might also be evaluated, in some cases, by external competitive funding or evaluations by experts in the field.

1 Abel, Steve and Rod Williams. “The Guide: Documenting, Evaluating and Recognizing Engaged Scholarship,” Purdue University Office of Engagement, 2019.

Engaged artistic production must be exhibited in international, national and local venues as described above and evaluated by external reviewers for tenure and promotion.

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies recognizes faculty who conduct or publish their research digitally for their innovation and for moving beyond traditional formats. The standard for excellence is the same for digital and non-digital work. Work published in digital journals must be scholarship evaluated by independent scholars beyond members of an editorial board. Creative work that appears in digital formats must also be evaluated by outside reviewers. For both research and artistic production, the overall quality and contribution of the work must be measured against the University's long-standing high standards, which should be independent of the mode or medium of publication.

The research of faculty engaged in innovative interdisciplinary research shall be given formal consideration and due credit, although the overall quality and contribution of the interdisciplinary work should be measured through appropriate means against the University's well-established high standards. Since most faculty in Women's and Gender Studies have interdisciplinary interests, the main criteria for review and judgment of these scholarly and equivalent creative activities do not differ from those listed earlier in this section. In the case of joint appointments, reviews must include multi-departmental evaluations. For faculty hired as joint appointees, the main criteria for review and judgment of a faculty member's scholarly work shall encompass work across the units of appointment and related interdisciplinary work, assessed by appropriate high standards.

B. Standards of Teaching

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies expects and encourages teaching of the highest quality. Although it is not possible to enumerate here all criteria of highly effective teaching, such teachers prepare their courses with discrimination and skill. They responsibly formulate the objectives of the courses and use imaginative pedagogical methods to achieve their goals. Effective teachers engage their students, stimulate their interests, broaden their perspectives and improve their thinking. To the extent that it is possible, they also make their students active rather than passive participants in the learning process. Excellent teachers demand substantial accomplishment and high standards of work, grade all work fairly, and base what they teach on evidence and sound method. They are articulate, resourceful, and reflective. In addition, where appropriate, such teachers conscientiously provide advice and guidance to both graduate and undergraduate students on an individual basis, direct theses and dissertations, and serve on committees that critically examine and evaluate such research projects. In short, the Department expects colleagues to be generously involved in teaching and training.

Engaged teaching refers to pedagogical practices that typically take students outside the traditional classroom. Such teaching may include courses that help students engage with non-academic communities, participate in service learning programs, or interact with public schools and government policymakers. To satisfy the criterion for “engaged teaching” and for engaged teaching to be considered in evaluations for reappointment, promotion and tenure, the faculty member's courses should include analytical and reflective components and carry academic credit. Such teaching should be evaluated by students, by academic peers, and also by individuals who participate in these courses from a position outside the University.

One of the most prominent areas of recent pedagogical innovation is the integration of digital technologies within the traditional classroom as well as online. When faculty members employ new technologies to enhance teaching and learning, evaluation of teaching excellence should include assessments of this use.

Evaluation of teaching excellence should also consider faculty contributions to different forms of interdisciplinary teaching. Such endeavors greatly enhance the intellectual life of the University and provide a sense of common purpose and community among students and faculty. All levels and forms of interdisciplinary teaching should therefore be considered, including: interdisciplinary teaching within one's home unit; participation in team-taught, multidisciplinary courses that transcend the Department and unit boundaries; undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral mentoring; and involvement in cross-disciplinary learning experiences outside the University. As with all forms of teaching, rigorous standards of evaluation should be applied.

C. Standards of Service

A service assignment should be pursued diligently, imaginatively, and responsibly, with concern for deadlines and appropriate results. Conscientious and efficient performance combined with collegiality, tact, and resourcefulness bring credit to the individual and the Department and will be recognized.

Assistant and associate professors without permanent tenure are expected to undertake those service functions the Department Chair may assign. Although they should focus primarily on teaching and research, untenured members of the department will be called upon to perform a number of service activities such as work on departmental or appropriate University committees and participation in professional association activities. Associate professors with tenure and professors are expected to undertake a wider range of service functions; for example: taking on leadership roles within the Department, College, and/or University, holding a position within a professional organization, serving as a reviewer for grants, fellowships, and/or manuscripts, editing a journal, serving on an editorial board, serving as an expert witness, serving as an external reviewer for a promotion case or a department.

Engaged service refers to activities that are informed by the faculty member's scholarly expertise and include interactions with groups and projects outside the professional and scholarly organizations of academia. In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, we value engaged service related to the faculty member's professional expertise, such as work in North Carolina schools or organizations, and outreach activities on the national or international level.

Groups and communities increasingly connect and identify themselves through online resources, electronic networks, virtual spaces and social media. Therefore, in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, faculty service involving digital technologies may be recognized as an important contribution to academic life and to communities outside the University. Candidates for promotion or tenure should help articulate the nature of their contribution in this area.

Faculty may be involved in interdisciplinary service in one, two or more units, depending on the nature of their appointment(s) or interdisciplinary approach. In cases of interdisciplinary service, the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, the other units involved and the faculty member will establish standards and expectations clarifying the extent of service expected from the faculty member for the Department and the other unit(s). These standards and expectations shall be reviewed, evaluated and, if necessary, modified on a regular basis. The same general standards of evaluation shall be employed for interdisciplinary service as for service within a single unit.

III. Criteria for Specific Personnel Actions

The projected needs and resources of the Department, the College and the University shall be considered in recommending initial appointments, reappointments, promotion to associate professor with tenure, and promotion to full professor.

A. Instructor with Special Provision

The candidate approved by the Department to be recommended for an appointment as an assistant professor but who, when approved, is still completing a doctoral dissertation, will be recommended for an appointment as instructor for one year with the special provision that upon conferral of the doctorate they will be reappointed at the rank of assistant professor, and with the further provision that the effective date of their appointment at the rank of assistant professor will be retroactive to the effective date of their current appointment as instructor, or to the July 1 or January 1 immediately preceding the date of conferral. Such an appointment will carry the title “instructor with special provision.”

B. Assistant Professor

The rank of assistant professor denotes a tenure-track position, with an initial appointment for four years, the possibility of reappointment for three additional years, and a review for the conferral of tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor.

1. Standards for initial appointment

Clear promise of excellence in teaching and scholarship and/or equivalent creative artistic activity, and completion of all requirements for the doctorate or other terminal degree and the degree's conferral are required.

2. Reappointment for a second probationary term

The initial review and recommendation for reappointment occur by the end of the third year of the initial probationary appointment. For an assistant professor already serving in the Department, reappointment is based on evidence of (a) a demonstrated commitment to, and promise of or achievement of, research excellence and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity, (b) a demonstrated commitment to, and promise of or achievement of, teaching excellence, and (c) appropriate service to the Department.

C. Associate Professor

Initial appointment to a rank of associate professor may be with or without tenure. Promotion to associate professor always confers tenure. Except as otherwise provided under University policy, tenure is a permanent commitment by the Department, the College and the University. Recommendation for tenure requires a judgment not only about the past and present achievements of the candidate but also about his or her potential for future achievements. While emphasizing proven excellence in research and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity and teaching, the Department remains very much concerned, in questions of tenure, that a person maintain an active professional agenda and show promise of continuing achievement in all three areas: research and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity, teaching, and service. A recommendation for promotion and/or tenure by the Department Chair requires a careful assessment informed by outside references about the qualifications of the candidate and the professional judgment of the assembled tenured associate and full professors.

In evaluating past performance, present achievements, and promise for the future, the following factors will be considered:

The candidate must have made scholarly or artistic contributions of demonstrable value to the field of inquiry according to the standards of the relevant discipline. The candidate's “field of inquiry” will be determined by the Chair in consultation with the candidate, at the time of hiring. The Chair will discuss expectations for tenure with the candidate in annual meetings and at the third-year review.

  1. The Department expects every candidate for promotion based on scholarly research to have published, or have “in press,” a highly approved book, or its equivalent in other publication formats. We understand “in press” to mean that the manuscript has been accepted in its entirety, with no content-based additions or revisions required of the author, and that the manuscript is scheduled to be published by a specified date. The candidate must provide a letter from the Press director attesting that these conditions have been met. The candidate must also have demonstrated a commitment to continued research excellence. Publication formats that are considered equivalent to books include articles published in highly-regarded, peer-reviewed journals. The Department supports and recognizes the value of co-authorship while also affirming the importance of a number of first author and/or solo authored publication.
  2. For candidates in the visual and performing arts, a single norm of artistic production for promotion to the rank of associate professor cannot easily be established across fields. Therefore, it is critical for the candidate to provide the review committee with a very detailed and complete dossier, and for the faculty reviewing the candidate to carefully evaluate the quality of the candidate's credentials. The candidate must also have demonstrated commitment to continued excellence in creative activity.
  3. The candidate must have demonstrated commitment to teaching excellence and must have achieved excellence in one or more types of teaching.
  4. The candidate must be recognized as a helpful and valued colleague, one who has willingly and conscientiously performed needed services within the academic community.

The Department will decide whether to recommend tenure following an initial appointment as an assistant professor on the basis of the criteria outlined above for promotion to associate professor. With written advance approval of the Dean, an associate professor appointed from outside the Department may be recommended for an initial appointment with tenure if the quality of the candidate's record meets the standards.

D. Full Professor

Appointment to the rank of full professor confers tenure. A candidate for full professor should have made significant contributions in the field beyond those expected of an associate professor with tenure.

Recommendation for promotion to the rank of full professor requires a judgment not only about the past and present achievements of the candidate but about his or her potential for future achievements. A recommendation for promotion to full professor by the Department Chair requires a careful assessment informed by outside references about the qualifications of the candidate and the professional judgment of the full professors.

In evaluating past performance, present achievements, and promise for the future, the following factors will be considered:

  1. As a scholar, artist, or creative performer, the candidate must have a record of sustained research and high quality publication or sustained artistic creative work, and have gained significant recognition in the field for distinctive achievements. The norm of scholarly achievement for the rank of professor is to have published or have in press a second highly approved book, or its equivalent in other publication formats (to be determined by the Chair in consultation with the candidate according to the standards of the relevant discipline). A single norm of artistic production for the rank of professor cannot easily be standardized across fields within the performing arts. Similar to the considerations for promotion to associate professor, the Department affirms that national and international exhibitions are more significant than local exhibitions and expects faculty members to exhibit their work in meaningful venues. A solo exhibition in a museum with the publication of a catalogue/monograph (or the commitment to) is a major achievement for an artist and speaks highly of their work. As with promotion to associate professor with tenure, it is critical that the candidate for promotion to full professor provide the review committee with a very detailed and complete dossier, and for the faculty members reviewing the candidate to carefully evaluate the quality of the candidate's credentials.
  2. The candidate must have demonstrated commitment to, and achievement of, teaching excellence.
  3. The candidate must have a record of service that demonstrates the capacity for constructive contributions to the Department and the University. A similar demonstration of capacity for such contributions beyond the University is also valued.

E. Full Joint Tenure-Track and Tenured Appointments

In order to be recommended for a joint tenure-track or tenured appointment in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, a faculty member must meet the standards for the rank for which they are being considered and must simultaneously meet the standards for the same rank in another department, so that they may hold the same rank in both departments. A joint tenure-track or tenured appointment in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies is an honor and not a right or extended as a courtesy. The projected needs and resources of the departments and the University shall be considered in initiating or approving joint tenure-track or tenured appointments. Policies pertaining to these appointments differ from those for appointments across departments or units in which the faculty member holds a tenure-track or tenured appointment in one of the departments or units and holds a fixed term (i.e., adjunct) appointment in another.

F. General Recruiting Procedures

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies follows University and College recruiting policies and procedures. For further details, see the Provost's website.

IV. Summary of Procedural Steps in Appointments, Reappointments and Promotion (not applicable for fixed-term appointments)

Policies identified here are supplemental to, and subject to, the policies found in the most recent versions of the publications listed in the Introduction. A separate Department document, “Supplemental Policies on Faculty Personnel Actions” (Revised August 2013), provides additional procedural information.

Letters of recommendation

Outside letters of evaluation constitute an important part of the appointment, promotion and tenure packet. A minimum of four letters of evaluation are required.

For appointments of assistant professors and instructors with special provision, these letters should be from outside the institution, and also preferably from research universities with very high research activity (AAU/peer institutions). They may include letters from mentors and other individuals more closely connected to the candidate.

In the case of promotion and tenure packets, it is required that all four of the outside letters of evaluation be from outside the institution, and that all be from individuals independent of the candidate. Two of the four letters must be from a list of names provided by the candidate and two of the four from individuals selected by the Department Chair. Ideally, all of the letters should come from individuals at research universities with very high research activity (RU/VH institutions). If, in the Chair's view, the most appropriate reviewer is from a university or other institution that is not a research university with very high research activity (RU/VH institutions), the Chair's letter should provide an explanation for the choice of reviewer. The goal is to obtain a letter from the person who will give the most discriminating review and unbiased assessment of the individual's national and international reputation. Therefore, the request from the Department Chair to prospective writers of outside letters of evaluation should be phrased neutrally and should not solicit an affirmative response or recommendation.

The letters may not be from individuals who have worked directly with the candidate, e.g., as a collaborator, co-author, co-PI, mentor, previous coworker, or former dissertation chair, but may be from individuals who know the candidate through professional interactions, e.g., having reviewed the candidate's publications or served on review committees together.

In addition to the minimum four required independent letters, any number of additional letters from any responsible source may also be submitted. These may be from individuals within the institution with whom the candidate has collaborated or from former colleagues, collaborators, mentors, or other individuals connected with the candidate.

All letters of evaluation that are received must be made an official part of any appointment, promotion, and tenure package and must be part of the evaluation process of the candidate under consideration. In the appointment/promotion packet, each outside letter should have a designation in its upper right hand corner indicating whether the writer of the letter was suggested by the candidate or was chosen by the Department Chair.

The dossier

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies will employ the guidelines provided by the Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Committee of the University in completing the candidate's dossier for review for faculty reappointments, promotions and tenure.

Notification

Untenured assistant and associate professors should be notified in writing at least three months prior to the start of the scheduled review. Tenured associate professors should be notified in writing at least six months prior to the start of the scheduled review because that scheduled review also constitutes the University's post tenure review which requires six months' notice. The notification should include the requirements for the dossier the faculty member must submit for evaluation.

Timing of review

Except as expressly limited, promotions in rank may be made as any time during a faculty member's employment. [9/24/20 Amended Trustees Policies]

Review and consultation

Proceedings for promotion to associate professor with tenure or to full professor are initiated by recommendation of the Department Chair “after consultation with the assembled full professors of that department” (Trustees' Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure, May, 2004, p. 5). Any department charged with evaluating a candidate and making a recommendation regarding reappointment of an assistant professor, conferral of tenure and promotion to associate professor or promotion to full professor may utilize an ad hoc or special committee to review the candidate and present a report to the assembled voting faculty. If this committee prepares a written evaluation of the candidate, that report must be included in the candidate's dossier. The Department's assembled voting faculty must include at least four full professors. If a department has fewer than four full professors, a standing advisory committee including additional full professors shall be named by the Dean of the College in consultation with the Chair to advise the Chair in personnel matters.

The departmental vote must be recorded and reported by rank, and must list the number of votes in support and opposition, as well as any abstentions. No faculty member may vote on the question of reappointment, tenure and/or promotion for another faculty member of the same or higher rank. Tenured associate professors, therefore, may not vote for conferral of tenure or promotion for another associate professor.

Procedures for Reappointment, Promotion, and Award of Tenure

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies must apprise all faculty members serving on probationary tenure of the conduct and timing of reviews for reappointment and promotion, and the standards that pertain to such reviews.1 The chair conducts annual interim evaluations of all faculty members who have not yet been recommended for permanent tenure and advises them in light of the evaluations.

The Chair appoints all department review committees. Each committee will have at least three members and as many more as the chair may think advisable, according to the circumstances of the review. The Chair will choose committee members from faculty holding appointments or joint appointments in Women's and Gender Studies, members of the advisory board and faculty in appropriate departments who teach courses cross-listed with Women's and Gender Studies.

Department review committees for faculty members being considered for promotion to associate professor with tenure shall be comprised by full professors or tenured associate professors. Department review committees for faculty members being considered for promotion to full professor shall be comprised by full professors.

The candidate delivers to the Chair of the department fully completed AP-2 and AP-2a forms, signed, together with copies of her or his publications, summaries of her or his publication plans, courses taught, and the enrollments therein. The reviewee submits a written statement describing her or his teaching goals and strategies, including both undergraduate and graduate teaching; copies of her or his course syllabi and examination questions; and all course evaluations completed by students not otherwise available to the department. Department regulations require student evaluations in all courses taught by untenured faculty, and in at least one course a year taught by tenured faculty. Untenured assistant professors, tenured assistant professors, untenured associate professors and tenured associate professors should arrange for at least two peer reviewers to make at least two visits each to their classrooms and to provide written assessments of their teaching. Those visits should take place in the semester prior to the decision for reappointment, tenure, or promotion.

In the case of any assistant or associate professor on probationary tenure who is a candidate for reappointment or promotion with permanent tenure, or any assistant or associate professor with permanent tenure who is a candidate for promotion, the Chair or the ad hoc review committee will procure at least four evaluations of the candidate's published and unpublished scholarship from specialists outside the University who are competent to review scholarship in the candidate's field (See “Letters of recommendation” below).

Evaluations of the Department procures in this way are evidence that department faculty members and the department chair consider fully and critically in reaching their decision, but the responsibility for the recommendation or decision reached by the department Chair is made in consultation with appropriate department faculty and is not determined by the judgments of external referees.

The review committee will consider all evidence the candidate is asked to submit and all additional evidence she or he may wish to have considered, together with evidence provided by the Chair of the Department and such additional relevant testimony as the committee gathers – for example, classroom visitation reports in the candidate's personnel file. The review committee may ask colleagues who have worked closely with the candidate to evaluate those aspects of the candidate's performance they have had occasion to observe, and such evaluations will be rendered in writing and will become part of the candidate's personnel file.

When the review committee has decided on a recommendation to make to the Department, the chair of the committee will report the recommendation orally to the chair of the department. All written evidence used by the committee to evaluate the candidate's scholarship, teaching, and service will then be deposited in a known place, and its availability announced to those faculty members who are to participate in advising the chair. They will consist of faculty holding appointments in Women's and Gender Studies and members of the advisory board. It is recommended that at least ten days be afforded for the reading of these materials, and at the end of that time, according to prior announcement, the Chair will convoke all those senior in rank to the candidate who have permanent tenure (either the full professors or the full professors and tenured associate professors) to consider the report of the review committee and advise the chair on the recommendation or decision.

The report of the review committee is presented and becomes part of the record. All votes taken will be by secret ballot by rank. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends reappointment, promotion to associate professor with tenure or promotion to full professor, as the case may be, or decides against such reappointment or promotion.

A. Assistant Professor

Tenure Track Assistant Professors (Third-Year Reviews)

Initial appointment to the rank of assistant professor is for a probationary term of four years. No less than 12 months before the end of this term, the assistant professor must be notified in writing whether they will be recommended for a second probationary term of three years or not reappointed.

The Department's assembled voting faculty shall review the assistant professor's scholarship and/or equivalent creative artistic activity, teaching, and service. Outside letters of evaluation are not required for reappointment. It is a University requirement that the Chair consult the “assembled full professors” of the unit before acting upon a recommendation. In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies that discussion is followed by a vote of the assembled full professors and tenured associate professors regarding the proposed reappointment. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends reappointment or decides against reappointment.

If the Chair decides against reappointment at the end of the initial probationary term, the assistant professor shall be notified in writing of the Chair's decision no less than 12 months before their current term ends. A faculty member has the right to an administrative conference with the Chair and, if necessary, with the Dean of the College, along with such other appeal rights as are afforded under the “Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”

Review for Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

Assistant professors are reviewed during their sixth year for promotion to associate professor with tenure, non-reappointment, or (under exceptional circumstances) reappointment at the rank of assistant professor with permanent tenure.

If the assistant professor receives permanent tenure at that same rank, they must be reviewed every five years to meet the post-tenure review requirement of the University, and are eligible to be reviewed for promotion on the same schedule.

The Department's assembled voting faculty shall review the assistant professor's scholarship and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity, teaching, and service. Outside letters of evaluation are required for promotion to associate professor with tenure. It is a University requirement that the “assembled full professors” of the unit meet to discuss and vote upon a recommendation. In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, that discussion is followed by a vote of the assembled full professors and tenured associate professors regarding the proposed promotion to associate professor with tenure. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends promotion to associate professor with tenure or decides against reappointment.

If the Chair decides against reappointment at the end of the second probationary term, the assistant professor shall be notified in writing of the Chair's decision no less than 12 months before their current term ends. A faculty member has the right to an administrative conference with the Chair and, if necessary, with the Dean of the College, along with such other appeal rights as are afforded under the “Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”

B. Associate Professor, Full Professor, and Post-Tenure Review

Untenured Associate Professor

Initial appointment to the rank of untenured associate professor is for the probationary term of five years. An untenured associate professor is reviewed no later than the fourth year of this probationary term since no less than 12 months before the end of this term, the associate professor must be notified in writing whether they will be reappointed with tenure, promoted to professor, or recommended for non-reappointment.

The Department's assembled voting faculty shall review the untenured associate professor's scholarship and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity, teaching, and service. Outside letters of evaluation are required for appointment as an associate professor with tenure, or for an appointment as full professor, which confers tenure. It is a University requirement that the Chair consult with the “assembled full professors” of the unit before acting upon a recommendation. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends tenure (and, if also being considered, promotion to full professor) or decides against tenure (and, if also being considered, promotion to full professor).

Full Professor

An associate professor who has completed five years and has been reappointed at the same rank with tenure must be reviewed every five years to meet the post-tenure review requirement of the University, and is eligible to be reviewed for possible promotion to full professor on the same schedule. Since the University's Tenure Regulations were revised, effective July 1, 2004, it has been possible for reviews for promotion to full professor and post-tenure reviews for tenured associate professors to take place simultaneously.

Every five years, associate professors with tenure must have an internal review that constitutes their required post-tenure review. If the faculty member wishes to be considered for promotion to full professor at that time, then recommendation letters from outside the institution are solicited as part of that review. If the faculty member does not wish to be reviewed for possible promotion at that time, only the internal review is carried out.

The Department's assembled voting faculty shall review the tenured associate professor's scholarship and/or its equivalent form in artistic performance and creative activity, teaching, and service. Outside letters of evaluation are required for promotion to full professor. It is a University requirement that the Chair consult with the “assembled full professors” of the unit before acting upon a recommendation. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends promotion to full professor or decides against promotion.

Out of cycle reviews

If a tenured associate professor, with the concurrence of the Department, wishes to be considered for review for early promotion before their scheduled five-year review, an out-of-cycle review may take place. If the faculty member requests a full out-of-cycle review and the full professors believe that not enough has been done to warrant consideration for promotion, the Chair has the right to recommend denying the request on the advice of the full professors. The Chair must give the reasons for recommending denial and communicate these reasons to the faculty member in writing.

Post-Tenure Review

Since 1997, post-tenure review has been mandated by UNC General Administration on orders from the Board of Governors in response to a directive of the NC General Assembly that a system of periodic review of the performance of tenured faculty be implemented. Our Department has a separate set of post-tenure review policies. Post-tenure review applies to all tenured faculty, except as otherwise specified by University or College policy with regard to its timing for faculty who are department chairs, senior associate deans, and deans.

C. Untenured Faculty Annual Review

The Department Chair must perform evaluations of untenured assistant and associate professors every year. These evaluations are especially important for setting goals, clarifying expectations, and providing mentoring. After meeting with the untenured faculty member, the Chair must write a report of the evaluation, provide a copy to the faculty member in question, and place one in their personnel file.

The evaluation should provide a clear assessment of the faculty member's work that year in research, teaching and service. It should be clear about goals on which the untenured professor and the Chair agree. It should not explicitly comment on or venture a prediction regarding any later decision to grant tenure to the faculty member. On the contrary, the evaluation should include a disclaimer: “This evaluation is not an indication of the likelihood of a positive or negative recommendation regarding tenure but rather summarizes and assesses the activities in which you have been engaged for the past year.” The Dean's Office should be notified when these reviews are completed.

Part II. Policies on Fixed-Term Faculty: Department of Women's and Gender Studies Procedures Governing the Promotion of a Teaching Assistant Professor to Teaching Associate Professor

Eligibility for Teaching Associate Professor

Teaching Associate Professor is defined as follows:

  • A 1.0 FTE appointment as teaching assistant professor, with benefits, for one to five years, subject to renewal
  • A doctorate or terminal master's degree or documented evidence of competency according to established University credentialing requirements.
  • Teaching for and service to the appointing unit, as stipulated by their policy on Promotions to Teaching Professor (most recent version)

Teaching Associate Professor has the following rights and responsibilities:

  • Eligibility for annual raises based, normally, on appointment on the unit's permanent budget
  • Salary proportional to accomplishments and service beyond those of a Teaching Assistant Professor
  • Voting rights in those areas of departmental decision-making accorded fixed-term faculty, consistent with a stated unit policy on faculty voting rights
  • Office space
  • Eligibility to apply for College travel grants and course development grants
  • Eligibility for a CCI computer according to established schedules of delivery

A teaching assistant professor is eligible for recommendation for promotion to teaching associate professor on the following bases:

  • The candidate must have a minimum of six consecutive years' full-time (i.e., 1 FTE) service as a teaching assistant professor, or, if the candidate is from another institution, six consecutive years of full-time (1 FTE) service as a teaching assistant professor or faculty equivalent.
  • The candidate must provide demonstrable evidence of distinguished teaching and service to the appointing department, beyond that which is expected of a teaching assistant professor, in accordance with standards of distinguished teaching and service defined by the unit in which the candidate is appointed.

In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, evidence of distinguished teaching may include: being nominated for and/or receiving a university teaching award, consistently strong teaching evaluations, contribution to teaching core courses, service on undergraduate honors theses committees, exceptionally high peer teaching reviews, success in writing and/or administering grants that improve teaching in a unit, administrative oversight and training of teaching assistants and/or other fixed-term faculty in a unit.

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies expects and encourages teaching of the highest quality. Although it is not possible to enumerate here all criteria of teaching, an distinguished teacher is one who prepares their course with the discrimination and skill needed for good scholarship; responsibly formulates the objectives of the course and uses imaginative ways of achieving them; commands the attention of students; stimulates their interest; enlarges their minds; improves their thinking; and, to the extent that it is possible, makes them active rather than passive participants in the course. An distinguished teacher demands substantial accomplishment and high standards of work, grades all work fairly, is articulate and resourceful, and bases the content that they teach on evidence and sound method. In addition, where appropriate, such a teacher conscientiously provides helpful advice and guidance to undergraduate students on an individual basis, and All levels and forms of interdisciplinary teaching should therefore be considered, including: interdisciplinary teaching within one's home unit; participation in team-taught, multidisciplinary courses that transcend the Department and unit boundaries; undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral mentoring; and involvement in cross-disciplinary learning experiences outside the University. In short, what the Department looks for is an individual's generous involvement in teaching.

Service to the University and the State and to one's academic profession is an additional consideration in the overall assessment of a faculty colleague. A service assignment is considered distinguished when its goals are pursued diligently, imaginatively, and responsibly, with concern for deadlines and appropriate results. In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, evidence of distinguished service may include: a university service award, service as departmental undergraduate advising coordinator, service on the UNC Faculty Council and/or its subcommittees, service on university committees (such as Teaching Award Committee, Staff Award Committee, university search committees), chairing unit committees or task forces, invitations for speaking engagements at other institutions of higher learning, service through Carolina Speakers Bureau.

Procedure for review of candidates for teaching associate professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies

Only a teaching assistant professor who has completed a minimum of six consecutive years of full-time (1 FTE) service in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies is eligible to be considered for promotion to teaching associate professor.

A candidate eligible for promotion to teaching associate professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies will be reviewed by a unit committee appointed by the Chair. This review committee must be composed of at least three faculty members, with at least one being a tenured faculty member and at least one being in the fixed term teaching track above the rank of the candidate being reviewed. The other member(s) may be tenured or fixed term teaching track faculty above rank of candidate being reviewed. A teaching professor may serve as committee chair. If the department faculty contains no teaching associate professors or teaching professors, a teaching associate professor or teaching professor from another department should be included on the review committee, with the approval of the Dean's Office.

This committee is responsible for reviewing any eligible candidate's dossier and submitting a report on each candidate under consideration.

To be reviewed by the department's review committee, eligible candidates for teaching associate professor must submit a dossier containing the following:

  1. the candidate's current curriculum vitae;
  2. the candidate's statement of teaching activities, and if applicable, service and/or research activities;
  3. documentation of the candidate's teaching, and, if applicable service and/or research activities;
  4. list of courses taught by year for the past five years, ,
  5. evidence of distinguished teaching and if, applicable, service and/or research;
  6. the names of two individuals (external to the candidate's base department who may serve as referees. The individuals may be from within UNC or external to UNC. Referees from within the University must be able to observe at least one class taught by the candidate and substantiate the candidate's qualifications for the rank of teaching associate professor. This review may count toward the required two peer teaching reviews. If part of the promotion determination is based on research then one (or both) of the letters will need to address this in addition to teaching and service.
  7. additional materials may include: student recommendations, grant applications, and other materials as relevant to the case.

These records should cover the prior five-year period, or the period of service at UNC if less than five years.

Upon receipt of a complete dossier, the Chair or the review committee chair will solicit letters from two referees external to the candidate's base department, one from a list provided by the candidate and one from a list developed by the Chair or committee, as to the candidate's qualifications for promotion to the rank of teaching associate professor. Upon receipt of the two letters, the Chair will include them in the candidate's dossier.

At least two faculty members must each observe at least one full class session. It is recommended that they observe class sessions in different courses or for a different section of the same course. The observation must be carried out by either tenured faculty, teaching associate professor, or a teaching professor. Class observations carried out as part of a personnel decision are normally carried out in the 12 month period prior to the department meeting regarding the decision; they should preferably be carried out in the same semester as the department decision. Each faculty member participating in a peer faculty teaching observation is required to write a report for each class session observed, employing the peer teaching review template.

After reviewing each dossier, the departmental review committee will submit to the Chair a report concerning each candidate for promotion to teaching associate professor. The Chair will make this report available to the assembled eligible faculty of the department, whom the Chair will consult in a manner analogous to the process whereby the unit Chair consults the unit's faculty on the promotion of faculty members on the tenure track. This consultation will result in a vote of the eligible faculty of the department, recorded by rank, on each case for promotion to teaching associate professor. Eligible faculty include tenured and tenure track faculty, teaching associate professors, teaching professors and members of the Advisory Board.

Recommendation for promotion requires a judgment not only about the past and present achievements of the candidate but also about their potential for future achievements. The faculty's vote is advisory to the Chair, who either recommends reappointment, promotion to teaching associate professor or promotion to teaching full professor, as the case may be, or decides against such reappointment or promotion. In either case, the candidate's complete dossier must be forwarded to the Dean with a letter from the Chair either recommending or denying promotion. Besides reporting the vote of the faculty, the Chair's letter should highlight factors concerning teaching and service that most influenced the recommendation. Regardless of the Chair's recommendation, the Chair must communicate that decision in writing to the candidate. A teaching assistant professor whose case for promotion is denied is eligible for reconsideration three years after the decision against promotion; earlier consideration by the unit requires permission from the Senior Associate Dean.

The dossier for the candidate forwarded to the Dean will contain the following:

  • the chair's letter, noting the review committee's role and vote, and the vote of the eligible faculty, recorded by rank;
  • the report of the unit review committee on the candidate;
  • the candidate's current curriculum vitae;
  • the candidate's statement of teaching and service, and if applicable, statement of research;
  • documentation of the candidate's teaching and service activities, and if applicable, research;
  • student course evaluations for the past five years including summarized data;
  • a minimum of two peer teaching evaluations carried out by either tenured faculty, teaching associate professor or a teaching professor;
  • a minimum of two letters from referees (external to the candidate's base department) at the rank of teaching associate professor, teaching professor, tenured associate professor, or professor that address the candidate's qualifications for the rank of teaching associate professor;
  • additional materials, [please specify] required by the department.

Policies and procedures on promotion of eligible teaching associate professors to teaching professor are predicated on the following criteria:

Teaching Professor is defined as follows:

  • A 1.0 FTE appointment as teaching associate professor, with benefits, for one to five years, subject to renewal
  • A doctorate or terminal master's degree or documented evidence of competency according to established University credentialing requirements.
  • Teaching for and service to the appointing unit, as stipulated by their policy on Promotions to Teaching Professor (most recent version)

Teaching Professor has the following rights and responsibilities:

  • Eligibility for annual raises based, normally, on appointment on the unit's permanent budget
  • Voting rights in those areas of departmental decision-making accorded fixed-term faculty, consistent with a stated unit policy on faculty voting rights
  • Salary proportional to accomplishments and service beyond those of a Teaching Associate Professor
  • Eligibility to apply for College travel grants and course development grants
  • Upon appointment to Teaching Professor, a one-time $5,000 professional development fund will automatically be granted, to be expended within five years
  • Upon appointment to Teaching Professor and based on a written project proposed by the Teaching Professor and approved by her or his unit chair, a one course release and/or a reduction in administrative responsibilities for one semester. A copy of the proposal and approval by the chair must be sent to the Dean's Office to be placed in the faculty member's personnel file
  • Office
  • Eligibility for a CCI computer according to established schedules of delivery

Procedures governing the promotion of a teaching associate professor to teaching professor in College of Arts and Sciences departments and curricula.

  • The candidate must have a minimum of six consecutive years' full-time (i.e., 1 FTE) service as a teaching associate professor, or, if the candidate is hired at the teaching associate professor level from another institution, six consecutive years of full-time (1 FTE) as an equivalent rank.
  • The candidate must provide demonstrable evidence of distinguished teaching and service to the appointing department, beyond that which is expected of a teaching associate professor, in accordance with standards of distinguished teaching and service defined by the unit in which the candidate is appointed.

In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, evidence of distinguished teaching may include: being nominated for and/or receiving a university teaching award, consistently strong teaching evaluations, contribution to teaching core courses, service on undergraduate honors theses committees, exceptionally high peer teaching reviews, success in writing and/or administering grants that improve teaching in a unit, administrative oversight and training of teaching assistants and/or other fixed-term faculty in a unit.

Service to the University and the State and to one's academic profession is an additional consideration in the overall assessment of a faculty colleague. A service assignment is considered distinguished when its goals are pursued diligently, imaginatively, and responsibly, with concern for deadlines and appropriate results. In the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, evidence of distinguished service may include: a university service award, service as departmental undergraduate advising coordinator, service on the UNC Faculty Council and/or its subcommittees, service on university committees (such as Teaching Award Committee, Staff Award Committee, university search committees), chairing unit committees or task forces, invitations for speaking engagements at other institutions of higher learning, service through Carolina Speakers Bureau.

Procedure for unit review of candidates for teaching professor

Only a teaching associate professor who has completed a minimum of six consecutive years of full-time (1 FTE) service in a single unit, or, if the candidate hired at rank of teaching associate professor is from another institution, six consecutive years of full-time (1 FTE) service as a teaching associate professor or faculty equivalent is eligible to be considered for promotion to teaching professor.

A candidate eligible for promotion to teaching professor will be reviewed by a unit committee appointed by the Chair. This review committee must be composed of at least three faculty members, with at least one being a tenured faculty member and at least one being in the fixed term teaching track above the rank of the candidate being reviewed. The other member(s) may be tenured/tenure track or fixed term teaching track faculty above rank of candidate being reviewed. A teaching professor may serve as committee chair. If the departmental faculty contains no teaching professors, a teaching professor from another department may be included on a review committee, with the approval of the Dean's office. This committee is responsible for reviewing any eligible candidate's dossier and submitting a report on each candidate under consideration.

To be reviewed by the department's review committee, eligible candidates for teaching professor must submit a dossier containing the following:

  1. the candidate's current curriculum vitae;
  2. the candidate's statement of teaching and service, and if applicable, a statement of research;
  3. documentation of the candidate's teaching and service activities, and if applicable, research activities;
  4. List of courses taught by year for the past five years;
  5. evidence of distinguished teaching and service;
  6. the names of two individuals (external to the candidate's base department who may serve as referees). The individuals may be from within UNC or external to UNC. Referees from within the University must be able to observe at least one class taught by the candidate and substantiate the candidate's qualifications for the rank of teaching associate professor. This review may count toward the required two peer teaching reviews. If part of the promotion determination is based on research, then one (or both) of the letters will need to address this in addition to teaching and service.
  7. Additional materials such as student recommendations, nominations for teaching awards, grant applications, and other materials relevant to the case.

These records should cover the prior five-year period, or the period of service at UNC if less than five years.

Upon receipt of a complete dossier, the Chair or the review committee chair will solicit letters from two referees external to the candidate's base department, one from a list provided by the candidate and one from a list developed by the Chair or committee, as to the candidate's qualifications for promotion to the rank of teaching professor. Upon receipt of the two letters, the Chair will include them in the candidate's dossier.

At least two faculty members must each observe at least one full class session. It is recommended they observe class sessions in different courses or for a different section of the same course. The observation must be carried out by either a tenured associate professor, full professor or a teaching professor. Class observations carried out as part of a personnel decision are normally carried out in the 12-month period prior to the department meeting regarding the decision; they should preferably be carried out in the same semester as the department decision. Each faculty member participating in a peer faculty teaching observation is required to write a report for each class session observed, employing the peer teaching review template.

After reviewing each dossier, the unit review committee will submit to the Chair a written report concerning each candidate for promotion to teaching professor. The Chair will make this report available to the assembled eligible faculty of the department, whom the Chair will consult in a manner analogous to the process whereby the unit Chair consults the unit's faculty on the promotion of faculty members on the tenure track. For cases involving promotion to teaching professor, this consultation must include the tenured faculty and any teaching professors in the department. The consultation process will result in a vote of the eligible faculty of the department, recorded by rank, on each case for promotion to teaching professor.

The Chair of the department may decide to accept or reject the advice given by the eligible faculty. In either case, the candidate's complete dossier must be forwarded to the Dean with a letter from the Chair either recommending or denying promotion. Besides reporting the vote of the faculty, the Chair's letter should highlight factors concerning teaching and service, and if applicable, research that most influenced the recommendation. Regardless of the Chair's recommendation, the Chair must communicate that decision in writing to the candidate.

The dossier for the candidate forwarded to the Dean will contain the following:

  • the chair's letter, noting the review committee's role and vote, and the vote of the eligible faculty, recorded by rank;
  • the report of the unit review committee on the candidate;
  • the candidate's current curriculum vitae;
  • the candidate's statement of teaching and service, and if applicable, statement of research;
  • documentation of the candidate's teaching and service activities, and if applicable, research;
  • student course evaluations for the past five years including summarized data;
  • a minimum of two peer teaching evaluations carried out by either tenured faculty or a teaching professor;
  • a minimum of two letters from referees (external to the candidate's base department) that address the candidate's qualifications for the rank of teaching professor;
  • additional materials required by the department.

A teaching professor whose case for promotion is denied is eligible for reconsideration three years after the decision against promotion; earlier consideration by the unit requires permission from the Senior Associate Dean.

See https://academicpersonnel.unc.edu/faculty-policies-procedures-guidelines/faculty-appointments/fixed-term-appointments/fixed-term-faculty-appt-to-a-higher-rank/ for a checklist of documents required for inclusion in the dossier of a fixed-term faculty member's application for promotion (appointment to a higher rank).

Voting Information

College policy on voting rights of fixed-term faculty

Fixed-term faculty are not eligible to vote on the tenure and promotion of faculty within the tenured or tenure-track ranks. Teaching associate professors are eligible to vote on the promotion of teaching assistant professors to the rank of teaching associate professors.

UNC Faculty Code Definition of Voting Rights of Fixed-Term Faculty

The UNC Faculty Code includes fixed-term faculty among the General Faculty who have voting rights at UNC, provided three conditions are met. Voting rights are reserved for fixed-term faculty who hold at least a .75 FTE position, whose responsibilities include teaching or research, and whose term of appointment is for at least three years. Fixed-term faculty who have been re-appointed to a position such that the combined length of the current term and the immediately preceding term of service is at least three years are also eligible to vote.

Related Requirements

External Regulations

The Department’s policies are subject to those set forth in the following University publications. The most recent edition of each document takes precedence.

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Ariana Vigil

Email: avigil@email.unc.edu

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