School of Social Work: Personnel Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures

This document outlines the philosophy, policies, and procedures governing faculty appointment, reappointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. It establishes criteria and processes for evaluating faculty performance across both tenure-track and fixed-term appointments in the areas of research and scholarship, engagement, and teaching, advising, and mentoring.

Unit Policy

Title

School of Social Work: Personnel Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures

Introduction

Purpose

This document outlines the philosophy, policies, and procedures governing faculty appointment, reappointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. It establishes criteria and processes for evaluating faculty performance across both tenure-track and fixed-term appointments in the areas of research and scholarship, engagement, and teaching, advising, and mentoring.

Scope

This policy document applies to all faculty members at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work, including both tenure-track and fixed-term faculty across all ranks.

Table of Contents

• I. Preamble
  • A. Statement of Purpose
  • B. Statement of Values
  • C. Diversity and Inclusion
  • D. Congruency with University Policy
• II. Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • A. Organization and Function of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • B. Functions of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • C. Operations of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
• III. Recruitment and Appointments for Tenure-Track Faculty
  • A. Process and Procedures
  • B. Action by the Dean
  • C. Offer Letter
  • D. Orienting Faculty Members
  • E. Mentoring Guidance
  • F. Under-Represented Minority Faculty Experiences
• IV. Procedures for Promotion Review for Tenure-Track Faculty
  • A. Initiating the Review Process
  • B. Materials to be Reviewed for Promotion
  • C. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • D. Action by the Full Professors
  • E. Action by the Dean
• V. Initiating the Review Procedure for Tenure
  • A. Initiating the Review Process
  • B. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • C. Action by the Full Professors
  • D. Action by the Dean
• VI. Criteria for Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure for Tenure-Track Faculty
  • A. School of Social Work Criteria for Promotion and Tenure
  • B. Research & Scholarship
    • Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review
  • C. Engagement
    • Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review
  • D. Teaching, Advising, and Mentoring
    • Description of Teaching
    • Description of Mentorship
    • Description of Advising
    • Service to the MSW Program
    • Service to the Doctoral Program
    • Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review
  • E. Reporting of School-Level Tenure Denials to the University
• VII. Criteria for Post-Tenure Review
  • A. Statement of Purpose
  • B. Schedule for Review
  • C. Relation to Other Forms of Review
  • D. Process
  • E. Appeals and Reports to the Provost
  • F. Procedure for Requesting a Post-Tenure Review Delay
• VIII. Procedures for Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion for Fixed-Term Faculty
  • A. Appointment Definitions, Reappointment Reviews, and Promotion
  • B. Appointment and Promotion Guidelines
  • C. Materials to be Reviewed for Promotion
  • D. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee
  • E. Action by the Full Professors in Promotion Reviews
  • F. Action by the Dean in Promotion Reviews
  • G. Mentoring Guidance
• IX. Transitions from Fixed-Term to Tenure-Track
• X. Counteroffers
• XI. Search Waivers and Recruitment

I. Preamble

A. Statement of Purpose

This document details the philosophy, policies, and procedures underlying considerations of faculty appointment, reappointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The School of Social Work has a broad mission to advance equity, transform systems, and improve lives. Its vision is to be the leading school of social work for impact by accelerating discovery and translating knowledge into action. In pursuit of this mission and vision, the School strives to expand knowledge about social problems and programs, to educate social workers for advanced practice, and to provide leadership in the development of socially and economically just policies and programs that strengthen individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Faculty members in the School of Social Work are to contribute in various ways to this mission and vision.

Faculty in the School of Social Work may be appointed, reappointed, or promoted in one of two separate tracks: the tenure track and the fixed-term track. The track to which new faculty members are recruited must be established at the time of their recruitment. This track must be clearly described in their offer letter. As the number of fixed-term faculty in the School has increased, so too has the need to form policies concerning these appointments. This document is intended, in part, to provide philosophical and practical guidelines for accomplishing these tasks. The School of Social Work appreciates the contributions of all faculty members and recognizes that the combined work of all faculty with different roles and talents is needed to achieve the excellence we seek.

B. Statement of Values

The School of Social Work aspires to lead state, national, and global efforts in all aspects of its mission. The School's curriculum supports its mission and recognizes the uniqueness of the region served, including concerns for disadvantaged, vulnerable, and oppressed individuals, families, and communities. Therefore, the faculty of the School of Social Work must strive to become recognized leaders in their respective areas of expertise.

Faculty in the School of Social Work recognize and embrace emergent trends and developments at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including efforts to become an engaged university, to employ interdisciplinary responses to complex challenges, to use technology to increase reach and impact, to enhance collaboration between tenure-track and fixed-term faculty, and to extend the University's global reach. In this context, six core principles frame the activities of faculty in the School of Social Work and our statement of personnel promotion and tenure procedures:

• Engagement activities and scholarship are critical components of our tenure and promotion process.
• Effective responses to the most difficult social challenges facing families and communities require an integration of research, scholarship, engagement, and teaching activities.
• Partnerships with other disciplines and professions within the University community strengthen our research, scholarship, engagement, and teaching.
• Cutting-edge technology is required to expand the reach and impact of our research, scholarship, engagement, and teaching contributions.
• Full collaboration is needed between tenure-track and fixed-term faculty to strengthen our research, scholarship, engagement, and teaching efforts; heighten our accountability; and enhance our overall impact on behalf of those we serve.
• Research, engagement, and teaching efforts must incorporate a global focus.

All faculty in the School of Social Work will pursue scholarly and engagement activities applicable to their role in the School, irrespective of rank, type of appointment, or area of expertise. Scholarship is defined as the creation, dissemination, and application of new knowledge, or the synthesis of existing knowledge in novel ways. Areas of scholarship include education, discovery, and application. Faculty engagement includes scholarly, pedagogical, and creative activities for the public good. It also includes public service and scholarship generated by collaborative activities outside of traditional scholarly venues. In addition to scholarly and engagement activities, all tenure-track faculty and most fixed-term faculty teaching, advising, and mentoring responsibilities.

Academic freedom, especially as it relates to the scholarly activities of faculty, is a core value of the School of Social Work. Indeed, it is the policy of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to maintain and encourage the full freedom of its faculty to pursue, within the law, scholarship in all its forms, and to protect faculty from influences that would restrict the exercise of such freedom. The complete statement of the University's position on academic freedom can be found in The Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure (available via www.unc.edu).

C. Diversity and Inclusion

The School of Social Work embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion among our core values. We recruit talented individuals of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities, and individuals with disabilities, to serve on our faculty. Our goal is to cultivate a diverse community of tenure-track and fixed-term faculty who treat each other respectfully and who value the contributions of each person. In addition, we place high value on creating and maintaining a supportive work environment that promotes physical and mental well-being.

D. Congruency with University Policy

This document provides guidelines for and clarifies additional requirements for faculty appointments in the School of Social Work. Our School's guidelines and requirements for faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and relevant tenure considerations are designed in accordance with The Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure. A hard copy of this document is available from the Dean's Administrative Assistant. All procedures and policies relating to decisions affecting faculty in the School of Social Work conform to policies regarding these matters set forth in this University publication. In case of conflict, the most recent edition of this University document takes precedence.

Additionally, this document was updated in February 2021 in light of 26 recommendations from a task force assembled by the Office of the Provost to improve promotion and tenure policies and practices across campus. This task force met 10 times between February 7, 2019 and May 29, 2019. The report, Report of the UNC-Chapel Hill Task Force on Promotion and Tenure Policies and Practices (September 2020), was unanimously approved by the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees on September 24, 2020.

II. Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

A. Organization and Function of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

In accordance with the School's bylaws, the purpose of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure (PPT) Committee is to support the faculty and Dean on matters of recruitment, appointment, and reappointment. The PPT Committee shall consist of nine members, with the Dean participating as an ex officio member. The nine faculty members of the PPT Committee shall be elected at-large from among the faculty members eligible to vote. Five of the members shall be tenured faculty, of whom three shall be tenured Full Professors. Four of the members shall be fixed-term faculty. Elected members of the PPT Committee should serve overlapping 2-year terms and shall be eligible for reelection once. A reelected member shall not be eligible for election again until at least one year has elapsed following the end of their second term. Vacancies on this committee will be filled through a School of Social Work election among eligible faculty members.

Current PPT Committee members shall elect a committee chairperson or committee chairpersons each year. The PPT Committee shall meet at least twice each semester on call of the chairperson and/or the Dean, who shall give appropriate notice of all meetings to each member of the PPT Committee, specifying the time, place, and agenda. The PPT Committee shall maintain the written statement of personnel policies and operating procedures approved by the faculty.

B. Functions of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

The functions of the PPT Committee include the following:

• Consulting with the Dean about the need for faculty members and areas of expertise most needed by the School;
• Appointing one member from the PPT to serve on Search Committees for tenure-track faculty positions and chaired professorships;
• Summarizing and providing relevant information to the Dean about reappointments of untenured and fixed-term faculty members;
• Summarizing the performance of tenure-track faculty members who are being considered for promotion and/or tenure and providing this information to the assembled Full Professors and the Dean;
• Reviewing the performance of faculty who are eligible for post-tenure review and providing the Dean with a written summary of the faculty member's activities in areas relevant to the review;
• Summarizing the performance of fixed-term faculty who are being considered for promotion and providing this information to the assembled Full Professors and the Dean;
• Reviewing and formulating recommendations regarding standards for adjunct faculty members.

C. Operations of Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

The Dean of the School of Social Work has the responsibility to make recommendations for appointments, reappointments, promotions, and tenure through appropriate channels to the Chancellor of the University. The PPT Committee advises the Dean regarding tenure-track faculty and fixed-term faculty appointments. For every promotion and/or tenure action, the PPT Committee shall prepare a report for review by the assembled Full Professors and the Dean.

The work of the PPT is informed by five general guidelines:

• The PPT Committee's deliberations about persons being reviewed shall remain confidential. It should be understood that unanimous agreement with the confidentiality requirement governs all discussions of personnel actions.
• A written record of PPT Committee reports shall be kept on file in the Dean's office.
• The Dean will keep the PPT Committee informed about personnel matters that might be continued or explored over time.
• The PPT Committee will assist the Dean in revising personnel policies and procedures. At least once every 3 years, all voting faculty members will meet to review the personnel policies and procedures. Proposed changes will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for decision.
• If it is necessary for the Dean to make or consider personnel decisions over the summer, arrangements will be made to reach PPT Committee members by telephone or e-mail when the advice of the Committee is required. Reasonable efforts shall be made to avoid making such decisions during the summer.

III. Recruitment and Appointments for Tenure-Track Faculty

The Dean and the PPT Committee shall be guided by the following procedures for all new tenure-track faculty appointments:

A. Process and Procedures

When the Dean determines that a tenure-track faculty position is available for recruitment, the Dean will advise the PPT Committee about the expected position. The Dean will seek guidance and recommendations from the Full Professors, Master's of Social Work (MSW) Program Committee, and Doctoral Program Committee about the School's expertise and teaching needs. The Dean and the PPT Committee will consider information provided by other School bodies and decide what expertise shall be sought for the position.

The Dean will appoint Search Committee members in all faculty searches and will make available the services of an Administrative Assistant to facilitate the Search Committee's work. At least one member of the Search Committee will also serve on the PPT Committee. Search Committees should follow the general guidelines listed below:

• Prepare and disseminate the position description and place advertisements as determined in consultation with the Dean.
• Receive and process all inquiries about the position.
• Publicize the position's opening and extend invitations to qualified, interested candidates to apply. Recruitment should be carried out to attract the best possible candidates for the position. In accordance with University policies, special efforts will be made to fill faculty positions in a manner that reflects cultural diversity.
• Review and rate candidates' applications and make periodic progress reports to the Dean regarding the search effort.
• Ensure students are involved in the interview process when candidates are brought to the School for interviews.
• Submit a final report to the Dean, recommending up to three of the best-qualified candidates for the position. If the Committee finds that none of the applicants are qualified for the position, the Committee will inform the Dean of their decision. A new search process will commence at the Dean's discretion and in consultation with the PPT Committee.
• Conduct all Committee affairs with strict adherence to confidentiality about all persons considered for the position.

B. Action by the Dean

On receipt of the report of the Search Committee, and after consultation with the Full Professors regarding the rank and tenure to be given to the desired candidate, the Dean shall recommend a candidate to the University to fill the position. These procedures, which the PPT Committee shall apply in advising the Dean on the appointment, shall be consistent with the procedures and standards for recommending promotion and tenure described in Parts IV, V, and VI of this document.

C. Offer Letter

The offer letter to a prospective candidate should explain how their previous career experience as a faculty member would relate to the timing and criteria of a possible promotion and/or tenure review at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The Dean should assess newly recruited associate professors coming with tenure from another university to determine whether to recommend tenure at the time of their offer to join UNC-Chapel Hill. Based on this recommendation, the vote of the tenured professors is required to extend the offer of tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill at the time of the offer. In these cases, UNC-Chapel Hill will generally award tenure with the new appointment or as soon as possible thereafter if there is compelling evidence that the individual meets UNC-Chapel Hill's expectations for awarding tenure in terms of scholarship, creative endeavor, teaching, and service. The recommendation to award tenure will be reviewed by the Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) Committee, the Provost, and the Board of Trustees. This assessment will consider:

• The new faculty member's entire body of scholarly, creative, service, and educational accomplishment prior to coming to UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Evidence that the new faculty member will contribute to the multiple missions of the School.
• Letters from external reviewers who may be familiar with the new faculty member's body of work at their previous university.
• In the unusual case of an associate professor arriving with that rank from another university which does not grant tenure at the associate professor level, the faculty member will be considered for tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill based upon UNC-Chapel Hill's criteria.
• In cases where a faculty member has been approved for tenure at another university but is waiting for tenure there to become final and official, the faculty member will similarly be considered for tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill at the time of offer, as described above.
• For a faculty member who was tenured at their previous university with clearly less-demanding criteria than at UNC-Chapel Hill, but who still wishes to move to UNC-Chapel Hill, they may be offered a position at a lower rank or without tenure.

Newly recruited associate professors coming without tenure from another university or having been assistant professors at the previous university will not be extended the offer of tenure consideration at UNC-Chapel Hill at the time of the offer, unless they clearly and compellingly demonstrate that they have already met the promotion and tenure standards of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work.

If the Dean and the School's tenured professors determine that the untenured associate professor has demonstrated compelling evidence of meeting UNC-Chapel Hill's criteria for tenure in terms of scholarly and creative activity, teaching, and service, they may initiate formal consideration for tenure during the initial probationary appointment.

D. Orienting Faculty Members

Newly hired faculty members should be provided an orientation by a designated person at the school level who is knowledgeable about appointments, promotion, and tenure. This will help faculty and staff to understand promotion-related timelines and promotion/tenure expectations.

E. Mentoring Guidance

Upon joining the tenure-track faculty, the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development (ADRFD) partners with new tenure-track faculty members to establish a mentoring committee, if desired. A new tenure-track faculty member can opt to involve the ARC in the process that leads to the development of their mentoring committee. In addition, as requested by faculty members, the ADRFD works with any faculty member at any stage of their career to establish a mentoring committee. Associate professors might also work with the ADRFD to form mentoring committes if desired.

Mentoring committee goals. The mentoring committee supports tenure-track faculty, including faculty members who are assistant professors and those at the associate professor level who are new to the school, with their professional growth, scholarly development, and successful navigation of promotion and tenure processes. Given that new faculty members may be unfamiliar with the tenure-track faculty role, as well as the school's tenure-track and promotion processes, this optional, voluntary mentorship offers tenure-track faculty members support, as well as the opportunity to receive guidance over and above the regular support offered by the school's administrative team (i.e., the Dean, ADRFD, and other Associate Deans as relevant).

Mentoring committee composition. Mentoring committees are comprised of three tenure-track faculty members who are at an advanced stage of their careers relative to the faculty member mentees. That is, mentors for assistant professors are faculty who have advanced to the associate and/or full professor career stage, and mentors for associate professors are faculty who have advanced to the full professor stage. Accordingly, tenured associate and full professors have a responsibility to serve as mentors to tenure-track faculty members as needed. In addition, as much as possible, the ADRFD collaborates with the new faculty member (or a faculty member requesting a mentoring committee) to determine a committee with relevant expertise that complements the faculty members' program of engagement, research, teaching, as well as their career goals.

Mentoring committee communications and meetings. Once a mentoring committee is established, faculty members are highly encouraged to communicate with the members of their mentoring committee on a regular basis (e.g., at least once a semester by email) and to meet with the full committee at least once in every academic year. In addition, faculty can meet as frequently as desired both with the mentoring committee altogether, as well as with individual mentors, throughout any given academic year. Although faculty receiving mentoring are encouraged to take the lead on communicating and scheduling meetings with their committee members, faculty providing mentoring are likewise encouraged to reach out to faculty mentees at any time to check-in and offer support.

Mentoring committee foci. Mentoring committee members are highly encouraged to offer faculty mentees guidance regarding professional goal setting, developing their program of research, and preparing for promotion when appropriate. Mentoring committees are also encouraged to offer faculty members guidance and support broadly, including – as examples – in the areas of developing mentoring and teaching capacities, developing leadership skills, engagement and service initiatives, managing the demands of a tenure-track faculty position, as well as success in navigating the complexities of a career in higher education at a research-intensive university. The mentoring relationship should be based on mutual trust and professional discretion and should serve to assist and support the mentee in their career advancement. Likewise, mentors should consider the following suggestions when working with faculty mentees:

• Support the creation of an Individual Development Plan to help faculty members develop a timeline to achieve short-term and long-term professional goals; as a resource for this activity see, for example, https://cfe.unc.edu/mentoring/individual-development-plan-idp/.
• Help faculty members plan for their annual performance reviews with the Dean to ensure that the review is constructive, meaningful, and planful.
• Help faculty members prepare for their third-year, tenure, and/or promotion reviews as relevant by, as example, proactively reviewing and providing constructive feedback on application materials and assisting the mentee in navigating the review and tenure process.
• When specific areas of growth are identified for the mentee, the mentoring committee should prescribe a proactive course of corrective action. This corrective action may include additional training, short courses, and other development opportunities to address the identified needs. The mentoring committee will assist in connecting the mentee to needed supports. On-campus resources may include, for example, the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science (https://odum.unc.edu/) or The Center for Faculty Excellence (https://cfe.unc.edu/). When a mentee avails themselves of a skill building activity or resource, such a step should not be misconstrued as the mentee having a performance concern.
• Share information about mentoring resources available on campus and through professional associations.
• Share information about important university and professional events.
• Ask about and encourage accomplishments, as well as offer constructive feedback. Invite the faculty member to provide feedback concerning the mentoring support that they are receiving from the committee (i.e., ways in which the mentoring might be enhanced and/or tailored the faculty members' unique needs).

In addition to the Individual Development Plan noted above, faculty entering mentoring relationships are likewise encouraged to develop brief, written plans outlining expectations of meeting frequency and duration, their goals for mentoring, as well as their overall professional development goals. The following are recommended as points for faculty to include in such a plan.

• A brief description of faculty members' engagement and service, research, teaching, and professional interests.
• Professional development goals for a given upcoming academic year, as well as professional development goals to achieve in advance of third-year, tenure, and/or promotion reviews, as relevant for faculty members.
• Supports that faculty would like to receive in their professional development.

Mentoring committee program evaluation. The functioning and value of the mentoring committees will be evaluated by the ADRFD, working with the Dean, on both an ongoing and regular basis, in the following ways –

• As part of their regular, individual meetings with faculty, the ADRFD and the Dean will invite faculty who are receiving mentoring to provide feedback on their experiences with mentoring and their mentoring committees, including suggestions for how their own individual mentoring can be improved, as well as how the mentoring program overall might also be strengthened.
• Given such feedback and as needed, the ADRFD will work with faculty to add new members and/or change the membership of a given mentoring committee.
• In cases where the ADRFD is a member of a faculty member's mentoring committee, the Dean will take the lead on such evaluative activities, as well as any necessary changes.
• On an annual basis, the ADRFD will hold an anonymous survey to invite all tenure-track faculty members' feedback on the school's mentoring committees and mentoring processes overall. Guided by findings from this feedback survey, the ADRFD, in consultation with the Dean, PPT committee, ARC committee, and other committees as necessary, will lead enhancements and improvements to the school's mentoring program as needed.

F. Under-Represented Minority Faculty Experiences

In compliance with the University's recommendation to be an inclusive and diverse institution, the School of Social Work recognizes any faculty members', particularly under-represented minority (URM) faculty members', "invisible labor" to fairly and equitably assess faculty for promotion. "Invisible labor" refers to faculty roles that enable an institution to have diverse representation and participation on search and administrative committees or projects. It is labelled "invisible" because it is often unseen, undocumented, and not valued in advancement, promotion, tenure, and compensation decisions. Such service may include contributions on campus, nationally, and internationally.

• Faculty should clearly identify "invisible labor" in the CV used for appointments, promotions, and tenure actions.
• Faculty members have the option to include a Diversity and Inclusion section in their CVs. The Diversity and Inclusion section should contain a narrative or bullet points about how the faculty member has affected issues of inclusion. This would be similar to narrative sections on research, teaching, and service. In the Diversity and Inclusion section, faculty members could review their scholarship, creative endeavors, teaching, mentorship, and service that relates to inclusion and diversity.
• Promotion and tenure committees should value work (research, creative, teaching, service, etc.) with under-represented populations. Publications in smaller or niche journals that deal with diversity matters should be given serious consideration in faculty promotion and/or tenure reviews and documented appropriately (e.g., Dean's letter).
• Faculty members should feel validated and rewarded for their research focus on URM issues. There should be no pressure for faculty members to move away from or towards a URM research focus.
• As part of the annual review, the Dean will evaluate division head leadership to determine how well faculty are prepared for and are succeeding in promotion/tenure. The annual review will evaluate how underrepresented minority faculty members are succeeding in the School and assure no systemic barriers exist to their advancement.
• The Provost shall be aware of the diversity of the School's faculty. That composition will be addressed in annual review and budget sessions with the Provost. The Provost should also be informed of underrepresented minority faculty members' experiences with inclusion and equity.

IV. Procedures for Promotion Review for Tenure-Track Faculty²

A. Initiating the Review Process

In accordance with University policy, a review of the professional performance of all tenure-track Associate and Assistant Professors shall be held once every 5 years. The Dean will notify faculty about their timeline for promotion review and encourage faculty to be proactive in initiating their promotion process. Except when expressly limited, promotions in rank may be made at any time during a faculty member's employment.^3,4

In ongoing consultation with the Full Professors, the Dean will have conversations with faculty about the requirements for tenure and promotion at all faculty levels. These conversations should include the expectations for scholarly products and grants at different faculty levels. Part VI of this document specific criteria or "meet the mark" standards for promotion to a higher rank and/or tenure to be used for evaluation.

In lieu of a decision to accept experience from previous university service, the accomplishments evaluated for promotion or tenure will be those that occurred during employment at UNC-Chapel Hill. If evidence of previous teaching effectiveness is not available or is not compelling, time at UNC-Chapel Hill will be used to collect sufficient evidence.

Faculty members will be up for promotion and/or tenure as part of the counteroffer only if the faculty member is fully qualified for the promotion based on UNC-Chapel Hill's criteria. Given that the promotion and tenure process moves slowly, it will be important to indicate to the faculty member in the counteroffer that all efforts will be made to rapidly put their dossier together and move it forward for consideration at UNC-Chapel Hill. Counteroffers are typically not considered more frequently than every five years, and exceptions for additional earlier counteroffers require explicit in-advance agreement of the Provost.

B. Materials to be Reviewed for Promotion⁵

• Persons to be reviewed shall submit the following materials to the PPT Committee:
  • a written statement of self-evaluation, using the criteria in Part VI as a reference;
  • In addition to existing narrative sections on research, teaching, and engagement, faculty members are expected to review their scholarship, creative endeavors, teaching, mentorship, and service that relates to inclusion and diversity, including nationally, internationally, and on campus.
  • a copy of an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV);
  • The faculty member's "invisible labor" (i.e., roles that enable an institution to have diverse representation and participation on search and administrative committees or projects) must be made evident and should be accounted for in the CV.
  • The faculty member has the option to include a section on Diversity and Inclusion, which will contain a narrative or bullet points describing how the work of the faculty member has affected issues of inclusion in the School, on campus, or in the profession of social work. In the Diversity and Inclusion section, faculty members could review their scholarship, creative endeavors, teaching, mentorship, and service that relates to inclusion and diversity.
  • description of teaching, research, training, technical assistance, or other assignments;
  • compilation of information about courses taught during the review period;
  • summary in tabular format of teaching and training evaluations received during the review period;
  • peer-observation report for teaching (provided by the PPT to the candidate);⁶
  • copies of three to five publications, research reports, and other forms of scholarship considered most representative of the candidate's work; and
  • a list of three to five established scholars who the candidate believes are most familiar with the areas in which the candidate has the greatest competence and from whom the Dean may request references (these reviewers are required to be outside the University and independent of the candidate);
• The Dean, with recommendations from the Full Professors and the PPT Committee, will also list appropriate persons to serve as external references for the candidate. Ideally, external references should come from individuals from research universities with very high research activity (RU/VH). The full list of possible external references, including those submitted by the candidate, will be shared with the candidate, who will be invited to comment on and register any concerns about individuals on the list. The Dean shall then select and ask a subset of these individuals to serve as external reviewers. At least two of these reviewers should not be included on the candidate's list. A minimum of four reviews is required; these four reviews must be from reviewers outside the University and from individuals independent of the candidate. The PPT Committee may seek information from additional sources with the knowledge of the candidate.
• The Dean shall make available to the PPT Committee the following information:
  • The material submitted by the candidate;
  • information from other sources; and
  • all external references.
• The sharing of information with the candidate will be governed by University policies and by state and federal law. The candidate may consult with the Office of the University Attorney about these policies and laws.
• No anonymous or oral comments will be used; only written evaluations or comments will be considered in the review process.

C. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

Based upon the review of the material submitted and in light of the criteria for evaluation, the PPT Committee shall prepare a descriptive report of the faculty member's performance.

• The PPT Committee shall not make a recommendation for or against a proposed action.
• The summary report shall be made available to the assembled Full Professors and to the Dean.

D. Action by the Full Professors

Every effort will be made to provide the Full Professors with at least 14 days to review the material related to the candidate's promotion case before they meet to discuss, review, and vote on their recommendation to the Dean regarding the candidate's promotion case. The Full Professors will have at least 7 days to review the PPT Committee's summary statement of the candidate's promotional materials prior to meeting to vote and provide their recommendation to the Dean.

• All discussion and deliberations of the Full Professors shall be confidential.
• Attendance shall be taken at meetings of the Full Professors. While individual votes can be confidential, the participation in the process should be transparent.
• The Dean shall chair the meeting of the Full Professors.
• The Full Professors shall vote by secret ballot, although Full Professors will have space on the ballot to explain the reason behind their particular vote (positive or otherwise).⁷ Full Professors must explain negative and abstained votes on their ballot. Full Professors who have a significant conflict of interest in voting on a candidate will be excused from voting. This is not reported as an abstention.

E. Action by the Dean

The recommendation of the Dean shall be presented to the faculty member in writing and shall be conveyed to the Provost of the University and include the following:

• the vote of the Full Professors
• a supporting statement
• whether they are upholding the full professor vote

For negative or non-favorable results, the following information will be included in the written correspondence:

• A written summary reflecting the procedural process that was followed.
• The faculty member has 14 calendar days (from receipt of letter which will be certified) to inform the dean in writing of any intent to appeal the school-level decision. Such notification should specify the basis of their appeal.
• The faculty member will be advised they have the option to schedule an appointment with the Provost's Office regarding the matter.
• The faculty member has the right of appeal as specified in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://academicpersonnel.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1069/2020/02/UNC-Chapel-Hill-Tenure-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf. However, the faculty member must first document that, "an unsuccessful attempt has been made by the faculty member to resolve it with the administrative official most directly concerned."

V. Initiating the Review Procedure for Tenure⁸

A. Initiating the Review Process

Consistent with the University policies on tenure review, a review for tenure shall be initiated by the Dean at least one year before the expiration of the non-tenured appointment. A review for tenure shall take priority over a review for promotion. In no case shall a faculty member request a promotion that would result in tenure without first meeting requirements for review for tenure.⁹

The materials to be submitted and the criteria used for a review for tenure are:

• Materials to be submitted as stated in Part IV-B.
• Criteria to be used for evaluation as specified in Part VI.

B. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee

Based upon the review of materials submitted and in light of the criteria for evaluation, the PPT Committee shall prepare a descriptive summary report of the faculty member's performance.

• The PPT Committee shall not make a recommendation for or against a proposed action.
• The PPT Committee will make the summary report available to the Full Professors and to the Dean.

C. Action by the Full Professors

Every effort will be made to provide the Full Professors at least 14 days to review the material related to the candidate's tenure case before they meet to discuss, review, and vote on their recommendation to the Dean regarding the candidate's tenure case. The Full Professors will have at least 7 days to review the PPT Committee's summary statement of the candidate's promotional materials prior to meeting to vote and provide their recommendation to the Dean.

• All discussion and deliberations of the Full Professors shall be confidential.
• The Dean shall chair the meeting of the Full Professors.

The Full Professors shall vote by secret ballot, although on the ballot Full Professors will be able to comment on the reasoning behind their particular vote (positive or otherwise).¹⁰ Full professors must explain negative and abstained votes on their ballot. Full Professors who have a significant conflict of interest in voting on a candidate will be excused from voting. This is not reported as an abstention.

D. Action by the Dean

The recommendation of the Dean shall be presented to the faculty member in writing and shall be conveyed to the Provost of the University and include the following:

• the vote of the Full Professors
• a supporting statement
• whether they are upholding the full professor vote

For negative or non-favorable results, the following information will be included in the written correspondence:

• A written summary reflecting the procedural process that was followed.
• The faculty member has 14 calendar days (from receipt of letter which will be certified) to inform the dean in writing of any intent to appeal the school-level decision. Such notification should specify the basis of their appeal.
• The faculty member will be advised they have the option to schedule an appointment with the Provost's Office regarding the matter.
• The faculty member has the right of appeal as specified in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://academicpersonnel.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1069/2020/02/UNC-Chapel-Hill-Tenure-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf. However, the faculty member must first document that, "an unsuccessful attempt has been made by the faculty member to resolve it with the administrative official most directly concerned."

VI. Criteria for Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure for Tenure-Track Faculty

A. School of Social Work Criteria for Promotion and Tenure

When considered for appointment, promotion, and tenure, an individual's performance will be evaluated in three domains: (a) research and scholarship; (b) engagement; and (c) teaching, advising, and mentoring. In promotion and tenure decisions for tenure-track faculty, the domain of research and scholarship is the most heavily weighted performance area; followed by teaching, advising, and mentoring; and then by engagement. A total of 37 criteria and 182 individual evidentiary indicants are identified across these three domains. Not all faculty members will address all of these criteria in the nature and scope of their work; however, significant accomplishments and contributions must be demonstrated in a critical subset of these criteria to demonstrate proficiency in a particular area. The candidate's written statement of self-evaluation using these criteria is an important summary document in the review process.

For tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, the candidate should have demonstrated excellence in all three domains. For promotion to the rank of Full Professor, the candidate should have demonstrated consistent excellence and ongoing growth at a substantially higher level in these domains following the receipt of tenure and/or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. It is expected that all faculty members will maintain ethical standards of professional conduct in their work with colleagues and students, work collaboratively with colleagues on School business, and assume their fair share of responsibilities in advancing the mission of the School.

B. Research and Scholarship

Research includes systematic collection and analysis of information to generate new knowledge, its refinement, application, and/or its capability of solving important social problems. Faculty research contributes to the social work knowledge base and creates new scholarship to guide all types of direct and macro social work practice and policy. Table 1 delineates the research activities and the measurement of these activities for tenure and promotion evaluations. The overarching goal is to evaluate the candidate's conceptual, theoretical, and empirical contributions to knowledge development.

i. Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review

Table 1 presents 15 criteria consistent with favorable tenure and promotion decisions for faculty candidates. Under these criteria are listed 35 individual evidentiary indicants of professionally meritorious activities consistent with the fulfillment of these 15 criteria.

The first five criteria are essential elements of scholarship. Some candidates will choose some or all of the next nine criteria (Criteria 6 through 15) to demonstrate excellence. Criteria 6 through 15 can be considered specific indicators of the fundamental activities explicated in Criteria 1 through 5. Candidates seeking promotion to Full Professor should demonstrate that their work is increasingly interdisciplinary (as evidenced by publications, affiliations, and collaborative relationships) and has an impact on the science and practice of social work.

Note: CV = curriculum vitae; EL = external letters; FP = Full Professors' review; LS = letters of support; PL = publications list; PPT = Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee review; PS = personal statement

C. Engagement

Faculty performance for purposes of appointment, promotion, and tenure will include the evaluation of a domain called engagement.¹⁹ Engagement elaborates on the University's traditional notion of service. Faculty engagement includes scholarly, pedagogical, and creative activities for the public good. Engagement includes public service and scholarship emanating from collaborative activities outside of what has traditionally been considered our scholarly community.

Faculty demonstrate engaged scholarship by bringing knowledge developed within the University and to partnerships with practitioners, scholars, and the public for the co-creation and application of new knowledge. Engaged faculty collaborate with individuals, organizations, and communities to apply that knowledge through written, spoken, and visual means for the betterment of the community, state, nation, and world.

Suggested evidence of engagement involves work across interdisciplinary lines. It includes publics associated with our School, the larger University, our profession, state, and global community. Engagement activities include traditional knowledge production, new knowledge co-creation, and knowledge transfers and exchanges that both heighten individual and collective performance and have short- and long-term effects that benefit all those involved.

i. Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review

Table 2 presents five criteria consistent with favorable tenure and promotion decisions for faculty candidates. In addition, the table lists 34 evidentiary indicants of professionally meritorious activities consistent with fulfillment of these five criteria. Not all faculty members will focus on all of these criteria; however, expertise must be demonstrated in critical subsets to demonstrate a significant level of engagement.

Note: CV = curriculum vitae; EL = external letters; FP = Full Professors' review; LS = letters of support; PL = publications list; PPT = Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee review; PS = personal statement

D. Teaching, Advising, and Mentoring

Teaching, mentoring, and advising are overlapping activities of vital significance to the professional growth of both students and faculty. Accordingly, this domain is a key consideration in tenure and promotion decisions. The benefits of effective, individualized, and responsive teaching, mentoring, and advising are evident at both the individual level and at the School level when such efforts are provided to students and to less-experienced faculty, particularly those belonging to under-represented, disadvantaged, or otherwise disenfranchised groups. Many examples of preferred teaching, mentoring, and advising activities are described below. However, additional activities not listed here might also constitute outstanding performance in the teaching, mentoring, and advising area, and it is unlikely that any faculty member will engage in all, or perhaps even most, of these activities.

i. Description of Teaching

Teaching is among the most important of faculty responsibilities and can occur in a multiplicity of formal and informal settings. The School's faculty consistently evidence excellence in teaching, mentoring, and advising, whether they are working with master's or doctoral students in formal academic or classroom contexts, interacting with students and faculty in community-based agencies, or sharing knowledge with colleagues and practitioners in the field. Effective, high-quality teaching, mentoring, and advising substantially contribute to the creative development and professional advancement of social work graduate students, social work faculty, and the profession of social work.

The School of Social Work expects its faculty to provide high-quality instruction, to consistently model professionalism and core social work values in their instructional efforts, and to demonstrate expertise in the content areas in which they teach. Faculty are also expected to continuously develop and enhance their teaching skills, in part by participating in activities specifically designed to improve teaching effectiveness and to contribute to ongoing curriculum development. As faculty members progress in their teaching careers, the School of Social Work expects its faculty to assume leadership roles in an array of teaching-related activities, including developing new courses; presenting lectures, workshops, and trainings to the larger University community as well as to local, regional, and national public and professional audiences; and assuming key teaching-related administrative roles.

ii. Description of Mentorship

The School of Social Work places great value on faculty mentoring of master's and doctoral students and faculty colleagues. Mentoring is defined as a professional relationship in which a knowledgeable and experienced person – the mentor – assists another person – the mentee – in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the professional and personal growth of the mentee. Mentors might coach the mentee in developing a specific skill or might focus holistically on the mentee's professional development. Mentors can also assist mentees by sharing their resources and professional networks and by encouraging mentees to take professional risks (with substantial payoffs) within the context of a safe learning environment. Mentoring activities can be subdivided into formal and informal activities, and are distinct from activities related to teaching, advising, and coaching. For the purpose of granting tenure and promotion, the School of Social Work gives particular attention to the provision of mentoring to graduate social work students by directing independent study courses and regularly conducting individual consultations with students regarding their professional development. This mentoring is considered especially important in granting tenure and promotion. Providing responsive and effective mentorship to fellow faculty members is also highly valued, and can include helping less-experienced faculty colleagues acquire advanced skills and knowledge in research, scholarship, and publication; career development; teaching philosophies, strategies, and techniques; and otherwise providing social work faculty colleagues with support, expertise, and assistance when needed. Truly exceptional faculty will demonstrate leadership in a number of mentoring areas, including assisting students and faculty members in acquiring grants, winning awards, or publishing in professional journals. Exceptional faculty will also provide intensive mentorship and support to students and faculty who are struggling with academic or professional issues. Similar to advising, mentorship can occur in the context of both field and academic settings.

iii. Description of Advising

Academic advising has been defined as a

… developmental process which assists students in the clarification of their life/career goals and in the development of educational plans for the realization of these goals. It is a decision-making process by which students realize their maximum educational potential through communication and information exchanges with an advisor; it is ongoing, multifaceted, and the responsibility of both student and advisor. The advisor serves as a facilitator of communication, a coordinator of learning experiences through course and career planning and academic progress review, and an agent of referral to other campus agencies as necessary. (Crockett, 1987, pp. 6-7)

Beyond academic advising, field advising plays a critical role in the education of professional social work practitioners. Where pertinent to their identified faculty responsibilities, School of Social Work faculty members are expected to provide high-quality academic and field advising to students. At a minimum, excellence in academic advising involves outreach to students who are struggling with professional development or personal issues and establishing effective relationships with student advisees and other students who seek professional guidance. Excellence in field advising entails establishing effective relationships with students, field instructors, and agency personnel as well as continuously monitoring student progress in the field.

Exceptional faculty members will provide leadership in the areas of academic and field advising. Leadership in academic and field advising can be demonstrated in many ways, such as through the receipt of School, University, and professional advising awards, student evaluations, or via the publication or promotion of innovative and/or evidence-based advising practices.

iv. Service to the MSW Program

Service in support of the MSW program encompasses a wide range of activities that are essential to maintaining a strong and thriving community of learning. Contributions to the MSW program might include hiring and mentoring students as research or program assistants; planning and/or participating in JumpStart (i.e., MSW program orientation); assisting with recruitment, post recruitment, and graduation events; and participating in student-initiated gatherings such as Harambee, Hunger Banquet, and fund raising events.

v. Service to the Doctoral Program

Finally, teaching, mentoring, and advising service to the School's doctoral program can include serving as Chair or Member of doctoral dissertation committees, providing formal and/or informal mentoring to doctoral students, contributing to the teaching mission of the doctoral program, supervising doctoral student teaching and/or research assistants, and providing administrative leadership to the doctoral program.

vi. Criteria and Evidence for Promotional Review

Table 3 presents the criteria consistent with favorable tenure and promotions decisions. The 18 criteria are categorized into areas of teaching (6 criteria), mentoring (3 criteria), academic and field advising (5 criteria), MSW program-related (2 criteria), and doctoral program-related (2 criteria). In addition, the table includes 115 evidentiary indicants of professionally meritorious activities consistent with fulfillment of the 18 teaching, mentoring, and advising criteria for tenure and promotion. The School recognizes that few faculty will demonstrate excellence across all criteria. However, candidates for tenure and promotion are expected to have made significant contributions to the teaching mission of the UNC School of Social Work across a range of criteria and to evidence an ongoing commitment to their professional improvement in teaching, mentoring, and advising.

Sources and types of information used in assessing a candidate's performance in the teaching, mentoring, and advising domain include, but are not limited to: student teaching evaluations; peer-observation teaching evaluations; number and breadth of courses taught; number of new courses developed; number and variety of activities completed to enhance teaching, mentoring, and advising skills; receipt of School, University, or professional teaching awards; quality of course syllabi; receipt of grants related to pedagogy; publication of instructional curricula and other teaching materials such as textbooks and articles focused on pedagogy; documentation of innovative teaching accomplishments; Field Instructor evaluations; student advisor evaluations; number of doctoral dissertations chaired; and number of publications co-authored with doctoral and master's degree students. Candidates may compile these and related materials into a teaching portfolio that explicitly addresses their teaching, mentoring, and advising activities and achievements.

Note: CV = curriculum vitae; EL = external letters; FAR = Faculty Activity Report; FIE = Field Instructor evaluation; FP = Full Professors' review; LS = letters of support; PE = peer evaluations; PL = publications list; PPT = Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee review; PS = personal statement; S = syllabus; SE = student evaluations; TP = Teaching Portfolio

E. Reporting of School-Level Tenure Denials to the University

All tenure denials at the school level will be reported to the Academic Personnel Office and tallied by the school for an annual report to the Provost. In addition, the school should annually submit the names of faculty members who:

• Switched from the tenure-track to the fixed-term track
• Left the institution during a probationary term
• Were denied a second probationary term

VII. Criteria for Post-Tenure Review

A. Statement of Purpose

The purpose of post-tenure review is to provide a systematic process for the periodic, comprehensive review of the performance of all tenured faculty members whose primary duties are: (a) research; (b) engagement; and (c) teaching, advising, and mentoring. This process serves as an additional means of fostering the School's mission of educational excellence, including its goals of contributing to the development of knowledge through scholarship and engagement and providing high-quality instruction to its students. Post-tenure review enhances a sense of accountability within the School and the University.

The post-tenure review process should respect the basic principles of academic freedom. Post-tenure review does not abrogate, in any way, the due process criteria or procedures for dismissal or other disciplinary action established under the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure. The policies and procedures presented below incorporate the basic principles of the policies established by the Board of Governors in Sections 400.3.3 and 400.3.3.1 of the UNC Policy Manual.

B. Schedule for Review

All tenured members of the faculty will be reviewed in five-year cycles. Members of the faculty who are appointed or promoted to tenured positions in subsequent years will be brought into the five-year cycle so that they receive a post-tenure review no more than five years after the effective date of their tenure. If necessary, adjustments in the schedule of review may be made to meet the needs of individual faculty members and the School. The Dean will advise those faculty members who will undergo post-tenure review in any given year a minimum of six months in advance of their upcoming post-tenure review.

C. Relation to Other Forms of Review

The system of post-tenure review will supplement, rather than substitute for, other systems of review, including those relating to tenure and promotion, annual feedback in years prior to tenure, appointment to distinguished chairs, salary determinations, yearly evaluation meetings with the Dean, or personnel actions taken pursuant to University policies on tenure and promotion and other matters relating to faculty conduct and performance. Post-tenure review may provide a school with information that suggests a promotion is timely. However, in some cases when a school is already convinced that promotion for a faculty member is timely, a promotion review can be used as an alternative to post-tenure review (PTR), if it occurs prior to the fifth year after the initial promotion to tenured Associate Professor.

D. Process

The following guidelines outline the process to be followed by post-tenure reviews. This process should identify and recognize outstanding performance of faculty members and may also identify specific areas in which faculty members can improve and, in such cases, should result in specific recommendations and plans for improvement:

General Principles. The post-tenure review process should be as simple, straightforward, fair, functional, and flexible as possible.

Obligation of Confidentiality. All matters relating to individual post-tenure reviews will be regarded as confidential in nature. All faculty members who participate as members of the Post-Tenure Review (PTR) Committee or otherwise advise on individual cases will take seriously their obligation to abide by this requirement.

Participation of Faculty Member Being Reviewed. Each faculty member who is to undergo review in a given year will take an active role in the post-tenure review process by assisting with planning, preparing relevant background information, engaging in constructive dialogue with colleagues and the Dean, and undertaking a development plan if needed to address deficiencies in performance.

Composition and Duties of the PTR Committee. In consultation with the Dean, the School's Personnel Promotion and Tenure (PPT) Committee will appoint an individual PTR Committee for each faculty member under review. Each PTR Committee will have a minimum of three committee members, with at least one member who is also a member of the PPT Committee. In addition, after inviting nominations from the PPT Committee, the Dean will arrange for additional members of the tenured faculty to serve on the PTR Committee. All members of the PTR Committee must be members of the School of Social Work tenure-track faculty and must be at equal or higher rank as the person under review. After completing its review of the contributions of the faculty member and consulting with the Dean, the PTR Committee will provide a written report and recommendation to the Dean. In summarizing the contributions of faculty members, the PTR Committee will determine whether the performance of the faculty member under review meets, exceeds, or does not meet expectations. If deficient, the PTR Committee will recommend to the Dean that the faculty member prepare a development plan specifying actions to remedy their deficiencies.

UNC-Chapel Hill shall provide ongoing support and training for all post-tenure review evaluators, including peer-review committee members, department chairs or academic unit heads, and Deans. UNC General Administration will provide digital training modules that focus on the basics of state personnel policy and UNC policies, regulations, and guidelines related to personnel and tenure; the essential elements of a useful and thoughtful review; how to prepare, conduct and manage a meaningful review process; and how to provide constructive criticism in a positive manner. UNC-CH shall ensure that all post-tenure review evaluators review these modules and receive training in campus-specific policies and procedures. In submitting the requisite annual post-tenure review reports, the Provost will also certify that required training has been conducted.

Information Considered During Review Process. The review will involve an examination of qualitative and quantitative evidence of all relevant aspects of a faculty member's professional performance over at least the previous five years in relation to the mission of the department, school, and institution. If a faculty member's responsibilities do not include teaching, research, or public service, but instead focus primarily on one or two of these areas, the review shall take this allocation of responsibilities into account.

• Self-Assessment By Faculty Member. The faculty member being reviewed will prepare a written self-assessment indicating accomplishments during the past five years, goals for the next five years, and specific milestones for meeting these goals. Annual reviews will be used to assess progress toward the goals specified. Self-assessments should be approximately two single-spaced pages in length.
• Background Information. The faculty member will also prepare a file that includes:
  • a copy of an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV);
  • teaching evaluations for all classes taught for the past five years;
  • scholarly work completed since the last review (three to five examples of work that best represents the faculty member's contributions); and
  • information concerning significant professional and public engagement²⁰

Peer Visitation of Classes. Peer visitation of classes will be conducted to enhance the insights of the faculty as a whole about teaching and to provide relevant information on the faculty member being reviewed. The purpose of the visit is to observe the faculty during typical class activities. The PTR Committee will arrange for visitation in at least one class session of at least one course during the year prior to or the year in which the post-tenure review of an individual faculty member is conducted. One or two members of the PTR committee will conduct the peer visitation. Before visitation, faculty members under review will meet with the member(s) of the PTR Committee to plan for a class visit and to describe the objectives and activities for the class session to be observed. The faculty member under review will provide the PTR Committee member(s) with a course syllabus. These visitations are intended to be as unobtrusive as possible. The date and time of the in-class observation should be announced to students prior to the class. The reviewer(s) shall submit a report of the classroom observation to the PTR Chair using the Peer Observation Form, which will be provided. By faculty members' request, the Dean may waive the requirement for a peer visitation of classes if the faculty member has taught at least two classes in the two years prior to and including the post-tenure review year and has teaching evaluations available. The Dean will notify the faculty member in advance whether a peer visitation of classes is required.

Determination Regarding Overall Performance. The PTR Committee will submit its confidential summary review and recommendations to the Dean. The Dean will provide a written evaluative review along with the PTR Committee report to advise the faculty member being reviewed whether they believe that the faculty member's performance meets, exceeds, or does not meet expectations. The post-tenure review process should identify and recognize performance that exceeds expectations. The process may also identify specific areas in which faculty members can improve and, in such cases, the process should result in specific recommendations and plans for improvement. For faculty members whose overall performance does not meet expectations, the report of the Post-Tenure Review Committee shall include a statement of the faculty member's primary responsibilities, directional goals established, specific descriptions of shortcomings as they relate to the faculty member's assigned duties, and a more comprehensive plan for improvement (a development plan).

Establishment and Monitoring of Development Plan. Development plans should be established jointly by the faculty member being reviewed and the Dean on the basis of the evaluation and recommendations provided by the Post-Tenure Review Committee. Faculty development plans should be individualized and flexible, taking into account the faculty member's intellectual interests, abilities, and career stage, as well as needs of the unit and institution. The development plan should describe changes, if any, to be made in the faculty member's teaching, research, and/or service responsibilities, establish clear goals, specify steps designed to achieve those goals, define indicators of goal attainment, establish a clear and reasonable time frame for the completion of goals, identify any resources available for implementation of the plan, and state the consequences of failure to attain the goals. The use of peer mentoring will be encouraged, and progress meetings with the Dean must occur on at least a semi-annual basis during the specified time frame in the development plan. Annual reviews will also be used to assess progress toward goals specified in the plan. The Dean will acknowledge in writing a faculty member's clear improvement and successful completion of a development plan.

Role of the Dean

• After consulting with the PTR Committee, the Dean will receive and review their report on the faculty member being reviewed.
• The Dean will prepare a written evaluation to accompany the PTR Committee report for the faculty member conveying the results of the review. The faculty member is given the opportunity to provide the Dean with a written response to the PTR Committee Report.
• If the PTR Committee determines that a faculty member's overall performance does not meet expectations and recommends the establishment of a development plan, the Dean will work jointly with the faculty member to prepare the plan using the evaluation and recommendations in the PTR report. Annual reviews will be used to assess progress toward goals specified in the plan.
• The Dean shall review any written response to the PTR Committee report provided by the faculty member.
• The Dean will maintain the PTR Committee's written summary and the faculty member's response, if any, as part of that faculty member's confidential personnel file, along with all background information and other materials used in connection with the post-tenure review.

E. Appeals and Reports to the Provost

• Faculty members may appeal matters related to post-tenure review to the Faculty Grievance Committee under Section 607 of the Code of the University of North Carolina during their term of employment.
• In the event that a faculty member fails to participate in the PTR process or fails to complete a development plan successfully and continues to exhibit deficient performance, the Dean will notify the Provost, who will consider whether grounds for dismissal or other disciplinary action exist under the Trustees Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure. Dismissal or severe sanction may be imposed only in accordance with and on the grounds stated in the Trustees Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure.
• As stated in the University policy on post-tenure review, the Dean will file annual reports to the Office of the Provost specifying the names of faculty members reviewed during the previous year, the names of faculty members for whom a development plan was recommended and established, and the names of faculty members who were subject to review in that year but for whom a delay was requested (along with the reasons for delay).

F. Procedure for Requesting a Post-Tenure Review Delay

• Requests to delay an upcoming post-tenure review should be submitted to the Dean three months in advance to ensure timely departmental processing of the request.
• Requests must be in writing and specify the compelling reason(s) for the request to delay the review.
• The Dean will forward the delay request with a written justification to the Executive Vice-Provost and Chief International Officer (or their designee).
• The Executive Vice-Provost and Chief International Officer will review these materials and send a written communication to the faculty member and the Dean indicating whether the request has been approved.
• If the request is approved, the faculty member's academic unit must then complete an electronic action in the existing system, with the Provost's letter of approval attached, to finalize the change to the post-tenure review date.

VIII. Procedures for Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion of Fixed-Term Faculty^21,22

A. Appointment Definitions, Reappointment Reviews, and Promotion

Fixed-term appointments are those appointments not leading to permanent tenure. As stipulated by the University, fixed-term ranks include (a) Instructor, (b) Assistant Professor, (c) Associate Professor, and (d) Professor, with the prefix qualifier "clinical" or "research." Fixed-term denotes an appointment for a person who is employed in the School for at least 50% full-time equivalent and whose primary responsibility within the School is in one of three work foci: research and scholarship; engagement; or teaching, advising, and mentoring (see Section VI for definitions of these work foci and associated criteria and evidentiary indicants).

All faculty members, including those in fixed-term appointments, are expected to participate in faculty governance and contribute in the performance of the School's planning, program, and administrative work.

At the discretion of the Dean of the School, when a fixed-term faculty appointment fills an ongoing role in the School of Social Work's academic program, employment contracts should be longer than one year. Thus, except in unusual circumstances, the following guidelines will be observed:

Additional notes:

• The above policy applies only to fixed-term clinical and research faculty appointments and does not apply to EHRA or SHRA non-faculty positions.
• All faculty appointment contracts contain language that denotes that appointments are contingent upon the continuing availability of funds other than recurring state funds or permanent trust funds. If at some future time these funds are unavailable, the appointment may have to be terminated; this is the meaning of the contingency clause.
• Fixed-term faculty can be considered for promotion within the appointment period; faculty need not wait until the end of their specified appointment period before seeking promotion.
• On rare occasion it may be necessary to end a fixed-term contract if the funding becomes non-available. Whenever possible, fixed-term faculty members will be given at least a six-month notice of non-reappointment.

A fixed-term faculty member with a rank of Assistant Professor or higher may be appointed to full membership of the graduate faculty of the University.

A review of all fixed-term faculty members at Clinical or Research Assistant Professor or higher will be conducted at the time of contract renewals. For reappointment to current rank, the PPT Committee requires a letter with a recommendation for reappointment from the fixed-term faculty member's supervisor. Fixed-term faculty members are not required to submit other review materials. The Dean provides the assembled Full Professors with a copy of the letter from the fixed-term faculty member's supervisor, and may share any comments expressed by members of the PPT. The assembled Full Professors will vote on the reappointment. The recommendation of the Dean, including a report of the vote of the Full Professors, is conveyed to the faculty member in writing.

The Dean will notify fixed-term faculty members about their timeline for review and encourage them to be proactive in initiating their promotion process (see requirements below). In ongoing consultation with the Full Professors, the Dean will have conversations with faculty about the requirements for promotion at all faculty levels. These conversations should include the School's expectations for scholarly products and grants as well as what is expected of faculty within each of the different faculty levels. Newly hired faculty members should be provided an orientation by a designated person at the school-level who is knowledgeable about appointments, promotion, and tenure. This will help faculty and staff to understand promotion-related timelines and promotion/tenure expectations.

The PPT Committee will review reappointments and recommendations for reappointment to a higher rank. Criteria for appointment, reappointment, and promotion are specified in Part VI of this document. In promotion decisions for fixed-term faculty, the relative weight of the three performance domains (research and scholarship; engagement; and teaching, advising, and mentoring) will be determined based on the job description of the faculty member being considered for promotion.

B. Appointment and Promotion Guidelines

The following classification hierarchy and promotion guidelines will be followed for fixed-term faculty appointments.

• Appointment to (Clinical or Research) Fixed-Term Instructor. Appointment to this rank requires a master's degree. A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience (pre- or post-master's studies) is preferred, although not required. The primary domain(s) of responsibility (work focus) must be identified upon being hired (research and scholarship; engagement; teaching, advising, and mentoring).

• Appointment or Promotion to (Clinical or Research) Fixed-Term Assistant Professor. Direct appointment to this rank requires either a master's degree and 7 years of relevant experience (6 years must be post-master's) or a doctoral degree in social work or in a related field. At the discretion of the Dean in consultation with the Associate Deans for Research and Academics, fixed-term faculty with a rank of Assistant Professor or higher may chair committees within the school and apply for research funding as a principal investigator. The Clinical or Research Instructor will either (a) complete a minimum of 4 years of employment in the School of Social Work at this rank or (b) earn a doctoral degree in social work or in a related field in the interim in order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of Clinical or Research Assistant Professor. At the discretion of the Dean, a candidate with fewer years of experience may be eligible for promotion if the candidate's reputation and expertise warrant such an exception.

  To be promoted to the level of Clinical or Research Assistant Professor, the Clinical or Research Instructor will demonstrate excellence in their identified primary domain of responsibility (research and scholarship; engagement; teaching, advising, and mentoring) using the associated criteria and evidentiary indicants described in Section VI. The successful candidate for promotion will demonstrate progressively greater amounts of leadership, initiative, responsibility, and independence in conjunction with the principal investigator or other supervisor of their work, including the identification and achievement of goals for professional development.

• Promotion to (Clinical or Research) Fixed-term Associate Professor. Appointment to this rank requires either a master's degree and 13 years of relevant experience (12 years must be post-master's) or a doctoral degree in social work or in a related field and 6 years of relevant experience (5 years must be post-master's). Appointees should evidence excellence in the primary domain of responsibility (i.e., research and scholarship; engagement; teaching, advising, and mentoring) and proficiency in an identified secondary domain of responsibility using the associated criteria and evidentiary indicants described in Section VI. The Clinical or Research Assistant Professor already employed in the School of Social Work will complete 6 years of employment in the School of Social Work at this rank to be eligible for promotion to the rank of Clinical or Research Associate Professor. At the discretion of the Dean, a candidate with fewer years of experience may be eligible for promotion if the candidate's reputation and expertise warrant such an exception.

  The successful candidate for promotion will demonstrate progressively greater amounts of leadership, initiative, responsibility, creativity, and independence (in conjunction with the principal investigator, if applicable, or other supervisor). To achieve the rank of Clinical or Research Associate Professor, in conjunction with involvement of a secondary foci, faculty members will demonstrate understanding and proficiency in the identified domain of responsibility through publication of scholarly work, presentations at conferences or workshops, use of research findings in the development of professional trainings or other scholarly activities (e.g., co-author or co-presenter), or development of a curriculum that is well-received by consumers and evaluated as helpful and/or relevant to the profession.

• (Clinical or Research) Fixed-term Full Professor. Appointment to the rank of Clinical or Research Full Professor requires a doctoral degree in social work or in a related field, 12 years of relevant experience (11 years must be post-master's), and demonstrated expertise and consistent functioning in at least two of the three work domains: research and scholarship; engagement; or teaching, advising, and mentoring. Criteria and evidentiary indicants used for appointment to this rank are described in Section VI. At the discretion of the Dean, a candidate with fewer years of experience may be appointed to the rank of Clinical or Research Full Professor if the candidate's reputation and expertise warrant such an exception and appointment. Fixed-term Associate Professors already employed in the School of Social Work and who have a doctoral degree in social work or in a related field are eligible for promotion to Clinical or Research Professor after 6 years in their current position. At the discretion of the Dean, a candidate with fewer years of experience may be eligible for promotion if the candidate's reputation and expertise warrant such an exception. Applicants for promotion are expected to demonstrate capacity to bring external funding into the School, to mentor other colleagues and students, and to have substantial expertise in his or her area of interest certainly within the state of North Carolina and possibly regionally or nationally.

C. Materials to be Reviewed for Promotion

• Persons to be reviewed for promotion shall submit the following materials to the PPT Committee:
  • A description of job responsibilities;
  • A written self-evaluation statement referencing the description of job responsibilities and the appropriate criteria for performance review as given in Section VI of this document;
  • Faculty members are expected to review their scholarship, creative endeavors, teaching, mentorship, and service that relates to inclusion and diversity, including such service and contributions nationally, internationally, and on campus.
  • A copy of an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV);
  • The faculty member's "invisible labor" (i.e., faculty roles that enable an institution to have diverse representation and participation on search and administrative committees or projects) must be made evident and should be accounted for in their CV.
  • The faculty member's CV may include a section on Diversity and Inclusion, which will contain a narrative or bullet points describing how the faculty member's work has affected issues of inclusion in the School, on campus, or in the profession of social work. In the Diversity and Inclusion section, faculty members could review their scholarship, creative endeavors, teaching, mentorship, and service that relates to inclusion and diversity.
  • Letter of support from the candidate's primary supervisor or administrator;
  • Copies of three to five publications, summary of training curricula developed, research and administrative reports, or other items considered most representative of the candidate's work;
  • Other written materials that support the request for promotion that represent the primary responsibilities of the fixed-term faculty member;
  • Compilation of information about courses taught during the review period, if applicable;
  • Compilation of teaching and training evaluations, if applicable;
  • Peer-observation report for teaching or instruction, if applicable (provided by the PPT to the candidate)²⁵; and
  • A list of three to five scholars, colleagues, former students, or representatives from organizations who the candidate believes are most familiar with the areas in which the candidate has the greatest competence and from whom a reference can be solicited. The candidate will discuss the suitability of their reference choices with the Dean. The candidate will then request references; these letters can be from reviewers inside the University and from individuals not independent of the candidate.
• The Dean shall make available to the PPT Committee the following information:
  • The material submitted by the candidate;
  • Written evaluations submitted by relevant administrators; and
  • All external references
• Sharing of information with the candidate will be governed by University policies and by state and federal law. The candidate may consult with the Office of the University Attorney about these policies and laws.
• No anonymous or oral comments will be used; only written evaluations or comments will be considered in the review process.

D. Action of the Personnel Promotion and Tenure Committee in Promotion Reviews

Based on the review of material submitted and in light of the criteria for evaluation (see Section VI), the PPT Committee shall prepare a descriptive report of the faculty member's performance.

• The PPT Committee shall not make a recommendation for or against the proposed action.
• The PPT Committee's summary report shall be made available to the Full Professors and the Dean.

E. Action by the Full Professors in Promotion Reviews

Every effort will be made to provide the Full Professors with at least 14 days to review the material related to the candidate's promotion case before meeting to discuss, review, and vote on their recommendation to the Dean regarding the proposed action. The Full Professors will have at least 7 days to review the PPT Committee's summary statement of the candidate's promotional materials prior to meeting to vote and provide their recommendation to the Dean.

• All discussion and deliberations of the Full Professors shall remain confidential.
• The Dean shall chair the meeting of the Full Professors.
• The Full Professors shall vote by secret ballot, although Full Professors will be able to provide comments on the ballot about the reason for their individual vote (both positive and otherwise).²⁶ Full Professors must explain negative and abstained votes on their ballot. Full Professors who have a significant conflict of interest in voting on a candidate will be excused from voting. This will not be reported as an abstention.

F. Action by the Dean in Promotion Reviews

The recommendation of the Dean shall be presented to the faculty member in writing and shall be conveyed to the Provost of the University and include the following:

• the vote of the Full Professors
• a supporting statement
• whether they are upholding the full professor vote

For negative or non-favorable results, the following information will be included in the written correspondence:

• A written summary reflecting the procedural process that was followed.
• The faculty member has 14 calendar days (from receipt of letter which will be certified) to inform the dean in writing of any intent to appeal the school-level decision. Such notification should specify the basis of their appeal.
• The faculty member will be advised they have the option to schedule an appointment with the Provost's Office regarding the matter.
• The faculty member has the right of appeal as specified in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://academicpersonnel.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1069/2020/02/UNC-Chapel-Hill-Tenure-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf. However, the faculty member must first document that, "an unsuccessful attempt has been made by the faculty member to resolve it with the administrative official most directly concerned."

G. Orienting and Mentoring Fixed-Term Faculty Members

Newly hired faculty members should be provided an orientation by a designated person at the school level who is knowledgeable about the appointment and promotion process. This will help faculty and staff to understand promotion-related timelines and promotion/tenure expectations.

In addition, for fixed term faculty members whose role is primarily focused on research, the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development (ADRFD) works with any faculty member at any stage of their career to establish a mentoring committee. See III. Recruitment and Appointments for Tenure-Track Faculty E. Mentoring Guidance for details for how such mentoring committees could be formed, conducted, and evaluated. These mentoring guidelines can be modified to best address the specific needs of the fixed-term faculty member.

Teaching Guidance and Support

Efforts to support faculty members who teach in the MSW and Doctoral programs within the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work are supported in the following ways.

Lead Teacher Mentorship. The Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education manages the teaching assignments for the MSW program. When possible, all faculty and instructors are connected to other faculty who have taught this course prior. Each course that has multiple sections is assigned a "Lead Teacher" who is responsible for ensuring equivalence across sections and helping to on-board new instructors.

• Courses with multiple sections are expected to meet at least twice over the academic year. Initially, prior to the beginning of the semester, the instructors meet to on-board new instructors or adjuncts and discuss the syllabus as a team. The instructors meet a second time later in the semester to discuss how the course is going and to offer a processing space for instructors. A third meeting can occur after the class has ended to process any needed changes to the syllabus or course design.
• Lead Teachers are assigned based on longevity teaching a course successfully. Faculty who are interested in serving as a lead teacher and providing this type of teaching mentorship and support to other faculty and instructors should let the Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education know. Typically, lead teacher assignments are made in the spring semester, prior to the start of the next academic year.
• Success of lead teachers is evaluated based on equivalence among multiple sections, aggregate accreditation assessment outcomes, and based on feedback received by all faculty involved in the course.

Teaching Mentorship by the Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education. Every semester the Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education reviews every course evaluation to assess teaching trends and patterns. When faculty and course evaluation scores are 1 standard deviation above the semester's average, congratulatory memos are sent to faculty member and their supervisors. Likewise, support and remediation plans are initated if patterns of teaching issues arise. The Senior Associate Dean for MSW Education is available to provide support to all fixed-term faculty members whose primary domain is teaching to offer one-on-one consultation as requested.

Peer Supports and Other Teaching Resources. Support for teaching is available through peer support models wherein faculty facilitate monthly meetings to discuss teaching and classroom issues. Currently "Teaching in Racialized Spaces" is the name of the group that meets to provide peer support and informal mentorship for faculty and instructors (including adjuncts and doctoral students) who can electively participate in this open group. Additional resources to support teaching excellence includes the University's Center for Faculty Excellence (https://cfe.unc.edu/) and the newly created website to support responsive teaching in light of COVID-19 adaptations (https://keepteaching.unc.edu/).

IX. Transitions from Fixed-Term to the Tenure Track

The ability to move from fixed-term appointments to tenure-track appointments is feasible in very select circumstances for a limited number of existing faculty members. Such a change track action is initiated by an existing faculty member with full support from the dean and would require a vote by the Full Professors as defined in the School's promotion and tenure guidelines. A waiver of recruitment is required from the University's Office of Human Resources.

X. Counteroffers

An existing faculty member may be considered for promotion and/or early tenure as part of a counteroffer if the faculty member is fully qualified for this promotion based on UNC-Chapel Hill's criteria. Given that the promotion and tenure process moves slowly, it will be important to indicate to the faculty member in the counteroffer that all efforts will be made to rapidly put their dossier together and move it forward for consideration at UNC-Chapel Hill.

On the rare occasion that an existing fixed-term faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill receives an external offer which conveys promotion and/or tenure, this may serve as rationale for a proposed track transition or promotion at UNC-Chapel Hill, subject to the approval of the Dean, the Full Professors, the review committees, the Provost, and the Board of Trustees.

Counteroffers are typically not considered more frequently than every five years, and exceptions for additional earlier counteroffers require explicit in-advance agreement of the Provost.

• Allow existing fixed-term faculty members switching to the tenure track to count previous years or parts of previous service of work on the fixed-term at UNC-Chapel Hill (if they wish), pending the approval of the Dean and the Chair.

XI. Search Waivers and Recruitment

It is important to honor the integrity of the open recruitment process and select the very best candidates for faculty roles. At UNC-Chapel Hill, a search waiver is used by schools and departments under special circumstances to hire outside of the formal recruitment process. The UNC Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC) follows the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFCP) guidelines.

Typical search waiver categories offered are:

• unique qualifications (i.e., candidate has global recognition, unable to find a candidate with similar skills, etc.)
• emergency appointment (i.e., unexpected event in department such as retirement, health-related, etc.)
• spousal hire
• VITAE (Valuing Inclusion to Attain Excellence) hire, formerly known as a Targeted Hire, or Targeted Hire of Opportunity
• contribution to diversity of the department or school
• post-doctoral candidate transition to a fixed-term faculty position
• other unusual categories

Waivers for searches should be carefully considered and utilized cautiously to ensure confidence in the open search process and to ensure equal opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. Searches with five or fewer applicants need approval by the Provost before interviews can begin. The department must submit the position description, a recruitment plan, and an explanation for why the number of applicants is five or fewer. The Office of the Provost should provide a response within three business days to avoid delays in the application and interview processes.

Notes

² The Full Professors Committee includes both tenure-track and fixed-term Full Professors. In all actions regarding promotion review of tenured and tenure-track faculty members, only tenured Full Professors cast votes. All Full Professors participate in the review and discussion process.

³ Very rarely will an Assistant Professor be considered for promotion at the time of first reappointment as a probationary Assistant Professor. In general, consideration for promotion and/or tenure with a submitted dossier should not occur in less than four years at UNC-Chapel Hill (except for those with years of previous experience that is recognized in their offer letter) (Report, p. 3).

⁴ Tenured Associate Professors shall be given the opportunity to decide whether they wish to be considered for promotion to Full Professor, but they must receive either a promotion review or a post-tenure review at least every 5 years. Very rarely will an Associate Professor with tenure be considered for promotion to Full Professor with a submitted dossier in less than four years at that rank. However, unusually high levels of accomplishment may be considered in the timing of an earlier promotion or tenure review. Additionally, competitive external offers that convey higher rank or tenure may be a rationale for an earlier promotion or tenure review (Report, p. 3). A newly hired Associate Professor typically receives an initial probationary appointment to the rank of untenured Associate Professor for a term of 5 years. In these situations, reviews for reappointment with tenure are usually conducted prior to the end of the fourth year of the 5-year probationary appointment.

⁵ The offer letter should explicitly state that previous university teaching, research, and service experience will be included in for tenure or promotion decisions at UNC-Chapel Hill. This inclusion of previous university teaching, research, and service will need to be conveyed to all external letter writers and to the various Promotion and Tenure committees that review the dossier, including the Full Professors. In these cases, evidence of teaching effectiveness at the previous university (peer or student teaching evaluations) will be examined for promotion and tenure decisions at UNC-Chapel Hill.

⁶ The PPT Committee will arrange for visitation in at least one class session of at least one course during the academic year prior to (or the calendar year in which) the promotion review of an individual faculty member is conducted. The peer visitation will be conducted by one or two faculty members who are selected by the PPT Committee and are knowledgeable in the candidate's curriculum area. Before visitation, the candidate will coordinate with the reviewer(s) to plan for the class visit and to describe the objectives and activities for the class session that will be observed, including submitting a copy of the course syllabus. These visitations should be as unobtrusive as possible. The date and time of the in-class observation should be announced to students prior to the class. The reviewer(s) shall submit a report of the classroom observation to the PPT Committee using the Peer Observation Form, which is available from the Dean's Administrative Assistant.

⁷ If the vote in not unanimous, the Dean will make every effort to convey the reason for negative votes and abstentions in the summary letter that is sent to the Provost of the University.

⁸ The Full Professors Committee includes both tenure-track and fixed-term Full Professors. In all actions regarding tenure review of tenure-track faculty members, only tenured Full Professors cast votes. All Full Professors participate in the review and discussion process.

⁹ A tenure decision is a different type of decision than a decision to promote because the tenure decision requires a long-term commitment to the faculty member by the University and assures rights and privileges beyond those of a non-tenured position. Therefore, the intent of this procedure is to insure a separate voting process for the two requests.

¹⁰ If the vote in not unanimous, the Dean will make every effort to convey the reason for negative votes and abstentions in the summary letter that is sent to the Provost of the University.

¹¹ Tenure track faculty should publish in a range of high-quality journals. The quality of the journals will be considered in the review process. The faculty member should discuss evidence for the quality and appropriateness for their journal selections in the personal statement. At the time this document was updated, open access social work journals have proliferated; however, their quality, value, and impact remains uneven. The faculty member is advised to consult with senior faculty members about their opinions for different publication outlets. Candidates should choose interdisciplinary journals as often as possible, especially when seeking promotion to Full Professor.

¹² Faculty should display an increasingly independent and autonomous track record for securing grant and contract support as they are promoted through the faculty ranks. Tenure track faculty seeking promotion to Associate Professor with tenure should demonstrate an ability to support their research agendas. Faculty seeking promotion to Full Professor should lead increasingly complex research projects as a Principal Investigator, as well as support junior faculty colleagues and doctoral students within the School.

¹³ Peer-reviewed journal publications have historically been a key element in evaluations of applications for tenure. Senior faculty and external reviewers will always judge both the quality and quantity of articles in the candidate's dossier. Quality and quantity are commonly highly correlated. The School of Social Work has not set a specific number of publications needed for promotion to a higher rank. The Dean's office will provide statistical information concerning past tenure and promotion packages (i.e., average number of publications, average number and size of grants) upon request. Dossiers for promotion to Full Professor must document publication activities significantly beyond the candidate's track record from Assistant to Associate Professor. Candidates are advised to seek guidance from senior faculty and mentors if questions arise concerning publication quality and quantity.

¹⁴ These different vehicles for scholarship dissemination do not have equivalent weight in dossier reviews. Senior faculty, mentors, and supervisors should be consulted when questions arise about where to invest energy in publishing one's scholarship. For example, presentations and conference proceedings commonly do not receive the same weight as peer-reviewed publications in promotion dossiers for tenure-track faculty.

¹⁵ Engaged scholarship is an emerging area on campus and in the field. This form of scholarship addresses a critical public concern and advances projects with extensive community collaborations and involvement (e.g., community-based participatory research). Candidates in this area should be given latitude to demonstrate research impact in multiple ways beyond the number of their peer-reviewed publications.

¹⁶ Developing a new program manual can be a significant contribution to social work practice. At the same time, the submission of an unpublished program manual in tenure and promotion dossiers usually does not have equivalent weight to peer-reviewed publications. When questions arise, the faculty submitting the tenure or promotion dossier should consult with senior faculty and mentors.

¹⁷ Reports to funders may be weighted differently in tenure-track versus fixed-term faculty promotion dossiers. For tenure-track dossiers, reports to funders typically do not have the weight of peer-reviewed publications. For fixed-term faculty, generating reports to funders might be central to their job duties, making these reports an important part of their promotion dossiers.

¹⁸ Scholarship dissemination is evolving in new ways based on technological innovations. Faculty members are encouraged to explore innovative ways to disseminate their scholarship and make an impact on the field. At the time of this update, it is unclear how these new forms of scholarship dissemination should be weighted within promotion dossiers. Junior faculty seeking promotion should consult with senior faculty to understand evolving attitudes in this area.

¹⁹ Sources: Memorandum from Bruce W. Carney, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost on May 22, 2012 entitled — "Future Promotion and Tenure Policies and Practices & the Academic Plan" and Embedding Public Engagement in Higher Education: Final Report of the National Action Research Programme (2011) written by Danny Burns and Heather Squires with participants from the National Action Research Programme. University of Bristol. www.publicengagement.ac.uk

²⁰ The Dean may also provide additional pertinent written information, including information developed during periodic merit reviews and information relating to the faculty member's ongoing work within the institution.

²¹ The classifications of Adjunct and EHRA non-faculty are considered fixed-term, but are not reviewed for official promotions within the School, and therefore those positions are not within the scope of this document. For more comprehensive information and guidelines that govern EHRA non-faculty positions, refer to the General Administration guidelines under Human Resources policies and procedures.

²² The Full Professors Committee includes both tenure-track and fixed-term Full Professors. In all actions regarding promotion review of fixed-term faculty members, both tenured and fixed-term Full Professors fully participate in review and discussion process and cast votes.

²³ 0–1, 1–2, 2–3

²⁴ 3–4, 4–5

²⁵ The PPT Committee will arrange for visitation in at least one instructional session of at least one course or training event during the academic year prior to or the calendar year in which the promotion review of an individual faculty member is conducted. The peer visitation will be conducted by one or two faculty members selected by the PPT Committee and who are knowledgeable in the candidate's curriculum area. Before visitation, the candidate will coordinate with the reviewer(s) to plan for the visitation and to describe the objectives and activities for the class or instructional session that will be observed, including submitting a copy of the course syllabus or training agenda. These visitations should be as unobtrusive as possible. The date and time of the observation should be announced to students or participants prior to the event. The reviewer(s) shall submit a report of the observation to the PPT Committee using the Peer Observation Form, which is available from the Dean's Administrative Assistant.

²⁶ If the vote in not unanimous, the Dean should make every effort to convey the reason for negative votes and abstentions in the summary letter that is sent to the Provost of the University.

References

Crockett, D. S. (Ed.). (1987). Advising skills, techniques and resources: A compilation of materials related to the organization and delivery of advising services. ACT Corporation.

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Ramona Denby-Brinson, Dean and Professor

Telephone: (919)-843-9682

Email: rdenby-brinson@unc.edu

Other Contacts

Name: Robert Hawkins, Vice Dean

Telephone: (919) 962-6469

Email: Robert.Hawkins@unc.edu