FACULTY EMPLOYMENT

EVALUATION

Evaluation Criteria for Tenure (ACCFT Faculty)

Further guidance is supplied by BOR Policy 04.04.045 “Tenure”:

1. Purpose. Tenure assures the academic community an environment that will nurture academic freedom by providing employment security.

2. Responsibilities, rights and privileges of tenure.

a. Performance. A tenured faculty member has a responsibility to maintain high standards of professional performance and conduct.

b. Appointment. An appointment with tenure shall be an appointment to academic rank which shall not be affected by changes in such rank and shall be continued until resignation, retirement, or termination. The award of tenure guarantees continuing appointment for at least nine months per year. Any change in fraction of full-time appointment as a tenured faculty member must be by mutual consent of the University and the faculty member. The award of tenure does not exempt a faculty member from changes in policies and procedures approved for each University.

c. Locus of tenure. Faculty are tenured within an academic unit or units of a University of the University of Alaska system.

3. Method of appointment to tenure. Tenure is not received automatically. It is awarded only following careful consideration of an applicant faculty member in accordance with the methods described in this title, Policy 04.04.05(B) and the policies and procedures approved for each University . Following consideration of the recommendations of the faculty the Chancellor may grant tenure to faculty who are qualified.

4. Eligibility for consideration for award of tenure.

a. Criteria. Tenure may be awarded to faculty appointed to a tenure track position and any academic rank. Tenure is not awarded to faculty members holding special academic rank.

b. Conditions. A faculty member may request an evaluation for award of tenure during any year of service. However, a faculty member must be reviewed for tenure in accordance with the following:

(1) Initial appointment to full or associate professor. An initial appointment to the rank of professor may be made with or without tenure. However, faculty receiving such appointments without tenure must be reviewed for tenure no later than the second consecutive year of service. Appointments to full professor may continue beyond the third year only with tenure. Initial appointment to the rank of associate professor also may be made with or without tenure. Likewise, faculty receiving such appointments without tenure must be reviewed for tenure no later than the fourth consecutive year of service. Appointments to associate professor may continue beyond the fifth year only with tenure.

(2) Promotion to associate professor. Non-tenured faculty undergoing review for promotion to associate professor must also be reviewed for tenure. Promotion to associate professor cannot be made without prior or simultaneous award of tenure.

(3) Review of assistant professor. All non-tenured faculty appointed at the rank of assistant professor must be reviewed for tenure no later than the seventh consecutive year of service in this rank. Service in this rank or in a combination of this rank and a tenure track appointment as instructor may continue beyond the eighth year only with tenure.

(4) Review of instructor. Faculty with the title of instructor may be reviewed for tenure only if the title is one of academic rank according to policies and procedures of an individual University . In this case faculty must be reviewed for tenure no later than the seventh consecutive year of service in this rank. Service in this rank may continue beyond the eighth year only with tenure if the title is one of academic rank.

c. Years of service.

(1) Towards mandatory review. In computing total consecutive years of service for determining the time of mandatory tenure review, periods of leave at full salary and sabbatical leave will be included. Periods of leave of absence at partial or no salary shall not be included unless requested by the faculty member and approved at the time the leave is granted. However, regardless of inclusion in the computation of total years, leave of absence shall not be deemed an interruption of otherwise consecutive service. Years of service preceding a break in consecutive years of University employment may be counted only upon agreement between the faculty member and the University at the time of re-employment.

(2) Partial year of service. A partial year of service which includes at least one semester of full-time faculty service (e.g., as in a mid-year appointment) will be included as a full year of service in computing the time of mandatory tenure review only if this year has been included in determining eligibility for any sabbatical leave.

5. Failure to receive tenure. A faculty member must stand for tenure in the mandatory review year as defined in section 4.b.(1-4) above. If tenure is not awarded, the faculty member shall be offered a terminal appointment for one additional year of service. A faculty member may stand for tenure prior to the mandatory year of review. In so doing, the candidate may withdraw at any step in the process prior to review by the Chancellor. If the decision of the Chancellor is to deny tenure, the faculty member shall be offered a terminal appointment.

6. Rejection of tenure. A faculty member who is offered tenure by a University pursuant to this policy but who declines to accept it may continue to be employed in a manner to be determined by the Chancellor of each University .

08/07