Criteria for Tenure & Promotion or Appointment

May 2024

Criteria for Tenure & Promotion to Associate Professor

Types of Criteria

In considering departmental recommendations for tenure and promotion to associate professor or new appointment at this rank, the Executive Committee of the Division of Arts and Humanities takes into account the following categories of professional achievement:

Scholarly or creative accomplishments and anticipated research trajectory. The Committee recognizes that creative and performing activities in the Arts are equivalent to the traditional academic research and scholarly publication of other disciplines. The Committee also recognizes community-engaged research as scholarly accomplishment.
Teaching excellence as demonstrated through peer and student assessments as well as professional development.
Service to the candidate’s department, college, university, community, and profession.

Ranking the Criteria

The Committee places the greatest emphasis on scholarly or creative accomplishments. Evidence of superior teaching is also required. Evidence of service where appropriate shall be considered as well.

Documentation

Documentation of research or creative activities must include the following:
- Candidate statement (3-4 pages) addressing significance of research agenda and works in progress, teaching, and service activities. In the case of collaborative research, the % of effort and description of role should be made clear.
  
  Letters of evaluation of the candidate’s work solicited by the department from recognized authorities in the field at other major universities or comparable institutions inside and external to the academy. Academic evaluators should hold the rank of at least associate professor or its international equivalent. Four to eight letters are desirable for internal candidates and a minimum of three letters for external candidates. The department will indicate how the external evaluations were selected and solicited. More details in External Letters section.
- Whenever possible, the dossier should include the following for context:
  - Evaluative descriptions of journals, presses, galleries, theatres, etc., which have published or presented the candidate’s work, including if and how the publication venue is considered to be peer reviewed.
  - Published reviews of the candidate’s work.
  - Readers’ reports on accepted, but not yet published, manuscripts.
  - In the case of collaborative research, a clear explanation of the candidate’s contribution and effort.
- Additional letters of support from UWM colleagues may be included.
Documentation of teaching:
1. Documentation of teaching must include:
  - Summary of findings of any standardized evaluation instruments the department administers.
  - A balanced and objective digest of (approximately two pages prepared by the department chair or chair’s designee) of quantitative and qualitative teaching evaluations with an explanation of how the sample was generated and evaluated by the executive committee or a subcommittee thereof.
2. Peer evaluations of teaching, conducted on a yearly basis through the probationary period, are highly recommended.
3. Teaching and pedagogical professional development may also include some of the following, as appropriate:
  - Examples of recent syllabi or other documentation to support accomplishments described in Chair’s transmittal letter or candidate statement on teaching
  - Assessment of syllabi, examinations, and other course materials
  - Contributions to campus and Universities of Wisconsin course and curriculum development
  - Innovations in Classroom or online course instruction
  - Pedagogical training (e.g. online and blended teaching; accessibility training, etc.)
  - Teaching awards or recognition
  - Advising of graduate students
  - student honors and accomplishments
  - reports from co-instructors
  - letters from faculty and students solicited by the department
  - attendance at regional, national, and international symposia and pedagogical conferences
Documentation of service must consist of the candidate’s curriculum vitae supported, when possible, by other material, such as:
- A letter from the department chair describing service contributions to the department, college, university, community and profession.
- Program proposals that led to the creation of innovative service programs.
- The Committee recognizes community-engaged research as scholarly accomplishment. Please include these activities in the Research folder as appropriate.

Criteria for Tenure & Promotion to Full Professor

Types of Criteria

In considering departmental recommendations for promotion to full professor or new appointment at this rank, a subcommittee comprised of a minimum of three (3) full professors of the Executive Committee of the Division of Arts and Humanities takes into account the following categories of professional achievement, with particular emphasis on accomplishments since the initial tenure appointment:

Continued and recognized scholarly or creative accomplishments.

The subcommittee recognizes that creative and performing activities in the Arts are equivalent to the traditional academic research and scholarly publications of other disciplines. The Committee also recognizes community-engaged research as scholarly accomplishment. Please include these activities in the Research folder as appropriate.
Teaching.
Service to the candidate’s department, college, university, community, and profession.

Ranking the Criteria

The subcommittee places the greatest emphasis on scholarly or creative accomplishments. Evidence of superior teaching and significant service to the discipline and/or the university shall be considered as well.

Documentation

Documentation of research or creative activities must include the following:
- Candidate statement (3-4 pages) addressing significance of research agenda and works in progress, teaching, and service activities. In the case of collaborative research, the % of effort and description of role should be made clear.
- Letters of evaluation of the candidate’s work solicited by the department from recognized authorities in the field at other major universities or comparable institutions inside and external to the academy. Academic evaluators should hold the rank of full professor or its international equivalent. Four to eight letters are desirable for internal candidates and a minimum of three letters for external candidates. The department must indicate how the external evaluations were selected and solicited. More details in External Letters section.
- Whenever possible, the dossier should include the following for context:
  - Evaluative descriptions of journals, presses, galleries, theatres, etc. that have published or presented the candidate’s work, including if and how the publication venue is considered to be peer reviewed.
  - Published reviews of the candidate’s work and/or readers’ reports on accepted, but not yet published, manuscripts.
  - In the case of collaborative research, a clear explanation of the candidate’s contribution and effort.
  - Letters of support from UWM colleagues may be included.
Documentation of Teaching
1. Documentation of teaching must include:
  - summary of findings of any standardized evaluation instruments the department administers
  - a balanced and objective digest of (approximately two pages prepared by the department chair or chair’s designee) of quantitative and qualitative teaching evaluations with an explanation of how the sample was generated and evaluated by the executive committee or a subcommittee thereof.
2. Peer evaluations of teaching, as determined by the department’s post-tenure review process.
3. Teaching and pedagogical professional development may also include some of the following, as appropriate:
  - Examples of recent syllabi or other documentation to support accomplishments described in Chair’s transmittal letter or candidate statement on teaching
  - Assessment of syllabi, examinations, and other course materials
  - Contributions to Campus and UW system course and curriculum development
  - Innovations in Classroom or online course instruction
  - Pedagogical training (e.g. online and blended teaching; accessibility training, etc.)
  - Teaching awards or recognition
  - Advising of graduate students
  - Student honors and accomplishments
  - Reports from co-instructors
  - Letters from faculty and students solicited by the department
  - Attendance at regional, national, and international symposia and pedagogical conferences
Documentation of service must consist of the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae supported, when possible, by other material, such as:
- letter from the department chair describing significant service contributions to the department, college, university, community and profession
- program proposals that led to the creation of innovative service programs
- The Committee recognizes community-engaged research as scholarly accomplishment. Please include these activities in the Research folder as appropriate

Format

Departmental Recommendations for Promotion or Appointment to Tenure at Rank of Associate Professor and for Promotion or Appointment to Professor

Departments are requested to prepare recommendations for promotion or appointments to tenure rank and for promotion or appointment to professor in accordance with the outline below.

The Divisional Executive Committee asks for fully digital submissions.

Folders of files with all supporting materials (including letters of support, publications, teaching evaluations, documentation of major service contributions, etc.) must be submitted in digital format (as is practical) for the Divisional Committee’s review and consideration. These materials will provide the basis for the Divisional Committee’s consideration. The digital version must be transmitted via a OneDrive/SharePoint link. (Please note that the entire path, including the file name and folder names, must contain fewer than 200 characters.) For cases involving videos or images that are impractical to include in the digital file, they should be accessible by a direct link to the video/image on an external hosting site. A general link to the candidate’s professional website is not acceptable.

The committee wishes the digital documents to be organized into folders that are named and numbered in a manner that corresponds to the list below. Refer to the CHECKLIST for further guidance (DOCX). The final version of the folders should be assembled by the Executive committee, even though they include materials prepared by the candidate, since some contain confidential information.

All materials should reach the Divisional Committee Office no later than two weeks before a scheduled Executive Committee meeting. The committee should be notified in January of cases that will be submitted after March 1, or ones where a special meeting will be required (as in the case of hires at the Associate and Full level). In general, department chairs and search committees should maintain regular contact with the Divisional Committee chair or the Committee’s coordinator on the progress of their cases, to facilitate Committee scheduling.

Materials should be sent to the Committee according to the procedures of the respective school or college and only after the respective dean has approved of transmitting the recommendation for the Committee’s advice. (For the relative weight of the information contained here, see the appropriate criteria for Tenure Promotion or for Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor.)

Information to be Included

Materials must be organized in the following sequence (the CHECKLIST offers further guidance on numbering and subfolder organization):

Folder 1: Administrative

Index page detailing location and contents of all materials
Name of candidate, department, and contact information
Letter from the candidate stating his/her desire for either an open or closed meeting as stated in Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(b) or Section 3.14(3), UWM Policies and Procedures
Candidate statement (3-4 pages) addressing significance of research agenda and works in progress, teaching, and service activities.
Curriculum vitae, including the following areas of information:
1. Background information
  1. Formal education (include university and post-secondary institutions with dates degrees obtained)
  2. Title of thesis and names of thesis mentors/advisors
  3. Academic and professional positions held (listed in reverse chronological order)
  4. Special honors, awards, and research grants
2. Publications and creative activities. For publications, proper bibliographical form must be followed. For promotion from Associate Professor to full professor cases, clearly designate research activities since tenure.
3. Teaching ability and experienc
  1. Courses usually taught (identify as to graduate or undergraduate)
  2. Course innovations
  3. Teaching in institutes, special seminars, etc.
  4. Direction of graduate student research
  5. Teaching awards, including those made by students or student organizations
4. Outreach activities and service
  1. Participation in programs or service beyond the campus related to the and/or compensation
  2. Consultative services to community agencies or groups. Specify those cases involving substantial time and/or compensation
  3. Other important service activities (e.g., committee work, administration, membership in professional organizations and offices held, participation in professional meetings, community service)
5. Other activities
Department statement of criteria for tenure and promotion. Include the dean’s procedures if different than the school/college’s procedures.
Transmittal Letter from the Chair of the Department: The letter should include the department’s evaluation of the candidate’s capabilities and place in the overall program of the department. This evaluation of the candidate’s research/creative accomplishments, teaching, and service should contain statements of fact and judgment. The numerical vote of the departmental executive committee on the recommendation for tenure or promotion should be given.
Other documents (use subfolder if needed)
- Although not required, for internal tenure cases, the candidate’s department is highly encouraged to include Annual Personnel Reviews as part of their promotion dossier.
External Letters (Subfolder): Departments must provide letters regarding a candidate’s research and/or creative accomplishments from authorities external to UWM. The letters should be solicited and gathered by the departmental executive committee. Candidates may provide names of possible referees for consideration by the department’s executive committee.
- Departments should not solicit letters from the candidates’ former advisors and graduate teachers, or any other persons with possible conflicts of interest. Any potential conflict of interest must be identified and explained in the chair’s transmittal letter. Potential conflicts include, but are not limited to, letters from departmental colleagues, co-authors, advisors, graduate and undergraduate teachers.
- These letters are considered confidential. The chair’s transmittal letter must not include confidential reviewers’ names. Each reviewer should be identified by a letter (e.g., Reviewer A, Reviewer B, Reviewer C) when the chair’s letter quotes reviewer comments. The Chair must provide a key identifying which letter corresponds to Reviewer name; this key is part of the confidential materials and may not be made public.
- For internal tenure and promotion cases, the Committee requests four (4) to eight (8) letters. For external candidates being offered a tenured position at UWM, at least three (3) letters are requested.
- Accompanying the letters must be a CV from each reviewer or one-paragraph biosketch to include job title and institution, educational and/or career background and research accomplishments in the field. A clear statement of how the external evaluations were obtained must accompany the documentation (More detail in External Letters section).

It should be noted that confidential letters of evaluation may not be used if a candidate elects an open meeting. If an open meeting is elected and confidential letters have been obtained, waivers of confidentiality or non-confidential letters must be obtained before Committee review will commence.

Folder 2: Research

(Adapt subfolders/subsections as needed for the dossier)

Copies of publications and/or evidence of creative activities submitted in appropriate digital formats, along with reviews and/or other printed evaluations of the publications and creative activities. Each item should be a separate pdf document, clearly labeled.
Work in progress, reports, grant proposals, etc.
Other supporting evidence (as relevant): Wherever possible, include reviews and/or other evaluations of the publications and creative activities; reader’s reports on accepted, but not yet published, manuscripts; and clear explanations of % and type of contributions in the case of collaborative research.
The Committee recognizes community-engaged activity with a research component as scholarly accomplishment. Please include these activities in the Research folder as appropriate.
For key publications, provide a summary description of the publication / presentation venue, its relevance in the field, and if and how it is considered to be peer-reviewed.

Folder 3: Teaching

(Adapt subfolders/subsections as needed for the dossier)

Documentation of teaching contributions described in chair’s transmittal letter. This is required for internal candidates but optional for external candidates.
Digest of quantitative and qualitative course evaluations written by Chair or case manager.
Peer reviews (required for internal tenure candidates. Optional for external candidates.)
Optional materials. (see pp XX).

Folder 4: Service

(Adapt subfolders/subsections as needed for the dossier)

Documentation of significant service contributions described in chair’s transmittal letter.

Sample Statement and Letter About External Evaluations

External Reviewer Process and Selection for Candidate X

A list of External evaluators was formulated in consultation with the department Executive Committee. Candidate X was also asked to produce a list of evaluators for consideration. Knowing that reviewing a large amount of reading material is time consuming, it was decided that fifteen External reviewers would be contacted. Three reviewers did not respond, five reviewers did not express reservations for the process, but could not comply with the timeframe, leaving the seven reviewers able to participate. Once the External reviewer had been contacted, the following letter requesting review was sent out along with vita and supplemental materials for review.

Sample Letter Sent for Review

Reviewer’s name and address
Tenure and Promotion Review for Candidate X|
Date

Dear Reviewer:

I want to thank you for agreeing to review the work of Candidate X. Your comments will help our

Department Executive Committee, and the Arts & Humanities Division, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in our appraisal and decision regarding promotion and tenure this year. Your comments and observations will remain confidential. As I mentioned in my previous letter, Candidate X will be reviewed for promotion to associate professor with tenure during our XXX executive committee meeting. You have come highly recommended as a potential reviewer for Candidate X’s case. I wish to request your participation in reviewing Candidate X’s curriculum vita, supporting materials, and provide comment concerning X’s developing career as a professor of XXX at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

I have sent you a number of articles from published journals, upcoming edited encyclopedic entries, and several chapters from Candidate X’s book. I have also enclosed X’s curriculum vitae. I would ask that you select and review from these materials.

I will need your reviewed response on or before XXX. I would request a hardcopy of your review on letterhead, but you may also send an digital version of your letter to my email address.

Members of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee XXX department are committed to a balance of creative activity, teaching and service. Please frame your comments with these components in mind and let me know if you have questions or concerns about our promotion and tenure process. I have included our department tenure and promotion criteria at the end of this letter. Finally, Divisional criteria requests brief descriptions of letter writers’ qualifications. To this end, a CV or one-paragraph biosketch to include job title and institution, educational and/or career background and research accomplishments in the field. I am sincerely thanking you in advance.

Address of Department Chair.

Attached: Enclosed materials for review: Department’s criteria for tenure and promotion

Academic Profiles for Candidate X’s Evaluators

1.	Prof. XXX Email from Prof. XXX	Declined
2.	Prof. XXX Email from Prof. XXX Bio or CV attached on Prof. XXX.	Accepted
3.	Prof. XXX Email from Prof. XXX	Declined
4.	Prof. XXX Bio or CV attached on Prof. XXX	Accepted
5.	Prof. XXX	No response

Criteria Revision History

Editorially revised, September 1989
Revised, May 1990
Reaffirmed, August 1992
Editorially revised, December 1992
Reaffirmed, September 1994
Reaffirmed, September 1995
Reaffirmed, May 1996
Reaffirmed, September 1997
Reaffirmed, May 1998
Reaffirmed, September 1999
Reaffirmed, September 2000
Editorially revised, September 2001
Reaffirmed, May 2002
Reaffirmed, May 2003
Reaffirmed, May 2004
Reaffirmed, July 2005
Reaffirmed, May 2006
Reaffirmed, April 2007
Editorially revised, June 2008
Reaffirmed, May 2009
Reaffirmed, May 2010
Editorially revised, May 2011
Editorially revised, May 2012
Editorially revised, April 2013
Editorially revised, November 2013
Editorially revised, May 2014
Editorially revised, March 2015
Editorially revised October 2015
Editorially revised, April 2016
Editorially revised May 2017
Editorially revised May 2018
Reaffirmed, no changes May 2019
Editorially revised May 2020
Revised May 2021
Revised May 2022
Revised May 2023