REG 05.20.31 – Tenure Clock

Authority: Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

History: First Issued: Fall 2002. Last Revised: January 23, 2018.

Related Policies: 
NCSU POL01.05.01 – Board of Trustees (BOT) Bylaws (Appendix I, Section VII)
NCSU POL05.20.01 – Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Permanent Tenure
NCSU POL05.30.01 – Medical and Parental Leave for 9-Month Faculty
Family Medical Leave

Additional References: 
Request for Tenure Clock Extension Form
Notification of a Birth, Adoption or Placement of a Foster Child
RPT Review Timeline Information
College RPT Liaisons

Contact Info: Senior Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs (919-513-7741)


1.  INTRODUCTION

1.1  NCSU POL05.20.01 –Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Permanent Tenure provides for an extension of the time during which the institutional decision must be made regarding reappointment, promotion, and tenure and authorizes the chancellor or chancellor’s designee to extend the term of appointment of an untenured, tenure-track faculty member only in documented cases of compelling circumstances which are determined to have the potential to significantly delay the progress of development of the faculty member’s program.  The chancellor has delegated this authority to the provost (NCSU POL01.05.01 – Board of Trustees (BOT) Bylaws (Appendix I).

2.  DEFINITIONS

2.1  Tenure Clock Extension:  Change in end date of contract that results in the required review time for reappointment or promotion and conferral of tenure to be one (1) year later.  The end date is specified in the appointment letter, reappointment letter, or a prior approved tenure clock extension notification.  End date information can also be found in MyPack Portal or obtained by the department or college RPT Liaison.

2.2  Mandatory Year:  Academic year that candidate must be reviewed for reappointment, promotion, and tenure, as determined by the end date of the contract to allow for a terminal year if tenure or reappointment is not achieved.  A tenure clock extension may be requested before the review for reappointment, thus establishing a new mandatory year for reappointment review, or after reappointment; in either case, the extension establishes a new mandatory year for promotion and tenure review. See the “RPT Review Timeline Information” for a schedule of mandatory years and end dates.

2.3  Automatically Approved:  Extensions as a result of circumstances described in section 4.1 of this regulation will be approved automatically; however, the faculty member must complete a notification form in order to receive the extension.

2.4  Early Promotion and Conferral of Tenure:  Early promotions and conferral of tenure are those cases for which the action is recommended at a time earlier than the required mandatory review.

3.  PRINCIPLES

3.1  Extensions are intended to accommodate faculty and the institution in those cases in which compelling circumstances have the potential to significantly delay the development of the faculty member’s program on the normal schedule dictated by the original appointment term.  Standards for tenure and promotion review remain the same, whether or not an extension is granted.  Examples of compelling circumstances include:

3.1.1  A personal serious health condition, care for a child, spouse, domestic partner, or parent with a serious health condition, birth or care for a newborn, care for an adopted or foster child, , and care for a family member injured while on active duty for the Armed Services.  For the purpose of tenure-clock extensions, references to “family” or “household” include domestic partnerships, although this definition does not apply to eligibility for paid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or NCSU POL05.30.01 – Medical and Parental Leave for 9-Month Faculty.

For information on paid sick or parental leave for nine-month faculty, see NCSU POL05.30.01 – Medical and Parental Leave for 9-Month Faculty.

3.1.2  Major disruption of key services and support beyond the reasonable control of the faculty member.

3.1.3  Major program redirection beyond the reasonable control of the faculty member.

3.1.4  Other professional or personal circumstances that have the potential to significantly delay the development of the faculty member’s program.

3.2  Applications for extensions should be made before the start of the departmental RPT review process for the mandatory year.  Applications after that date are considered exceptional.  A faculty member is responsible for checking with the department head to ascertain when the faculty member’s departmental RPT review process begins.

3.3  Automatically approved extensions as described in Section 4.1 will be for one (1) year.  A maximum of two (2) automatically approved extensions will be granted, such that the notification regarding conferral of tenure shall not be postponed beyond the eighth year of service following the start of the assistant professor’s first appointment.  Other extensions as described in Section 4.2 will normally be for one (1) year; extensions for more than one (1) year are considered exceptional.

3.4  In the case of a tenure clock extension, the faculty member will have the option to be reviewed in either the mandatory year or the year prior.  Both years will be considered normal review years; i.e., not “early” (Section 2.4). When the faculty member opts to be reviewed in the original mandatory year for reappointment or for promotion and tenure, he/she relinquishes the tenure clock extension.  Therefore, if the tenure decision is negative, the faculty member does not receive another review; the denial serves as the 12-month notice that the faculty member’s contract will end at the conclusion of the next year.

3.4.1  If the faculty member wants to be reviewed in the year prior, he/she must inform the department head before the start of the departmental RPT process for that year.  Faculty members should check with their department heads to ascertain when the departmental review process begins.

3.5  In accordance with NCSU POL05.20.01 –Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Permanent Tenure , the decision and notification regarding conferral of tenure shall not be postponed beyond the eighth year of service (including any approved extensions) from the first appointment as Assistant Professor.  In extraordinary circumstances, the Chancellor or Chancellor’s designee (the Provost) may approve postponing the decision and notification regarding conferral of tenure beyond the eighth year of service.

4.  PROCEDURES

4.1  Procedures for automatically approved extensions

4.1.1  In the case of a faculty member with a new child in the family who received sixty (60) days or longer of FML, the Leave Administrator in Human Resources will send a Notification of sixty (60) days Approved Family Leave form to the department head, copied to the faculty member and the Office of the Provost, confirming that the faculty member qualifies for the automatic tenure clock extension.  A maximum of two automatic extensions of one (1) year each will be granted, while all other extensions will be considered using the process described in Section 4.2.

4.1.2  In the case of a faculty member with a new child in the family or household who did not receive sixty (60) days or longer of FML, the faculty member may request a tenure clock extension within one (1) year following the birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child.  Approval is automatically granted, but the faculty member must submit the Notification of a Birth, Adoption, or Placement of a Foster Child form and submit it to the department head.  Requests after this one-year window are not automatically approved but will be considered using the process described in Section 4.2.  A maximum of two (2) automatic extensions of one (1) year each will be granted, while all other extensions will be considered using the process described in Section 4.2.

4.1.3  A faculty member with approved FML of sixty (60) calendar days or longer for any other reason may receive an automatically approved tenure clock extension.  The Leave Manager in Human Resources will send a Notification of 60 days Approved Family Leave form to the department head, copied to the faculty member and the Office of the Provost, confirming that the faculty member qualifies for the automatic tenure clock extension.  A maximum of two (2) automatic extensions of one (1) year each will be granted, while all other extensions will be considered using the process described in Section 4.2.

4.2  Procedures for all other cases

4.2.1  The request for extension may be initiated by the faculty member, the department head, or the dean.

4.2.2  Based on consultation with the faculty member and the department head, the dean will determine whether to request an extension.

4.2.3  Extension requests shall be submitted to the Provost using the Request for Tenure Clock Extension Form and shall contain the following elements:

4.2.3.1  Description of the current contract (start date, end date, department, rank).

4.2.3.2  Description of extension requested.

4.2.3.3  Description of the compelling circumstances that justify the extension requested.

4.2.3.4  Affirmation of the concurrence of the faculty member, department head, and dean.

4.2.4  Approval or denial of the tenure clock extension will be provided in writing by the Office of the Provost.