RUL 05.67.303 – Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Standards and Procedures

Authority: Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

History: First Issued: October 11, 2002. Last Revised: August 24, 2023.

Additional References:
Office of the Provost RPT Website

Contact Info: Head, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (919-515-2336)

1. Introduction

This rule describes the standards and procedures for reappointment, promotion, and tenure in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is supplemental to and consistent with the college rule and the university Academic Tenure Policy.

The mission of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, College of Engineering, and North Carolina State University includes teaching, research and extension/service.

2. Areas of Faculty Responsibility

ECE Department faculty members engage in activities associated with teaching, research, and extension/engagement and service. It is expected that ECE Department faculty will engage in teaching and mentoring students, research directed towards discovery and reporting of knowledge, extension and engagement with constituencies outside the university, and service in professional societies and within the university. It is expected that faculty will participate in a balance of these activities; the exact balance for individual faculty members will be described in their Statement of Faculty Responsibilities (SFR).

3. General Standards

Reappointment, promotion and tenure will be evaluated for each department faculty member with an appropriate and individual consideration across their responsibilities and with due consideration to total and effective service to the institution. Evidence of good teaching and/or research as appropriate must accompany each positive recommendation for reappointment, promotion and tenure.

In general, the expectation is that each faculty member will progress in a timely manner from the potential (for promotion to Associate Professor) to the achievement (for promotion to Professor) of national or international recognition of the faculty member’s contributions in scholarship, leadership and service. The departmental voting faculty (DVF) will consider the faculty member’s individual national and international recognition for scholarship and leadership. They will also recognize cumulative outstanding leadership within the university over an extended number of years that contributes to the national and international recognition of the department and university’s programs.

Ultimately, the judgment of individual departmental voting faculty members is paramount in an evaluation of a candidate against these standards. It is expected that positive recommendations for reappointment, promotion and/or tenure will have strong support from all votes cast by the DVF. The department head makes an independent recommendation and may make a recommendation that is not consistent with the DVF vote. All cases will be reviewed carefully at higher university levels.

4. Standards for Reappointment

4.1 Assistant Professor

Reappointment at the rank of assistant professor requires that the individual is making satisfactory progress towards meeting the standards for promotion to the rank of associate professor with tenure.

5. Standards for Associate Level Rank

5.1 Associate Professor with Tenure

Promotion to associate professor may only occur with tenure and will be evaluated for each faculty member with an appropriate and individual integration across the faculty member’s contributions relative to the faculty member’s negotiated SFR. In general, the expectation is that a faculty member will have demonstrated the potential to achieve national or international recognition for the faculty member’s contributions in scholarship and leadership.

5.2 Associate Teaching Professor (Professional)

Promotion to Teaching Associate Teaching Professor will be evaluated based on a faculty member’s contributions in education and service to the department, institution and profession as delineated in their SFR. In general, the expectation is that a faculty member will have demonstrated the potential to achieve campus level recognition for the faculty member’s contributions in education.

5.3 Research Associate Research Professor (Professional)

Promotion to Research Associate Research Professor will be evaluated based on a faculty member’s contributions in research, education, and service to the department, institution and profession as delineated in their SFR. In general, the expectation is that a faculty member will have demonstrated the potential to achieve national or international recognition for the faculty member’s contributions in research.

6. Standards for Promotion to Professor Level Rank

6.1 Professor with Tenure
Promotion to the rank of professor will be evaluated for each faculty member with an appropriate and individual integration across the faculty member’s contributions relative to the faculty member’s negotiated Statement of Faculty Responsibilities. In general, the expectation is that a faculty member will have achieved national or international recognition for the faculty member’s contributions in scholarship and leadership. Cumulative outstanding leadership within the university, over an extended number of years, that contributes to the national or international recognition of university programs may be heavily weighed in lieu of the faculty member’s individual national or international recognition for scholarship and leadership.
6.2 Teaching Professor (Professional)
Promotion to Teaching Professor will be evaluated based on a faculty member’s contributions in education and service to the department, institution and profession as delineated in their SFR. For promotion to Teaching Professor, the expectation is cumulative outstanding teaching and service within the department, college, and university. Contributions to all aspects of the department’s mission including, but not limited to, academic advising, serving on and leading departmental committees, instructional coordination and management, engagement in scholarly activities, and/or outreach activities to support institutional initiatives, will be evaluated. The faculty member will have demonstrated the potential for national or international recognition for the faculty member’s contribution in education, leadership, and/or service. Such contribution can be but is not limited to participation and publications in educational conferences/communities, and collaborations with faculty from national and international institutions.
6.3 Research Professor (Professional)
Promotion to Research Professor will be evaluated for each faculty member with an appropriate and individual integration across the faculty member’s contributions in education, research, innovation, extension and service as delineated in their SFR. In general, the expectation is that a faculty member will have demonstrated leadership in one or more of the realms described in the SFR and achieved national or international recognition for the faculty member’s contributions in research. However, for promotion to Research Professor, cumulative outstanding leadership in research over an extended number of years that contributes to the national or international recognition of university’s research programs may be heavily weighted in lieu of the faculty member’s individual national or international recognition in research.

7. Procedures for Reappointment and Promotion Review for Tenure-Track and Professional Faculty

7.1 Definitions

7.1.1 The Department Voting Faculty (DVF) for promotion and tenure of tenure-track assistant professors and for tenure of untenured associate professors includes all tenured associate and full professors.

7.1.2 The DVF for promotion of tenured associate professors includes all tenured full professors.

7.1.3 The DVF for promotion of professional faculty with professorial rank includes all tenured/ tenure-track faculty at or above the rank being sought and all full-time professorially ranked professional faculty who are in the same track (i.e. teaching, research, etc.) as the candidate under review and at or above the rank being considered.

7.1.4 The Department’s Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee (RPTC) is appointed by the Department Head at the start of each academic year.

7.2 Reappointment and Promotion Review Procedures

7.2.1 The ECE department shall review its faculty each year to determine which individuals should be considered for reappointment, promotion, and tenure. The department will review each junior faculty every year to determine if the candidate is making appropriate progress toward promotion to the next grade. The department head will give feedback to the junior faculty on this assessment each year. The department shall identify those individuals for whom a decision is mandatory and shall determine which other individuals should be officially considered for any of the above personnel actions. In addition, a faculty member may request in writing that his/her case be officially considered.

7.2.2 The DVF reviews all faculty below the rank of Professor for possible reappointment, promotion and tenure (RPT) in the Spring of each academic year in one or more annual review meetings. In addition, individual faculty members may decide to undergo a review for promotion under university guidelines. Mandatory cases follow the university schedule (that is the schedule prescribed in each faculty member’s offer letter coupled with subsequent revisions approved by the Provost.

7.2.3 The Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) Committee is composed of 6 full professors with staggered 3 year terms. Each year one member is elected by the assistant and associate professors in all tracks, and one is appointed by the Department Head. The Department Head also appoints a Chair from the Committee members in their 3rd year on the Committee.

7.2.4 The RPT committee works with the candidate to facilitate preparation of the candidate’s dossier and supporting information. However, final preparation of the dossier and supporting information (except for the external review letters) is the candidate’s sole responsibility. External letters are required for all promotion cases with the exception of promotion of Professional faculty from Teaching Assistant to Teaching Associate Professor.

7.2.5 In cases where external letters are required, the Department Head consults with the candidate to identify the names of appropriate reviewers in accordance with REG05.20.05. The candidate is permitted to suggest up to five outside reviewers unless more are requested by the RPT committee. The RPT committee members work with the Department Head and possibly other members of the DVF and emeriti faculty to identify additional outside reviewers. The department head asks the candidate to provide the head with a list of individuals that the candidate believes may be in conflict. The number of outside reviewers will be chosen to meet the guidelines of the Provost’s office (REG05.20.05). The outside reviewers will be asked by the Department Head to assess the candidate’s scholarly contributions, generally following a letter request template provided by the Provost’s office.

7.2.6 The RPT committee reviews the candidates’ dossier and their contributions in the realms described in the SFR. A member of the RPT committee typically provides an overview of the candidate’s contributions to initiate the DVF discussion. The RPT committee, however, is not to make a recommendation regarding the action being considered.

7.2.7 In all cases involving external letters, the letters will be made available for review by the DVF prior to and during the DVF discussion. If some letters have not yet been obtained prior to the discussion, the DVF may choose to delay the discussion or the vote until more letters are received. In any case, all letters received before the DVF vote are made available for review by the DVF. Letters received after the DVF vote will not be included in the dossier when it is sent to the COE RPT committee.

7.2.8 A given case is discussed during one or more DVF meetings until the DVF is ready to vote.

7.2.9 When the DVF votes on a personnel action, voting is conducted online through rptonline. Eligible voters log in through the rptonline website in a window that starts after the discussion of a case is concluded and closes at 5 P.M. two business days after the window opens (e.g., if a window opens at 3 P.M. on Thursday, it would end at 5 P.M. on Monday). Online voting is anonymous. The system only records who has voted and when. The department head or their designee will send an email to eligible voters announcing the voting window. Any DVF member who cannot be present for the personnel action discussion is expected to become sufficiently familiar with the case before voting. The outcome of the vote is announced as soon as possible after the window closes. Any DVF member who does not cast an online vote is recorded as missing. With online voting, there is no option of proxy or absentee voting. Conditions under which a faculty member must recuse themselves from a case are described in REG 05.20.05. Faculty should notify the Department Head in writing or by email 5 days in advance if they plan to recuse themselves from the discussion on a particular candidate.
Ultimately, the vote reflects the collective judgment of the departmental voting faculty (DVF) in consideration of the standards presented in sections 3 to 6.

7.2.10 The RPT committee drafts a written summary assessment that captures the DVF discussion. The draft is made available to all members of the DVF so that they may review and comment over a period of approximately 2 to 3 days. The RPT committee then finalizes the DVF written summary assessment that becomes part of the dossier. The dossier remains available for review by any DVF member until the RPT process is concluded.

7.2.11 The Department Head writes an assessment and makes their recommendation.

7.2.12 The DVF assessment and the Department Head’s assessment and recommendation are provided to the candidate who, following the regulations of the Provost’s office, may write a response for inclusion in the package sent to the Dean and College of Engineering RPTC (POL05.20.01, REG05.20.05, REG05.20.20).