RUL 05.67.700 – Department of Chemistry Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Standards and Procedures

Authority: Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

History: First Issued: 1994. Last Revised: October 22, 2004.

Additional References:
Office of the Provost RPT Website

Contact Info: Department Head, Chemistry, (919-515-2355)

1. Introduction

The University’s governing policies for Review, Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure in all academic ranks can be found at the Policies, Regulations, and Rules (PRR) website https://policies.ncsu.edu/. Additional procedural policies can be found at the Provost’s Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Procedures web page. The purpose of this document is to describe both the procedures to be followed in this Department in implementing these reviews and the standards to be employed. The source of authority is NCSU POL05.20.01 – Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Permanent Tenure.

2. Areas of Faculty Responsibility

Faculty are appointed with the expectation that they will undertake and excel in teaching, research, and service (including service to the university and profession, and outreach). In some fields, faculty are expected to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration including non-entrepreneurial consulting. The mix of activities undertaken by a faculty member should reflect the terms of his or her appointment, including subsequent modifications agreed to by the Department Head. Evaluation of each faculty member by the departmental voting faculty and administration for the purpose of reappointment, promotion, and the granting of permanent tenure should take account of the mix of activities so stipulated. Each faculty member’s accomplishments should be judged according to his or her assigned duties and material outlined in the Statement of Faculty Responsibilities. The Department Head should provide departmental voting faculty and administrators with adequate information for them to assess the mix of activities undertaken by the faculty member being evaluated.

3. General Standards

Numerous sources can be drawn upon to develop standards and considerations for promotion and tenure. The faculty of the Department subscribes to the statements in the PRR website regarding evaluation of present or potential faculty. The Department’s faculty consider this rule to be consistent with statements in the PRR website.

NC State requires supporting documentation for any promotion, reappointment, or tenure recommendation. The following standards are based on NCSU REG05.20.20 – Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Dossier Format Requirements that describes the required documentation that must accompany any of these personnel action recommendations. In general, anticipated achievements, such as manuscripts in review, will carry less weight than will realized achievements.

3.1. Instructional Standards

3.1.1. Scholarly Accomplishments: Indicators include original publications on teaching and curriculum, reviewed audiovisual and computer-based educational programs, education based grants and contracts, textbooks, laboratory manuals, presentations relating to teaching a curriculum, and published instructional software.

3.1.2. Instructional Development: Indicators include innovations in courses and curricula, and grants or other funding obtained in support of instruction.

3.1.3. Teaching Effectiveness: Indicators include courses taught, with an evaluation of teaching effectiveness, including both student and peer evaluations, teaching load and diversity (undergraduate, graduate, team-taught courses, special topics courses, short courses), information compiled from exit interviews of graduates (both undergraduate and graduate), external funding in support of education, and honors and teaching awards received.

3.1.4. Advisory Activities: Indicators include undergraduate academic advising, graduate committees, postdoctoral student advising, student organizations, special projects with students, student organizations, and service on graduate student committees.

3.1.5. Cross-disciplinary Activities: Indicators include graduate program participation, special courses, and curricular development efforts.

3.2. Research Standards

3.2.1. Scholarly Accomplishments: Indicators include publications (original research articles and research review articles in peer-reviewed journals, research abstracts, books, book chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings), invited and uninvited research presentations, appointments or election to study sections and editorial boards, summaries of external reviews of publications, grants, and programs, and evidence of national recognition by peer researchers.

3.2.2. Recognized Creative and Professional Accomplishments: Indicators include publication of creative or professional works, exhibitions, honors, awards, fellowships, prizes, competitions, and other pertinent evidence.

3.2.3. Research Project Record: Indicators include externally and internally sponsored grants and contracts (particularly from major granting agencies such as NSF, NIH, PRF, etc.), proposals submitted (funded, not funded, or pending), and unsponsored and independent research.

3.2.4. Master’s and Doctoral Theses Directed: Indicators include a record of successfully mentoring graduate students.

3.2.5. Technology Transfer: Includes invention disclosures, patents filed and patents awarded, , major software packages, design patents, and other pertinent evidence.

3.2.6. Cross-disciplinary Activities: Includes participation in Center, Institutes, and other organized research efforts between departments within and across colleges, and consulting (especially non-entrepreneurial).

3.3. Extension and Public Service Standards

3.3.1. Scholarly Achievement and Publications: Indicators include referred publications, brochures, reports, pamphlets, non-refereed publications, computer software, educational video tapes, slide sets, popular press articles, and other pertinent evidence.

3.3.2. Technology Transfer: Indicators include major accomplishments, program impacts, and international activities.

3.3.3. Recognized Creative and Professional Achievement: Indicators include exhibitions, honors, awards, prizes, grants and contracts, and other pertinent evidence.

3.3.4. Public Service: Indicators include seminars and meetings arranged, special intervention programs, workshops, special projects, design assistance, non-entrepreneurial consulting, extension activities (e.g., judging science fairs, high school talks), and other pertinent evidence.

3.3.5. Cross-disciplinary Activities: Indicators include contributions to special University-wide initiatives.

3.3.6. Other standards for Evaluation: Indicators include University service (department, college and NC State committees), state and regional, and national and international activities, service to the profession, and committee work (including appropriate weight to time consuming assignments).

4. Standards for Reappointment as Assistant Professor

4.1. Evidence of growth beyond their dissertation in research program and good reputation in the profession.

4.2. Evidence that scholarly activity and productivity will continue.

4.3. Effective teaching as evidenced by student and peer evaluations.

4.4. Evidence of participation in departmental, university, and professional affairs.

5. Standards for Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

5.1. Established research program and good reputation in the profession.

5.2. Letters from external reviewers stating that work is recognized and valued.

5.3. Evidence that scholarly activity and productivity will continue.

5.4. Effective teaching as evidenced by student and peer evaluations.

5.5. Evidence of supervision of M.S. or Ph.D. students.

5.6. Evidence of participation in departmental, university, and professional affairs.

6. Standards for Promotion to Professor

6.1. Highly productive, sustained, and nationally visible research program.

6.2. National/international reputation in area of expertise.

6.3. Evidence that scholarly activity and productivity will continue.

6.4. Sustained record of high-quality, effective teaching.

6.5. Evidence of successful supervision of Ph.D. students.

6.6. Evidence of participation in departmental, university, and professional affairs.

7. Procedures for RPT Review

7.1. Mandatory Reviews

7.1.1. Reappointment as Assistant Professor

The candidate will prepare a Reappointment Dossier in accordance with the guidelines specified at the PRR website, https://policies.ncsu.edu/, and the Provost’s Procedures for Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure website. The Head will convene a meeting of all tenured faculty (Departmental Voting Faculty, DVF) for the purpose of reviewing the file and voting. The file will be made available to the DVF before and at the meeting. The Candidate’s Advocate (appointed by the Head) will present the case, summarize the evaluation by the faculty present, together with any written comments of those unable to attend the meeting, and provide a written assessment of the quality and impact of the candidate’s accomplishments.

7.1.2. Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

Mandatory review for promotion and awarding of tenure reviews are typically required during the early part of an assistant professor’s sixth year. The candidate is to submit to the Department Head a dossier prepared in accordance with the guidelines set forth at the PRR website, and the Provost’s Procedures for Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure website, and a list of no more than five names of persons outside of the University who are qualified to evaluate the performance of the candidate. The DVF may submit additional names to the Head with brief justification as to the reason for selection. After providing the candidate with a final opportunity to add to the file, the Head will provide a detailed CV and up to five representative publications (selected by the candidate) to and request a written evaluation from no more than six individuals representing a reasonable mix of the two lists. When these letters have been received and added to the file, a second meeting of the DVF will be held for the purposes of discussion and vote. The Candidate’s Advocate (appointed by the Head) will present the case, summarize the evaluation by the faculty present, together with any written comments of those unable to attend the meeting, and provide a written assessment of the quality and impact of the candidate’s accomplishments to the Department Head.

7.2. Non-mandatory Reviews.

7.2.1. Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure.

An Assistant Professor may request consideration for promotion with tenure at any time. A detailed CV that includes both publication and funding records, and teaching evaluations should accompany the request. The Head will call a meeting of the DVF to decide by vote whether to encourage submission of the case for promotion with tenure. The candidate may request submission without the DVF’s support, but this is not advised. The procedures described in 7.1.1. will be followed if the case is to be submitted.

7.2.2. Promotion to Professor.

A tenured associate professor may request consideration for promotion at any time. A detailed CV that includes both publication and funding records, and teaching evaluations should accompany the request. The Head will call a meeting of the DVF to decide by vote whether to encourage submission of the case for promotion. The candidate may request submission without the DVF’s support, but this is not advised. The procedures described in 7.1.1. will be followed if the case is to be submitted.