New Jersey City University Faculty Handbook
PERSONNEL POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND PRACTICE

 

Promotional Procedures

Please note that effective with September 2002, the procedures for faculty promotions are changed. Please refer to the complete 2002 Procedures/Guidelines/Criteria for Promotions for Faculty on the Office of Employee Relations website at http://www.njcu.edu/dept/er or by calling Ms. Gayle Ford, Assistant to the President at extension 3156 or by email gford@njcu.edu.

Due to the implementation date of the new faculty promotion procedures, a modified calendar will be used for promotions effective September 1, 2003. Promotions effective in subsequent years will follow the regular calendar. Both calendars are included in this document.

Promotion, conferral of a higher academic rank, recognizes, and rewards faculty members whose accomplishments further the mission and goals of the University by demonstrating excellence in teaching, quality scholarship and/or creative/professional work, and significant service to the University community. The promotion process is based upon the fair and equitable application of qualifications, criteria, standards, and procedures.

Promotion is neither automatic nor the simple result of seniority. A demonstration that one's qualifications satisfy both the technical requirements for promotion (see Qualifications for Academic Rank at Appendix A*) as well as meet the established criteria and standards for performance outlined in this document (see Appendix B*) is necessary. The qualifications, criteria, standards, and procedures for promotion support the understanding that an award of promotion is an action central to the integrity, welfare, growth, and development of the University.

To assist faculty to meet the requirements, criteria and standards for the award of promotion, faculty members are encouraged to apply for Separately Budgeted Research funds, a competitive program designed and recently expanded to support faculty research and other scholarly/creative activities which are within the area of the faculty member's discipline. In AY 01-02, the SBR program was expanded so as to provide additional opportunities for new faculty who have not yet achieved tenure.

Faculty who meet the minimum requirements (qualifications for academic rank) including those who have not yet achieved tenure, are eligible to apply for promotion. Promotion criteria and standards, as outlined in Appendix B, apply to all candidates for promotion. Each promotional step must be marked by increasing levels of accomplishments in all three areas (teaching, scholarly/creative/professional work, and service). Recognizing that the strength of our University lies in its diversity of talents, not every candidate need demonstrate exemplary achievements in each of the three areas.

A candidate's request for promotion will be considered as long as the evidence presented shows: I) his/her scholarly/creative/professional accomplishments are excellent and his/her teaching and service are strong, or 2) his/her teaching accomplishments are excellent and his/her scholarly/creative/professional and service accomplishments are strong.

In every instance, the record of teaching, scholarly/creative/professional performance, and service to the University shall be thoroughly documented in compliance with these guidelines. Several methods of evaluation must be used, and the record must be thorough enough to indicate not simply past performance, but a reasonable likelihood of continued excellence and strength.

In summary, teaching, scholarly/creative/professional accomplishments, and service are all to be considered during the application process. Even though the University cannot expect faculty member's performance to be outstanding in all three areas, it is understood that if a candidate is not strong in teaching or scholarly/creative/professional performance, his/her promotion may not be in the best interests of the University.

Procedures

1. Full-time faculty members whose qualifications meet or exceed the requirements for higher academic rank, as set forth in Appendix A*, shall be eligible for promotional consideration to the rank.
   
   
2. The office of the assistant to the President for employee relations shall make available the promotion application packet, including qualifications for academic rank, criteria, standards of performance, procedures and deadlines.
   
   
3. An eligible full-time faculty member will assume primary responsibility for obtaining, preparing, and submitting his/her promotion application. The application must include supporting documentation (as outlined in Appendices A and B*) and must be submitted to the departmental personnel committee (DPC) on or before March 1st.
   
   
4. Nomination of a full-time faculty member for promotion consideration may be made by someone other than the individual. The nominee shall be responsible for preparing and submitting his/her promotion materials.
   
   
5. The candidate's application shall include but is not limited to:

   • Application Form/Cover Sheet

   • Certification of Credentials and Service (copies of degrees, certifications, licensures, etc.

   • Current Curriculum Vita

   • Candidate’s Statement

   • Peer and Student Teaching Evaluations

   • Documentation of Scholarly/Creative/Professional Work

   • Documentation of Service to the University and Community

   • Letters of Support

   • Additional Supporting Materials (Candidate may submit any other substantiating documentation over and above the required elements under these promotion procedures. Department recommendations may also be included.)
   

6. The Department Personnel Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members of the Department who shall be elected by the members of the Department from among the tenured, full-time faculty of the Department. If a Department does not have sufficient members to make up its DPC, additional faculty from related disciplines shall be asked to serve. Members shall recuse themselves from considering the applications of candidates at the same rank as that held by the committee members.
   
   The DPC will review each application only to determine whether the candidate meets the requirements for the rank applied for, and will forward the applications of those qualified to the University Promotions Committee (UPC) and to the appropriate Academic Dean by April 1st. Appeal of the decision of the DPC may be to the DPC or to the UPC, at the candidate’s option, and if procedural irregularities are alleged, the President shall be notified consistent with the provisions of the Agreement, Article VII D6.
   
   
7. The Dean, upon his/her review, will forward his/her recommendation to the UPC, with a copy to the applicant, by May 15th.
   
   
8. The President or his/her designee shall inform the UPC of the total number of promotions available for the University.
   
   
9. Those applications received by the UPC that meet the eligibility/threshold qualifications shall be reviewed and evaluated according to the criteria and standards of performance set forth in Appendices A and B. The UPC shall grant interviews to applicants at the request of the applicant, and the interview will be noted in the evaluation prepared by the UPC.
   
   
10. The confidentiality of the candidate's file is the responsibility of the DPC, UPC, and others who officially review the file.
    
    
11. The UPC shall forward to the President recommendations with supporting documentation for each academic rank in a number equal to the number of promotions available. The committee shall also provide the President with a list of all eligible faculty, in alphabetical order, who applied and were reviewed by the UPC for the year.
    
    
12. The UPC shall submit its recommendations accompanied by comprehensive written evaluations to the President or his/her designee on or before October 15th and shall include all pertinent information/documentation concerning the applicants (see checklist).
13. 
    Evaluations must be submitted to the President or his/her designee for each recommended applicant. The final recommendation of the UPC shall be made known to each applicant in writing within two days after submission to the President.
    
    
14. Should the President decide to make a recommendation for promotion to the Board of Trustees which is inconsistent with the recommendation of the UPC, he/she shall provide the committee with his/her reasons for that action in writing. The UPC shall then submit additional recommendations sufficient to make up the number of promotions available.
    
    
15. Within seven (7) days after receipt by the candidate of the final recommendation of the University-wide committee to the President, the faculty member may initiate a Step One grievance concerning the applicant based on an allegation, that, after timely filing of his/her breach of his/her rights as set forth in Article II concerning discrimination or in Article V concerning academic freedom. Such a claim, if sustained, will result in the reprocessing o the application on an expedited basis. A final recommendation in such case shall be made to the President no later November 15th.
    
    
16. The President shall make his/her recommendation(s) to the Board of Trustees no later than the January/February Board meeting with a copy to the applicant(s). In granting a promotion, the Board of Trustees acts upon the recommendation(s) of the President. The Board of Trustees can only act on those persons recommended for promotion by the President. If the President does not promote a candidate, his/her name is not brought before the Board of Trustees and the promotion process ends at the President's level. All promotions are subject to the availability of funds and proper recording. The decision of the Board shall be made known to the candidate in writing by US Postal Service to the candidate's home address.
    

 

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* Appendix A Qualifications for Academic Rank
* Appendix B Criteria and Standards for Review
* Appendix C University-wide Committee, Composition, Terms Glossary
Bibliography

See Website for complete document: http://www.njcu.edu/dept/er .

* Note: Appendices A-C, for Promotional Procedures are located at website or in Hepburn 308, not in the Faculty Handbook.