Chapter 5: Faculty Structure, Titles, Promotion, and Reviews

Faculty appointments in all schools and colleges of Emory University are governed by policies and regulations set forth in three university documents.

First, the Bylaws of Emory University define limited (non-continuous; non-tenured) and continuous (tenured) faculty appointments. A limited appointment is one that is terminated at the close of a period of time specified in writing to the faculty member. These appointments often are renewable. A continuous appointment is one that will not be terminated by the university except for adequate cause or by retirement.

Second, the Statement of Principles Governing Faculty Relationships ("Gray Book") concerns a broad range of topics including appointment to the faculty, the definition of faculty ranks and promotion tracks, eligibility for continuous appointment, promotion, and termination of appointment (see Chapter 4). This is a Board of Trustees document.

Third, the Tenure and Promotion: University Guidelines for Candidate Files (Tenure Track) describes the university-level review process and establishes university-level practices for the preparation of dossiers for appointment to tenure and promotion on the tenure track.

To complement these university-level policies and procedures, the Dean of each college and school must establish college-level policies and procedures for appointment, reappointment, tenure, and promotion, all in compliance with the Statement of Principles Governing Faculty Relationships ("Gray Book").

Faculty appointments across departments within schools and across schools within Emory University are possible. A variety of terms (e.g., joint, secondary, associated) are used to describe such appointments based upon the school(s) involved and the compensation agreements. The requirements for rank consistency between appointments also vary across schools. Cross-departmental and cross-school appointments require approval from the relevant chairs and dean(s). School policies on appointment, promotion, and tenure include each school's guidelines on these appointments. 

Faculty are eligible to retire if they work at least 20 hours or more per workweek, are at least 55, have at least 10 years of service of at least half time with breaks not to exceed a 12-month period or 24-month period if due to a reduction in force, and are retiring from a paid status or a disability leave of absence; and if their total years of age and service equal at least 75. The retirement date can be any day of the month as mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and his/her department, but retirement at the end of a semester is usually preferred. Retired faculty can access a range of benefits, which are described in the benefits section of this Faculty Handbook and on the Human Resources website. In addition, school-specific resources may be available to faculty upon retirement.

A retired member of the faculty who has reached age 55 and has served as a member of the Emory faculty for at least 10 continuous years, and whose total age and years of continuous service equal at least 75, may be considered for an "emeritus" title that reflects rank and appointment track at the time of retirement. Following rules and guidelines for academic titles, the Dean of the academic unit where the faculty member's appointment is housed may recommend a faculty member to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President, who shall inform the Board of Trustees, if awarded.

Four faculty titles are available on the tenure-track: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. Many more titles exist on the non-tenure tracks, some of which depend on the school and college in which the individual holds an appointment.

The addition of faculty titles and tracks requires a request to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Such a request must include a justification, budget impact, and faculty support within the academic unit, as well as benchmark data from other schools outside of Emory. A request will be reviewed by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the deans, Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (TPAC), the Office of the General Council, Human Resources and other relevant parties. In addition, feedback is sought from the Faculty Council. Depending on the nature of the new title or track, the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will report to or seek approval of the Board of Trustees.

All policies, procedures, and actions regarding faculty appointment, promotion, conferring of tenure, and termination shall conform to the Bylaws of the University (Chapter 3) and the Statement of Principles Governing Faculty Relationships ("Gray Book") (Chapter 4). This section provides some additional information about faculty promotion.

Recommendations and review for faculty appointment or promotion or conferring of tenure are based on qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability,  sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status and cultural, socioeconomic, national and international backgrounds except where sex or religious status are bona fide occupational requirements, or where a specific disability constitutes a bona fide occupational disqualification. 

Individuals appointed to the faculty are subject to all departmental, school, and university policies, guidelines, and procedures as they exist at the time of appointment, as they may be changed during the period of the faculty appointment, and as new policies, guidelines, and procedures are made. They also are subject to any local, state, and federal laws and regulations that are applicable to their activities at Emory University. 

On the tenure track, standards for appointments at rank, for promotion, and for the grant of tenure reflect the expectations that a faculty holds of its members. Candidates for appointment or promotion to Associate Professor must show academic excellence, including meritorious scholarship, creative inquiry, and outstanding teaching, as well as have the demonstrated promise to become leaders and transform their field as their career progresses. Candidates for appointment or promotion to Professor must show scholarly excellence and be established, nationally or internationally, as among the most distinctive and recognized voices in their discipline, consistently examining and addressing their field's most pressing questions. (See Statement of Principles Governing Faculty Relationships ("Gray Book"), paragraph 3.(e).) 

Each Dean, in consultation with the faculty and chairs, will establish standards for scholarship, teaching, and service for appointment and promotion on the limited tracks that are published in the school's appointment and promotion policies and consistently applied. 

The primary activities of the faculty of Emory University fall within three key domains: scholarship, teaching, and service. Since each of these domains are essential to the university, each is weighed carefully in all considerations involving track placement (e.g., those who focus only on research are on the research track, those who focus on teaching are on the teaching tracks, and those who engage mainly in service are on the clinical track), appointment, reappointment, promotion, and the granting of tenure, as well as in determining salary levels. All schools and colleges have their own definitions and descriptions of these three domains and what is expected of their faculty within each domain, as well as the balance between these three domains.

The Statement of Principles Governing Faculty Relationships ("Gray Book") details guidelines and policies that apply to all candidates who are proposed for tenure and/or for senior appointment and promotion on the tenure track from any school or college within the university.

The following University Procedural Guidelines for Candidate Files apply to all candidates for appointment or promotion to Associate Professor and Professor with tenure or for the grant of tenure at rank from any school within the university. 

These guidelines exist in addition to the procedures of each school. Emory University, according to its Bylaws, grants continuous appointment by action of the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the President. The ordinary process for moving a candidate's file for the award of tenure at rank or for appointment or promotion with tenure to the Board of Trustees begins in the school with its faculty and Dean, proceeds through the Provost and, in the case of the schools of health sciences, also through the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs before reaching the President. Upon recommendation of the President, the file is forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees and then to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for final approval. 

To assist the President and Provost in promoting excellence across Emory and to ensure comparable quality while protecting school distinctiveness, the Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (TPAC), a group of senior faculty elected by the tenured faculty in each of the schools/colleges, conducts a university-wide evaluation of all tenure-track faculty candidates who are recommended for appointment or promotion to Associate Professor or Professor with tenure, or for the grant of tenure at rank, from all departments, if applicable, and from all schools and colleges. The full election process for TPAC can be found in Section 11.2.a of this handbook. After reviewing and discussing the candidate(s), TPAC, as an advisory body, makes recommendations based on its deliberations and provides an advisory vote on the outcome which is submitted to the Provost and President. 

In addition to the university-wide guidelines described above, each school has tenure and promotion guidelines, procedures, and policies specific to its faculty. Please see the school websites for complete descriptions of those guidelines and policies.

Each school has an internal appeals process for appealing a negative decision regarding tenure and/or promotion that occurs at the level of the department, division, or the school’s appointment, promotion and tenure committees. If a faculty member wishes to appeal any such decision, the faculty member must first go through their school’s internal appeal process. Only if the decision to deny tenure and/or promotion is affirmed by the dean within the school’s process is the process set forth below available for a faculty member to appeal that decision to the Provost. The Decision of the Provost with regard to these appeals shall be final.

A faculty member (the Appellant) may appeal a decision to deny tenure and/or promotion to the Provost. An appeal is limited to one of the following enumerated grounds:

1. in making the decision, the school’s procedure was, in a material way, either not followed or implemented in an arbitrary or capricious manner, resulting in a substantially negative effect on the process;
2. the decision process constituted a violation of academic freedom such that a decision to deny tenure and/or promotion was made as a result of a faculty member expressing views that are protected by academic freedom; or
3. the decision process constituted discrimination on the grounds enumerated in Emory University’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy (University Policy 1.3).

In order to pursue an appeal, the Appellant must submit a Notice of Appeal (the Notice) addressed to the Provost via email to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs in the Office of the Provost. The Notice must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the Appellant’s receipt of the school’s decision to affirm the denial of tenure and/or promotion. The Notice must state the grounds upon which the Appellant is relying, and should include all information, including documents, that the Appellant wishes the Provost to consider on appeal.

Upon receiving the Notice, the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs will notify the Provost of the appeal. If the appeal is filed by a faculty member in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health, or School of Medicine, the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs will also notify the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. If the Appellant has exhausted their school’s internal appeal process and the Notice sets forth adequate grounds for appeal (as enumerated above), the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will convene the Tenure and Promotion Faculty Appeals Committee (TPFAC). The TPFAC composition and review process is outlined in Section 2 below. The Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs will also provide a copy of the Notice and supporting documents to the Dean of the school at issue, and request that the Dean provide a response to the Notice within 20 days. The Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs will then provide that response to the TPFAC. The response should set forth why the Dean believes the appeal lacks merit based on the allegations set forth in the appeal.

If the Appellant has not exhausted their school’s internal appeal process or the Notice does not set forth one of the applicable grounds upon which one can appeal, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will notify the Appellant in writing that the appeal has been denied and explain the basis upon which that decision rests, or, if applicable, explain that the appeal will proceed in part based on the elements of the appeal that fall within the appealable grounds.

Section 2: Tenure and Promotion Faculty Appeals Committee Composition and the Appeal Process

A. Composition of the TPFAC

The TPFAC shall be an ad hoc committee composed of five former members of either the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) or the Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (TPAC). The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will select the five members of the panel and will designate the chair of the panel.

No individual who has been directly involved in the tenure and/or promotion case being appealed may be a member of the panel. This includes anyone who had the right to vote on the tenure and/or promotion decision at any stage in the tenure and/or promotion process, as well as anyone who has previously commented on the Appellant’s tenure application and/or promotion dossier. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will inform the individuals asked to sit on the TPFAC of these prohibitions prior to finalizing the TPFAC members. It is the responsibility of the TPFAC members to confirm that no such conflicts exist, as well as to disclose any conflict that may give the appearance of impropriety. The Appellant will be informed in writing of the TPFAC composition and must raise any concerns within five calendar days. If there is a question or concern raised about a possible conflict involving a TPFAC member, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will ultimately decide whether to remove that individual from the TPFAC. The conflict-of-interest rules that govern TPAC will also apply to TPFAC.

B. Charge and Procedure

TPFAC is charged with preparing a report and recommendation to the Provost on whether to deny or grant the appeal

In addition to the Notice and supporting documents, as well as the school’s response to the appeal, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will provide TPFAC with access to the faculty member’s tenure and/or promotion dossier and any other of the Appellant’s documentation or records that are relevant to the appeal and that the TPFAC requests to review. TPFAC shall limit its recommendation to whether the Appellant met one of the enumerated grounds for appeal and shall not substitute its judgement on the merits of the case for that of the appropriate decision-making body (i.e., the school).

If the appeal is being filed based on the grounds enumerated in Emory University’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy (University Policy 1.3), TPFAC shall forward the matter to the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance (IEC) for an investigation as described in Policy 1.3. Once it has completed its investigation, IEC shall share its final report with the TPFAC, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and the Provost.

C. Report of the TPFAC

Within 90 calendar days of receipt of the Notice, or, in the case of a referral to IEC, within 30 calendar days from receipt of IEC’s final report, TPFAC will produce a report and send it to the Provost, copying the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The TPFAC report will include:

1. A summary of the grounds for appeal.
2. A summary of the documents reviewed by TPFAC in deciding the appeal.
3. The panel’s decision with respect to whether the Appellant demonstrated any proper ground(s) for appeal.
4. A recommendation to the Provost on whether to affirm the decision of the school to deny tenure and/or promotion, or, if the TPFAC concludes that the ground(s) for appeal were proved and recommends that the appeal be granted, a further recommendation about whether the Appellant’s case should be sent back to the school to repeat all or part of its process, as specified, to correct the errors in its original decision, or whether the Provost should recommend that tenure and/or promotion be granted without going back through all or part of the school’s process.
5. If the Provost accepts the recommendation that the appeal should be granted, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will submit the dossier to the Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (TPAC) for review.

D. Decision of the Provost

Upon receipt of the report and recommendation from TPFAC, the Provost will decide to either grant or deny the appeal, and, if granted, whether to grant tenure and/or promotion, or to send the Appellant’s file back to the school for further consideration. The Provost may also take such other action deemed appropriate. The Provost may ask clarifying questions from the TPFAC before rendering a decision. Upon making a final decision, the Provost will inform the Appellant and the appropriate Dean of the decision in writing. All decisions of the Provost shall be final. If a matter is sent back to a school to address errors in its original decision, should the decision at the school level again be to deny tenure and/or promotion, the Appellant may appeal that decision directly to the Provost under the process set forth above without having to exhaust the school’s internal appeal process once again.

If a faculty member is not recommended for tenure and/or promotion by the Provost following review of the Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (TPAC) the faculty member may appeal the Provost’s decision to the President. The aforementioned appeal process would apply.