University Guidelines for Candidate Files

Format for Faculty Promotion and Tenure Dossiers

Part I

Cover sheet that includes:

• School name
• Full name of the candidate (including terminal degree)
• Candidate's current rank and title
• Proposed Action and candidate's proposed rank and title
• Proposed effective date (must be either "September 1" of the following academic year or "upon approval of the board" unless the effective date coincides with the faculty member's date of hire)
• Basis on which candidate is being proposed for tenure and promotion (assessment of scholarship, teaching, and service) including the vote for each assessment (if applicable) 

Dean's letter that includes (please follow the exact order of the format below): 

• Introductory paragraph with proposed recommendation, candidate’s full name and terminal degree, proposed rank, and effective date (must be either “September 1 of the following academic year or “upon approval of the board” unless the effective date coincides with the faculty member’s date of hire). Faculty who arrive prior to the board’s approval MUST carry the title of Acting Professor or Acting Associate Professor.
• Process/chronology paragraph summarizing the appointment/review process
• If faculty member holds a joint appointment, explain how the appointment letter informs the tenure and promotion standard (if applicable) 
• If the candidate is going up for tenure and/or promotion early (e.g. before the last year on the tenure track or, at before the minimum time in rank for promotion to full) please provide a justification (e.g., retention, far surpasses relevant standards) 
• External reviewers' summary paragraph: The relationship to the candidate must be at arm's length (see part three), otherwise you must detail any potential conflicts of interest that exist.
• Candidate's background
  • Educational history; include major/focus of study and graduating year for each degree
  • Previous faculty positions held, include the name(s) of the institution, faculty position, and years employed there. If the candidate earned tenure at a previous institution, please include the year the candidate received their tenure.
  • Broad field and subfield.
  • Contribution to the discipline’s ongoing intellectual agenda and how it connects to the vision and strategic plan of the academic unit and Emory University as a whole.
  • H-index (if applicable).
  • Funding history (include current grants and number served as PI or Co-PI, if applicable)
  • Publishing record (indicate how many as first or senior author) If the recommendation is for promotion to full professor, include the number of publications post tenure.
• Identify and address any issues in school-based faculty committee report.
• Identify and address any issues in the department chair’s report (if applicable).
• Dean’s critical perspective and independent recommendation, which includes:
  • An assessment of the candidate (scholarship, teaching, service)
  • A brief description of the cohort within which the candidate was evaluated
  • For internal tenure candidates, an assessment of whether the dean would hire this candidate laterally (and why)
  • The candidate’s expected career trajectory.
  • Identification of the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and any concerns, particularly those highlighted by the school-based faculty committee (if applicable) or external reviewers.
  • The value of the candidate to the unit and the University.

Supporting Materials

• Letter from school-based faculty committee to the dean (if applicable)
• Letter from department chair/division to the dean (if applicable)
• Candidate’s one-page summary curriculum vitae (CV)
• External reviewers:
  • Copy of initial solicitation letter to one of the external reviewers
  • Copy of the school’s most recent tenure and promotion guidelines from the unit-based Faculty Handbook that was shared with the external reviewers
  • Brief biographical description for each external reviewer who submitted a review of the candidate and a description of their relationship to the candidate (maximum two pages)
  • External reviewers’ letters (minimum of six) and signed External Reviewer Forms. External Reviewer Form should precede each external reviewer letter.
  • Review letters from internal reviewers (if applicable)
• Candidate’s personal statement (maximum of five pages) on scholarship, teaching, and service
• Candidate’s full curriculum vitae (CV)

Part II

• Teaching dossier (teaching statement, numerical evaluation summary sheets, and related materials)
• Service dossier (service statement, service activities and other related materials)
• Copy of the selected scholarly work submitted to external reviewers

Part III

• External Reviewer's Tracking Form (PDF) 
  

                                                              

External Reviewer Best Practices

External reviewers should be leaders in their field. In the main, these reviewers should be at the full professor level or equivalent. Uniquely qualified tenured associate professors may be appropriate and should be explained in the dean’s letter. The list of potential external reviewers must not consist of evaluators who have solely been recommended by the candidate.  Instead, the final list of recommended reviewers should be developed with input from the candidate and separately, various voices within the department. This can include faculty within the candidate’s field, the department’s tenure and promotion committee and the chair of the department. The candidate should not be made aware of the recommendations made by others in this process.

Arm’s length does not mean that the reviewer must never have met or heard of the candidate. It does mean that reviewers should not be selected who are likely, or perceived to be likely, to be predisposed, positively or negatively, about the candidate. Please see some examples of what does and does not constitute a close connection that would violate the arm’s length requirement.

Examples of what may violate the arm’s length requirement:

• A previous member of the same program or department as the candidate
• Received a graduate degree from the same program as the candidate
• A regular coauthor and research collaborator with the candidate within the past seven years, and especially if that collaboration is ongoing
• Close family/friend relationship with the candidate
• The candidate’s doctoral supervisor

Examples of what does not violate the arm’s length requirement:

• Appeared on a panel at a conference with the candidate
• Served on a granting council selection panel with the candidate
• Author of an article in a journal edited by the candidate, or a chapter in a book edited by the candidate
• Presented a paper at a conference held at the university where the candidate is located
• Invited candidate to present a paper at a conference organized by the reviewer, or to write a chapter in a book edited by the reviewer
• Received a bachelor’s degree from the same university
• Coauthor or research collaborator with the candidate more than seven years ago
• Presented a guest lecture at the university of the reviewer
• Reviewed for publication a manuscript written by the candidate

 This form is provided to assist in ensuring that a candidate’s dossier is complete. Questions may be directed to the Provost Office of Faculty Affairs, 404.727.3698.