GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

The primary criteria for promotion at Boston University are a) teaching, b) research and publication, and c) service to the University and the profession, as determined through the evaluation of faculty performance. An international reputation for excellence in scholarly and/or creative work is normally required for promotion to the rank of unmodified Professor. Significant weight is normally placed on the strength of these activities since the last time the faculty member was appointed or promoted.

A complete description of institutional procedures and guidelines for granting tenure at Boston University is located in the Faculty Handbook.

Candidates and Department Chairs should refer to the Questrom Promotion to Full Professor Timeline for a complete timetable for the review process

EXTERNAL EVALUATOR LETTERS

The first stage of the review process involves the solicitation of external evaluations by the Dean’s Office. Per Provost Office requirements, 6 core letters are sought. As with tenure cases, the final evaluator list is put forth by the candidate’s department and approved by the APT and Dean’s Office.

The evaluator list and status of solicitations is not discussed with the candidate by the Department Chair or anyone else involved in the review process. The identity of solicited evaluators is deemed strictly confidential and cannot be released to candidates. Further, only the Dean’s Office can approach external evaluators. Candidates should never reach out to possible letter writers. This confidential process must be carefully governed.

CANDIDATE DELIVERABLES

  • External evaluator packet (due late April). The materials listed below must be electronically submitted to Kristen Gallagher in the Dean’s Office by late April of the academic year preceding the candidate’s tenure review year. All materials must be reviewed and approved by the candidate’s Department Chair prior to submission.
    • Current CV (prepared according to the below guidelines)
    • 3 publications & 1 work-in-progress
    • Personal statement to include: (a) summary of, reflections on, and trajectory for research, teaching, service, and (b) reflections on future role at the University/School.
  • Part II Form & supporting materials (due August 1). The Part II Formand supporting materials, as described below, must be electronically submitted to Kristen Gallagher in the Dean’s Office by August 1 of the candidate’s tenure review year. Supporting materials must be submitted as a bookmarked PDF. Hard copy materials are not required unless they are unavailable in electronic format. Candidates and/or Department Chairs are encouraged to contact Kristen Gallagher with any questions or concerns about the content and/or submission format of their Part II Form and supporting materials. Part II & supporting materials must be reviewed and approved by the candidate’s Department Chair prior to submission. 
    • Part II Form:Part II is a key document for review at all levels. It is a comprehensive and current annotated CV containing detailed information about the candidate’s research publications, teaching contributions, service leadership, awards & grants, etc. Part II also lists the names of the candidate’s three chosen external evaluators. Please remember that no review level of the tenure process is required to use the evaluator names furnished by candidates.
    • Supporting materials:Supporting materials should consist of the following:
      • CV & personal statement (updated from external evaluator packet submission, if necessary)
      • All publications, works-in-progress, and other scholarly works
      • Teaching materials, syllabi, and ratings history
      • Grant applications, if applicable (only necessary if a grant application is pending)
      • Any other materials addressed in the Part II Form that the candidate deems important and relevant to his or her tenure case.

NOTE: Candidates should send updated materials and/or information (e.g., a paper is accepted for publication, receipt of an award, funding of grant, etc.) to Kristen Gallagher in the Dean’s Office at any time throughout the review process. Kristen will ensure that updates are distributed to all levels of review.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF A COMPLETE & ACCURATE CV

Candidates often submit CVs that are missing information that is useful to the evaluation of their tenure case. In order to stand as a complete and accurate record of a candidate’s research, teaching, and service, CVs must include the following information:

  • Years of completion for all earned degrees
  • A complete record of all publications and works-in-progress
  • Order of authorship must be clearly delineated
  • Complete citations for published work, including page numbers
  • Clear identification of targeted journal and stage of review for all papers in the pipeline (i.e., working paper, 1stround review, R&R, conditional acceptance, etc.)
  • Teaching record, including courses and years taught
  • All service assignments, internal and external to the Department and School, including years of service
  • Grant information should include dollar amount awarded, the granting agency/source, term of grant, grant versus sub-contract award, PI status, and names/affiliations of Co-PIs.

NOTE: The CV is the most important component of the candidate’s dossier. Faculty should continually update their CVs throughout the review process and provide Kristen Gallagher with revised CVs as soon as new information is made available. Kristen will ensure that the updated CV is added to the candidate’s dossier and distributed to all levels of review.

MORE ONBOARDING INFORMATION

For more onboarding information, please see here.

For faculty benefits, please see here.