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Promotion Tenure and Emeritus Policy Updates 2026

Charge
Update Promotion, Tenure and Emeritus Policy to address issues identified during last PTE cycles.

Chair
Fran Huckaby, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs

Committee
Taryn Allen, College of Education, Faculty Senate Representative
Julie O’Neil, Bob Schieffer College of Communication
Mark Houston, Neeley School of Business
Stacy Landreth Grau, Roach Honors College
Jennifer Allie, Burnett School of Medicine
Sonja Watson, Dean, AddRan College of Liberal Arts
Danielle Brimo-Picanes, Davis College of Science & Engineering

Members of the Faculty Relations Committee

Timeline

Fall 2025
Committee met to scrutinize issues, decide on language, solve ease of use, clarify timeline, as outlined below.

Issues Identified and Solved – no content changed

  • Integrated Burnett School of Medicine.
  • Clarified who can review, discuss, and vote on PTE recommendations.
  • Clarified where policy applies to all faculty, tenure-track, or teaching-track faculty.
  • Removed references to Box folders. To do: Write technology neutral language to work with Watermark platform.
  • Clarified that college/departments can have earlier dates than this policy’s due dates (e.g. seeking external review letters)
  • Acknowledged previous policy’s Advisory Committees and compare to P&T committees.
  • Included related policy: AA1:004 – Faculty Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion
  • Moved Faculty Separation text into new policy

Ease of Use in Locating Relevant Sections – no content change

  • Restructured policy into chronological flow and reduce repeated text
  • Moved content from Appendix A (PTE calendar) and Appendix B (portfolio) into policy
  • Retained dates in Appendix A table
  • Added process for issuing terminal contracts to Appendix A
  • Added hyperlinks to various parts of the policy and removed references.

Language & Grammar – no content change

  • PTE for the cycle, policy
  • P&T for the committees and processes related only to promotion/tenure and not to emeritus.
  • “promotion and/or tenure or emeritus”
  • External Review conducted by External Evaluator
  • Portfolio instead of dossier.
  • Offer letter instead of letter for hire or initial letter of appointment

Recommending Changes to Content

  • Add definitions for De Facto Tenure, External Evaluators, External Review, Portfolio
  • Add timeline of fourth Friday in August for all P&T Committees at all levels (Department, College, university) to establish membership annually
  • Increased University P&T Committee to nine members from eight to include Burnett School of Medicine.
  • Added calculating length of probationary period for prior full-time service with faculty rank at another institute for higher education.
  • Added accelerated tenure
  • Clarified External Reviews: changed number of external letters required to at least three from five

March 2026
Presented to Faculty Senate. Faculty Relations Committee reviewed the revised policy.

April 2026
Presented to Faculty Senate as approved by Faculty Relations Committee.

April 2026
Approved by Chancellor’s Cabinet.