Promotion and Tenure

The promotion, tenure and emeritus Watermark workflow was built using TCU’s AA1.003 Faculty Promotion, Tenure and Emeritus Policy. An overview of the steps follows.

Download Steps & Due Dates for 2026-27 PTE

You can access tasks from the link in the invitation email or by navigating to your inbox within Watermark.

Email Notification

Everyone with a task to complete in Watermark will receive a TCU account email from TCU Faculty Affairs (Watermark) notifications@watermarkinsights.com when the task is available. Check junk mail if you do not receive it when expected. You may also contact watermark@tcu.edu. This email will provide a brief overview of the task, the due date, a link to this webpage, and a link to TCU’s PTE policy. The link to the particular Watermark task is a blue bar with white lettering (Mac and online) or a blue bar with blue lettering (PC). A full URL to copy and paste into your browser will close the email.

Inbox & History

Faculty as well as department and college administrators have access to their Inbox and History. They allow you to view pending tasks, track your review history, and access your Watermark inbox. The Inbox contains hyperlinks to tasks to complete. History documents portfolio progression and contains hyperlinks to the documents stakeholders are allowed to see according to AA1.003 Faculty Promotion, Tenure and Emeritus Policy.

Faculty Users

The Watermark Faculty Success main page is always available to faculty. There, faculty can access active tasks from Home or Reviews on the left vertical menu bar. You may have to click the three-horizontal-line (hamburger) icon to reveal the navigation bar.

• Home: Pending tasks appear in the Tasks & To-Dos list.
• Reviews: Pending tasks appear in your inbox. You can also view your history of completed reviews and submissions.

Department and College Administrator Users

Users with administrative roles (such as department chairs, deans, designees, and other reviewers) access tasks by clicking Workflow from the horizontal navigation bar at the top of the screen and then selecting Tasks.

Task Availability

Once you have access, a task remains available until one of the following occurs:

• The step is completed and submitted to the next step in the process.
• The step automatically advances to the next step. Any saved work will advance to the next step, as will any incomplete items.
• The submission is recalled or administratively sent back to a previous step.

How to Access and Complete Watermark Tasks for PTE

Instructions

Each task in Watermark will begin with instructions about the task as defined by TCU policy, along with links to relevant resources. Specific actions include:

• Making selections from provided options.
• Uploading documents prepared outside of Watermark.
• Reviewing materials added to Watermark.
• Brief typing.
• Clicking the Action button to save a draft and move materials to the next step.

Adding Files to Watermark

Whether you are a candidate, reviewer, or unit administrator, you will add files to the portfolio.

File Size and Quantity

• In some fields, you will add one (1) file only.
• In other fields, you may upload as many documents as needed.
• Any individual file upload is limited to 1 GB (1,000 MB).

Accepted File Types

Watermark accepts the following file types:

• Documents: csv, doc/docx, odt, rtf, txt, html, pdf
• Spreadsheets: xls/xlsx, ods
• Presentations: ppt/pptx, odp
• Images: jpg/jpeg, png, gif, tif/tiff, bmp
• Video: mov, mp4, wmv, avi, mpg, mpeg
• Audio: mp3, wav, wma
• Zipped files and folders: Learn how to zip and unzip files (Microsoft support).

Naming Files

Ensure file names are descriptive. Best practice is to begin each file name with the candidate’s last name. Number, order, and name files to guide reviewers through the documentation.

Uploading files

Save files on your computer. Watermark will not upload files from another website. Upload files by (1) dragging and dropping them into the upload area or (2) clicking on the upload area to select the file(s) on your computer.

• Individual files uploaded into Watermark will maintain the upload order.
• Multiple files added at once will be ordered by the date saved, not alpha-numeric order.
• Folders added will populate the individual files in date-saved order.
• Zip file folders will load as folders that reviewers will need to unzip. Their contents can then be ordered using standard sort options.