1. Departmental Recommendations for Tenure and Promotion The Chair’s Letter
Denis M. Medeiros, PhD, RD
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
University of Missouri Kansas City
Beci Edmundson
Faculty Affairs Specialist

2. Chair’s Recommendation Letter: Overview
Department Chair’s Role in Tenure & Promotion Recommendations
Best Practices for Developing your Recommendation
Constructing the Letter (Template)
Sample Letter Handouts
Q&A

3. BEST PRACTICES for Developing Your Recommendation

4. Role of Department Chair
Department Chair is the most important recommendation in T&P review
Direct supervisory perspective, able to provide context and objective analysis of
Previous recommendations of committee and external evaluations
Departmental climate and conditions
Candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and trajectory
Expert in content area
Access to unique “Toolbox” of Resources

5. Chair’s “Toolbox” of Resources
Candidate’s Portfolio
Carefully review all materials provided by candidate
Examine all letters of recommendation within the portfolio, noting both positive and negative comments
Departmental T&P Guidelines and Criteria
Candidate’s Annual, Mid-Tenure, and/or Post-Tenure Performance Evaluations
Institutional policy may allow you to collect additional materials from outside resources

6. Points to Ponder
How candidate meets or does not meet department criteria is critical
How does candidate compare to recent cases?
Consider the allocation of time to specific aspects of the position
What are the aspirations of the department and how does it compare with similar departments at other universities?
Comment on the departmental culture
Don’t ignore negative comments from reviewers or T&P committee
Address incorrect/erroneous assessments or data provided by other reviewers or in candidate rebuttals
Provide your own opinion and assessment of the case
Has the candidate moved the department forward?
Is an upward trajectory displayed?
Is the faculty member collegial?
Are there accomplishments/experience outside the review period which should be considered and why?
Examples of ACCOMPLISHMENTS/EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE REVIEW PERIOD:
Years’ credit toward tenure,
industry or professional experience
national/international commendation or awards

7. Chair’s Letter Template: Introduction & Criteria
Introduction (1 short paragraph)
State department’s culture, aspirations and some of its goals
State faculty member’s name, rank, discipline, and when they joined the department
Brief summary of previous recommendation results including committee vote tally and number of external letters for, against, and/or mixed
Chair’s recommendation in respect to previous recommendations
A statement of the Department’s criteria
Can be a brief listing of expectations in terms of candidate’s areas of appointment (teaching, research, and service)
Describe unit expectations relative to assigned workload
Describe unit expectations relative to assigned workload: Does unit require above average or excellent evaluations in two of the three areas?
Does the unit have higher expectations in teaching and research than in service?
Is the candidate on a specific research or teaching track?

8. Chair’s Letter Template: Interpreting Previous Recommendations
External Evaluation letters
Often minimized or ignored
Be direct in your interpretation
Include critical or impactful comments (both positive and negative) while maintaining evaluator’s anonymity
Impact of research on the field/art/science/discipline
Significant/noteworthy contributions to the field/art/science/discipline
Address negative comments/letters
Always link your assessment back to the department’s criteria
Departmental Committee Recommendation
Do you agree with the committee’s assessment?
Provide direct interpretation of any departmental conflict or climate which may have impacted the departmental committee’s recommendation
Address negative comments/letters
Speak to the validity and context of the claims and whether or not you agree with the assessment and why
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATION?
Explain any instance where you might disagree with the committee’s assessment and WHY
substantiate with additional documentation
Always link back to the department’s criteria

9. Chair’s Letter Template: Research/Scholarly Works
Significance of the Research
Evaluate the quality, impact, and volume of the candidate’s scholarly/creative work – link to the department’s criteria
Speak to the quality and prestige of the journals/presses/performances/exhibits/venues
Include discipline-related Tiered Journal Lists (e.g.: impact factors)
Authorship – how does your department weigh/value primary authorship vs single-authored and/or collaborative works
External Funding/Grants
Impact of research/scholarly works on the field/art/science/discipline
Is candidate recognized by peers for research/scholarship?
Is candidate recognized by peers for research/scholarship?
Significant awards/commendations for research/scholarship

10. Chair’s Letter Template: Teaching Effectiveness
Briefly state teaching load and courses
How was teaching assessed?
Sense of ratings by students and a select comment or two
Peer Evaluations
Compare ratings with institutional, college/school, department, etc.
Context of evaluations (first time course taught, new course, etc.)
Review of syllabi and example projects
Curriculum Development (can be listed as Service in some units)
Candidate’s significant teaching awards/commendations
Explain candidate’s role in non-traditional teaching models (Team Teaching, Lecture Series, Collaborative Teaching Projects)
Advising and Student Supervision
Address any course reduction agreements and their impact

11. Chair’s Letter Template: Service Activities
State the department’s expectations as this may vary by rank
Do not simply list the committees
What was the quality of the service?
Did the service take up significant time?
Was the service for department, college/school or institution?
What about professional service?
How has the candidate’s service record assisted in establishing a national/international reputation in the field?
Editorial Boards, grant review panels, invited lectures, election to professional committees
Service Learning Initiatives
Administrative Service?
How has the candidate’s service record assisted in establishing a national/international reputation in the field?
This may have more impact on applicants for Full Professor
Administrative Service:
Talk about candidate’s role in Administrative Service and how that may have affected teaching and/or research workload during the review period

12. Chair’s Letter Template: Summary and Attachments
Summary of Chair’s Recommendation
Succinct paragraph to justify your overall sense by portraying the collective evidence.
Clearly state whether you recommend or do not recommend promotion and/or tenure
Attachments
Attach any documentation not already contained in the portfolio which was significant to your recommendation
Adds support and credence to your recommendation
Documentation becomes part of the official record
Provides the candidate an opportunity to review the documentation and speak to your claims from their own perspective in the rebuttal process
Examples of Attachments?
Redact confidential information from attached documents when necessary
Attach any documentation not already contained in the portfolio which was significant to your recommendation
This may be required by your process for the sake of transparency
Examples of Attachments
Faculty Development Plans;
Annual, Mid- and Post-Tenure Evaluations;
MOUs;
Offer letter;
Behavioral Modification Directives; etc.

13. The Chair’s Letter: Handouts
Sample Department Committee Letter of Recommendation
Example of an insufficient letter of recommendation
Lacks detail to support assessments
Does not link assessments to Departmental Criteria
Does not address the dissenting opinion
Sample Chair’s Letter
Created utilizing template methods described today
Good example of how the Chair’s recommendation can provide vital information necessary to reach an objective and fair assessment of the candidate’s qualifications for promotion and/or tenure

14. Departmental Recommendations for Tenure and Promotion The Chair’s Letter
Q & A?
Citation: Arizona State University Best Practices for Departmental Letters
2008 – Dr. Gail Hackett