1. Preparing for Promotion at the UNC School of Medicine
Paul A. Godley, MD, PhD, MPP
Executive Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
This is a different approach to enhancing minority faculty presence in the SOM. We are "Priming the pump" by ensuring that we have a critical mass of URM faculty leaders who can recruit, retain and develop the next generation of URM faculty

2. Presentation Outline What is tenure?
Tenure Status Distribution of UNC Faculty
Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Criteria for promotion
Tenure track
Fixed term track
The Promotion Dossier
The Promotion Process
Link to the School of Medicine Promotions Guidelines document:
Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, Second Edition. © 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

3. What is tenure?
“Tenure, briefly stated, is an arrangement whereby faculty members, after successful completion of a period of probationary service, can be dismissed only for adequate cause or other possible circumstances and only after a hearing before a faculty committee.”
-American Association of University Professors

4. Tenure Status Distribution of UNC Faculty

5. Trends in Faculty Types

6. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

7. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

8. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

9. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

10. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

11. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

12. Tenure Track Faculty Ranks
Promote
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
Initial Faculty Appointment
Maximum of 3 reappointments allowed; all appointments are considered probationary
1st Probationary Appointment = 4 years
Probationary 5-year appointment without tenure
REAPPOINT
REAPPOINT
Assistant Professor
Associate
Professor
(With Tenure)
Promote
at 7th year
2nd Probationary Appointment = 3 years
Promote
At 6th year
Full
Professor
(With Tenure)
Distinguished
Professor
(With Tenure)
Post-Tenure review every 5 years
Post-Tenure review every 5 years

13. SOM Promotion Criteria

14. Criteria for promotion - These apply to everyone!
Unequivocal evidence of excellence in area of focus
Positive contribution to the teaching mission
Exemplary patient care (for clinical faculty)
Professional service - examples:
Peer review and curriculum committees
Department, School of Medicine, Health Care System, and/or University committees
Contributions to operation, development, and improvement of the Department and/or School of Medicine
Providing service to the professional or lay community through education, consultation or other roles
Membership and active participation in leading national scientific societies of the candidate’s field

15. Defined areas of excellence – UNC SOM
Tenure Track
Fixed term
Research
Clinical Scholarship
Education
Research
Clinical Activity
Teaching
Administration
Community Professional Service
A faculty member must demonstrate significant accomplishments in one of the fixed-term or tenure track pathways.
The accomplishments upon which promotion on the tenure track is based include the following:
Convincing evidence of progressive academic & scholarly productivity
Development of a national reputation for excellence

16. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Individuals in the research pathway are expected to demonstrate their academic & scholarly productivity…
To Associate Professor
Letters of reference (external) as excellent researcher
Publications (1-2/year)
Grants (PI on at least one active investigator-initiated federal grant (e.g. R01, “or equivalent”)
Evidence for national reputation
Evidence for continued productivity and asset to institution in future
To Professor (same as above, plus…)
Sustained/progressive grant funding and publications
Evidence for international reputation

17. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Individuals whose primary focus is clinical scholarship are expected to demonstrate their academic & scholarly productivity …
To Associate Professor
Documenting important clinical observations
Publishing peer-reviewed papers in prominent journals
Making peer-reviewed and/or invited presentations
Publishing review articles in prominent journals
Writing chapters for major textbooks
Serving as editor for such journals and textbooks
Evidence for “emerging” national reputation
Evidence for continued productivity and asset to institution in future
To Professor (same as above but with…)
Evidence for national reputation

18. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Individuals whose primary focus is educational scholarship are expected to demonstrate their academic & scholarly productivity …
To Associate Professor
Developing, leading, and documenting innovative educational programs
Creating and documenting the development of educational materials
Publishing peer-reviewed papers in prominent journals
Making peer-reviewed and/or invited presentations at national meetings
Writing or editing textbooks
Competing for grant support of educational programs
Letters of reference (external) as excellent educator
Publications, grants or other educational scholarly products
Teaching Portfolio
Evidence for “emerging” national reputation
Evidence for continued productivity and asset to institution in future
To Professor: same as above but with…
Evidence for national reputation as educational scholar

19. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Evidence of a national reputation for excellence in a given area comes from:
Letters obtained from external, independent reviewers
Quality of the journals in which publications appear
Participation in national and international symposia
Membership on study sections, editorial boards, etc.
Election to office in national and international academic and/or professional societies
Invitations to present grand rounds or lectures at other academic medical centers and at national meetings
Awards from national professional organizations
Invitation to serve as a board examiner in a medical specialty

20. The Fixed Term Track

21. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Just as with the tenure track, promotion in the fixed term track requires:
Unequivocal evidence of excellence.
Substantial contribution to the teaching mission of the School of Medicine.

22. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
It is important to re-emphasize that teaching is an essential activity in the School of Medicine.
Therefore, just as in the tenure track, all candidates for promotion in the fixed term track must demonstrate significant contributions to the teaching mission.

23. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Unlike faculty members on the tenure track, the School of Medicine does not mandate that fixed term faculty members:
Achieve national reputations in their given area(s).
Demonstrate unequivocal evidence of scholarly productivity.

24. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Remember, these are School of Medicine criteria for the promotion of fixed term track faculty members & as such represent a “floor.”
Individual departments may establish higher, more stringent criteria for promotion in the fixed term track (e.g., requiring evidence of scholarship, etc). However, these criteria must be explicitly spelled out and made known to all faculty members at the time of their initial appointment.

25. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
The timeline for promotion review within the fixed term track is generally identical to that described for tenure track faculty.

26. Review of Tenure and Promotion Policies and Practices
Recommendations of the 2009 Provost’s Task Force
Faculty engagement with the public should be valued and evaluated.
New forms of scholarly work and communication should be included in scholarship evaluated.
Work across disciplinary lines should be based on clear agreements and expectations and should be valued by schools and departments.
Procedures and expectations of the tenure and promotion process should be revised, be clear, and be reviewed regularly.
Mentoring of faculty should be responsibility of chairs, senior faculty and the University. 26

27. Contributions to Team Research
While the evaluation of accomplishments in research, clinical scholarship, and educational scholarship have traditionally focused on a faculty member’s individual achievements (e.g., first and senior authorships, funding as the principal investigator on grant awards, invitations to make presentations on national or international forums, etc.), it has become increasingly clear that the present and future of biomedical science is placing more and more emphasis on interdisciplinary team activities. Therefore, when relevant, a faculty member’s contributions to interdisciplinary teamwork will also be given careful consideration. Factors such as originality, creativity, indispensability, and unique abilities will be considered when making this evaluation. The candidate is expected to include in the promotion packet a description of his/her role in the overall activities of the team. The departmental review process will include a solicitation of information regarding the candidate from the director of the project, the principal investigator, as well as any others who have first-hand knowledge that would clarify the candidate’s role in the overall team effort. Finally, the Chair's letter must spell out such collaboration(s) in considerable detail, especially if interdisciplinary team activities are felt to be an important aspect of the case being made for the specific promotion.

28. The Promotion Dossier

29. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Official Letters of Support
The promotion packet for a faculty member in the tenure track must include four (4) letters written by external, independent reviewers.
Two of these letters should come from individuals whose names have been suggested by the candidate.
The other two official letters must be solicited from individuals who have been identified by the Chair.
These 4 letters represent the “official” letters of support. They must be identified as such in the promotion packet.

30. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Additional Letters of Support
Additional letters written in support of the recommended personnel action may be solicited from individuals either from inside or outside the University.
Unlike the four “official” letters, additional letters may come from individuals who have a current or a prior academic and/or professional affiliation with the faculty member who is being reviewed.

31. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Chair’s Letter
Save for the Curriculum Vitae of the candidate, the letter written by the Chair on behalf of the candidate is perhaps the most important document in the promotion packet.

32. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
A Reflective Statement
Each candidate for promotion must prepare a Reflective Statement. This document should include:
A summary of the candidate’s area of expertise, accomplishments, and vision for the future.
A description of the candidate’s activities as an educator and a summary of his/her teaching philosophy.

33. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Teaching Portfolio
The new School of Medicine APT Policy requires a formal Teaching Portfolio only for a faculty member whose recommendation for promotion is being based on educational scholarship.

34. Appointment, Reappointment & Promotion
Teaching Summary
The promotion packet must include a summary of both the quality and quantity of the teaching contribution made by the faculty member being proposed for promotion and/or tenure.
Components:
The reflective statement .
A paragraph in the Chair’s letter.
Copies of annual teaching summaries.

35. University Committees
Promotion
Materials
School of Medicine (Associate, Full, Fixed Term) APT Committee
Full Professors in Department
School of Medicine Committees
Dean’s Advisory Committee
Health Sciences Advisory Committee
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee
Board of Trustees
University Committees

36. Time Frame for Progress Towards Promotion
Year 1. You should:
Learn your institution’s ground rules for tenure and promotion.
Set up your lab/clinic and research population/protocols.
Meet with your assigned mentor. You need someone who is effective in helping you wade through department politics and protocol. You may need an unofficial mentor as well.
Map out the committees, research organizations and professional societies that you may need to join. Accept service responsibilities, but avoid becoming bogged down.
Enter the “grantsmanship” game. You may want to start by applying for small grants ($5,000 to $25,000) from your own institution or from other sources.

37. Time Frame for Progress Towards Promotion
Year 2. You should:
Try to generate abstracts from any research that you did in your first year. Present your work at conferences in your research area and build relationships with your colleagues.
Teach with the tenure review process in mind. Have your chair, mentor, and other colleagues observe your teaching. Be sure your students fill out the evaluation forms at the end of the teaching interaction.
Try to publish the research you did in your first year.
During your second or third year of employment, your department chair creates your promotion and tenure dossier.

38. Time Frame for Progress Towards Promotion
Year 3. You should:
If your R01 was not funded, resubmit it and have a plan for backup funding.
Keep your CV up to date with your your accomplishments, activities, honors.
Ask your mentors if you are on track for tenure. If not, take stock and consider adjusting your career goals at this point.
Continue to publish based on your research and/or clinical/educational expertise.
Network with your professional colleagues.
Before the end of your third year, the full professors within your department vote on whether to recommend your reappointment for another three years.
You should have been meeting regularly with your department chair to discuss your progress, so you should have a tenure file that will support your reappointment.

39. Time Frame for Progress Towards Promotion
Years 4, 5 6. You should:
Begin to be recognized in your field for your research. The invitations that come your way to participate on panels or to serve on review committees are indications of success. If these opportunities are not occurring, take steps to gain exposure, perhaps by suggesting a session on your subspecialty at a national meeting.
You need to address any issues that may hinder your bid for tenure. If you have not obtained funding, this should be your number one priority. Keep up your research, and continue your efforts to get the results into print.
Around the beginning of your sixth year, the full professors in your department review your dossier and vote on whether you should receive tenure.
Letters are solicited from both internal and external experts in your area inquiring about your progress.