Promotion and Tenure Resources
Overview
Decisions to promote faculty members and award tenure are among the most important made by the university, for they determine the quality of faculty for decades to come. USU Policy 405 must be followed to ensure protection of faculty rights and the university during the promotion and tenure process. As defined in the USU Policy Manual, "Tenure is that provision of employment attained after completion of a probationary period during which the probationer's performance is found to be such as to make him or her an asset to the institution because of his or her abilities as a scholar, a teacher, a researcher, a librarian, or an Extension worker. It is the policy of the University to reward such outstanding performance of tenure-eligible faculty members by tenure and/or promotion."
Review Process
Consistent with peer institutions, the internal promotion and tenure process at Utah State University involves several levels of review by a wide range of university colleagues before a final decision is made by the Board of Trustees. Five internal levels of review are completed and while the reviews are completed independently, they are interconnected in that the recommendation of each level is added to the materials reviewed by subsequent levels. The materials reviewed by these administrators and committees comprise a dossier compiled by the candidate and, if applicable, a series of external reviews solicited by the department head.
Electronic Dossier System
Utah State University uses an electronic dossier (“e-dossier” accessible at https://dossier.usu.edu) process for promotion and tenure review as well as the third-year review of probationary tenure-track faculty. The e-dossier is housed on the Interfolio platform which is a cloud based system that has high security, flexibility, and longevity.
Interfolio Guides
For help using interfolio, please see the CIDI's tutorials on using interfolio as a candidate, case reviewer, or admin.
College Dossiers Administrators
Each academic unit has designated college dossier administrators (CDAs) who help with the process and serve as the primary contacts for e-dossier users and reviewers. Faculty should contact their CDA to request an e-dossier account. Faculty and e-dossier reviewers should contact their designated CDA for assistance. Note that all regional and USU Eastern faculty should contact the CDA of their academic college. Other questions about e-dossiers should be directed to Neal Legler, Center of Innovative Design and Instruction (neal.legler@usu.edu; (435) 797-1903). Below is a list of the CDAs by unit.
| College | Administrator & Contact Information |
|---|---|
| College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences/University Extension | Tammy Firth tammy.firth@usu.edu (435) 797-2201 |
| Caine College of the Arts | Elaine Olson elaine.olson@usu.edu (435) 797-7942 |
| Jon M. Huntsman School of Business | Julia Westover julia.westover@usu.edu (435) 797-0887 |
| Jon M. Huntsman School of Business | Chad Simon chad.simon@usu.edu (435) 797-9055 |
| Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services | Amber Summers-Graham amber.summer@usu.edu (435) 797-0634 |
| College of Engineering | Monte Larson monte.larson@usu.edu (435) 797-2021 |
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | Natalie Archibald Smoot natalie.archibald@usu.edu (435) 797-2796 |
| S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources | Angie Peterson angie.peterson@usu.edu (435) 797-2452 |
| College of Science | Traci Hillyard traci.hillyard@usu.edu (435) 797-2478 |
| University Libraries | Sara Grove sara.grove@usu.edu (435) 797-2631 |
2023-24 Review Deadlines
Faculty Being Reviewed for Promotion and/or Tenure
- September 15, 2023: Department head solicitation of external peer review letters [Policy 405.7.2(1)]
- December 1, 2023: Committee's recommendation to department head [Policy 405.7.2(2)]
- December 15, 2023: Department head's recommendation to dean [Policy 405.7.2(3)]
- January 11, 2024: Dean's recommendation to Provost & Chief Academic Officer [Policy 405.7.2(4)]
- April 15, 2024: President's notification of decision to candidate [Policy 405.7.2(5)]
Tenure-Track Faculty Undergoing Third Year Review
- October 26, 2023: Committee's recommendation to department head [Policy 405.7.2(2)]
- November 10, 2023: Department head's recommendation to dean [Policy 405.7.2(3)]
- November 20, 2023: Dean's recommendation to the Provost & Chief Academic Officer [Policy 405.7.2(4)]
- December 10, 2023: President's notification of non-renewal to candidate if applicable [Policy 405.7.2(5)]
Tenure-Track Faculty Undergoing Annual Review
- December 1, 2023: Committee's recommendation to department head [Policy 405.7.1(2)]
- December 18, 2023: Department Head's recommendation to dean [Policy 405.7.1(3)]
- January 29, 2024: President’s notification of non-renewal to candidate (fourth and fifth year annual reviews) if applicable [Policy 407.6.3(2)]
- March 1, 2024: President's notification of non-renewal to candidate (first and second year annual reviews) if applicable [Policy 407.6.3(2)]
Central Promotion and Tenure Committee
Section 405.7.2 (5) of the USU Policy Manual states the following about the composition of the central promotion and tenure committee:
"The provost shall convene a committee including the vice president for research and dean of the school of graduate studies, the vice president for Extension, and others of his or her choosing. The president may attend and participate in committee meetings. All members must hold the rank of professor with tenure."
2023-2024 Central Committee
Scott Jones
College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Phone: (435) 797-2234
Email: scott.jones@usu.edu
Darrin Brooks
Caine College of the Arts
Phone: (435) 755-8344
Email: darrin.brooks@usu.edu
Tyler Bowles
Huntsman School of Business
Phone: (435) 797-2378
Email: tyler.bowles@usu.edu
Jamison Fargo
College of Education and Human Services
Phone: (435) 797-8817
Email: jamison.fargo@usu.edu
David Britt
College of Engineering
Phone: (435) 797-2158
Email: david.britt@usu.edu
Christine Cooper Rompato
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Phone: (435) 797-3856
Email: christine.rompato@usu.edu
Joe Wheaton
College of Natural Resources
Phone: (435) 797-2459
Email: joe.wheaton@usu.edu
James Pitt
College of Science
Phone: (435) 797-8872
Email: james.pitts@usu.edu
Lisa Berreau, Vice President
Office of Research
Phone: (435) 797-3509
Email: lisa.berreau@usu.edu
Kenneth L. White, Vice President
University Extension
Phone: (435) 797-2201
Email: ken.white@usu.edu
Paul J. Barr, Vice Provost, Ex Officio
Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Phone: (435) 797-0718
Email: paul.barr@usu.edu
Laurens H. Smith, Provost & Chief Academic Officer, Ex Officio
Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Phone: (435) 797-1167
Email: larry.smith@usu.edu
Questions
The Provost & Chief Academic Officer, Laurens H. Smith, works closely with individual colleges, departments, and faculty on issues related to promotion and tenure, such as eligibility, prior service, leaves of absence, development of role statements, and post tenure review. Further, the Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer has published a Frequently Asked Questions: Promotion to the Rank of Associate Professor with Tenure booklet to address common questions about the process.
For more information on promotion and tenure, please contact:
Paul J. Barr
Vice Provost
Phone: (435) 797-0718
Email: paul.barr@usu.edu