Guidelines for Preparation of Promotion and Tenure Files: Southern Methodist University and Meadows School of the Arts policies and procedures for promotion and awarding of tenure are published in the University Policy Manual and the Meadows document entitled "Meadows School of the Arts Rank and Tenure Policies and Procedures for All the Divisions." This guide does not present policy, but is intended to amplify the University and School policy and procedure statements with more detailed, practical guidelines for collecting and compiling review materials. The purpose of the file is to allow for a thorough, objective, rigorous, and fair evaluation of the candidate, not to "sell" the candidate to evaluating groups or individuals.

All materials submitted for promotion/tenure review are arranged according to the same basic format, although differences among the various divisions*, and positions in them, will dictate some variance in content. Materials are collected into two files: a file of primary review materials (the "promotion/tenure file"); and a file of supporting documents. An original plus eight copies of the promotion/tenure file are submitted to the Dean's office. One complete set of supporting documents is sufficient.

The Promotion and Tenure File

This file consists of sections in a three-ring binder provided by the Associate Dean's office. The sections are separated by dividers with tabs. All dividers with tabs are prepared by the division. The sections (tab labels appear in boldface) and their contents are as follows:

Promotion and Tenure Summary

Promotion and Tenure Summary sheet (provided by the Dean's Office)

1. Name, Rank, Division, School
2. Promotion/Tenure action to be considered
3. Date of original appointment at SMU
4. Date of previous ranks/tenure at SMU

Table of courses taught at SMU, by semester, with course number, title, and enrollment (provided by candidate)

Table of Contents for the notebook

List of materials included in the supporting documents file

Dean's Recommendation

1. Letter of recommendation with supporting reasons (provided by the Dean's office)
2. Letter of recommendation from the Meadows Promotion and Tenure Review Committee with procedure followed, committee vote, and supporting reasons, signed by all members
3. Individual letters from Meadows Committee members with supporting reasons

Division Recommendation

1. Chairperson's letter of recommendation with supporting reasons
2. Promotion and Tenure Committee letter with procedure followed, committee vote, and supporting reasons, signed by all members (the division chair is not a member of the Committee but, rather, provides a separate assessment based partly on the committee's recommendation)
3. Individual letters from committee members with supporting reasons

NOTE: The quality, thoroughness, honesty and rigor of letters representing 1-3 above are critical for an appropriate promotion/tenure evaluation.

Personal Statement

Each candidate is expected to submit a written statement concerning his or her aspirations and accomplishments in teaching, scholarly and/or creative activity, and other activities within the University and the candidate's profession. The statement serves as a self-evaluation and philosophic stance regarding how the candidate's activity relates to the division, school and University. Candidates are encouraged to work with their division chair or other mentor for assistance in preparing the personal statement. Example personal statements from successful promotion/tenure candidates are on file in the Dean's office. Suggestions from others for revisions after the file has been presented to the Committee are inappropriate.

Expectations

1. Copies of each letter of appointment or reappointment, with salary statements deleted
2. Copies of annual reviews or chair's evaluations (if a letter challenging a chair's evaluation is in the file, it should accompany the evaluation letter)
3. Copies of any letters specifying changes in departmental expectations of the candidate (if applicable)
4. If letters of appointment, reappointment, evaluation and changes in expectations do not adequately convey to an outsider the candidate's expected role in the division, a statement of that role and departmental expectations should be provided by the chair

Curriculum Vitae

A current curriculum vitae should be provided by the candidate. It should include sections (arranged in reverse chronological order--most recent first) on the candidate's education, teaching positions, related professional positions (i.e., editor of a journal or director of a theater company), professional memberships and activities (i.e., national, regional, or state office), university or community service (i.e., committees, boards), grants applied for and grants received (if applicable) and scholarly/creative activity (publications, exhibitions, performances, etc.). Activities should be separated into logical categories, such as books, book chapters, refereed articles, non-refereed articles, papers presented, reviews or juried exhibitions/non-juried exhibitions or professional theater productions/university theater productions. Such categories will vary depending on the candidate's field. Failure to separate activities (especially publications) into categories is often interpreted by outside reviewers as an attempt to "pad" the vita. Other material may be appropriate for inclusion in the curriculum vitae. However, avoiding redundancy or other "padding" is important. Example vitas from successful promotion/tenure candidates are on file in the Dean's office.

Professional Venues

Information on the quality and national stature of journals that contain the candidate's publications, orchestras with which the candidate has performed, galleries in which the candidate has exhibited work, publishers of books or other material, theater companies with which the candidate has worked, etc., will be very helpful in the evaluation process. Those outside the candidate's field cannot be expected to know the relative importance or prestige of theater companies, music publishers, communications journals, galleries, dance companies, etc. This information should be provided by the Division chair.

Teaching Evaluation - Student

1. Summary of course evaluations by semester
1. graphic and tabular summaries (provided by the Dean's office)
2. question form(s) used (provided by the division)
3. evaluation summaries constructed by the division (if available) (provided by the division)
2. Summary of Past student surveys (provided by the Dean's office)
1. Graphic and tabular summaries (provided by the Dean's office)
2. Question form(s) used (provided by the Dean's office)

Teaching Evaluation - Faculty/Peer

1. Results of observation by faculty colleagues and Promotion and Tenure Committee members (if the division presents these separatel from Committee letters).
2. Results of observation by outside evaluators (if applicable). Outside evaluation letters should be accompanied by brief statements of the qualifications of evaluators and the criteria used for selecting them.

Outside Evaluations

Outside evaluators should be individuals with the highest credibility. They should be people who have established outstanding reputations in the candidate's academic discipline, have appointments at institutions of the caliber to which SMU aspires, hold full professorship and/or high office in professional organizations, and can evaluate the candidate's work and credentials with objectivity and insight. Recommendations from those with close relationships to the candidate, such as major professor or former teacher, should be avoided. Evaluators are chosen by the chair from two sources--a list of six evaluators provided by the candidate and the chair's own list. Some or all of the candidate's suggested evaluators may be chosen, depending on their qualifications. Selection of evaluators is done in consultation with the Associate Dean.

Evaluators should be provided with the candidate's current curriculum vitae, personal statement, and other materials, such as departmental expectation, publications, tapes, or photographs, if appropriate. Evaluators will be asked to include with their evaluation letter a copy of their own vitae.

Potential evaluators should be contacted by the chair by letter or telephone, prior to the Associate Dean sending the soliciting letter and accompanying materials, as a courtesy and to ascertain the person's willingess to serve as an evaluator.

A copy of the soliciting letter should precede the evaluator's letter in the file. Statements should be included summarizing the credentials of outside evaluators and their professional relationships, if any, with the candidate. The number of letters included in the file will vary, but there should be enough to provide a fair, representative sampling. A minimum of ten outside evaluations is recommended.

Other Letters

Any letters not solicited by the chair appear in this section. They should be separated into student, former student, colleague and outside categories. As a rule, letters solicited by the candidate are not helpful to evaluating committees, and often are discounted as being political.

The Supporting Documents File

This may take the form of a notebook or may be organized in other ways, depending on the nature of the material. The supporting documents collection is under separate cover from the Promotion and Tenure file. One copy of the complete set accompanies the Promotion and Tenure file through all stages of the evaluation process. The two main content sections are:

1. Materials submitted by the candidate such as books, papers, tapes, videotapes, photographs, newspaper reviews and other indicators or examples of the candidate's work
2. Raw data from student evaluations
1. Course evaluation sheets (provided by the division)
2. Past student survey responses (provided by the Dean's Office)

Materials in the Supporting Documents file should be clearly labeled. A list of the contents of the Supporting Documents file appears both at the beginning of the file and in the Promotion and Tenure Summary section of the Promotion and Tenure File.

* Note - divisions or centers will herein be referred to as divisions; chairs and directors will be referred to as chairs rev. 3/25/96