PRB annual informational meeting 2008
April 28, 2008
The Chair of the President’s Review Board (PRB) meets annually with faculty to explain the requirements for promotion and tenure and to respond to specific questions about the process.
Lucinda M. Finley, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
General Introductory Comments
- For tenure and promotion - expectation is that the dossier will reflect a combination of research/teaching/service. Research is the most important element.
- Research expectations are judged by the “standards of each discipline.”
- PRB relies upon department chairs and external disinterested evaluators to describe the “standards of the discipline.”
- In terms of numbers of publications expected - there are no “one size fits all” answers because it varies from discipline to discipline.
- However “quality matters more than quantity.”
- Quality is assessed by: reputation of journals and book publishers, citation counts (though this is fraught with difficulties- could be that one’s work is being cited as an example of research that was not good), presentations at prestigious meetings, attracting and getting grant funding, etc
- Key consideration for tenure and promotion - will the candidate remain productive and competitive in the field?
Disinterested Evaluators
- Four disinterested evaluators is a minimum.
- Dossier preparers should request significantly more than 4 letters so they are assured of getting at least 5-6 disinterested letters.
- It is preferable to get disinterested letters from AAU institutions. If you go outside the AAU explain why in the dossier.
- A disinterested evaluator is neutral, without a vested interest in the success of the candidate’s career. Do not ask former professors, supervisors, mentors, collaborators, co-PIs for disinterested letters. Do not ask anyone who will achieve “reflective glory” by the career success of a candidate. Editors of peer-reviewed journals can be considered disinterested.
- The candidate should stay “at arm’s length” when disinterested evaluators are being considered and not “drive the process.” The dossier preparer should ask the candidate for names of evaluators who should not be approached due to neutrality issues. The candidate may also supply a list of disinterested evaluators but the dossier preparer should select several evaluators who are not on the candidate’s list. In fact, the dossier preparer should not look at the candidate’s list until after he/she has compiled his/her own list.
- If PRB does not think at least 4 of the external evaluators are truly disinterested, the action will be tabled and the dossier will be sent back to the department.
- For initial appointments with tenure, the department must supply PRB with a minimum of 4 disinterested letters. Letters of reference gathered during the hiring process will not suffice.
Other Letters
- Collaborators (both internal and external) should provide letters that describe the collaboration and explains the candidate’s contribution to the work. Collaborator letters should be placed in the dossier separate from the disinterested evaluator letters.
- The Provost and PRB put little emphasis on internal (UB) letters with respect to documenting the value of a candidate’s scholarship. Internal letters are valuable for assessment of teaching and university citizenship. Internal letters may also be useful identifying challenges a candidate faced in doing research.
Research Statement
- The RS explains to all levels of review from the department to the President a candidate’s career trajectory- “how your past work feeds into your present work.”
- The RS is the candidate’s opportunity to explain “what you do, where you are going, why it’s important, why you love it.”
- Candidates should amend the RS as his/her research moves forward. This should happen at least yearly. Candidates should use the RS as a “vehicle to stay on track.”
- Candidates should avoid jargon in the RS.
Teaching Statement
- The TS is very important to the Provost and the President. If the candidate’s research is spectacular but his/her teaching is weak, unlikely to get tenure. However, spectacular teaching helps if research is “close to the line.”
- Candidates should start a teaching portfolio from the first day in the classroom including syllabi and assignments.
- Activities done to improve teaching are seen positively. Include examples of goals, approaches and changes. These should all be included in the TS.
Service Statement
- The SS is the least important component of the dossier. This is especially true early on in the tenure track. Although there must always be some evidence of service.
- Extensive service is never a substitute for scholarship.
- PRB puts less emphasis on UB service than on wider professional service. For promotion to Full Professor/Librarian the PRB expects extensive professional service.
Tenure Clock
- Six year clock of SUNY service (i.e., consideration by PRB before the start of the 7th year) is the norm when appointed below the rank of Associate.
- Early tenure is ok - candidates should be put forward when they are ready.
- The tenure clock can be adjusted due to important life events which affect a candidate’s ability to get work done (childcare, illness, eldercare). Specifically, the candidate can get a one year clock adjustment per child. Such tenure clock adjustments must be approved by the department chair and the Dean. The Provost and President in general support tenure clock adjustments. However, you cannot get a clock adjustment retroactively. You must apply at the time of the life event. You should request a “stop of the clock” even if you are not sure that you will need the extra time.
- Tenure clock adjustments can also be made due to major setbacks in research progress that is not the fault of the candidate (e.g., a delay in setting up a lab, natural disasters, a fire, mismanagement of the manuscript of a publisher.) This cannot be done at the end of the tenure clock. The candidate must make the request to the department chair and Dean as close as possible to the precipitating event.
- 7th year review - a candidate can choose to be considered at the end of the 7th year. The department chair and the Dean should provide an explanation in the tenure dossier. Candidates sometimes do this when they have a major piece of work in the publishing pipeline. Sometimes candidates do this when they have experienced a major life event or major research impediment and did not request a “clock stop.” However, the 7th year review is not a “clock stop” as the PRB anticipates productivity throughout the 7th year. Also, candidates must remember that they may find themselves suddenly unemployed should the tenure decision be negative (i.e., the candidate loses the opportunity to look for a position for one year while being employed at the University.)
- Overall, waiting until the end of the 7th year is risky but at times may be essential.
PRB Process
- The PRB consists of nine voting members who must have achieved the rank of full librarian/professor.
- Chair is non-voting. Must have served a previous term on PRB.
- 3 slots are designated for the College of Arts and Sciences (1 Natural Sciences, 1 Social Sciences, 1 Humanities), 2 slots for the Health Sciences (at least one from the medical school), 1 slot for Engineering and the remaining 3 slots rotate among schools to give disciplinary balance.
- PRB meets as it has cases. Typically the group considers 6-7 cases in a session.
- The Chair appoints two member reviewers to each case in advance of consideration. Both read the assigned case fully including checking citations, checking reviews, etc. The primary reviewer writes a report that makes a case for or against the consideration. The secondary reviewer adds comments as she /he sees fit.
- After PRB votes the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs forwards the dossier with a cover memo to the Provost who then discusses the case with the President
- Both the President and the Provost read all dossiers forwarded to them.
Advocacy
- Candidates may appoint an advocate at any time up until the Provost receives the dossier - whether there has been a negative recommendation or not during the steps in the review process. Can be used as a “security blanket” so candidates feel they gave the process “their best shot.” Advocates do not appear before the PRB. Their advocacy takes the form of a written statement included in the dossier. If the Provost recommends against a case, the right to advocacy stops.
- The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs affords candidates a right to an advocacy meeting after PRB consideration (but before Provostial consideration) if there has been a negative recommendation at any level. This meeting may be attended by an advocate (if there is one), the Dean, the Chair and other parties as appropriate. The candidate does not attend the meeting but can provide a written statement. The meeting allows the VP for Faculty Affairs the opportunity to gather information that will give the Provost complete up-to-date contextual information in her cover memorandum.
Right of Withdrawal
- The candidate may withdraw from consideration any time until the President makes his/her decision.
- In the case of a tenure consideration, a candidate who withdraws can consider resubmitting a dossier for a 7th year review.
Promotion to Full Professor/Librarian
- For promotion to full professor or librarian there is no standard time period. Some faculty get promoted to full within 3 years of getting tenure.
- Must have strong evidence of national or international stature.
- Must have strong evidence of professional service
- If promotion to full professor/librarian is denied, the candidate must typically wait 3 years before being reconsidered.
Based on notes taken by G. DeVinney, M. Lavin, A. Lyons;
Meeting held at the Student Union, Room
330, from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Content provider: G. DeVinney
Comments: lib-staffweb@buffalo.edu
Last update:
1 July, 2008