Preamble

In support of its mission, Capital College, hereafter referred to as Penn State Harrisburg, shares the knowledge and expertise of its faculty with the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world. 

The College serves Penn State’s mission by:

  • offering a wide range of programs from associate through doctoral levels
  • serving the continuing and adult education needs of the region
  • delivering the highest quality professional and pre-professional programs in cooperation with other Penn State campuses/centers
  • demonstrating a special sensitivity to the individual needs of its students
  • engaging in the discovery and application of knowledge through teaching, research, and service scholarship activities
  • participating in global networks and alliances to generate new knowledge to enrich the lives of students and citizens of the Commonwealth, and,
  • strengthening links with the College’s alumni through programs and services that encourage life-long commitments to Penn State.

This document describes the promotion and tenure criteria common to all academic units within the college and is intended to supplement the criteria provided by each academic unit consistent with the provisions of AC23 Policy, the Administrative Guidelines for AC23, and the mission statement of each School/Unit of Penn State Harrisburg. 

Constituting a Committee

Elected Members

The committee consists of seven or nine (7 or 9) tenured faculty holding the rank of associate professor or professor. Six members are elected by vote of the tenured and tenure-line faculty of the college. The election is college-wide from a slate of candidates nominated by the tenured and tenure-line Faculty of the College. To ensure that all Schools are represented on the committee, the faculty member from each School receiving the highest number of votes is elected. If a school does not have any eligible faculty nominated to serve on the committee, then the faculty member(s) receiving the next highest number of votes are elected to represent that school. In no case may any school have more than two elected members, nor more than one appointed member on the committee. All elected members serve two-year terms.

In case an elected member of the Committee does not complete their term, a special college-wide election is held to select a replacement from a slate of candidates nominated by the tenured and tenure-line Faculty of the College to complete the original member’s term. The replacement is selected to ensure that all schools are represented on the committee. The above-mentioned distribution pertaining to faculty representation is maintained.

Appointed Members

The Chancellor may appoint one or three (1 or 3) additional members who serve for a one-year term. The Chancellor appoints the committee chair and calls the first meeting.

Duties

The committee's duties are as described in University Policy AC-23 and the Administrative Guidelines for AC-23.

Committee members may be recused only when there is a legitimate conflict of interest, such as a relative being considered for promotion or tenure.  Conflicts of interest are to be declared in advance of discussion about a candidate.  If there is a recusal, the reason might be noted in the evaluative statement.  A committee member who is recused should not be present for the discussion and the vote.

Faculty members on leave of absence, including sabbatical leave, are prohibited from participating in promotion and tenure committees.

Confidentiality

The Committee shall conduct its activities in a way that guarantees an individual’s right to privacy not only during the committee’s deliberations but forever thereafter.  Committee members should not retain any personal notes about promotion and tenure cases once the work of the committee has concluded.

Faculty Expectations

The primary criteria for promotion and tenure are:

  • the scholarship of teaching and learning,
  • the scholarship of research and creative accomplishment, and,
  • the scholarship of service to the University, society, and the profession. 

Faculty members are expected to develop a balanced portfolio of scholarly activities that integrate teaching, research and creative accomplishment, and service.  Such a portfolio should reflect a faculty member’s rank, stage in academic career, tenure or appointment status, discipline-specific requirements and scholarly or artistic expertise, and their professional interest. 

For tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, a record of high-quality teaching is expected; significant productivity in the areas of research and/or creative accomplishment commensurate with the accomplishments of faculty members at comparable institutions must be achieved; and evidence of service appropriate to the rank and scholarly or artistic expertise of the faculty member. 

For promotion to Full Professor, a continuing record of high-quality teaching must be evident.  Achievements in research and/or creative accomplishment must be significantly beyond those presented at the time of promotion to Associate Professor; and appropriate levels of service, including leadership positions appropriate to their senior rank must be demonstrated.  Such accomplishments should earn the candidate a national and/or international reputation as attested in evaluations by outside experts.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Penn State Harrisburg faculty are expected to excel in the scholarship of teaching and learning.  Expectations for teaching effectiveness include the use of a variety of pedagogical approaches appropriate both to the subject and the range of students within the academic programs of the College.  The effectiveness of academic advising and service to students outside of the classroom is an essential part of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

When evaluating the teaching performance of faculty, three factors should be considered: effectiveness in the classroom, currency in the subject area taught, and active mentoring of students through advising and related activities.  The following must be considered in the candidate’s evaluation: student  evaluations as determined by the University; participation and leadership in seminars/workshops to enhance teaching effectiveness; peer classroom evaluations; summary of student comments; review of course syllabi; receipt of teaching or advising awards; faculty direction of student internships, research, and projects; and any other means that will attest to the candidate’s teaching and advising effectiveness. 

Penn State Harrisburg Peer Review Guidelines

A minimum of two current (within the past year) peer assessments should be provided for each candidate at each level of review.  The faculty should work with their relevant administrator to collaborate on choosing reviewers, with the administrator making the final decision.

  • Faculty should be allowed to submit the names of potential reviewers.
  • Faculty could reject proposed reviewer(s) after consultation with their administrator.
  • Reviewers may be selected from either within or outside the unit but should have knowledge and expertise within the discipline of the faculty member undergoing review.

The content of each evaluation should include only evidence-based observations.  That is the assessment (i.e., evaluation and conclusion) should be based on corresponding evidence.  Although current policy AC23 and its Administrative Guidelines use the term “peer review,” peer observation is not a required element of peer review.  Summative peer review of teaching ideally consists of more than one source of assessment that may or may not include class observations.  Faculty should have access to peer reviews prior to insertion into the dossier. 

The Scholarship of Research and Creative Accomplishment

A faculty member is expected to establish and sustain a program of superior research and/or creative accomplishment appropriate to their discipline and rank.  The overall objective of research and creative accomplishment is to address conceptual, theoretical, applied, and social challenges or opportunities and to enhance the quality of life in society.  A favorable recommendation for tenure and promotion depends on the presentation of clear and consistent evidence of a significant contribution in the scholarship of research and/or creative accomplishment.  Discipline-specific accomplishment and significance of contributions in scholarship and research will be guided by the school(s) where the primary discipline resides. 

Evidence of the scholarship of research and/or creative accomplishment should originate from an active program that leads to a portfolio of high-quality work as recognized by the individual academic disciplines.  The record of accomplishment may include refereed publications, juried artistic contributions, pursuit and success in obtaining external competitive grants, consulting or contracted work, and other examples of scholarly or creative achievement.  External peer evaluations of the quality of the candidate's record (as required by the Administrative Guidelines to AC23) will be made by scholars of national standing in the candidate's discipline.

External reviewers must be at a higher rank than the person being reviewed. Thus, candidates for promotion to associate professor must be reviewed by people at the rank of associate or full professor whereas candidates for promotion to full professor must be reviewed by full professors. In general, references should be senior faculty from institutions similar to Penn State Harrisburg.

Service and the Scholarship of Service

The College values a record of service as an indication of commitment to the mission and values of the Schools/Units, the College, and the University. Faculty members are expected to contribute to the vitality and development of the College and the University, foster the intellectual growth of their students outside the classroom, and share their expertise with society and the professions. 

Evidence of service and the scholarship of service should demonstrate sustained activity, a record of effective activity related to the advancement of University, and a balance in contributions to the School, College, University, external professional service, and society commensurate with the rank and subject expertise of the faculty member.  The scope, type of service, the leadership or potential leadership, and the impact of the service are all considered in the evaluation of the faculty member’s service commitments. Candidates for promotion should describe their level of engagement in and important outcomes of their activities.

Nomination Process for Promotion to Professor

Expectations of Successful Candidates

There is no minimum number of years in the rank of Associate Professor required for promotion to Full Professor; however, there must be sufficient accomplishments in all three areas of teaching, research, and service to meet the general expectations listed below and specific requirements in the respective School’s Promotion and Tenure criteria:

  1. Successful candidates will provide evidence of national and/or international recognition in their academic discipline. This recognition may be earned through the scholarship of teaching and research as well as service and leadership in one’s discipline.
  2. Achievements in scholarship and/or creative accomplishments must be significantly beyond those presented at the time of promotion to Associate Professor according to each School’s Promotion and Tenure criteria.
  3. Successful candidates should demonstrate levels of service including leadership positions appropriate to their rank and contributions to the outreach mission of the School, College, University and Society at large.
  4. Successful candidates’ professional contributions in their field should be recognized by external peers in their discipline. 

Promotion to Full Professor Nomination Process

  1. During annual reviews of associate professors, school directors should address progress toward promotion to Full Professor and reflect their assessment of strengths and areas for improvement in writing. Although ongoing conversations regarding the promotion timeline are encouraged, an option for nomination during the third year (see item 6) and ultimately nomination for promotion five years after tenure (at the time of the AC40 extended review) should be discussed and documented. 
  2. Candidates who believe they meet requirements for promotion to the rank of Full Professor should communicate their interest to their School Director by January 15 of the spring semester prior to the academic year of the review cycle for which they wish their promotion application to be reviewed. 
  3. Candidates should submit their curriculum vitae (CV) and other relevant material to the School Director no later than February 1 to allow the School Director adequate time to assess and review the candidates’ credentials according to the Full Professor Promotion and Tenure criteria.
  4. The School Director can choose to consult with other Full Professors in or outside the College regarding the candidate’s qualifications and preparedness for promotion to the next rank.  
  5. The School Director, as the Academic Administrator, will make the determination if the candidate should or should not be nominated for promotion to Full Professor by February 15.
    1. If the School Director determines that the candidate does not meet the School criteria for promotion to Full Professor, they must provide written feedback to the candidate by February 15.
    2. If the School Director determines that the candidate meets the School criteria for promotion to Full Professor, they will notify the candidate and Chancellor's Office of their nomination and to follow the process for preparation of their full dossier according to the School and College guidelines.
  6. A candidate completing 3rd year (and thereafter) in rank of Associate Professor may choose to accept the feedback from their School Director and work on the areas identified as needing improvement or decide to pursue an alternative nomination process (see item b. below). 
    1. Should the candidate accept received feedback to address the noted concerns, they can express interest in promotion to Full Professor by January 15 of the subsequent year. 
    2. A candidate completing at least the 3rd year (and thereafter) in rank of Associate Professor may choose to pursue an alternative nomination for promotion.  In such a case, the candidate would need a minimum of two full professors in their discipline (related to their field of scholarly work as would be used for selection of external reviewers) to provide written nomination letters.  These professors may be within or outside the candidate’s School but must be within the University. Nomination letters should be sent to the School Director no later than March 10.  Acceptance of such a nomination will be within the prerogative of the Chancellor who will notify the candidate by March 30.  
    3. Candidates who are denied promotion or withdraw their application during the process must wait for at least two years before being able to pursue promotion.  The two-year period is intended to ensure there is sufficient time to address feedback and concerns received by the candidate.  
  7. Candidates who are either in or beyond their fifth year as an Associate Professor can self-nominate to undergo a review for promotion to Full Professor without a nomination by the School Director, unless they are in the two-year waiting period (see item 6c above). Candidates who wish to self-nominate should indicate their intention to do so to the Chancellor's Office and School Director by March 10 of the academic year prior to the promotion review.

The full Administrative Guidelines for AC23 Promotion and Tenure Procedures can be found on the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs website.

Promotion and Tenure Review Calendar

Calendars for Promotion Reviews209.27 KB
Timeline for Promotion and Tenure Reviews152.93 KB

Approved by Penn State Harrisburg Faculty Senate, 2/21/2005
Approved by Academic Council, 3/15/2005
Approved by Dean, 3/15/2005

Revised by Dean, 1/26/2018
Revised per Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs, 10/01/2022
Current Version: Academic Council Review and Approval, 4/25/2024