Constituting a Committee
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-track faculty of the college. The election is college-wide from a slate of candidates nominated by the tenured and tenure-track 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 his/her term, a special college-wide election is held to select a replacement from a slate of candidates nominated by the tenured and tenure-track 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.
The Chancellor, at his/her discretion, 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.
The duties of the committee 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.
Preamble
In support of its mission, Capital College 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 HR-23 Policy, the Administrative Guidelines for HR-23, and the mission statement of each School/Unit of Capital College.
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 his/her professional interest.
For tenure and promotion to Associate Professor/Associate Librarian, a record of high-quality teaching/librarianship 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/Librarian, a continuing record of high-quality teaching/librarianship must be evident. Achievements in research and/or creative accomplishment must be significantly beyond those presented at the time of promotion to Associate Professor/Associate Librarian; 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
Capital College 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 ratings of teaching effectiveness; participation in seminars/workshops to enhance teaching effectiveness; peer classroom evaluations; school director’s classroom evaluation and 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.
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 his or her 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.
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, consulting or contracted work, and other examples of scholarly or creative achievement.
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, profession, and society commensurate with the rank and subject expertise of the faculty member.
Nomination Process for Promotion to Professor
For promotion to Professor, Penn State Harrisburg subscribes to a successively higher set of expectations as faculty members progress from tenure through promotions to the higher ranks. A successful candidate will provide evidence of a national and/or international reputation in his/her academic discipline. This reputation may be earned through the scholarship of teaching and research, as well as service and leadership in one’s discipline. In addition, appropriate levels of service, including leadership positions appropriate to their senior rank should be demonstrated, as well as contributions to the outreach mission of the university, in the School, College, University and Society at large. Likewise, achievements in scholarship and/or creative accomplishments must be significantly beyond those presented at the time of promotion to Associate Professor; and the candidate should be recognized by professional peers.
Process for Nomination of Faculty for Promotion to Professor
The Administrative Guidelines for AC23 Promotion and Tenure Procedures, Nomination Process for Promotion states:
Nomination Process for Promotion
1. Tenure consideration for assistant professors will be accompanied by consideration for promotion to associate professor. In other situations, faculty members will be reviewed for promotion only after being nominated as follows:
a. Nominated by an appropriate academic administrator
b. Nominated by the campus review committee (if appropriate) or by the department review committee after consultation with the appropriate academic administrator.
Penn State Harrisburg implements procedure 1.a. above, where the “appropriate administrator” is the Chancellor.
In accordance with the above nomination process set forth in the AC23 Administrative Guidelines, Candidates who feel they meet the above (first paragraph) requirements for promotion to the rank of Professor according to AC21 and AC23 should communicate their interest to their School Director by January 15. By February 1 of each academic year, the candidates’ School Director will assess credentials of those faculty members who are eligible and qualified to be promoted to professor against the school, college and university criteria for promotion to professor. [Note: For candidates within the nursing programs, the procedure of the College of Nursing will be followed.] Based on this assessment, and in consultation with the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, qualified candidates will be invited to develop a dossier (excluding supplemental materials). These dossiers will be submitted to the Chancellor for review by March 15. If the Chancellor determines, based on his/her assessment of the candidate’s dossier, that the candidate meets the above criteria and deems the candidate’s work to be meritorious of consideration for promotion, the Chancellor will nominate the candidate to undergo review for promotion to full professor. If, however, in the assessment of the candidate’s work, the Chancellor determines that additional input will aid him/her in arriving at the decision to either nominate the candidate to undergo review for promotion or not, the Chancellor will seek assistance from a special College Promotion Consultative Committee (CPCC). CPCC will assess the candidate’s dossier to determine the candidate’s qualifications for nomination for promotion to a full professor rank and advise the Chancellor accordingly.
To comply with the Composition and Size of Review Committees guidance as outlined in the AC23 Administrative Guidelines which states, “Only tenured faculty members are eligible to serve on promotion and tenure committees” and “Only faculty of higher rank than the candidates shall make recommendations about promotion or consideration for promotion”, the CPCC will include the full professors who are serving on the College Promotion and Tenure Committee at the time the dossier is presented for review. Only those full professors who have a Capital College academic home will serve. At the Chancellor’s discretion, the CPCC may be augmented to ensure coverage of discipline and enhance the diversity of the Committee. These additional members may include disciplinary experts at full professor rank either from Capital College, other colleges and/or campuses within Penn State University, and/or external experts. The Chancellor or the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Administration will appoint and charge the CPCC to assess the candidates’ dossiers, evaluate the three areas of scholarship, and provide a written summary for each dossier that is reviewed. No votes are taken at these meetings. According to University policy, committee members having a conflict of interest with any particular candidate, including those involving partners or relatives, must excuse themselves from participating in any evaluation process of that candidate. The person abstaining must give a written reason to the committee chair. Abstentions are only for a documented conflict of interest. If a member of the CPCC is excused from service on the committee, he or she will be replaced by another faculty member from a pool of alternate committee members who are full professors. Committee meetings are closed, and deliberations are strictly confidential in all perpetuity. The CPCC will complete its report and submit it to the Chancellor no later than May 1. The Chancellor in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Administration will arrive at a decision. The Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Administration will convey the final decision, and any individualized feedback regarding each candidate, to the respective school director. The school directors will in turn, share the decision and any feedback with the candidates.
For promotion to full reviews, when the peer review committee does not recommend promotion and the school director agrees, after consulting with the Chancellor and Dean of the academic unit the school director should discuss with the candidate the advisability of withdrawing the dossier.
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
Approved by Capital College Faculty Senate 2/21/05
Approved by Academic Council 3/15/05
Approved by Dean 3/15/05
Revised by Dean 11/26/2018
Promotion and Tenure Review Calendar documents added July 2019
Revised per Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs 10/01/2022