The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Policy # [####]
College of Education and Human Services Materials (Appendix A: COEHS)
College of Education and Human Services
College of Education and Human Services
Guidelines for Renewal and Tenure of Faculty
The purpose of this document is to establish uniform criteria for renewal and tenure in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS). All COEHS departments are required to utilize these guidelines for renewal and tenure. If departments wish to add to or further define these guidelines, they are required to do so in writing, and to furnish those additional guidelines to the candidate.
Candidates for renewal and tenure are expected to contribute to the college and university through their efforts in the three areas of (A) Teaching, (B) Professional and Scholarly Growth, and (C) Service. Candidates are required to summarize data on Teaching, Professional and Scholarly Growth, and Service in the renewal/tenure papers with evidence to support this summary to be provided in separate folders. These summary data should be cumulative, providing information for all the years the candidate has been a member of the COEHS staff. The accompanying documentation should adequately support the summary and should follow the summary papers through the department and college levels of review. Candidates will be evaluated as Superior, Above Average, Average, Below Average, or Poor in each area by the department personnel committee, the department chair, college personnel committee, and COEHS Dean. These evaluations represent professional judgments of the candidates’ performance. The rationale supporting these evaluations will be specified at all review levels, and will be provided to the candidates in writing for all three areas of review.
When a candidate for renewal has been credited with years of experience toward tenure prior to joining the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh staff, the candidate will provide, within the renewal and tenure papers, information and supportive documentation on Teaching, Professional and Scholarly Growth Activities, and Service for those prior service years.
The kinds of evidence supplied by candidates in the Teaching, Professional and Scholarly Growth, and Service areas will vary. Some evidence is required, while some is optional, with each being labeled as such in the sections of this document in which the specific categories of evidence are described. Evidence identified as “required” denotes information that is expected to be included in the candidate’s renewal and tenure papers.
While it is the responsibility of the candidate to provide documentation of progress in Teaching, Professional and Scholarly Growth, and Service, it is the responsibility of the department and college reviewers to evaluate this progress and communicate their conclusions and recommendations to the candidate. When progress in any year is judged as being below what is expected for developing a record which supports a positive tenure decision, the probationary faculty member will be given explicit counsel and advice about expectations for the next renewal cycle by the level(s) of review which found the progress to be below expectations. A written summary of this counsel and advice will also be given to the candidate. It is not in the best interest of the faculty member, the department, or college to continue to reappoint a probationary faculty member if it is clear that the person’s record is not adequate to support a positive tenure decision.
STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS
Expectations of what types of evidence are indicative of progress toward tenure vary with the candidate’s length of time at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. A discussion of renewal and tenure expectations will be held among the department chair, the chair of the department personnel committee, and the candidate. A statement of expectations will be written after this meeting which conforms to the College and department guidelines. This statement of expectations will cover the pre-tenure period, with specific expectations listed. This statement will be submitted for approval to the department personnel committee and the department chair within 90 days of a candidate’s date of hire. Approved copies of this statement will be provided to the new faculty member, the chair of the department personnel committee, the department chair, the COEHS Dean, the Provost and the Chancellor by the department chair.
The new faculty member is to utilize the statement of expectations to determine what s/he needs to accomplish to achieve renewal and tenure. The statement of expectations is to accompany the renewal papers each year and will be addressed by the candidate and the department in their renewal documentation and evaluation. Should a candidate not meet the expectations stated in this pre-tenure written statement of expectations, s/he may be non-renewed. Should the candidate be renewed having not met the written expectations or should either the initial level of review or the Chancellor desire modification in the written statement of expectations, a new written statement of expectations will be provided to the candidate by the department chair.
To guide departments in developing specific written statements of expectations, the following general expectations are provided.
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
In general, during the first three years it is expected that the candidate will focus upon becoming an effective teacher and upon establishing an on-going record of professional development, with a gradual but increasing involvement in service activities. To support this emphasis, candidates applying for renewal in the first three years will be evaluated as making satisfactory progress in Teaching if they receive Average ratings by the department and college personnel committees. While teaching is of primary importance, during the first three years candidates should be developing an active professional and scholarly record that will provide evidence of at least three (3) publications prior to the tenure decision which normally occurs during the candidate’s sixth year of service. Professional publications shall include juried journal articles, books, book chapters, professional organization monographs, and other scholarly products that the departmental committees recognize as appropriate substitutes. If a department personnel committee makes such a substitution, this decision should be documented in writing in the candidate’s “Statement of Expectations for Probationary COEHS Faculty.” During the first three years, candidates may submit evidence of scholarly work that is “in progress” as an example of their professional growth and development over the past year.
After three years of probationary service at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Teaching will be weighted 50% and Professional and Scholarly Growth and Service each weighted 25% in the renewal and tenure decision process. A candidate must have an Above Average rating in Teaching and an Above Average rating in at least one of the other categories to be evaluated as making satisfactory progress for renewal/tenure after three years of credited time on the tenure track.
After three years at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, continued service at the department and college levels with increasing involvement at the University level is expected.
Probationary faculty members who receive an appointment before they complete the appropriate terminal degree will be expected to make satisfactory progress toward obtaining the degree. Progress shall be monitored through a written plan and timeline developed by the candidate and approved by the department personnel committee. Progress as specified in the plan and timeline will be described by the candidate in the renewal/tenure papers. Failure to make satisfactory progress as specified in the plan and timeline can be considered adequate cause for nonrenewal and non-tenure.
A specific description of the types of data to be submitted as evidence in the Teaching, Professional and Scholarly Growth and Service areas is provided in the following sections of this document.
TEACHING
The College of Education and Human Services historically has had a strong commitment to effective instruction. For this reason it is desirable that the renewal papers, both in the summary and the supporting evidence, reflect in a comprehensive manner the teaching ability and the teaching growth of the probationary faculty member. The teaching growth is identified by the cumulative nature of the summary statement and evidence folders. A list of required and suggested optional items for inclusion in this section are identified below to aid the probationary faculty member in the completion of this section.
A. Required Items.
1. Load Assignments (see “C. Load Assignments” below) – In the comment section, the faculty member may include statements pertinent to the assignments, such as new preparations, courses being taught outside of the department, off-campus site teaching, etc.
2. Student Evaluations – A summary of student evaluations should be included for 50% of classroom teaching assignments for the renewal period. Student comments should be included.
3. Peer Evaluations – Two evaluations from department and/or other college faculty members should be included for each renewal period. In general these would be tenured faculty members.
B. Optional Items. (Include all items appropriate to you.)
1. New courses developed, course revisions (documented).
2. Advisement: number of undergraduates; number of graduates; number of advisement encounters in the past year.
3. Theses, Independent Studies, Other.
Thesis: Chair __________________ Reader _________________
Title:
Independent Study Contracts:
Other: (Please specify.)
4. Teaching Awards and Grants.
5. Course Syllabi: At least one syllabus should be included for each renewal period.
PROBATIONARY FACULTY LOAD ASSIGNMENTS
Annual Renewal Period ________ to ________
C. Load Assignment.
1. Courses Taught:
Semester Course No. Course Title Enrollment Load Credit
________ _________ ________________________ _________ __________
________ _________ ________________________ _________ __________
________ _________ ________________________ _________ __________
________ _________ ________________________ _________ __________
2. Other: Non-teaching responsibilities assigned as part of load.
3. Comments:
PROFESSIONAL AND SCHOLARLY GROWTH
It is expected that candidates shall demonstrate a continuing consistent involvement in a variety of professional and scholarly growth activities listed in Level I and Level II. However, professional activities in Level I are required and evidence of at least three (3) professional publications or appropriate substitutions as determined by the departmental or college personnel committees must be provided prior to the tenure decision.
Level I
A. Publications (indicate if juried)
1. National distribution
2. Regional or local distributions
3. Article submissions
B. Presentations
1. Papers read at major conferences
2. National presentations
3. Regional or state presentations
4. Local presentations
C. Grants
1. Funded, national level
2. Other funded grants
3. Grant proposals submitted
D. Research Activities
1. Completed
2. In progress
E. Other
Level II
F. Professional Development Activities
1. Attendance at faculty colleges
2. Workshops
3. Courses
4. Other (Give dates and descriptions)
a. Retraining
b. Intense, specific, hands-on conferences
c. Working with nationally known colleagues
d. Observing colleagues’ classes
G. Memberships in Professional Organizations (Give dates.)
1. National
2. Regional
3. State
4. Local
H. Attendance at Professional Meetings (Give dates and responsibilities.)
I. Other
SERVICE
A candidate for renewal/tenure should show a gradual but increasing involvement in service activities in all of the five categories listed below. During the first three years atUniversityofWisconsin Oshkoshno specific service activities are required, but it is expected that the candidate begin to establish a service record at the department, the college and the university levels during this period. After three years atUniversityofWisconsin Oshkosh, a record of continued service at the department, the college and the university levels is required. Although some service in each category is expected, extraordinary service in any one category can compensate for limited service in another of the areas.
Additional services to professional organizations and/or to the greater university community are optional but highly recommended. An optimum record of service will show a record of continued service activities with a balance of activities across all five categories.
Service
A. To Department
1. Committees
2. Supporting and cooperating with department goals – examples: works cooperatively with others, attends convocations, graduations, guest lectures, professor-for-a-day activities, to specifically include governance roles.
3. Mentor to colleagues
4. Other
B. To College
1. Committees
2. Supporting and cooperating with the work of the college–especially governance activities
3. Advisor to student groups
4. Other
C. To University
1. Committees
2. Assuming leadership and governance roles
3. Other
D. To International, National, State, and Community
1. That directly relate to one’s professional expertise
2. Service provided to community in terms of leadership roles
E. To Professional Organizations
1. To professional organizations of which you are a member
2. To professional organizations of which you are not a member – examples: task forces, S.E.C. teams