2020 Promotion and Tenure Workshop Dr Kathleen Bieschke

2020 Promotion and Tenure Workshop Dr. Kathleen Bieschke Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Thursday, September 24, 2020 OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Today’s Topics • Overview of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs • P&T Policies and Processes • Administrative Guidelines • P&T Levels of Review • P&T Review Committee Roles and Responsibilities • The Dossier • FAQs • Activity Insight Improvements and Changes OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

VPFA Website – vpfa. psu. edu OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

VPFA Office Staff • Abigail Diehl, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, agc 105@psu. edu • Karen Parkes-Schnure, Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, kjg 138@psu. edu Office of the Vice Provost for • Faculty Affairs • vpfa. psu. e du • Primary promotion and tenure contact Mindy Kowalski, Administrative Support Coordinator, msk 22@psu. edu Wendy Blumenthal, Administrative Support Assistant, wjy 100@psu. edu OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Two Key Questions 1. Do you have a promotion and tenure policy? 2. Do you FOLLOW that policy? OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Policy AC 23 • “Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations” • Formerly known as “HR 23” • Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs is steward of AC 23 • Website for University policies: policies. psu. edu OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Administrative Guidelines • How we operationalize AC 23 • A comprehensive document with some changes made each academic year • Important to know about AC 23 and the guidelines – online for easy reference OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

P&T Processes • Adherence to established processes is critical. • Follow guidelines for your college, department, school, or campus. • Mistakes and missteps happen but can be avoided. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

P&T Process Reminders • Recognize our goal: To have a faculty appropriate to a major research university, with a commitment to teaching and service, so that the internal and external reputations of each unit are constantly improving. • Respectful, civil, and thoughtful disagreements and deliberations are to be expected, and they are part of a healthy, academic discourse. • Understand our system of checks and balances, with independent but mutually informed recommendations by faculty peers and administrators. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Charge (FAQ #70) • Familiarity with relevant academic and university P&T guidelines • Standard charge topics: – Confidentiality of the process by all parties, now and into the future – Consult if considering a decision contrary to the previous level of review – Consider whether meaningful conflicts of interest exist with candidate under review – Confine review to the dossier – Content may be added to dossier up until February 1; must go back through every level of review OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Charge (FAQ #70) • Familiarity with relevant academic and university P&T guidelines • COVID topics – Mode of meeting (virtual or in-person; see FAQ #71) – How might COVID have impacted the record? (see IIC 2 and Appendix M; FAQs #64 -71) – Review of peer review criteria given COVID (see FAQ #68) OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Charge items specific to level of review (FAQ #70) • Level One: Department/School/Campus. Evaluation of all criteria in light of unit guidelines • Level Two: College/Campus. Evaluation is light of college/campus criteria an expectations, equity, procedural fairness • Level Three: University criteria, equity within and among colleagues, and procedural fairness. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Committee Roles and Responsibilities 1. 2. 3. 4. Know and follow all relevant policies and guidelines. Review committees should have at least three members. Note: Tie votes are equivalent to “no” votes. Confidentiality is paramount throughout process. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

The Importance of the Dossier The dossier paints a vital picture – especially for the University Committee, Provost, and President – and has many key components. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Key Components of the Dossier • The candidate’s narrative statement gives candidates the opportunity to place their work and activities in the context of their overall goals and agendas. The statement should be no longer than one or two pages (in 10 -point font), with three pages being the optimal outer limit. The statement should not exceed 1, 600 words. • Separate sections of the dossier should focus on accomplishments in three areas: Teaching, Research, and Service. • What should not be part of the dossier? Statements about the candidate’s personal life, the actual CV, sample of publications, course outlines, letters of thanks or appreciation OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Responsibility for the Dossier This responsibility is assigned to the department head (or director of academic affairs or school director) and the faculty member must cooperate by assembling whatever materials are in his or her possession by the timeline given by the department head. (Related to Administrative Guidelines, page 7, III. B; page 11, III. E. 1) OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Dossier Guidelines and Tips • Signatory pages must be accurate and complete. Don’t forget this part! • Ensure the dossier leaves the academic unit in pristine condition. • Use current promotion and tenure forms, available for download from GURU at http: //guru. psu. edu/forms/421 Promotionand. Tenure. Forms. html OR create promotion and tenure forms by using Activity Insight’s Permanent Data screen and running the 'Promotion and Tenure Report. ' OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Dossier Guidelines and Tips Teaching and Learning • Tenure Review: You should include materials from the date of Penn State employment in a tenure-eligible position. • Promotion Review: A faculty member may choose to report information about teaching and service for up to 10 of the most recent consecutive years since the last formal review. • Regarding student comments, a summary is sufficient. • Peer reviews and advising surveys are to be included as parts of the dossier. Candidates have access to this material. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Dossier Guidelines and Tips Research and Creative Accomplishments • Research and creative accomplishments should cover a candidate’s entire career. • Do not include works in progress and grants not funded for sixth year and promotion dossiers. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Dossier Guidelines and Tips Service • Regarding service, as with teaching, for a tenure review, you should include materials from the date of Penn State employment in a tenure-eligible position. • For a promotion review, use materials from the date of the individual’s last promotion or from the last ten years. • Faculty members granted a stay of tenure or leave may include additional evaluations beyond five years to provide sufficient evidence of evaluations or assessment. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

External Letters • • We must have four external letters. External letters should come from people who can give honest and objective evaluations. Use judgment and discretion regarding all external letters. There should be no contact between the candidate and the reviewer. If a reviewer contacts a candidate, that candidate should immediately contact his or her department head, director of academic affairs, or school director. Advance contacts to potential reviewers should go through the dean or chancellor, or the department head, director of academic affairs, or school director. Letters should not reference external reviewers by name or other descriptors that could reveal the person’s identity, such as the institution where that person works. Include a log and list only those who received all materials. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Statements of Evaluation • • For tenure decisions, include all prior evaluative letters beginning with the earliest provisional review. Include the names and ranks of committee members in the letter Vote totals, including abstentions, should be included in the first paragraph of the letter. For split votes, include majority and minority views in the letter. If a consultation occurs, include details of that in the letter. Be consistent in the use of descriptors related to teaching, research, and service. This helps to ensure that candidate assessments will be equitable and accurate. For Joint Appointments, a letter from the secondary department head is required. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Stays of Tenure • Faculty members granted stays of tenure or leave may include additional evaluations beyond five years to provide sufficient evidence of evaluations or teaching assessment. • No discussion of stays should appear in the dossiers. • Stays are given for legitimate reasons and vetted through my office. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Extension to the Probationary Period Due to COVID-19 Penn State extended the provisional tenure period starting with the 20202021 academic year for all faculty in their pre-tenure probationary period, as defined in University policy AC 23. As of September 15, 2020, the University announced that all tenure-line faculty in their probationary period during the calendar year 2020 are eligible to confirm acceptance of the one-year COVID -19 extension. See FAQ document. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Changes to Guidelines: 2020 -21 Changes to the Administrative Guidelines for this academic year: • II. C. 2 (Page 6) COVID-19 Impacts on Teaching – Specifies that not including SRTE’s, peer teaching observations, or alternative documentation of teaching activities for spring 2020 may not be used to penalize candidates. – Added a new Appendix “M” for recommended alternatives to document teaching activities • III. F. 3 (Page 12) The deadline for submission of factual changes or new information has been updated to February 1 • VII. (Page 26) Extension of the Probationary Period due to COVID-19 – Starting with calendar year 2020 for all faculty in their pre-tenure probationary period, faculty can confirm extension of the probationary period. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Changes to Guidelines: 2020 -21 Changes to the Administrative Guidelines for this academic year: • Appendix B (Pages 33 -34) Timetable for 2020 -2021 Promotion and Tenure Reviews • Appendix F (Page 40) Dossier and Divider Forms • • – Promotion and Tenure Form-“Purpose” was updated – Biographical Data for Promotion/Tenure Review Form-deletion of “Status” Column – The Scholarship of Librarianship-Addition of “Professional development activities related to your librarianship activities” Appendix I (Pages 55 -57) Several Clarifications were made to the Immediate Tenure Process – Clarification this process is used for those who currently have tenure at their institution they are leaving – Clarification that a summary of documentation of teaching effectiveness is needed – Administrators are expected to consult with unit’s P&T committee to determine if additional external letters should be requested Appendix M (Pages 62 -64) Suggested Alternative Documentation of Teaching Activities in Spring Semester 2020 due to COVID-19 OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Frequently Asked Questions • Last updated in September 2020, the P&T FAQ document on the VPFA website contains 71 questions and answers. • Note: The FAQ document is a resource, but not policy. Follow AC 23 and the Administrative Guidelines, in addition to the policies of your college, campus, school, and department. • Question not answered there? Contact the head of your department/school/campus. Contact my office if needed. • Like the Administrative Guidelines, the current FAQ has changes from last year. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

UPDATED FAQ #2 Most Colleges are now using Activity Insight (Digital Measures by Watermark) to generate dossiers. How does the use of Activity Insight impact the dossier and review process? Activity Insight is a tool for generating the dossier. The output is consistent with the expectations outlined in the dividers as well as with the Administrative Guidelines. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

UPDATED FAQ #7 Can information be added to the dossier after the department committee has reviewed it, and if so, must the committee meet again to review the dossier and write a new letter? It is not appropriate to add information to the dossier after it has been reviewed if that information was available at the time the dossier was assembled and reviewed, unless a significant error had been made. However, until February 1, if there are new achievements that might have an impact on the record–a judgment will need to be made by the appropriate administrator– then that information must be sent back to all who have already acted on the dossier. If the new information has no impact on the recommendation, then that is all that need be indicated. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

UPDATED FAQ #9 Section II. D says that “It is expected that units encourage and support collaborative and interdisciplinary research and that units will develop methods to assess these activities. ” How are such measures to be presented in the dossier? The unit should address what potential measures could or should be used in its criteria statement/guidelines. Because interdisciplinary team research involves multiple authors (papers and publications) and/or investigators (grant awards), best practices suggest committees identify how candidates can document their roles in collaborative products. In addition, if publications in the major journals in the field are an indication of quality, then those journals should be listed in the guidelines. Interdisciplinary team science often means that individuals are publishing in outlets other than the major journals in their own field and information on the quality of outlets beyond the candidate’s major field should be provided. In the dossier itself, those achievements should be itemized in section II. D. If citation indices are being used, the results should be presented in objective form in this section. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

FAQ #14 – New Question If items presented in the dossier are in another language, should they be translated? Ideally all (but at least half) of the materials sent to external reviewers must be translated in English. The original materials should also be sent to external reviewers. The College makes the arrangements and pays for/covers the cost of the translations. The candidate is given the opportunity to review the translations and the translations should become part of the supplemental materials. If not all of the articles are translated at least one, ideally more, of the external reviewers must be able to read the language the materials are written in. The College may also ask a Penn State employee who can read the language the materials are written in to serve as an internal reviewer and verify that the materials are consistent with how they are represented in the dossier. This internal review letter becomes part of the dossier and the candidate has access to the letter. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

UPDATED FAQ #27 How are deans (primary and secondary) of a faculty member jointly appointed in two colleges informed of the process? For faculty members holding joint appointments in two colleges, the dean of the primary college must consult with the dean of the secondary college before writing his or her letter for any promotion or tenure review and copy the secondary on all communications. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

UPDATED FAQ #44 What then are the expectations for immediate tenure? (Related to Administrative Guidelines pages 54 -56, Appendix I) The “out-of-sequence” process or a hybrid of the immediate tenure and the out-ofsequence processes should be utilized when there is a desire to hire individuals who do not currently have tenure at their home institution. Because out-of-sequence requests for promotion and tenure reviews will not be handled by the immediate tenure review process, please contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs to initiate this process. (See Appendix J. ) Administrators are expected to consult with the chair of the unit’s promotion and tenure committee to make the determination of whether the reference letters sufficiently address the criteria for tenure. If not, the college will have to request additional external letters. In addition, there needs to be evidence of good teaching before any new faculty member is granted tenure, OFFICE such as a summary of student peer evaluations. OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

FAQs #60 -71 – New Question and Answers pertaining to COVID-19 FAQ #60 -63 Extension to the Probationary Period FAQ #64 COVID-19 and the narrative statement; comment section FAQ #65 Conference presentations FAQ #66 -69 SRTEs and peer teaching reviews FAQ #70 Modified charge due to COVID FAQ #71 P&T meeting modes OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

P&T Summary (2019 -20) • The University Promotion and Tenure Review Committee reviewed 167 cases during the 2019 -20 academic year and recommended 167 cases. President Barron approved all 167 cases. • Promotion to Professor, Librarian, and Research Professor: The University committee reviewed 72 candidates, recommended 72 and President Barron approved those 72 cases. • Promotion to Associate Professor, Associate Librarian, and Associate Research Professor: The University committee recommended 88 candidates, and President Barron approved 88 cases. • Tenure: The University Committee recommended 95 candidates for tenure, and President Barron approved tenure for 95 cases. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Activity Insight Improvements • Publications can be imported from ORCID, Web of Science, Scopus, Pub. Med, and Cross. Ref. Be sure to link your ORCID to PSU http: //orcid. identity. psu. edu. • Data on Credit Courses Taught is entered more quickly. We now import preliminary data by the fifth week of classes and finalized data on the Monday after Commencement. • The Faculty Activity Management Services (FAMS) Team in the University Libraries now offers a CV Service for data entry for faculty going up for Professor. • The FAMS Team is working with the vendor on an Instrument Tune-up project featuring screen improvements, data quality review, and a new user interface. • The FAMS Team is working with the Office of Sponsored Programs on the new NSF requirements, a new screen added for Current and Pending Support, and updated NSF reports. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Activity Insight Dossier Changes • “Professional Development” activities now filter based on Librarianship, Teaching, Research, and Service. • In response to faculty and administrator feedback, the order of courses under “List of Credit Courses Taught” and “SRTE and Teaching Evaluation" is now aligned (for each semester, courses are listed alphabetically and then by course number). • “Honors and Awards” activities now filter based on Purpose: Advising, Teaching, Creative Activities, Scholarship/Research, Leadership, and Service (Community, Professional, University). • “Creative Accomplishments” activities now list Performers/Exhibitors/Lecturers and their Role. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Activity Insight • Activity Insight: Key online software tool, updated regularly, with an administrative team available for training and to answer questions. • Questions? Contact Activity Insight Support at AI-Support@. psu. edu OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Panel of P&T Experts • Judy Bowman, Human Resources Generalist, Commonwealth Campus • Nicola Kiver, Director of Administrative Operations, College of the Liberal Arts • Rosie Long, Executive Manager, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences • Shawnee Wagner, Records Specialist/Associate, Human Resources

A Few Final Thoughts • Questions? Always start by consulting college/campus and department/school guidelines. • Confidentiality, always • Follow University policy, always • VPFA website offers many resources • Call the Office of the VPFA (863 -7494, or 3 -7494 if on campus) with any additional questions. OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS

Thank You. Questions or Comments? vpfa. psu. edu/promotion-and-tenure OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR FACULTY AFFAIRS