All faculty on tenure-track should be evaluated annually as part of the reappointment process. To facilitate this review, these faculty members may be asked to complete a personal history form detailing all professional, academic, and service activities for the year. This form should be provided to the departmental peer committee. The peer committee will forward the personal history form to the chair, along with its written recommendation based on evaluation of the faculty member’s performance.

After reviewing the peer committee recommendation, the chair evaluates the faculty member. The evaluation should address the faculty member’s teaching effectiveness, creative and scholarly work, professional activity, and service to the Institute and the community. The chair should meet with the faculty member for a discussion of the evaluation. Both the peer committee and chair evaluations will become part of the file, with copies provided to the dean and the faculty member. Should the faculty member disagree with the evaluation, he/she may make a written response, which will become a part of the file and which will be forwarded to the appropriate dean.

Promotion in Rank for Full-Time Faculty
In accordance with its mission, Pratt Institute strives for excellence in all its academic programs. Achieving this objective calls for rigor and thoughtful evaluation criteria in the process of promotion. Faculty members are encouraged and expected to demonstrate achievement in the areas of teaching effectiveness; creative, scholarly and/or professional activity; and service to the school, department, Institute and the community. Hence, faculty members seeking promotion are encouraged to address these criteria in planning professional goals and in preparing their application for promotion.

Neither an elevation in rank within the Institute nor an initial appointment with rank carries the commitment of any further promotion. Furthermore, length of service at any rank is not, in and of itself, sufficient reason for promotion. Any full-time faculty member may be considered for promotion if, in the judgment of peers, the chair, the dean and the provost, the faculty member has demonstrated those achievements and qualities consistent with the definition of a higher rank.

An application for elevation in rank carries with it the obligation for documentation and appropriate support materials. Applications for elevation in rank must be accompanied by a recommendation from the individual faculty member’s departmental peer committee and chair prior to being submitted to the dean and provost.

Overview of the Promotion Process
(See CBA, Article 16)
The following provides an overview of the promotion process. Notification to the faculty member and the UFCT occurs at each step of evaluation in the promotion process:

• notification by the peer committee of the dates for submission of faculty personnel action requests to all appropriate faculty;
• submission of application and supporting documentation by the candidate;
• optional supplementary recommendations from other faculty and from students;
• optional evaluation and recommendations by external reviewers;
• evaluation and recommendation of the candidate by the department peer committee;
• evaluation and recommendation of the candidate by the department chair;
• evaluation and recommendation by appropriate dean;
• evaluation and recommendation by the provost;
• presentation of evaluations, recommendations, and supporting data to the president, who confers with the provost;
• recommendation by the academic affairs committee of the board of trustees and by the full board of trustees.

Any candidate for promotion who receives a negative recommendation at any stage of the evaluation process may submit a written response for consideration in the succeeding stages of the review process.

Standard Support Materials
Support materials accompanying applications should include:

• a letter of intent;
• a current and complete résumé;
• samples of current professional work and student work;
• any additional support materials that may explain, describe or otherwise contribute to the evaluation process.

Those reviewing the application may not be familiar with one’s area of expertise. Clarity is therefore essential. This applies to all elements, including work samples and citations of professional activities, publications, honors, etc.

As a routine part of the promotion process, evaluators at all stages of the process may review the faculty member’s personnel file.

Tenure
(See CBA, Article 29)
Tenure means the right of a faculty member to hold his or her faculty position until retirement during efficient and competent service, and not to be removed or suspended except for cause.

Pratt Institute makes provision for faculty appointments with tenure within each of the schools in order to protect academic freedom, to support the search for knowledge and its free exposition, and to foster free aesthetic exploration and professional growth. The policy of granting tenure enables the Institute to attract and retain faculty of the highest quality; to ensure a stable, credible, continuous academic program; and enhance the spirit and practice of collegiality.

Tenure is granted by the board of trustees of the Institute upon the recommendation of the president and following the appropriate review processes.

Eligibility for Tenure
Full-time members of the faculty are eligible for tenure, subject to the policies of the Institute and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Evaluation for Tenure
Appointment with tenure is reserved for those faculty members who have demonstrated distinction, responsibility, imagination, and accomplishment, and who have thereby shown that they can be expected to continue to reflect, redefine, and renew the fundamental principles and ideals which the Institute embraces.Candidates for tenure will be evaluated by the administration according to their achievements and potential in the three areas of evaluation for promotion. In addition, the long-term needs of the department, school and the Institute must be addressed and carefully considered.

The responsibility for evaluating and recommending candidates for tenure rests with the departmental peer committee, the chair, the dean, the provost, the president, and the board of trustees.

Overview of the Tenure Process
The following provides an overview of the tenure process:

• notification by the peer committee and/or chair of the dates for submission of the tenure application;
• submission of application and supporting documentation by the candidate;
• evaluation and recommendation by external reviewers, chosen by the peer committee and/or the chair;
• optional supplementary recommendations from other faculty and from students;
• evaluation and recommendation by the departmental peer committee;
• evaluation and recommendation by the department chair;
• evaluation and recommendation by appropriate dean;
• evaluation and recommendation by the provost;
• presentation of evaluations, recommendations, and supporting data to the president;
• review by the academic affairs committee of the board of trustees;
• review and decision by the full board of trustees;
• written notification of the board’s decision to the candidate prior to the conclusion of the spring semester or trimester.

Candidate’s Right of Review and Withdrawal
Candidates for tenure have the right to withdraw their applications at any stage during the tenure process prior to action by the president. Notice of withdrawal of application for tenure must be made in writing to the provost.

All tenure candidates are entitled to discuss the reasons for their denial with the provost.