The Continuing Contract and Promotion Procedure defines a process to report on individual effectiveness in one’s primary responsibility, teaching, and secondary responsibilities, such as service, pedagogy and scholarship. It offers an opportunity for self-reflection, planning, and evaluation, facilitated by ongoing mentoring, and culminating in an interview with colleagues who have the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the candidate’s work.
The first member of the Committee of Three (CO3), the mentor, is chosen during the first year of a faculty member’s candidacy. The candidate should nominate three possible committee members from among the continuing contract faculty of the candidate’s own department. The chair may not be nominated. Nominees may be selected from other departments when chairs of those departments approve. Candidates may nominate faculty members who have already served on a CO3 at a previous stage in the candidate’s career. The chair selects one of the faculty members nominated by the candidate and this person becomes the first member of the CO3.
All faculty must fulfill their primary responsibility in a satisfactory manner. Specialization allows for choices to be made in our secondary responsibilities; those interested in professional development have the opportunity to also direct their energies toward pedagogy (e.g. Master Faculty) and/or scholarship (e.g. contribution to our fields), or additional service.
Specializing within secondary responsibilities allows for faculty to choose between additional Service, Pedagogy, and/or Scholarship. These can be mixed and matched in several ways. The definitions of and the minimum suggested benchmarks for fulfilling each of these areas are explained below. Each department has created a matrix to meet the unique need of its department. The matrix should be shared with the CC&P Committee when updated so they are aware of what to consider.
100% Service
66% Service and 33% Pedagogy or Scholarship
33% Service and 66% Pedagogy or Scholarship
33% Service and 33% Pedagogy and 33% Scholarship
An area of specialization will be declared when a faculty member submits a Mentor Model Management Form for continuing contract or promotion to the department chair. However, the area of specialization may be modified at a later time with the approval of the CO3 and the Chair via the submission of an updated Management Form.
During a faculty member's first year of employment, or when a faculty member with Continuing Contract is ready to seek promotion, he/she will complete a Mentor Model Management Form. This form indicates the faculty member's intention to seek continuing contract or promotions and will define the faculty member's Area(s) of Specialization. Once a faculty member is granted continuing contract, he/she is not required to seek further promotion. The Management Form should be reviewed annually as part of the evaluation process with the department chair.
A second member of the CO3 is chosen two years before the candidate applies for promotion. The chair of the candidate’s department nominates three faculty members who hold continuing contract and emails these names to the candidate, the candidate selects one to serve as the chair’s representative on the CO3.
The primary role of this mentor is to make sure the candidate's activities are aligning with the Department Matrix and supporting the needs of the department. They should be included in the annual meeting with the Mentor.
The final member of the CO3 is assigned by the chair of the CC&P Committee. This assignment occurs at the start of the academic year during which the candidate applies for continuing contract or promotion. Except under extraordinary circumstances, a faculty member should not serve simultaneously on more than three (3) CO3s.
The primary role of this mentor is to provide an objective overview of the candidate's activities and help prioritize those which would best support the application for Continuing Contract and / or promotion. This is also the person who will be presenting the CO3's recommendation to the CC&P Committee for discussion.
The application is the document submitted in the fall of the academic year in which a faculty member seeks continuing contract or applies for promotion (the final year of the 5 year process).
In 2022, Faculty Senate voted to include an applicant's Department Matrix as an attachment to the application being submitted. Applicants can find their Department Matrix in the CC&P InfoGuide. Applicants should include their Department Matrix as an additional attachment. They should not add the matrix to their application document.
It is the responsibility of faculty members to keep documentation of all accomplishments listed in the application for review as requested during the continuing contract and promotion application process. A copy of the Mentor Model Management Form will be maintained by the faculty member, the Chair or supervisor of their department, and the Chair of the Continuing Contract and Promotion Committee.
Each candidate’s department chair and mentor will provide the faculty member with appropriate advice and commentary on the application progress each year. Each member of the CO3 is responsible for assisting and advising the candidate on appropriate progress. In the candidate’s evaluation year, the application will be evaluated according to the faculty member’s overall teaching effectiveness, accomplishment in area(s) of specialization, and the Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion to Academic Ranks. This review will be conducted by the CO3 (in conjunction with the interview), the candidate’s department, the candidate’s chair, and the College-wide Continuing Contract and Promotion Committee, all of which will make recommendations.
Each year, the Chair of the CC&P Committee will determine and communicate to all faculty the deadline for submitting the Application. Generally, this deadline is the 1st of December. No Applications will be accepted after the deadline without the approval of the Provost/ Vice President for Academic Affairs.
It is the responsibility of the faculty member who is applying for Continuing Contract or promotion to schedule the formal interview with his or her CO3. This interview can take place anytime after the candidate has formally submitted his or her application. The CO3 Interview must take place before the published deadline which is usually the end of January. This interview will include a discussion of the candidate’s work and a vote on whether to support the candidate or not. Additional information or documentation of activities may be requested from the candidate prior to the CO3 vote. Candidates must be granted a minimum of forty-eight hours to satisfy a CO3 request, and additional time may be granted by the CO3 as long as time permits a vote no later than the published deadline.