Penn State University Libraries - Guideline UL-HRG14 General Promotion and Tenure Working Guidelines

HUMAN RESOURCES

Guideline UL-HRG14 GENERAL PROMOTION AND TENURE WORKING GUIDELINES

Contents:

• Purpose
• Promotion and Tenure Committee Working Guidelines
• Libraries Internal Working Guidelines
• Cross References

PURPOSE:

To clarify issues related to the Libraries Promotion and Tenure review committees and how those committees do their work, as well as some internal policies related to P&T procedures.

PROMOTION AND TENURE COMMITTEE WORKING GUIDELINES:

1. "Supervisors" of faculty who are serving on P&T committees are not expected to recuse themselves from the review of a faculty member for whom they have written a summary evaluation.  This practice will apply to supervisors at all locations.
   
2. The summary evaluation letter, which is authored by a librarian's supervisor, is an important element in the Promotion and Tenure dossier.  If the supervisor is also a member of a P&T Committee, the Committee's members should refrain from questioning the supervisor about the contents of the letter inappropriately.  The summary evaluation letter should be accepted just as it is for other librarians undergoing review.  The Committee Chair is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the P&T Committee deliberations.  Any questions about process should be referred to the appropriate Associate Dean. 
   
3. Individuals serving on P&T Committees may be asked to write an internal letter of evaluation commenting on the Scholarship of Librarianship.
   
4. The administrative reporting structure will be used to determine which of the two peer review committees a given faculty member will be affiliated with.
   
   Librarians reporting to the Director of Commonwealth Campus Libraries (either straight or dotted line or as delegated by the Dean) are part of the Commonwealth Campus organizational structure for promotion and tenure purposes.  Librarians at the Penn State College of Medicine/Harrell Library will fall under this structure.
   
   Librarians reporting to the Associate Deans (either straight or dotted line or as delegated by the Dean) are part of the University Park organizational structure for promotion and tenure purposes.  Librarians of the Dickinson School of Law Library will fall under this structure. 
   

LIBRARIES INTERNAL WORKING GUIDELINES:

1. Effective 2007/2008, the process for review of campus librarians will follow Model I in Appendix D: Levels of Review for Promotion and Tenure of the Administrative Guidelines for HR-23: Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations.  This model makes the review process consistent for all librarians.  Input into the review process for librarians working at campus libraries will be as follows:
   
   1. The second- and fourth-year reviews (as well as any third- and fifth-year reviews) are solely internal to the Libraries.  For these reviews, the immediate supervisor of the librarian under review will request the chancellor/dean’s and academic officer’s input into the summary evaluation letter that the supervisor will complete.  This letter will be included in the Scholarship of Librarianship cell of the dossier so as to include campus input at the first level of review.
      
   2. For the sixth-year review, which includes internal and external letters, the Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications will ask the chancellor/dean to provide an internal letter addressing librarianship and service to the campus that will be included in the dossier in its totality, under the chancellor/dean’s signature.
      
2. Evaluative input from the Assistant Deans into the dossiers of faculty members for whom they have administrative responsibility will be accomplished as follows: 
   
   1. For a second- and fourth-year reviews (as well as any third- and fifth-year reviews) the immediate supervisor of the librarian under review will request the respective assistant dean's input into the summary evaluation letter that the supervisor will complete.  This letter will be included in the Scholarship of Librarianship cell of the dossier.
      
   2. For the sixth-year review (or promotion reviews), which includes internal and external letters, the Associate Deans will ask the respective assistant dean to provide an internal letter addressing librarianship and service that will be included in the dossier in its totality, under the assistant dean's signature.
      
      

CROSS REFERENCES:

Other Guidelines in this manual should also be referenced, especially the following:

Guideline UL-HRG06 Summary Performance Evaluations
Guideline UL-HRG07 Promotion and Tenure Criteria Guidelines
Guideline UL-HRG12 Supplemental Support Materials Accompanying Dossiers
Guideline UL-HRG13 Faculty Peer Review Committees

Effective Date: July 2007
Date Approved: July 2007 (Dean)

Revision History (and effective dates):

• November 2009 -- Revised to remove reference to former membership of peer review committee at University Park between "public service" or "technical service" faculty
• June 2007 -- Revised to reflect the decision to have Hershey fall under the Commonwealth Campus Libraries' process and Dickinson under the University Park Libraries' process; added the new process for campus input into the review of campus librarians; edited the summary evaluation letter process
• July 1, 2005 -- New guideline

Last Review Date:  November 2009