4.15 Appeals Regarding Promotion and Tenure

Candidates who are denied a promotion or the award of tenure may appeal the decision in writing to the Senate Personnel Committee. The Committee only considers written appeals based upon one or more of the following areas of concern and does not evaluate whether or not the candidate should be reappointed, promoted, or tenured. The areas of concern are:

• Significant procedural irregularities or inadequacies in the review process for promotion or tenure; or
• Significant inaccuracies in the information presented in the review process; or
• A failure to apply the standards of the department, school, or university in the review process.

The responsibility of the Committee is to make its best judgment as to: (1) the existence of material failures, inaccuracies, or procedural irregularities; and (2) whether or not these failures, inaccuracies, or irregularities prevented a candidate from receiving a full and appropriate review based on the candidate’s qualifications. The Committee has the option to interview the candidate, the department chair, or the Dean, as well as other individuals who are in a position to provide useful information.

By simple majority vote, the Committee advises the Vice President for Academic Affairs in one of three ways: (1) there appear to be no material failures, inaccuracies, or irregularities; (2) any failures, inaccuracies, or irregularities did not play a significant or controlling role in the negative vote; or (3) identified failures, inaccuracies, or irregularities did exist and may have, or did, interfere with an appropriate vote on the performance record.

If the recommendation of the Committee is that the grounds for appeal were insufficient to have had an adverse effect on the results of the prior committee’s vote, then the Vice President for Academic Affairs so informs the candidate, department chair, and dean in writing, and the negative recommendation stands.

If the recommendation of the Committee is that there may have been sufficient procedural problems to have interfered with an appropriate vote on the candidate’s record, then the Vice President for Academic Affairs takes steps designed to address the problem. These include but are not limited to: referral back to the original committee; formation of an ad hoc committee to make a substantive review and recommendation; or a direct recommendation to the President for promotion, or award of tenure.

Any candidate who wishes to appeal to the President must do so in writing, but only after having first exhausted all other avenues of appeal. The President’s decision is based on a review of the record. There are no oral presentations by or on behalf of the candidate.