Faculty Tenure

1.0    Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for faculty employees to earn tenure.

2.0    Revision History

3.0    Persons Affected

3.1    Faculty employees who have been hired in a tenure-track position.

3.2    College employees who are involved in the tenure process.

4.0    Policy

The policy of Casper College is to ensure the following.

4.1    Full-time faculty employees hired in tenure-track positions have the opportunity to earn tenure.

4.2    The college provides a formal, consistent, and equitable process to grant tenure.

4.3    The president has final approval to grant tenure.

4.4    Tenured faculty employees who take an administrative position at Casper College retain their tenure if they are reassigned to a faculty position without a break in service.

5.0    Definitions

5.1    Candidate. These are full-time faculty employees who have been hired in a tenure-track position or whose position has been transitioned to a tenure-track position.

5.2    Departmental Tenure Criteria. These are specific departmental requirements for recommending candidates for tenure in that department. The criteria are part of the Tenure Portfolio Requirements.

5.3    Faculty Tenure Committee (FTC). This is the committee responsible for deciding whether to recommend a candidate for tenure. The FTC will be composed of the candidate’s dean and department chair or program director (or chair or director from a related department if the candidate is the department chair or program director), one faculty employee from within the school selected by the candidate, and one faculty employee from outside the school selected by the dean.

5.4    Peer Evaluation Form. FTC employees use this form to evaluate and provide feedback to candidates. The form includes specific teaching evaluation criteria, a strengths section, a recommendations section, and signature lines for the evaluator and the candidate. Deans may develop their own form for their evaluation of the candidate, or they may use this form.

5.5    Probationary Period. Candidates seeking tenure are on probation until the president grants tenure. In the interim, deans are responsible for monitoring the candidate’s performance and may recommend terminating the employment relationship without cause to the vice president of academic affairs any time prior to tenure being granted.

5.6    Tenure. This is a faculty employment status granted by the president.

5.7    Tenure Portfolio. This is a collection of written requirements and artifacts that documents the candidate’s professional experiences during the tenure process. There are 15 required components. Departmental tenure criteria are included under the required components.

5.8    Tenure Process. This is the process for earning tenure. The process includes specific activities and timelines including teaching evaluations and observations, feedback, and portfolio development and review. The timeline is based on fall and spring semesters.

6.0    Responsibilities

6.1    Deans are responsible for providing the tenure documents to the candidate, for assembling and directing the FTC, scheduling meetings, for selecting a FTC employee from outside of the candidate’s school, and for communicating this decision to the candidate.

6.2    The FTC employees are responsible for teaching observations, portfolio reviews, attending committee meetings, for providing feedback to the candidate, and for making a tenure recommendation.

6.3    Candidates are responsible for providing documentation to their FTC of their satisfactory completion of all tenure criteria, portfolio presentation, selection of one employee of their FTC from within their school, and for communicating their choice to their dean.

6.4    Faculty Senate is responsible for maintaining the tenure documents. Senate and the vice president of academic affairs must approve any changes to the documents.

6.5    The vice president for academic affairs is responsible for making a tenure recommendation to the president.

6.6    The president is responsible for granting tenure.

6.7    The Board of Trustees is responsible for recognizing tenure recipients.

7.0    Procedures

7.1    Deans and departments establish departmental tenure criteria.

7.1.1    The dean and the department faculty employees meet prior to the end of the candidate’s first semester to develop departmental tenure criteria for the candidate and incorporate it into the Tenure Portfolio Requirements.

7.1.2    The dean and department chair or program director will distribute tenure documents to the candidate by the end of the candidates first semester.

7.2    Tenure Process

7.2.1    The FTC and the candidate follow the tenure process as outlined in the tenure documents.

7.2.2    The FTC makes a tenure recommendation to the vice president of academic affairs.

7.2.3    The vice president of academic affairs reviews the FTC’s recommendation. He then submits the FTC’s recommendation along with his recommendation to the president.

7.2.4    The president grants or denies the candidate’s tenure.

7.2.5    The president submits the name(s) of successful candidate(s) to the Board of Trustees for formal recognition.