VCOM Faculty Handbook

contributions nationally on behalf of VCOM and the osteopathic profession; • Be employed by VCOM for a minimum of seven years as a full-time faculty member at VCOM; • Be awarded the rank of Professor; and o Faculty members seeking both promotion and tenure must formally request consideration of both elements; however, only 1 portfolio is required to be submitted for review by the APT Committee. Tenure is a matter for separate consideration and is made apart from promotion in rank. • Have sustained outstanding performance in the areas of teaching, research (with research funding considered as essential), scholarly activity, professional service and leadership activities, with sustained evaluations at the highest level and who have made exceptional long-term positive impacts on the College. Tenure will not be granted solely upon meeting or exceeding the seven-year period of employment, nor is it granted solely upon attaining the rank of professor. Tenure is reserved only for those reaching the level of professor who have applied for tenure, and who when evaluated have met the sustained outstanding performance outlined and who have made exceptional long-term positive impacts on the College. Further, as tenure is only granted for seven years, the faculty member must demonstrate the ability to maintain the same level of contributions for the coming seven years. The award of tenure may not exceed seven years. The review for tenure renewal will take place in the sixth year of the award period and will be repeated at seven-year intervals thereafter. Failure to apply or to show sustained outstanding activity in teaching, research and scholarly activity, professional service and leadership activities will result in an early review and loss of tenure at the time of review. Loss of tenure at the six-year interval time period is possible if the work and accomplishments of the faculty member have not been sustained. As in some institutions, loss in tenure status at VCOM does not equate to dismissal of the faculty member. The VCOM Provost, with approval by the Board, at its discretion, may award a maximum of three years toward tenure upon hiring, if the faculty member was in a tenure track position before coming to VCOM and has achieved years toward tenure. This is a rare case and the person applying must already have achieved tenure at the institution he or she is departing. Faculty who apply for and are not awarded tenure within seven years may continue as a non-tenured faculty and or may be dismissed at the discretion of the Provost and Board. A faculty member who is denied tenure and continues as a non-tenured faculty may not reapply for tenure for a period of three years. Faculty members seeking both promotion and tenure must formally request consideration of both elements individually. Tenure is a matter for separate consideration and is made apart from promotion in rank. The Process of Applying for Promotion in Rank or Tenure Faculty members seeking both promotion and tenure must formally request consideration of both elements individually. Tenure is a matter for separate consideration and is made apart from promotion in rank. Initiation for promotion in academic rank for a faculty member may be by: • The faculty member, who may submit a written request seeking a letter of recommendation for promotion to their immediate supervisor. • The Division Chair, Associate Dean and/or higher, who may recommend a faculty member apply. Should a faculty member initiate the promotion process by seeking a recommendation for promotion to their immediate supervisor and be unable to solicit the support of his/her immediate supervisor to initiate the promotion process, the supervisor must explicitly detail, in writing, the reasons and deficiencies upon which the decision is

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