VCOM Faculty Handbook

appeal from the faculty member was received. The Associate Dean or the Campus Dean may choose to support the promotion or deny support for the promotion. o A letter of approval of support for the promotion by the Associate Dean or the Campus Dean must outline the reasons upon which support was granted. o A letter of denial of support for promotion by the Associate Dean or the Campus Dean must detail the reason(s) for denial and the progress the faculty member must achieve before the supervisor’s support can be obtained. Initiation for tenure for a faculty member begins with a recommendation for tenure by the Associate Dean (if an Associate Dean is applying for tenure, the process begins with the Dean). Expedited Promotion in Rank for Obtaining a Doctoral-Level Degree A faculty member appointed to the rank of Assistant Instructor or Instructor who does not have a doctoral-level degree at the time of initial appointment, who later obtains a doctoral-level degree in a subject area appropriate to their expertise, shall be eligible for an expedited promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor, as that is considered an entry level rank for teaching for those faculty who hold a doctoral degree. These promotions in rank shall be considered by the APT Committee throughout the academic year. The faculty member in this instance must submit: • Cover letter formally requesting consideration for promotion to the academic rank of Assistant Professor; • Current Curriculum Vitae (CV); • Proof of degree; o For the purpose of accreditation and state licensure, proof of degree of an academic track faculty member whose doctoral degree comes from outside the U.S., must be accompanied by a letter from the Campus Dean that:  Justifies the faculty member’s professional and scholarly achievements and/or demonstrated competences in the discipline of hire, and The review of these candidates will follow the same procedures as other requests for promotion in rank, except that these candidates’ packets may be reviewed throughout the academic year. Faculty Portfolio for Consideration of Promotion in Rank A faculty member seeking a promotion in academic rank or tenure assumes the responsibility for preparing a detailed portfolio summarizing and documenting professional credentials and accomplishments in teaching, research, scholarly activity, service, and leadership (if in an administrative leadership role). 1. Cover letter formally requesting consideration for promotion or tenure that specifies the rank sought (Assistant Instructor, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor); 2. Completed Academic Rank Promotion Matrix (currently only for academic and research track faculty); • Promotions in academic rank are key milestones in the career of faculty members. In addition to specific, minimum career-track requirements (e.g., education, years of service) defined by the College, promotions in academic rank are based on the contributions of faculty members in medical education, research and scholarly activity, and service/outreach. The Academic Rank Promotion Matrix uses a scoring system to frame the appropriate levels of accomplishment in these areas for promotion in academic rank. This innovative tool can be used to assess faculty members' readiness for promotion and may also pinpoint areas in need of further development,  States the findings of the transcript evaluation service as to the equivalency and verification process of the degree (a copy of the report from the evaluation service must be included).

53