Promotion and Tenure Criteria, UA Geosciences Departmental Policies/Procedures
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Associate professor
Criteria for promotion:
A recommendation for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure requires demonstration of excellence, and the promise of continued excellence, in research, teaching, and service, consistent with assigned workload. The department emphasizes achievement in research and teaching, and expects substantial evidence of local and national stature and impact in the appropriate fields.
Research excellence:
To be considered for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, a candidate should have clearly established an emerging, independent research reputation beyond the University, and should have demonstrated an ability to organize their program to progress in the chosen research directions. Accomplishments should include: 1) demonstrating the appropriate skills and techniques to carry out the desired research. 2) acquiring the level of support necessary to execute the research appropriate to the field. 3) publishing research results (well beyond the postdoctoral phase) in high-quality peer-reviewed literature. 4) evidence that activities have gained national attention and that work is impacting the candidate’s field, particularly as documented in written opinions of outside evaluators. 5) building an active research group involving graduate students. Other supporting indicators include invited scholarly lectures and presentations at meetings and research conferences. The department also values integrative, translational, and applied forms of scholarship, including productive collaborations with partners within and outside academia, activities towards geoscience-related commercialization or patents, and other Earth science research that addresses societal needs.
Educational excellence:
The successful candidate should be fully integrated into the educational mission of the department and demonstrate excellence in the teaching role. The department will evaluate evidence of contributions both to the departmental course curriculum and to the individual mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. Regarding departmental contributions, evidence may include: 1) teaching of established general classes as needed by the department; 2) successful innovation of new courses at general and/or advanced levels; 3) development of the appropriate base of high-level courses to train graduate students in the necessary ideas and skills to work in the candidate’s field of expertise; 4) peer and student teaching evaluations that demonstrate the candidate’s ongoing commitment to and achievement of high quality in teaching. The department will also look for evidence of high-quality mentoring, including 1) development of advising relationships with graduate students concentrating in the candidate’s field of interest; and 2) contributions to the advising of undergraduate students. A teaching dossier, including documentation of peer teaching assessments and the candidate’s response to those assessments, should provide evidence that courses are well designed and that the candidate effectively uses high-quality materials and successfully engages students. Letters from students may also contribute to the department’s assessment.
Service excellence:
The successful candidate should contribute to meaningful service activities at department, university, community, professional, and national/international levels. Effective committee participation, editorial boards, agency panel membership, and chairing sessions at extramural meetings are among the indicators of a satisfactory service role to the academic community. Additional important service contributions may include sharing expertise beyond the University, e.g. through advisory roles, public presentations, and contributions to K-12 schools.
Professor
Criteria for promotion:
A recommendation for promotion to the rank of Professor requires demonstration of excellence and impact, and the promise of their continuation, in research, teaching, and service (consistent with assigned workload). The department emphasizes achievement in research and teaching, and expects substantial evidence of local, national and international stature and impact in the appropriate fields.
Research excellence:
To merit promotion to Professor, the candidate must provide evidence of a substantial international scholarly reputation and significant, ongoing impact in his/her field of specialization. To document this, we rely most heavily on outside letters of evaluation that specifically document the scholarly contributions of the candidate and the candidate’s impact on their field, nationally and internationally. Additional information may be drawn from the quality and quantity of publications, indications that those publications are read and positively cited, history of funded research, and prestigious invitations to speak or serve in a professional capacity, such as on editorial or advisory boards, in international scientific programs, and in leadership roles in scientific organizations. The department also values integrative, translational, and applied forms of scholarship, including productive collaborations with partners within and outside academia, activities towards geoscience-related commercialization or patents, and other Earth science research that addresses societal needs.
Educational excellence:
The candidate should present evidence of an ongoing, viable and excellent educational program, both in course development and teaching, and in individual mentorship. The department will evaluate evidence of contributions both to the departmental course curriculum and to the individual mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. Peer and student teaching evaluations should demonstrate the candidate’s ongoing commitment to and achievement of quality in teaching. The department will also look for evidence of high-quality mentoring. A teaching dossier, including documentation of continuing peer teaching assessments since receiving tenure, should provide evidence that courses are well designed and that the candidate effectively uses high-quality materials and successfully engages students. Letters from students and student achievements may also contribute to the department’s assessment.
Service excellence:
The successful candidate should contribute to meaningful service activities at department, university, community, professional, and national/international levels. Effective committee participation, editorial boards, agency panel membership, and chairing sessions at meetings are among the indicators of a satisfactory service role to the academic community. For promotion to Professor, descriptions of service accomplishments and service commensurate with stature should be provided. Additional important service contributions may include sharing expertise beyond the University, e.g. through advisory roles, public presentations, and contributions to K-12 schools.