Promotion & Tenure
Pursuing promotion involves assembling a detailed dossier of your accomplishments toward the University's tripartite mission. Our department is prepared to give you the guidance and tools you'll need to prepare a dossier that will lead to successful promotion. Perhaps the most important thing you can make a habit of now, no matter the stage in your career, is to keep detailed records of your accomplishments. Regularly update your curriculum vitae and actively participate in the department's annual faculty review process, and meet with your promotion mentor on an ongoing basis! This helps ensure the eventual process of dossier preparation and successfully advancing your rank will be a satisfying experience rather than a stressful one. Contact Julia Steinberger, Chair of the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee, or Jill Hodsdon, Promotion and Tenure Administrator, with any questions you might have about the promotion process. We are here to help!
Academic Track: The University of Minnesota Medical School has recently developed a consolidated Academic Track. Non-tenured faculty will now be evaluated based on this track, and must identify one area of focus when preparing for promotion: research, education, or clinical care. A Master Clinician Track is in development.
Department Requirements
Department of Pediatrics Requirements
All faculty, at all ranks, undergo an annual performance review. According to the Medical School Faculty Review Policy, the head of the department or his/her designee annually reviews the progress of each faculty member and prepares a written summary of that review and discusses the faculty member's progress with the faculty member, giving him/her a copy of the report. The Department of Pediatrics has empowered committees to assist the department head with this review.
The annual review of each faculty member is recorded on the Medical School Form 12 or equivalent, and reflects the faculty member's performance relative to the appropriate departmental track statement. The signed forms are kept in the faculty member's personnel file and will subsequently become a part of the dossier for promotion.
The Department has established three committees that are charged with providing academic and research mentorship to junior faculty. The members of these committees are assigned to individual faculty members and are encouraged to meet with them throughout the year to assess academic progress, research productivity, and advancement towards the awarding of tenure, if applicable. The committees meet annually to review progress and create a record for future documentation of success.
Review Committees
Review Committees
Three committees are responsible for the ongoing mentoring of junior faculty members and providing regular evaluations of their progress towards promotion. The committees meet annually in January to review the progress reports prepared by the assigned mentors and to make decisions regarding readiness for promotion.
Tenure Track Committee
Chaired by Dr. Logan Spector, is responsible for assigning mentors and reviewing the progress of tenure track faculty members.
Academic Clinician Tracks Committee
Chaired by Dr. Michelle Rheault, is responsible for assigning mentors and reviewing the progress of faculty on the Academic Track with a focus in either clinical care or teaching.
Research Track Committee
Chaired by Dr. Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, is responsible for assigning mentors and reviewing the progress of faculty on the Academic Track witha focus in research.
Promotion and Tenure Committee
Chaired by Dr. Julia Steinberger, provides guidance regarding the policies and procedures established by the Medical School Promotions Committee and Vice Provost, and ensures that all criteria for promotion have been met by candidates submitting dossiers.
Post Tenure Review Committee
Chaired by Dr. Peg Semrud-Clikeman, evaluates the contributions of tenured faculty toward the tripartite academic missions of education, scholarship, and service and affirm that achievements meet the expectations of the Department of Pediatrics and Medical School. In addition, the Post Tenure Review Committee will review the academic portfolio of each tenured Associate Professor to insure that adequate progress is being made toward promotion to full Professor. Reviews are at a minimum of every 3 years. The Post Tenure Review Committee is composed of 6 tenured faculty elected by the tenured faculty of the department for a maximum term of 3 years.
Promotion Progress
Promotion Progress
Getting ready for promotion is a process that starts the day a faculty member is hired. It involves identifying a scholarly focus area and working and meeting regularly with mentors to help develop that focus area and a scholarly product. Over time, continuous, progressive scholarly productivity is expected, and this should be well documented. Accomplishments for promotion are documented within three formats: the Form 12/12a, the Curriculum Vitae, and the Personal Statements.
- Form 12/Equivalent review form for non-probationary faculty: This is the annual assessment, described above.
- CV: The CV should have separate headings for a) Research/Scholarship, b) Teaching Service, c) Professional Service, and d) Clinical Service. These are the 4 categories that are described in the personal statements and ultimately that referees will be asked to assess at the time of promotion. Appropriately categorizing academic activities from the beginning saves work when the time for promotion nears, and also allows faculty and their mentors to regularly assess readiness for promotion and determine where there are "holes" that need to be addressed. The CV should be updated twice a year, in June and December, prior to meetings with promotions mentors.
- Personal Statements: The final promotion dossier contains “personal statements”, ½-2 page summaries of accomplishments in the three categories of a) Research/Scholarship, b) Teaching, and c) Professional Service. The personal statements provide concise summaries for the Promotions Committee and for referees being asked to write letters.
- Faculty maintain ongoing personal statements, to be updated each year by December. These will be sparse in the beginning, but will fill-out over time.
- For Assistant Professors: Each of these personal statements should start out as follows: I was hired in (year) as an Assistant Professor on the (tenure/clinical scholar/research) track. My scholarly focus area is (research, or teaching/educational scholarship, or applied medical science/clinical scholarship, or professional service/publically engaged scholarship). My scholarly product is A. My academic mentor(s) is B, and my promotions mentor on the (tenure/clinical scholar/research) Track is C. Promotion is expected by July XX, which means that the CV, personal statements, and Division Chief nomination letter are due by Dec 15, 20XX (promotion year-2y). This is followed by separate sections succinctly describing the four categories, with emphasis on accomplishments and external recognition.
- For Associate Professors: The format is similar but should contain information about the timing of promotion to Associate Professor.
Timeline
Promotions Timeline
In general we assume a 9-year timeline from Assistant to Associate Professor, and Associate Professor to Professor. On the Tenure Track, this is the maximum time allowed for promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor. For all other promotions, there is no maximum number of years an individual is allowed to remain at rank. Some individuals may elect to go up for promotion early. This is dependent upon accomplishments as outlined in the Tenure, Clinical Scholar, Teaching and Research Track Statements. A faculty member who goes up early for promotion must clearly have accomplished as much as the average person going up at the usual time.
Timing
The promotion process starts two years before the actual promotion! Please visit the Promotion and Tenure Timeline for more information.
Archive
Archive
The following track statements are no longer in use.