RWJMS Procedures for Processing Faculty Personnel Actions

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Promotions

All promotions that are approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the Board of Trustees become effective on July 1 following the approval. The approval process is such that the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions must take final action on the promotion of a tenured or tenure track faculty member before the May deadline for submission of material for the June meeting of the Board of Trustees. Tenure decisions must be presented to the Deans’ Committee and approved by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs before they are submitted to the Board of Trustees. The Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions must take final action on these proposals before the April meeting of the Deans’ Committee.

Promotion packets can be submitted through the Dean=s office to the Office of Faculty Affairs anytime during the year, but MUST be submitted before December 31st to ensure that the process will be completed for an effective date of July 1st.

Tenure Decisions

Faculty at the rank of Associate Professor and Professor are eligible for consideration for tenure. The decision to grant tenure is independent of a decision to promote.

Faculty on the Tenure Track must be reviewed for tenure before completion of their tenth year. Ordinarily this review will take place during their ninth year. Granting of tenure will confer an appointment without term and with a guarantee of salary.

Promotions Involving a Change in Academic Track

Proposals for promotion that involve a change in track require additional information in the official letter to the Dean. This letter must specify all of the ramifications of the change related to length of appointment and criteria for advancement. In addition, the faculty member must be advised of the opportunity to submit an alternate proposal for promotion directly to the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions.

Full Academic Rank (including COTERMINOUS)

The chair must submit an official promotion proposal for each candidate. This proposal, which must be received by the Office of Faculty Affairs Office no later than the last business day in December, must include the following:

The original of the chair's letter to the Dean proposing the candidate for promotion. This letter must indicate the candidate's name and degree(s), current rank and precise academic title proposed, a description of the individual's teaching, research, and clinical responsibilities, and the vote of the department's standing advisory committee regarding the proposed appointment. When necessary, the chair should also send a separate letter to the Dean indicating the personnel action to be taken if the promotion is not approved.
A separate memorandum indicating the results of the mail ballot of the faculty in the department at the level of associate professor and above regarding the proposed promotion.
A current curriculum vitae in regulation format (Attachment A). The promotion proposal will be returned to the department for modification if the curriculum vitae is not in the prescribed format, and this will delay processing.
A completed review sheet – the action proposed will determine which review sheet should be completed (Attachments B1 and B2).
A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation (original copies), solicited by the chair, are required for all promotions to all professorial ranks. These letters must be written within the ten (10) months preceding submission to the Office of Faculty Affairs and the letters must be from individuals of rank equal to or higher than the rank proposed. They should specifically refer to the title under consideration. For the tenured or tenure track ranks of Associate Professor and Professor, and for the non-tenure rank of Professor three (3) of the letters must be from individuals not associated with the University. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included. For the non-tenure rank of Associate Professor three (3) of the letters must be from individuals not associated with RWJ Medical School. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included. For the rank of Assistant Professor on all tracks, at least one (1) letter must be from an individual not associated with RWJ Medical School. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included.
A completed teaching portfolio – the template is included as Attachment C.
For promotions involving Award of Tenure or those of tenured faculty, a list of three to five appropriate authorities who are familiar with the candidate's field of study and who have not been contacted by the Department is required.
An optional personal statement, not to exceed two (2) pages, describing past accomplishments, contributions to the school and future plans may be submitted with the official proposal.

Promotions to the rank of Assistant Professor and above on the non-tenure and coterminous tracks are reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions and approved by the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Promotions to the rank of Assistant Professor and above on the tenure track are reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions and approved by the Dean and the Board of Trustees. In addition to the previously cited approvals, Tenure decisions are reviewed by the Deans’ Committee and approved by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to action by the Board of Trustees.

Modified (Qualified) Academic Rank (including VOLUNTEER)

The chair must submit an official promotion proposal for each candidate. This proposal, which must be received by the Office of Faculty Affairs Office no later than the last business day in December, must include the following:

The original of the chair's letter to the Dean proposing the candidate for promotion. This letter must indicate the candidate's name and degree(s), current rank and precise academic title proposed, a description of the individual's teaching, research, and clinical responsibilities, and the vote of the department's standing advisory committee regarding the proposed appointment.
A separate memorandum indicating the results of the mail ballot of the faculty in the department at the level of associate professor and above regarding the proposed promotion.
A current curriculum vitae in regulation format (Attachment A).
A completed review sheet (Attachment B-1).
A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation (original copies) are required for all promotions to all professorial ranks. These letters must be written within the ten (10) months preceding submission to the Office of Faculty Affairs and the letters must be from individuals of rank equal to or higher than the rank proposed. They should specifically refer to the title under consideration.
For the rank of Adjunct Professor three (3) of the letters must be from individuals not associated with the University. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included.For the rank of Adjunct Associate Professor three (3) of the letters must be from individuals not associated with RWJ Medical School. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included. For the rank of Adjunct Assistant Professor at least one (1) letter must be from an individual not associated with RWJ Medical School. Additional letters from alternate sources may be included.
A completed teaching portfolio – the template is included as Attachment C.
An optional personal statement, not to exceed two (2) pages, describing past accomplishments, contributions to the school and future plans may be submitted with the official proposal.

Promotions to the rank of Assistant Professor are approved by the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs Promotions to the rank of Associate Professor and Professor are reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions and approved by the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Joint Appointment Promotions

A joint appointment promotion is initiated by the chair of the faculty member's secondary department submitting a promotion proposal for each candidate. This proposal, which must be received by the Office of Faculty Affairs Office no later than the last business day in December, must include the following:

The original of the chair's letter to the Dean proposing the candidate for a joint appointment promotion. This letter must indicate the candidate's name and degree(s), the current rank in the primary department, proposed rank in the secondary department, a description of the teaching, research, and clinical responsibilities of the individual, and the vote of the department's standing advisory committee regarding the proposed appointment.
A separate memorandum indicating the results of the mail ballot of the faculty in the department at the level of associate professor and above regarding the proposed promotion.
A letter of support from the chair of the faculty member's primary department.
A current curriculum vitae in regulation format (Attachment A).
A completed review sheet (Attachment B-1).
The rank of the joint appointment will not exceed the rank of the candidate's primary appointment.