Administrative Guidelines for HR-23: Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations
Policy HR-23: Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations (http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr23.html)
Frequently Asked Questions About Promotion and Tenure
Review Levels
2nd Year Tenure Review – Department Committee, Department Head, & Dean. (Dossier Sets: 1 original & 1 copy forwarded to the Dean by April 1; 1 copy for Department.)
4th Year Tenure Review – Department Committee, Department Head , College Committee, & Dean. (Dossier Sets: 1 original & 2 copies forwarded to the Dean by mid-December; 1 copy for Department.)
Special 5th Year Tenure Review – Department Committee, Department Head, College Committee, & Dean. (Dossier Sets: 1 original & 2 copies forwarded to the Dean by February 1; 1 copy for Department.)
6th Year Tenure & Promotion (*Early Tenure or Immediate Tenure) – Department Committee, Department Head, College Committee, Dean, University Committee, & Executive Vice President and Provost. (Dossier Sets: 1 original & 2 copies forwarded to the Dean by mid-December; 1 copy for Department.) *Early tenure reviews require prior approval from the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Department Heads must submit requests to the Dean to be forwarded to the Vice Provost.
Dossier Sets consists of the "Preliminary Pages" followed by the "Rainbow" (colored) sections. All sets must include the "Preliminary Pages" and "Rainbow" dividers, and must conform to the dossier format as described below in the preparation guidelines.
Confidentiality of the Dossier Sections
Teaching, Research & Service (orange, green, pink): These sections are not confidential. The candidate may review all materials in these sections (including peer reviews, survey results, etc.) (Page 8, III.C.2.k; page 9, III.C.9; FAQ 2 & 3)
External Letters of Assessment (gray): This section is confidential and may never be shared with the candidate. (Page 2, I.E.1-3)
Review Letters from Committees and Administrators (blue): Candidates may inspect and review their dossiers upon completion of the review process each year, except for the documents in the external assessment section. ( Page 2, I.E.1; Page 23, V,I.4)
Joint Appointments: Budgeted appointments in another academic unit require a letter of support from the secondary unit department head. The secondary department head may choose to consult with their departmental tenure and promotion committee, but in no case will the committee of the secondary unit be invited to submit a letter of recommendation on its own. The secondary department head letter will appear in the dossier in front of the primary department head's letter within the Statements of Evaluation (blue section), but should be made available to the primary department review committee before beginning its review. Prior to preparing their letter, the secondary department head should be given a copy of the complete dossier, (including the external letters when appropriate). (Page 19, V.F.1 & 2)