GODDARD SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

TENURE DOCUMENT

November 2002

 

This tenure document has been designed to aid in the equitable evaluation of candidates seeking tenure in departments within the Goddard School of Business and Economics. Standards have been set to assure that only those faculty who exhibit high performance levels receive a positive tenure recommendation. Diversity within the standards accommodate faculty members with different backgrounds, talents and professional interests.

To those who will evaluate candidates, this document serves as a basis for writing a thorough analysis of a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, rather than resorting to a conventional checklist.

It is important that a candidate’s total professorial career be considered, including performance at Weber State University and other institutions of higher education. Candidates must be reviewed at all levels in the third and sixth years independent of position or negative recommendations.

To be recommended for tenure, a candidate must select one of the following channels and provide evidence of appropriate performance.

A candidate may not meet the requirements for tenure by fulfilling parts of more than one channel, although it is clear that they will meet the requirement if they exceed the ratings for the selected channel.

RATINGS

The candidate for tenure will be evaluated in each of the above categories and a rating of inadequate, satisfactory, good, or excellent shall be determined and interpreted relative to the candidate’s department and school peers.

A general description of each of these ratings, which shall serve as a guide to the evaluation committees, is as follows:

Three categories are delineated as evaluative areas for tenure consideration: (1) Teaching, (2) Publications/Professional Activities including Research, and (3) Service. Within each category the faculty member being considered for tenure shall be rated as excellent, good, satisfactory or inadequate.

TEACHING: Teaching is defined as instruction conducted under the auspices of Weber State University. This category includes formal classroom instruction and student activities directly related to classroom instruction including student advisement, research projects, and co-op education.

Teaching performance will be evaluated by students, peers, and administrators. The teaching category will also include the preparation and use of teaching materials such as course syllabi, bibliographies, computer programs, and other materials primarily intended for instructional use.

Candidates should be evaluated on the basis of their individual full-load requirements. For instance, if an administrator is only required to teach four hours per semester, he/she should be evaluated on the basis that four hours represents a full load. No one shall be considered unless teaching and/or research in the candidate’s field comprise at least one-third of a normal teaching load.

PUBLICATIONS/PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING RESEARCH: Publication normally includes formally published professional work, which has been subject to editorial review and formal acceptance processes. Research reports and published articles which have been appropriately reviewed and accepted will also be included. The publication category is reserved for scholarly output as opposed to writing activity.

Professional activity may be interpreted rather broadly as professional and scholarly activities that are of a nature that do not typically culminate in publications. Membership in professional organizations shall generally be considered as "service." However, important positions within professional organizations are to be considered favorably within this category. Professional activities should include continuing formal post-graduate education that goes beyond mere maintenance of one’s credentials within the discipline or field, development of entirely new fields or areas of expertise which prove of benefit to both the candidate and the department, presentation of professional papers at scholarly meetings, as well as funded research. Research may be interpreted rather broadly, but normally shall be limited to those activities which go beyond mere maintenance of professional credentials and/or staying current in the literature of the candidate’s discipline.

Classifications to be included under publications/professional activities including research are as follows in their order of importance. By importance it is implied that Area A is more important than Area B, and Area B is more important than Area C.

Area A (Primary Importance)

Publication of specific research studies or theoretical work in the form of a book or monograph.

Publication of articles subject to review and formal acceptance processes.

Textbook publications. The publication of a textbook may extend the frontiers of one’s field even more than a journal article; it depends upon the particular book. But even a textbook which does not extend the academic frontier may contribute to one’s academic field by improving the educational process. The key to including textbooks under publication lies in the fact that good textbooks improve teaching effectiveness not only of the author, but more importantly, for others in the profession.

Important positions in significant academic associations. This activity will qualify as one of primary importance when it is combined with significant professional activity in the field of academic interest to the association.

Keeping current in one’s field is normally considered as part of good teaching. Likewise, areas of expertise and training normally come with the category of credentials. However, occasionally a candidate may obtain additional training in an area in which a department requires expertise. In those circumstances in which the time and effort involved far exceed what would normally be required to keep current and from which the department expects to greatly benefit, consideration should be given in this area. Training to obtain the required credentials to advance to a higher rank does not count in this situation. Neither does training from which the department would expect to receive minimal benefit. The extra consideration within this category is for academic activity that contributes substantially to the professional growth of the individual and the needs of the department and which do not receive consideration in other categories. It would be particularly rare that such training would qualify within the primary importance level, but it is possible and therefore is included at this point.

Consulting in a field of expertise. This activity will qualify as one of primary importance when such activities are non-routine and of significant importance.

Organizing and presenting seminars and conferences in field of expertise. This activity will qualify as one of primary importance when such activities are of significant importance.

Research which does not result in publication will normally not be considered in Area A. However, when such research activities are of significance they may be included in Area A.

Other professional activities not specifically identified herein shall be evaluated by the committees within the implied guidelines established in this document. Candidates should consult with the department chairperson and dean to establish legitimacy and appropriateness for tenure evaluation purposes.

 

AREA B (Secondary Importance)

Those activities listed in Area A which were not used or not deemed to qualify as of primary importance may qualify in Area B.

Delivery of scholarly papers at academic meetings, subsequently published in a Proceedings Volume. Although such papers are rarely subject to review and formal acceptance, it is often the case that meetings with subsequent publication of the proceedings did involve initial selection of participants based on past endeavors and expertise. Although of a lesser importance than papers that face formal acceptance review processes, including papers delivered at meetings subsequently published in academic journals, papers published in Proceedings are significant. Again, Proceedings of national meetings are normally of greater importance than locally sponsored meetings of local interest.

Delivery of scholarly papers at academic meetings. Although a paper may not have been subsequently published, the oral delivery to one’s peers at academic meetings is a form of publication to be included in this criterion. A presented paper not subsequently published however, is of lower importance than a published article. Papers that have been selected for presentation in a formal evaluation and review process are more important than papers "accepted" sight unseen by the meeting organizers as a general rule.

Publications for readers other than academic community. Publication of books which popularize material from one’s academic field for readers normally outside the academic field and applied trade publications are included in this publication classification.

Publication of cases. An excellent case may improve the effectiveness of teaching, not just to the author, but to others in the field.

Publication of reading books.

Grantmanship and associated research output. Significant professional development may take place through funded research projects. Successful grantsmanship, however, is typically placed within the service category. To be considered in the publications/professional activity category, the funded research project will normally meet the requirements of subsequent publication of results. If the results are subject to formal review and acceptance procedures similar to those attending academic journal acceptance, the publications may be considered as equivalent, subject to determination of quality and importance. Required progress reports are without significance in this category.

Research reports, monographs, working papers, etc., not subject to formal academic review and acceptance may fall in either Area B or C, as determined by the evaluation committee.

Other professional activities. Other professional activities not specifically identified herein shall be evaluated by the committees within the implied guidelines established in this document. Candidates should consult with the department chairperson and dean to establish legitimacy and appropriateness for tenure evaluation purposes.

 

AREA C (Tertiary Importance)

Publications and professional activities not deemed of sufficient merit to warrant inclusion in Area A or B, may nevertheless be considered in the overall evaluation of the candidate.

Classifications A, B, and C above are in order of importance. That is, those in Area A are generally considered of high importance; those in B are generally considered moderately important; and those under C are of lesser importance. It is stressed, however, that this particular ordering is not inviolate. Different orderings of importance may be agreed upon in specific instances if a valid case is presented. In general, the more important the publication(s), the fewer necessary to qualify for a given rating for the publications/professional activities category. A large number of poor quality or Area C activities could not qualify one for meeting the ranking criterion of significant achievement in Area B. In all cases it is to be understood that the ratings are to be based on the candidate’s relative standing in relation to departmental and school peers. Finally, because those rating a candidate must rate the publications/professional activity category not only as to number, but also as to importance and quality of activities, they must possess substantial familiarity with those activities. The role of a candidate advocate could appropriately be utilized in this regard. The candidate for tenure may also present to the Tenure Committee(s) an evaluation of the quality and importance of publications/professional activity from qualified people outside of the department or school.

SERVICE

Service includes such activities as: speech making in the area of the candidate’s expertise; consulting; committee work; popular publications; school, department; community and professional workshops or seminars; participation in executive development; assumption of duties and projects relating to operation of the department, school, and university, and participation in similar professional activities. Attendance at professional meetings, membership in professional societies, and similar activities enhance the reputation of the school beyond the "maintenance of professional credentials" which accrues directly to the candidate. The criterion for consideration of service is that it must utilize in a professional way the candidate’s area of academic expertise. Service to the school through committee assignments is apparent. Chair positions on such committees will be weighted more heavily than mere committee membership. AS in the category of publications/professional activities including research, it is clear that there exist service activities that are clearly of primary importance, others that should be weighted as of secondary importance, and yet others of tertiary importance. Although determination is to be made separately in each case, the evaluation committee shall be guided by the understanding that national service is more important than regional, university committee service is more important than departmental committees, and speeches to statewide audiences are more important than local speeches to local clubs.

Adherence to Professional Ethics:

The Goddard School of Business and Economics endorses the statement of "Professional Responsibilities, Ethical Principles, and Standards of Behavior" contained in the Weber State University Policy and Procedures Manual, Section 10-3, 10-8. Candidates for tenure shall be evaluated against those ethical canons and standards of behavior. A general indication of the faculty member’s adherence to those ethical principles and standards of behavior shall be noted on the Tenure Evaluation Report, with a "yes" or "no" response. Letters indicating the findings of the evaluative committees, chairpersons, and dean shall indicate strengths and weaknesses in this regard.

Common Sense and Professional Approach:

It is clear that no document of criteria and procedures can substitute for professional evaluations by one’s peers, guided by common sense in the process. It is incumbent upon the committee members to obtain as much pertinent information concerning the candidate with respect to the categories considered as is possible and prudent, within the framework of due process and fairness. When in doubt concerning certain informational inputs, the committee should seek clarification, including, but not limited to requesting the candidate to appear before the committee.

This document is to serve as the essential path toward selection of the most qualified candidates for tenure. Tenure is earned by strong academic achievement, not by filling boxes and jumping through artificial hoops.