Criteria for Tenure
For tenure-track appointments, the criteria for attaining tenure are threefold: (1) completion of the probationary period, (2) performance that meets the standards of the College, and (3) the needs of the institution.
Faculty members having a Ph.D. degree. or its equivalent in training or tangible scholarly achievement are eligible to be tenured after six years of full-time teaching. A person may be given up to a maximum of two years of credit toward eligibility for tenure for prior full-time teaching at other colleges and universities; however, for tenure-track appointments, no fewer than four years must be served at Centre College. The Dean of the College and the search committee are charged with the responsibility of determining the nature of a Faculty member's service elsewhere. The initial letter of appointment shall indicate the number of years of credit the individual has been granted towards tenure. Unless hired at a higher rank achieving tenure normally includes promotion from the rank of assistant professor. A candidate for tenure shall meet the professional standards for associate professors set forth in Ranks and Professional Standards for Rank. Tenure is inherently selective since it involves a permanent commitment of the College to a particular academic field.
On rare occasions, the College may seek to hire candidates who already have tenure at another institution. Ideally, the advertisements for such job openings should state that the College is willing to hire at any rank.
If a search committee wishes to make an offer with tenure to a candidate, the chair of the search committee should send a written request for review of the candidate to the chair of the Committee on Tenure and Reappointment. The search committee and the Dean of the College must be in unanimous agreement that the candidate should be hired with tenure, and the candidate must have already received tenure at another institution to be considered for review.
When making the request, the chair of the search committee should include a reasonable file for review by the tenure committee, including evidence that the candidate has met the performance standards for tenure in the areas of teaching, scholarly or professional achievement, and service. Typically, the request will include a full academic CV of the candidate; a letter of support from the search committee chair or division chair that makes the case for the candidate’s teaching, scholarship, and service credentials; and documentation supporting the candidate’s teaching qualifications, such as contextualized teaching/student evaluations from the institution where the candidate received tenure.
Within two weeks of receiving the completed file, the chair shall submit the committee’s recommendation to the Dean. The Committee on Tenure and Reappointment will only consider such requests during the academic year, between the first day of fall term and April 22.