Promotion for Tenure Track Faculty
Promotion is a selective process. There is no minimum length of service required for advancement to the rank of Assistant Professor. An Assistant Professor, however, shall have served at least six years at that rank before being eligible for the rank of Associate Professor, and an Associate Professor shall have served at least six years at that rank before being considered for promotion to Professor. Years of full-time service at any rank prior to appointment at Centre College may apply toward meeting these standards, but normally at least two years of teaching at Centre College are prerequisite to promotion. Exceptions to these guidelines may be made in unusual circumstances.
Each May 1, the Dean of the College shall provide the Committee on Tenure and Reappointment with the names of those faculty members whose length of service or contractual provisions make them eligible to be considered for promotion. At the same time, the Dean shall notify the candidates of their eligibility for promotion, so that they may bring to the attention of the College officers and the Committee on Tenure and Reappointment any information pertinent to their accomplishments and performance in the three areas of teaching, scholarly and professional activity and achievement, and service to the College and community. A faculty member may defer a promotion review by notifying the Dean in writing.
Promotion to the Rank of Assistant Professor
An Instructor, upon completion of the terminal degree, normally shall be reappointed at the rank of Assistant Professor.
Promotion to the Rank of Associate Professor
The procedure described here applies to Assistant Professors eligible to be considered for promotion independently of the tenure review described in Procedures for Tenure.
The Committee on Tenure and Reappointment shall review each candidate for promotion to Associate Professor and make its recommendation to the Dean of the College by the Thursday after the end of fall term final exams; the Dean shall make his or her recommendation to the President of the College by the Tuesday of the first full week of CentreTerm. Ultimately, the President shall recommend for or against promotion to the Board of Trustees, which has the right to approve or disapprove the promotion.
In making a recommendation for promotion, the Committee on Tenure and Reappointment shall consult with the Division Chair and the Associate Dean of the College. The committee shall review the candidate on the basis of the relevant professional performance standards (see Performance Standards and Ranks and Professional Standards for Rank). In particular, the review shall consider all items in the candidate's open and closed files.
Promotion to the Rank of Professor
Candidates for promotion to Professor shall be reviewed by the Special Subcommittee on Promotions. The Special Subcommittee shall make its recommendation to the Dean of the College by the Wednesday before spring break; the Dean shall make his or her recommendation to the President of the College by the second Wednesday after spring break. Normally at its spring meeting, the President shall recommend for or against promotion to the Board of Trustees, which has the right to approve or disapprove the promotion.
In making a recommendation for promotion, the Special Subcommittee shall review the candidate on the basis of the relevant professional and performance standards (see Academic Freedom and Ranks and Professional Standards for Rank). The subcommittee shall solicit letters evaluating the candidate's work from the Division Chair and from the Associate Dean; it may also request evaluations from the candidate's colleagues and students, and from outside scholars who are in a position to judge the candidate's work. (The Associate Dean does not normally provide teaching evaluation summaries for review for promotion to Professor.) The Division Chair’s evaluation should provide an adequate evaluation of professional achievement. It shall be based on letters from tenured members of the candidate’s program committee and letters solicited from any other colleagues at the discretion of the Division Chair, on a survey by the Division Chair of any other persons at the College who are familiar with the candidate’s work, and on the contents of the candidate’s open file. The Division Chair shall include with her or his letter copies of all letters received from colleagues of the candidate. The Special Subcommittee shall have access to the candidate's open and closed files, and its review shall include consideration of all items therein.