Promotion and Tenure

1
Promotion and Tenure

• Stephen A. Lerner, M.D.
• Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
• WSU School of Medicine

2
Significance of Promotion (and Tenure)

• Recognition of academic accomplishment and
  advancement by faculty members at the Department
  and School levels
• Recognition and commitment by the University PT
  Committee and the Provost (and the Board of
  Governors)
• Promotion raise

3
Faculty Tracks

• Know your track!
• Research-Educator
• Clinician-Educator
• Research
• Track is stated explicitly by the Chair in the
  Letter of Offer which you sign at the time of
  appointment
• The criteria for appointment and promotion depend
  on the rank and track
• Refer to the Factors and Guidelines for Promotion

4
Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• The official record of your academic career
• Use WSU format (for ease and efficiency of
  review)
• Assure accuracy (inaccuracies jeopardize
  credibility)
• The CV can be updated at any stage in the review
  process, up to the review by the WSU PT Committee

5
Scholarship

• Important for all faculty, but less emphasis for
  Clinician-Educators
• Omit submitted manuscripts, but include submitted
  grant proposals
• Include accepted articles (in press)
• No expectation of prescribed numbers of papers or
  grants

6
Scholarship (2)

• The SOM Executive Committee looks for focus of
  interest and accomplishment, and at the
  trajectory of papers over time (consistency, esp.
  recently)
• A disproportionate excess of abstracts over
  published papers (i.e., abstracts not converted
  to publications) raises a red flag

7
Teaching

• Important for all faculty, esp.
  Clinician-Educators
• Teaching Portfolio
• Documentation of quantity and impact
  (evaluations by learners by peers, if available)
  
• Documentation of innovative teaching and/or
  curriculum development

8
Service

• Department
• School of Medicine
• University
• DMC or VA
• Profession (includes external visibility)
• Scholarly (editorial board, study section,
  abstract reviewer, scientific program organizer)
• Society committees

9
Explain

• You know yourself better than anyone else.
• The reviewers will not always understand the
  significance of an entry in the CV.
• For publications, provide an explanation of
  quality, significance, and impact,either in the
  CV, in an appended personal statement, and/or the
  Chairs letter.
• For multi-authored publications, grants, and
  contracts, indicate in the CV your contribution
  and role. For instance, for clinical studies
  design and execution of the study, analysis of
  the data, role in writing the publication.
  

10
Personal Statement

• Not required at this time, but recommended to
  convey your view of your academic career and
  where you are heading.
• Set your evaluation materials in the perspective
  of your discipline, so an outside evaluator
  understands the big picture of your academic life
  and the relationships among the various
  components.
• Can also be used for self-evaluation and for
  helping others to mentor you.

11
Personal Statement (2)

• Possible points to consider
• What am I doing?
• Why am I doing it?
• How am I doing it (methods/strategies)?
• How well am I doing it?
• Where am I going in this aspect of my career?
• Where am I going overall? What is my vision?
  What do I want to accomplish?

12
External Review Letters

• Extremely important!
• Candidate and Chair (or designee) provide six
  names, contact information, and position and
  qualifications all reviewers must be at or above
  the rank to which the candidate is to be promoted
  
• The Department solicits three, and the Exec.
  Comm. solicits three
• Reviewers should not have any direct academic
  relationship with the candidate (e.g., mentor,
  former departmental colleague, collaborator)

13
External Review Letters (2)

• The most credible letters critically review the
  scholarly (and teaching, if known)
  accomplishments of the candidate
• It adds credibility if the writer mentions
  his/her prior experience on a PT Committee
• Very helpful if the writer concludes with a
  statement that the candidate would surely be
  promoted in a comparable track at his/her
  institution (or even would be competitive)
  

14
PT Process

• Promotion package is initiated by Department
• CV, TP, and 3 external review letters are
  reviewed by Dept. PT Committee
• If approved by PT Comm., Dept. Chairs letter of
  support (very important) accompanies the package
  to SOM Executive Committee
• Exec. Comm. (EC) of the Fac. Senate functions as
  the SOM PT Committee
• Package (plus 3 additional external letters
  solicited by the SOM) is reviewed by PT Comm. in
  early Dec.
• If denied, can be appealed in Jan.
• If approved (2/3 vote), sent to WSU with EC Chair
  letter

15
PT Process (2)

• WSU PT Comm. reviews packages in March-April
• Provost reviews decisions and can overrule
  President is the ultimate judge, but rarely
  intervenes
• Congratulations! Promotion is effective in
  August

16
Faculty Development Environment
17
Current Activities
18
Manuscript Writing Course

• Faculty with data ready for writing
• Each participant is matched with an individual
  faculty mentor
• Six monthly didactic and interactive sessions
• Regular assignments and deadlines

19
Welcome to Wayne SOM New Faculty Orientation
20
Workshop Academic Documentation for Annual
Merit Review and Promotion and Tenure
ProcessesPowerPoint Presentations on Faculty
Senate websitehttp//www.med.wayne.edu/faculty_s
enate/ Streaming video available on SOM
websitehttp//www.med.wayne.edu/news_media/strea
mingmedia/somevents/index.asp
21
Faculty Affairs Website (Soon to go live)

• Directory of SOM, WSU, regional, and national
  resources and information for faculty
• Research
• Teaching
• Career development
• Link to Faculty Senate website
• Online resources

22
Future Activities

• Repeat manuscript writing course annually
• Offer new faculty orientation programs annually
  or semiannually
• Maintain and improve faculty affairs website
• Offer leadership development programs
• Offer teaching improvement programs

23
For any questions regarding faculty issues

• Contact
• Stephen A. Lerner, M.D.
• Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
• slerner_at_med.wayne.edu