Tenure

Because tenure review is required in the next-to-last year of the probationary period, while promotional review is not mandated, tenure and promotion reviews require separate decisions.

The granting of tenure is a decision that plays a crucial role in determining the quality of university faculty and the national and international status of the University.  The awarding of tenure must be based on convincing documented evidence that the faculty member has achieved a body of scholarship that has had an impact on his/her discipline, demonstrated proficiency as a teacher, and has provided effective service.  The candidate is expected to continue and sustain, over the long term, a program of high quality scholarship, teaching, and service relevant to the mission of the candidate’s academic unit(s) and to the mission of the University.  Since this decision could result in life-long employment at this institution, it involves more than a mere survey of the candidate’s minimum quantifiable activities (University Policy and Procedures Regarding Faculty Tenure, section D, 28 November, 2001).

Tenure considerations are based on documented achievements while a faculty member at this institution, yet can include evaluation of accomplishments prior to appointment at Kent State University to examine consistency, as well as grant proposals submitted but not funded, proposals pending, creative works and papers “in review” or papers “in press,” graduate students currently advised, and any other materials that may reflect on the candidate’s potential for a long-term successful career.  The tenure decision is based on all of the evidence available to determine the candidate’s potential to pursue a productive career.

Indicators of a faculty member’s research and creative scholarship record include the quality and quantity of exhibitions and/or published work.  All faculty members in the School are expected to produce records that reflect their scholarly focus and the attributes of a candidate faculty member’s scholarly activity may vary across sub-disciplines within the fashion field.

For Kent Campus TT faculty members to receive a positive recommendation for tenure, candidates must attain at least the level of “very good” in scholarship and/or creative scholarship on the indicators noted in the section titled “Criteria and Evaluation for Promotion and Tenure”. Teaching must also, at the minimum, be rated “very good” and service as “meets expectations.”