Retention, Tenure, and Promotion

Effective Fall 2016:

Please note that the policy numbers for APSU policies regarding faculty appointments, retention, tenure, promotion, and academic freedom and responsibility changed in 2017 when the APSU Board of Trustees was established. The current departmental retention, tenure, and promotion criteria went into effect in Fall 2016 and will be updated with current policy numbers during the next revision process in 2020. The corresponding old and new policy numbers are listed below:

Policy Name	Old Number	New Number

Policy on Academic Tenure	5:060	1:025

Policy on Academic Promotion	5:061	2:063

Policy on Faculty Appointments	5:062	2:051

Policy on Academic Freedom and Responsibility	5:052	2:052

Faculty members shall be evaluated for retention, tenure, and promotion in the areas listed below and according to the standards indicated for the particular personnel action being considered. Time periods for particular personnel actions and supporting e-dossier material relevant to each action are as follows:

Retention: since initial appointment
Tenure: since initial appointment
Promotion: since initial appointment or date of last promotion whichever is the more recent.

General Criteria for Evaluation of Faculty Members

The following are general criteria to be used in evaluating faculty members for any personnel action. This list is not exhaustive, and the selection and relative importance of each of these criteria will vary with the type of action contemplated as well as the nature and mission of the department to which the faculty member is assigned. It should also be recognized that common sense and flexibility need to be used in the application of criteria. Faculty members truly outstanding in one (1) area but less active or successful in others may well be contributing more to the well-being of the University than someone adequate in all areas but outstanding in none. Reasonable expectations for the following evaluative criteria for retention, tenure, promotion and merit shall be established in writing at the departmental and college levels as a standard or basis for personnel actions.

1. Teaching effectiveness;
2. Effectiveness in other academic assignments, including student advisement, as well as departmental and program administrative assignments;
3. Research, scholarly and creative activity;
4. Professional degrees, awards, and achievements;
5. Professional service (may include institutional committee assignments) to the University, the community, and the State or Nation;
6. Activities, memberships, and leadership in professional organizations;
7. Evidence of continuing professional development and growth; and potential for contributions to the objectives of the department and the University and
8. Demonstrated willingness and ability to work effectively with colleagues to support the mission of the institution and the common goals both of the institution and of the academic organizational unit; and evidence of, regard for, and performance consistent with, accepted standards of professional conduct.

For convenience and further clarification, APSU groups these criteria into three general areas of evaluation: Effectiveness in Academic Assignment; Scholarly and Creative Achievement; and Professional Contributions and Activity.

Process and Guidelines for the Retention, Tenure, and Promotion Process may be found at the links below:

There are many policies which drive the Retention, Tenure, and Promotion Process. They may be found at the links below:

Extend the Clock Option due to COVID-19 - Posted April 15, 2020