Faculty first appointed at mid-year
Extensions of the probationary period
Grounds for extension
Ordinarily, the annual reviews of probationary faculty follow the six-year timetable described in the next section. However, a faculty member may ask for an early review for promotion and/or tenure, or a shorter timetable may have been specified in the offer of appointment. Exceptions to the six-year timetable are described in this section.
Faculty First Appointed at Mid-year
For a faculty member first appointed at mid-year, the tenure timetable begins at the start of the next academic year. The DEO must submit an evaluation of teaching during the first semester of appointment and an assessment of communication competence, in accordance with University policy (Operations Manual, III-13).
Extensions of the Probationary Period
A faculty member who qualifies for an extended probationary period submits a request for extension to the DEO, who forwards it to the Dean’s Office with his or her recommendation. The Dean considers the request and forwards it to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs with a positive or negative recommendation. The Associate Provost make the final determination.
A request for an extended probationary period that reaches the Office of the Provost by July 1 will affect the probationary review conducted during the subsequent academic year. For example, an extension requested in the summer following the second year of the standard six-year probationary period would delay the third-year contract-renewal review by one year.
An extension does not change the normal criteria for a tenurable record, nor does it imply that the faculty member will be held to a standard higher than the one he or she would have had to meet if the tenure decision had been made in the year when it was originally scheduled. On the other hand, an extension of the probationary period does not guarantee that the faculty member’s contract will be extended through the year in which the tenure decision is due.
Grounds for Extension
New Parent Responsibilities
University policy (Operations Manual, III–22.8) now grants an automatic one-year extension of the probationary period if a faculty member becomes a parent during the first five years of probationary service or became a parent within two years before appointment at the University. If another child is added to the family during the probationary period, the faculty member is entitled to a second one-year extension. A faculty member is not entitled to a third extension on the grounds of new parent responsibilities. See details of the policy at this Provost website.
Unpaid Leave without Fringe Benefits
The tenure clock may in some cases be delayed when a faculty member takes an approved unpaid leave without fringe benefits for personal or professional reasons.
Temporary Impediment
Probationary faculty occasionally have their original tenure timetable extended because of a significant but temporary impediment to the usual pattern of productivity expected of a tenure-track faculty member—for example, on account of serious illness.