Review of the Tenure Process

This policy calls for transparency of the tenure process and a periodic review of the process to ensure it continues to meet requirements and expectations set forth in regent law and policy. The integrity of the tenure process depends upon the university's adherence to its tenure policies and procedures.

1. Transparency of Tenure Policies
   
   The university's laws, policies, and procedures for tenure should be easily accessible. Therefore, the university shall post and maintain systemwide policies and procedures for tenure on the system website; campuses shall post and maintain campus policies and procedures for tenure on the individual campus websites, including primary unit procedures and criteria for tenure.
    
2. Periodic Review of Tenure Related Policies and Procedures
   
   The regents have tasked the administration with ongoing review and updating of all regent laws and policies, associated Administrative Policy Statements (APSs), and campus policies.  Tenure and tenure processes and procedures are a component of this review.
   
   The periodic review (at least every ten years) of tenure policies shall follow the usual regent law and policy review process, which seeks input from regents, system and campus administration, shared governance, campus faculty, staff, students, and the public.  This input is used to generate proposed updates to these policies.  For tenure policies, this process is led by the vice president for academic affairs.
   
   Following any adoption of changes in regent laws and policies, system-level APSs about tenure shall be brought into compliance with regent law and policy and may be considered for further changes based on input gathered in the policy review process.  Similarly, any associated campus, school/college, and/or department policies and procedures shall be updated accordingly.
    
3. Data Collection
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   The provost office at each campus shall maintain record of:
   1. The number of faculty members who apply for tenure each year.
   2. Among those who applied for tenure, the number that were awarded and the number denied.
   3. The number of grievances filed by those denied tenure.
      1. The number of grievances that led to reconsideration due to procedural errors.
      2. The number of these cases where the original decision was reaffirmed.
4. Review of Tenure Grievances
   
   Based on regent law and policy, grievances challenging a tenure decision can only be based on failure to follow published policy and procedures. When a tenure grievance has been evaluated and process issues have been identified, either during the third level appeal or through the Faculty Senate Grievance Committee process, the vice president for academic affairs shall maintain a record of process issues with two purposes. First, to identify potential lack of clarity in processes and procedures that can be corrected at a local level. Second, to maintain a list of concerns to be addressed in the next review of regent laws and policies.

1. Regent Laws and Policies
   1. Regent Policy 5.C.2 – Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Appointments
   2. Regent Policy 5.D – Reappointment (to a tenure-track position), Tenure, and Promotion
   3. Regent Law 5.C – Faculty Appointments and Tenure
2. Administrative Policy Statements (APS) and Other Policies
   1. APS 1022-Standards, Processes and Procedures for Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion, and Post-Tenure Review

• Adopted:  October 1, 2006.  This policy was developed from recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Tenure Related Processes in 2005-06.
• Revised:  January 17, 2013; August 31, 2016, web links updated; May 1, 2023.
• Last Reviewed:  May 1, 2023.