- Ensuring that the APT decision meeting was properly conducted, that discussion and evaluation of the candidate was impartial, fair, and unbiased, and that the appropriate material was available to eligible voting faculty.
- Writing a letter to the administrator at the next higher level making an independent judgment about each promotion and/or tenure case, and including the Department’s promotion criteria (APT Policy Section IV.A.8).
- Notifying candidates in writing, summarizing the Chair’s and Unit (First Level) APT Review Committee’s decisions and reasoning, and the numeric vote within two weeks of the Chair’s decision (APT Policy Section IV.D; See example in Appendix). Note that the reported vote must total the number of eligible voting faculty members (Yes, No, Abstentions, Absences). In cases of new appointments, inclusion of the vote count is not required. A copy of this summary letter should be available for faculty who participated in the deliberations who wish to see it, and it should be included in the dossier. The Chair of the Department (First Level) APT Review Committee may review and, if necessary, correct the information in the summary letter. In the event that the Chair of the Department (First Level) APT Review Committee and the Chair are unable to agree on the appropriate language and contents of the summary letter, each shall write a summary letter to the candidate. A copy of all materials provided to the candidate shall be added to the tenure or promotion file as the case proceeds through higher levels of review. If both the Department (First Level) APT Review Committee and Chair vote to deny tenure and/or promotion, the letter must be sent by certified mail (APT Policy Section IV.F.6).
- Inspecting dossiers for accuracy, completeness and conformity to these guidelines.
- For new appointments, including the length of appointment year, start date, and projected salary in a separate memo (see Appendix) accompanying the appointment request. If the appointment is accepted, notifying the Office of Faculty Affairs.
- Sending the dossier to the next level of review, and if the candidate does not pass the initial review, providing sufficient information for the administrator at that level (Dean or Associate Provost) to determine that the review was conducted appropriately (APT Policy IV.A.5).
- Answering questions putatively posed by upper-level review committees (APT Policy Section IV.B.4; Section IV.C.2).
- If candidates withdraw from the process, forwarding a copy of the letter of withdrawal to the Dean and the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs (APT Policy Section IV.A.5).
- Reviewing the Department’s (Unit’s) Plan of Organization to ensure it contains sufficient procedural guidelines for the conduct of reviews, and that the review conforms to the guidelines.
- Being aware of changes in the APT Policy and Guidelines, and disseminating these changes to the faculty. The Office of Faculty Affairs website should be consulted for updates: https://faculty.umd.edu/apt-manual.
- Meeting with new tenured and tenure-track faculty to provide APT information, such as Unit and University policies, this Manual, and Unit promotion criteria. Subsequently, administrators should notify faculty in writing of changes to the criteria (APT Policy Section II; Section IV).
Last Update
03/25/2021