Dear Dr. XXXXXX:
Dr. XXXX XXX is due to be reviewed for Associate Professor with tenure in academic year YYYY-YYYY. I am writing to request your confidential evaluation of the qualifications of Dr. XXX for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor of XXXX with tenure.
In accordance with Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Policy and Guidelines adopted by the University of Maryland College Park, College of XXXX and Department of XXXX, I request your evaluation of the following:
- The quality of the candidate’s research and/or creative activity, including the quality of the candidate’s publications, exhibitions, or performances; the quality of the journals, presses, or outlets in which the candidate has published, exhibited, or performed;
- The impact and significant accomplishments of the candidate’s research and/or creative activity to date;
- The candidate’s promise of becoming a leading scholar;
- The candidate’s teaching and mentoring to the extent you are able to do so; and
- The candidate’s service activities (e.g., public service, service to the profession/field).
In assessing the candidate’s qualifications for promotion and tenure, please:
- Base your analysis only on the criteria and materials provided;
- Indicate whether you would or would not recommend this candidate for promotion and tenure at the University of Maryland; and
- Comment on the nature of your professional interaction with the candidate and also on the candidate’s collaboration with other scholars in his/her field, if applicable.
The University of Maryland acknowledges that faculty across the academy may have experienced disruptions to teaching and mentoring; research, scholarship, and creative activities; service; and extension activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss or reduction of competitively secured contracts and grants, travel restrictions, or other factors. We ask that you take into consideration these disruptions as relevant or as described in the included materials for review. Candidates for promotion and tenure may also receive additional extensions of the tenure clock according to University policy. Our policy states that the criteria for promotion and tenure at the University of Maryland are the same for all faculty regardless of length of service during the probationary period.
To assist in your evaluation, I am enclosing the following information: Dr. XXX’s latest curriculum vitae and personal statement, copies of the [X number of] sample works listed below selected by Dr. XXX, and a copy of the promotion criteria.
I realize that this information is rather extensive and will require considerable effort on your part to review. Given your prominence and achievements in the field, the importance of peer review in the tenure process, and the significance of a tenure decision, your expert assessment constitutes an important element in the overall evaluation of Dr. XXX’s credentials. Further, maintaining confidentiality is an essential requirement for the University of Maryland’s tenure and promotion review process. As such, I ask that you refrain from the use of generative artificial intelligence (“Gen AI”) tools in your evaluation of the dossier materials and preparation of your review letter to ensure confidentiality and the integrity of peer review.
Thank you again for agreeing to conduct the review of Dr. XXX’s candidacy for tenure. I would be very grateful if you could respond to us in writing no later than…….. Please send your signed letter on your organization’s letterhead by e-mail to........umd.edu as an attachment.
Sincerely,
XXXX X. XXXXXX
Chair, APT Review Committee
Department of XXX
enclosures: CV, personal statement, publications (please list), Unit promotion criteria.