C.3 On-Time Promotion Review of Tenured Associate Professors

(a) Timing of Review for Tenured Associate Professors

The normative time in rank represents the typical number of effective years of service before a tenured associate professor is promoted to tenured full professor and varies due to different expectations in different disciplines (e.g., book fields tend to require a longer normative time in rank than paper fields).

• • Cases considered during the sixth, seventh, or eighth effective year in rank at UT Austin are considered on-time reviews.

In the spring term before promotion review, the BC/EC and department chair (or dean in a non-departmentalized college/school) are responsible for determining whether a tenured associate professor should be considered as a candidate for promotion.

That judgment should use the norms of the field in terms of relevant standards of excellence across all four areas of review (Section A.7) and the field’s definition of the normative time in rank. The BC/EC and department chair (or dean in a non-departmentalized college/school) must agree that the promotion review should proceed for the review to move forward.

(b) Elected Combined Service at UT Austin and Other Institutions for Tenured Associate Professors

Candidates who were appointed as a tenured associate professor (or equivalent rank) at other institutions immediately prior to their appointment as a tenured associate professor at UT Austin may elect to combine effective years in rank at UT Austin with no more than three full years of service at the other institution(s) to satisfy the requirements for on-time promotion.

Candidates are advised to solicit candid feedback from their department chair and/or dean before electing to combine years of service, as the standards for promotion at UT Austin may not be the same as those at their previous institution(s).

In addition, the candidate must satisfy the following:

• The minimum required years of effective years in rank at UT Austin, as defined in Section A.8

• At least three peer teaching observations across at least two different academic years at UT Austin must be included in the dossier, as defined in Subsection G.13(c)

The candidate must inform their department chair (if applicable), dean’s office, and the Provost’s Office that they have elected to be considered under the combined service option no later than April 15 in the year immediately preceding the review. In exceptional circumstances, the candidate may request an extension to this deadline from the Provost’s Office.

The candidate’s record of combined service will be evaluated using the same expectations as if the candidate had completed all effective years in rank at UT Austin.

(c) Expectations for On-Time Promotion to Full Professor with Tenure

Promotion to the rank of tenured full professor requires documented evidence of continuing excellence and impact.

The standards, workload demands, and expectations are high for promotion to tenured full professor, and candidates must provide clear evidence of the following:

• • Impact, distinction, and continuing potential in the four areas of review (Section A.7).
  • Clear evidence that the faculty member has
    • established a national/international reputation as a researcher/scholar and
    • demonstrated leadership in several roles on the UT Austin campus and within the faculty member’s professional community.
  • A trajectory of accomplishments that continues to grow throughout the time in rank.
  • A strong record of excellence in research, scholarship, and/or creative endeavors that predicts a continuing trajectory of impactful contributions throughout an extended career at UT Austin.
  • Continuity of research funding, in accordance with discipline norms, that predicts a sustainable record of continued research excellence and financial support for students supervised by the candidate.

Promotion to tenured full professor must be in the best interest of the department, college/school, and University.