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Tenure Policy and Procedure

Board of Regents Policy Manual, Section 8.3.7: https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C245/#p8.3.7_tenure_and_criteria_for_tenure

BOR Reference: USG Academic Affairs Handbook, section 4.5:  https://www.usg.edu/academic_affairs_handbook/section4/C687/

All institutions in the University System of Georgia follow the tenure policies established in Section 8.3.7 of the BoR Policy Manual.

GCSU Policy and Procedure for Tenure

Minimum Year of Service for Application for Tenure and Promotion---Approved Academic Council 4-25-00

Faculty should be eligible for consideration of tenure and promotion according to the following schedule:

  • From Instructor to Assistant Professor during their 3rd year of service;
  • From Assistant Professor to Associate Professor during their 5th year of service as an Assistant Professor
  • From Associate Professor to Professor during their 5th year of service as and Associate Professor
  • For tenure during their 5th year of eligible service

Colleges may add additional requirements beyond the minimum years of service for a recommendation for promotion.

Eligibility for Tenure

Only assistant professors, associate professors, and professors are eligible for tenure. The award of tenure is limited to the above academic ranks and shall not be construed to include honorific appointments such as adjunct appointments. Faculty with non-tenure track appointments shall not acquire tenure. Faculty are eligible for consideration of tenure during their 5th year of eligible service.

Criteria, as defined by department or college reviewing the applicant, for tenure shall include the following:

The minimum criteria for tenure are demonstrating:

  1. Excellence and effectiveness in teaching and instruction (4 or 5 on the common Likert Scale)
  2. Research, scholarship, creative activity, or academic achievement, as appropriate to GC’s mission
  3. Outstanding service to the institution, profession, or community

Outstanding involvement in student success activities and professional growth and development will be integrated within the criteria above and evaluated individually.

The faculty member’s length of service with an institution shall be taken into consideration in determining whether or not the faculty member should be tenured, but neither the possession of a doctorate degree nor longevity of service is a guarantee of tenure.

Evaluation of tenure portfolios will utilize the Likert scale will be and be documented using the Common Likert Form.

Individual academic units of the University, along with the University Library or any other academic unit, may adopt additional and/or higher standards, as well as more detailed criteria and procedures for tenure.

 

The following procedures shall govern the recommendations for, or against, grants of tenure to eligible faculty members.

  1. The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall make available a list of eligible faculty to the "line of authority" supervisors, when faculty are eligible for tenure and the dates when every tenure recommendation is due to appropriate University officials.
  2. Formal recommendation for, or against, tenure shall be made initially by peer faculty within the candidate's own department (or similar body of comparable faculty) to the "line of authority" Department Chairperson. This recommendation shall be presented in writing and accompanied by the faculty member's documentation supporting his or her candidacy for tenure. A copy of the recommendation to the Chairperson shall also be provided to the faculty member being considered for tenure. The faculty member may respond to the recommendation within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of such notice by submitting to the "line of authority" Chairperson a written statement in support of their candidacy for tenure.
  3. The "line of authority" Chair shall next provide a formal written recommendation for, or against, the faculty member's tenure to the "line of authority" Dean. This recommendation shall be presented in writing and accompanied by the faculty member's documentation supporting their candidacy for tenure. A copy of the Chairperson's recommendation to the Dean shall also be provided to the faculty member being considered for tenure. The faculty member may respond to the recommendation within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of such notice by submitting to the "line of authority" Dean a written statement in support of his or her candidacy for tenure.
  4. The "line of authority" Dean shall next refer the department Chairperson's recommendation for, or against, tenure (along with the faculty member's documentation supporting their candidacy for tenure) to the tenure committee of the eligible faculty member's academic unit for review, consideration, and recommendation. The tenure committee's formal recommendation shall be presented in writing to the "line of authority" Dean with supporting documentation used in making the recommendation.
  5. The "line of authority" Dean shall next provide a formal written recommendation for, or against, the faculty member's tenure, along with supporting documentation that has been provided in support of the faculty member's candidacy for tenure, to the Provost. A copy of the Dean's recommendation to the Provost shall also be provided to the faculty member being considered for tenure. The faculty member may respond to the recommendation within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of such notice by submitting to the Provost a written statement in support of his or her candidacy for promotion.
  6. The Provost shall next provide a formal written recommendation for, or against, the faculty member's tenure, along with supporting documentation that has been provided in support of the faculty member's candidacy for tenure, to the President of the University. The Provost’s recommendation to the President of the University shall also be provided to the faculty member being considered for tenure. The faculty member may respond to the recommendation within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of such notice by submitting to the President of the University a written statement in support of his or her candidacy for tenure.
  7. The president makes the final determination for tenure through the delegated authority from the Board of Regents after review of documentation supporting the faculty member's candidacy for tenure, recommendations, consultation with "line of authority" supervisors, and/or other appropriate faculty. The President's decision regarding the eligible faculty member's candidacy for tenure shall be provided to the faculty member once determined. If the President does not recommend tenure, the faculty member shall have the right to appeal to the Board of Regents in accordance with Board policies.

Forms/Materials

The following forms and documents can be found on the MyGCSU Academic Affairs page (Evaluative Forms) under Tenure & Promotion Forms and Documents:

  • T&P Application Form
  • T&P Application Form Instructions
  • eT&P Timeline
  • Common Likert Form

 

Tenure Policy and Tenure Procedures pages combined as of November 27, 2023. Information updated as of August 2023.