Promotion and Tenure Standards & Procedures

I. Goals of Standards and Procedures

A. Purpose

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications conducts a rigorous and fair evaluation of faculty performance in considering the award of tenure and/or promotion pursuant to the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations Article VI and this document. A candidate’s record of teaching, scholarship and service is evaluated according to the policies of the University and the standards of the School. The Chair of the School P&T Committee shall provide the candidate with information concerning the standards and procedures for award of tenure and promotion in rank, including copies of the written criteria and procedures approved by the School P&T Committee and of the Provost’s guidelines and forms. The review is based on the entirety of the candidate’s record. In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, successful candidates for promotion and/or tenure must achieve a rating of Excellent or Very Good in scholarship or teaching while meeting expectations in other areas.

B. Responsibility

The School’s Promotion and Tenure (herein “P&T”) Committee conducts the review and makes its recommendation to the Dean. The P&T Committee comprises all members of the tenured faculty holding the rank of Associate Professor or Professor and who have a service component within their allocation of effort, with the exception of the Dean, who is not a voting member. No undergraduate or graduate students, untenured faculty members or unclassified academic staff may be members.

The P&T Committee elects a chair, who assigns to committee members the responsibility of reviewing the candidate’s teaching, scholarship and service in accordance with School P&T policies. These P&T members conduct their review in complete academic freedom, with concomitant responsibility to exercise this freedom responsibly. As a result, the School P&T Committee’s recommendation to the Dean provides a thorough examination of a candidate’s complete record and the impartial application of standards and procedures.

II. Teaching Standard

A. School Guidelines

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications believes teaching is a primary function of the University, which strives to provide an outstanding education for its students. The School values deep knowledge within a field and the ability of a teacher to convey that understanding in clear and engaging ways. In accordance with University guidelines, the School’s Teaching Standard provides the criteria for assessing how a faculty member’s teaching should result in periodic, measurable accomplishment for each rank as follows.

B. Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

For the award of tenure and/or promotion to Associate Professor, the record must demonstrate effective teaching, as reflected in such factors as:

• Command of the subject matter
• Ability to communicate effectively in the classroom and/or other instructional settings
• Demonstrated commitment to student learning
• Involvement in providing advice and support for students outside the classroom
• Membership on thesis and/or dissertation committees
• Documentation of student learning.

The record of an Assistant Professor who seeks promotion and tenure must demonstrate success in the classroom and/or other instructional settings, as reflected in such factors as:

• A qualitative, quantitative and contextual examination of student evaluations
• Peer evaluations of teaching by School P&T members
• Awards or citations of teaching merit
• Examples of course syllabi, successful assignments and examples of student work
• Documentation of student learning.

C. Promotion to Professor

For promotion to the rank of Professor, the record must demonstrate continued effectiveness and growth as a teacher, as reflected in such factors as:

• Mastery of the subject matter, strong teaching skills in instructional settings
• Ongoing commitment to student learning
• Active involvement in providing advice and support for students outside the classroom
• Serving as chair of thesis and/or dissertation committees and membership of such committees
• Documentation of student learning.

The record of an Associate Professor who seeks promotion must include indicators of success in the classroom and beyond, as reflected in such factors as:

• A qualitative, quantitative and contextual examination of student evaluations
• Peer evaluations of teaching by other School P&T members
• Awards or citations of teaching merit
• Examples of course syllabi, successful assignments and examples of student work
• Testimonials of former students who have achieved prominence in the professions or academia
• A major textbook or equivalent published in the teaching area (with verifications such as good reviews, a respected publisher and wide acceptance to indicate their status)
• Invitations to lecture or present on teaching techniques
• Published work on teaching in national professional venues
• Published work on pedagogy in national academic venues
• Exemplary service as a thesis and/or dissertation committee chair
• Documentation of student learning.

III. Scholarship Standard

A. School Guidelines

In accordance with University of Kansas Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (Article 6.2.3.1), the School of Journalism and Mass Communications defines scholarship as encompassing “not only traditional academic research and publication, but also the creation of artistic works or performances and any other products or activities accepted by the academic discipline as reflecting scholarly effort and achievement for purposes of promotion and tenure.” The School of Journalism and Mass Communications believes scholarship is an essential component of the University’s mission as a center of learning. In accordance with University guidelines, the School’s Scholarship Standard provides the criteria for assessing how a faculty member’s scholarship indicates a sustainable program of scholarly activity. This assessment will take into account the candidate’s allocation of effort among scholarship, teaching and service, plus other conditions specified in writing at the time of that individual’s hiring or in subsequent performance reviews.

The evaluation of scholarship requires an understanding of the expectations within specific disciplines and the professional fields of journalism. The School considers scholarship within each field to encompass all products that are accepted according to professional standards and that provide tangible evidence of scholarly effort advancing the discipline. The School recognizes that although the nature of scholarship varies by discipline, the University adheres to high standards for faculty scholarship in all disciplines.

Like the University of Kansas Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (Article 6.2.3.1), the accreditation guidelines of the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) encompass productivity in traditional academic research as well as in creative professional activity. The School believes honoring both endeavors meets the following ACEJMC accrediting standards:

• With unit support, faculty members contribute to the advancement of scholarly and professional knowledge and engage in scholarship (research, creative and professional activity) that contributes to their development.
• Faculty members communicate the results of research, creative and/or professional activity to other scholars, educators and practitioners through presentations, productions, exhibitions, workshops and publications appropriate to the activity and to the mission of the unit and institution.

Consequently, the School’s criteria for judging works of scholarship include these standards:

• Quality, prestige and degree of selectivity of venue
• Breadth of exposure (scope)
• Impact
• Originality
• Contribution to final project in multiauthor/multicontributor projects
• Coherence of overall scholarship focus
• Continuity of productivity.

Traditional academic scholarship may include activity resulting in publications such as journal articles, academic- or university-press books and book chapters. The School recognizes that such projects can span years from the proposal for funding to the publication of research findings. Major achievements in traditional academic scholarship, as opposed to minor achievements in that area, are essential for tenure and for promotion. Our School of Journalism and Mass Communications does accept law review articles as major publications, guided by this language from the Promotion and Tenure standards of KU’s School of Law: “There are no restrictions on the form that scholarly publications may take and there is no expectation that candidates will engage in all forms of scholarship. Most publications will likely appear in law reviews....” As scholarly works in national and international academic venues, law review articles meet School standards for major research achievements.

Evaluation criteria for traditional academic scholarship that help to distinguish major from minor works may include:

• Reputation and appropriateness of the journal or the academic press
  • Quality of publication is determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, journal impact factor, journal ranking, publisher reputation, and editorial board membership.
• Review method, whether blind and/or peer-reviewed. Journal articles and book chapters that are not peer-reviewed generally are not considered major works.
  • Publications may be considered majors with documentation supporting the originality of the research or creative works, reputation of the outlet, and reputation of the editor(s).
• Audience (in a specific field or interdisciplinary) and scope (national, international)
• Contribution to the body of knowledge
• Extent of participation in a publication (e.g., whether lead, co-author or part of an interdisciplinary research team)
• Sustained work within the candidate’s area(s) of expertise or focus
• A level of accomplishment indicating a promising trajectory for future work
• Recognition as evidenced by citations, references, media coverage, testimonials or awards
• Outcome, such as effect on industry practice, government policy, law and codes, or public opinion
• Major academic scholarship also includes the application and success in securing competitive external funding for research or applied projects.

Evaluation criteria for creative/professional scholarship, helping to distinguish between major and minor works, may include:

• Reputation of venue, whether respected journalism venues (newspapers, magazines, television, radio, websites), in media serving journalism professionals, or in outlets catering to significant audiences with regional, national, or international coverage.
• Review method, whether the work was judged and selected by respected professionals
• Audience: significance in size and exposure (international, national or regional) or composition (practitioners in the profession). Works reaching a national or international audience carry more weight than those for regional audiences. Regional material may, however, be upgraded to national/international stature by the winning of national or international awards or recognition.
• Critical response and impact, whether it resulted in real-world outcomes or affected public opinion, industry practice, government policy or programs, or law and code changes
• For online products, reviews and analytics/metrics that detail visits, shares and similar measures of scope and impact.
• Funding source, whether internal (within the School/University) or external
• Depth and originality, whether it reflects innovation within the field.

Evaluation criteria for all major scholarship, including academic, creative and professional works, may include:

• The winning of significant (ideally national or international) awards or prizes directly related to specific research findings or similar specific achievements
• Favorable recognition and citation of a major work or works by qualified critics or analysts in national or international venues 
• Invitations to discuss specific research findings or similar specific contributions in significant presentations, such as keynote speeches, to national or international organizations or audiences
• Invited presentations to significant festivals, conventions or other venues where such dissemination provides an opportunity for substantive review and evaluation
• Documented extensive use of a particular innovation by others within the relevant discipline
• Incorporation of specific research findings or similar specific contributions within the policies and/or practices of major governmental, industrial or academic organizations
• Reprints of a major work or publication of extensive excerpts from such a work within significant venues
• Appointment to significant professional positions on the basis of specific scholarship achievements.

Candidates for promotion and/or tenure bear the responsibility of explaining and documenting – in their P&T Statement of Program of Research/Scholarship; their P&T Curriculum Vitae; and/or in other written communication with the School P&T Committee – the significance of their major academic, creative and professional works.

In accordance with University guidelines, the School’s Scholarship Standard provides the criteria for assessing how a faculty member’s scholarship should result in periodic, measurable accomplishment for each rank as follows:

B. Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

For the award of tenure and/or promotion to Associate Professor, the record must demonstrate a successfully developing scholarly career, as reflected in such factors as:

• Quality and quantity of academic and/or creative/professional works
• External reviews by respected scholars at the Associate Professor level or respected practitioners in the field
• Candidate’s regional, national and/or international reputation
• Other evidence of an active and productive scholarly agenda.

C. Promotion to Professor

For promotion to the rank of Professor, the record must demonstrate an established scholarly career, as reflected in such factors as:

• Substantial and ongoing pattern of the production of academic and/or creative/professional works
• External reviews by eminent scholars at the Professor level or eminent practitioners in the field
• Candidate’s national or international reputation
• Other evidence of an active and productive scholarly career.

IV. Service Standard

A. School Guidelines

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications believes service is an essential part of being a good citizen and that all faculty members contribute to the University’s performance of its larger mission. The nature of service depends on individual faculty members’ allocation of effort and on their interests and abilities. Service may include:

• Professional service through activity in academic and media or other professional organizations
• A leadership position within an academic or professional organization, such as chairing a division
• School and University committees, work groups and assignments
• Professionally related service outside the University (local, state, regional)
• Creative/professional or scholarly publications about service.

Criteria that could significantly enhance the ranking of service include:

• Honors or awards for relevant service
• The nature and time commitment of the service

Administrative assignments and leadership positions in the School, University and professional and academic organizations require a commitment that exceeds typical service. Examples of administrative assignments include:

• Heading one of the School’s academic tracks
• Chairing a major School or University committee
• Managing a national contest.

B. Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

For the award of tenure and/or promotion to Associate Professor, the record must demonstrate a pattern of service to the University at one or more levels, to the discipline or profession, and/or to the local, state, national or international communities.

C. Promotion to Professor

For promotion to the rank of Professor, the record must demonstrate an ongoing pattern of service reflecting substantial contributions to the University at one or more levels, to the discipline or profession, and/or to the local, state, national or international communities.

V. Procedures

A. Purpose

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications encourages all faculty members to continue developing as teachers, scholars and service providers throughout their academic careers. The School abides by University policy in all pre-and post-tenure decisions. Each faculty member annually prepares a five-year plan and has the opportunity to discuss his or her individual goals and allocation of effort with the Dean. During this annual review process, faculty members may address possible promotion in rank during the following academic year.

For a tenure-track Assistant Professor preparing for mandatory review and for an Associate Professors seeking promotion, the following procedures apply.

B. Responsibility

Faculty development is the responsibility of the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in consultation with the Dean. For new tenure-track faculty, the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development coordinates with the P&T Committee to form Mentor Groups to coach candidates in meeting the School’s Teaching, Scholarship and Service Standards. These groups contribute to annual reports as well as the formal, third-year (academic year) Progress Toward Tenure Report for consideration by the P&T Committee and the Dean. Each Mentor Group will consist of three tenured faculty members. Mentor Groups will serve in both an advisory role and an evaluative role. Neither the record of the Progress Toward Tenure review nor its results shall be included in a faculty member’s promotion and tenure record and recommendations for or against promotion and tenure shall not be influenced by favorable or unfavorable results of the Progress Toward Tenure review. Prior to tenure, a faculty member is considered to be serving a probationary period and the School may decide not to reappoint the faculty member.

C. Process Preparation

Faculty members approaching tenure meet with the Dean and P&T Committee chair early in the spring semester that precedes the fall semester in which the School P&T Committee will evaluate and vote on the candidate’s application; this constitutes the candidate’s notification to the Dean and P&T Committee chair of their intent to seek promotion and/or tenure. The Dean and P&T Committee chair review with the candidate the School’s and University’s procedures and requirements for tenure application and the School’s Timetable (see end of document) with due dates for each step.

D. During Promotion and/or Tenure Review

The Promotion and Tenure Committee includes three standing subcommittees that lead the review by all tenured faculty of the candidate’s Teaching, Scholarship and Service: a subcommittee on teaching; a subcommittee on scholarship; and a subcommittee on service.

Each subcommittee will comprise three members of the School Promotion and Tenure Committee. P&T members will select two of the members of each subcommittee for two-year terms. (When this subcommittee system is implemented for the first time or resumed after a prolonged period of inactivity, one person will serve a one-year term and the other will serve a two-year term.) There are no restrictions in terms of re-election. Elections will be held on or before March 1 each year. At that time, the P&T Committee chair will appoint one member to each subcommittee to serve a one-year term. There are no restrictions in terms of reappointment.

By a majority vote, the P&T Committee as a whole will resolve issues regarding the involvement of subcommittee members who have a potential conflict of interest or whose participation as a subcommittee member might compromise the impartiality of an evaluation or recommendation. Any candidate may petition the committee for recusal of a subcommittee member by sending a letter to that effect to the P&T Committee chair by Sept. 1 in the semester of the review. In the event of a subcommittee member’s removal, P&T members will elect by vote a new subcommittee member for that candidate’s subcommittee.

Faculty members serving on UCPT shall not be appointed to a subcommittee of the School’s P&T Committee. Any administrator with independent responsibility to evaluate a candidate shall not serve as members of the School P&T Committee conducting that candidate’s P&T review. 

In addition, external evaluators (see #2 below) will assist in evaluating the candidate’s scholarship.

The entire review process is considered a confidential personnel matter that may not be discussed with anyone outside the P&T Committee or Dean’s office. The P&T Committee chair reviews drafts of the subcommittee reports and may recommend revisions, but the subcommittees control the final wording of their reports. For each candidate, the P&T Committee chair places a digital dossier of the relevant teaching, scholarship and service materials in a secure website accessed only by members of P&T Committee. Before meeting to discuss and vote on the candidate’s promotion (and, often, tenure), members of the P&T Committee review each dossier.

1. Teaching

The School follows the Provost Office’s Guidelines on Promotion and Tenure Review in the candidate’s teaching evaluation. The candidate’s teaching evaluation is overseen by the P&T teaching subcommittee. The teaching subcommittee reviews everything the candidate has submitted as evidence of successful teaching, such as syllabi, course materials, peer and student evaluations, the candidate’s statement of teaching philosophy and goals, public representations of teaching and any other relevant information. The subcommittee organizes visits to classrooms or other instructional settings by P&T Committee members and collects feedback from those visits. The teaching committee prepares and reports a summary of findings and makes a recommendation in accordance with the specifications of the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure (e.g., Excellent, Very Good, Good, Marginal, Poor) to the P&T Committee as a whole.

2. Scholarship

In selecting external evaluators, the School follows the Provost Office’s Guidelines on External Evaluations, Promotion and Tenure Review. In consultation with the P&T Committee, the Dean organizes and selects external evaluators, who either are from peer institutions or are respected practitioners in the field. The candidate may suggest to the Dean and P&T Committee chair six external evaluators and may eliminate two additional names from consideration. External evaluators are told that their work will be held as confidential to the extent permitted by law. Candidates do not have access to external evaluations. No more than three names on the candidate’s list of possible evaluators can be selected as evaluators. The candidate should not ask potential external evaluators if they would be willing to serve in that role and should have no conversations regarding external-reviewer status with colleagues at other institutions. Such conversations would disqualify a potential external reviewer from serving in that capacity.

The candidate’s scholarship evaluation is overseen by the P&T scholarship subcommittee. The scholarship subcommittee reviews everything that the candidate has submitted as evidence of scholarship, and all members of P&T review and assess the candidate’s output. The scholarship subcommittee prepares and reports a summary of findings and makes a recommendation to the P&T Committee as a whole. To ensure an independent evaluation of scholarship, the scholarship subcommittee reviews the candidate’s scholarship before receiving access to the external evaluators’ reports. The final subcommittee report, to be included in the UCPT document titled “Initial Evaluation,” includes a comparison of the subcommittee’s assessment with the specific findings of the external evaluators.

3. Service

The candidate’s service evaluation is overseen by the P&T service subcommittee. The service subcommittee reviews everything the candidate has submitted as evidence of successful service. The subcommittee prepares and reports a summary of findings and makes a recommendation to the P&T committee as a whole.

E. Tenure Review Committee Recommendations and the Vote

After reviewing the materials in a candidate’s dossier and reviewing reports and recommendations from the teaching, scholarship and service subcommittees, the P&T Committee as a whole votes in each of the three categories, counting the votes in each of the five possible levels: “Excellent,” “Very Good,” “Good,” “Marginal” or “Poor” as defined by University standards. Then the P&T Committee provides a recommendation to the Dean. The Dean then considers that recommendation as part of their final evaluation of the candidate.

1. Dean’s Notification

Upon completion of the review, the candidate will receive an Initial Review Evaluation Summary for Candidate, which includes the recommendation of the P&T Committee and its ratings of the candidate in the areas of overall teaching/advising; overall program of scholarship; and overall service. The document includes a “statement of reasons for evaluation.” The summary will be prepared by the teaching, scholarship and service subcommittee chairs and the P&T Committee chair. The Dean will communicate the recommendations to the candidate, and the P&T Committee chair will provide a copy of Initial Review Evaluation Summary for Candidate to be given to the candidate.

The Dean shall indicate separately in writing concurrence or disagreement with the recommendation of the P&T Committee’s review.

If the recommendation is positive, the P&T Committee chair, in consultation with the Dean, will forward the candidate’s full P&T dossier to the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure for consideration. The Dean shall write a letter confirming agreement with the committee decision.

If the P&T Committee’s recommendation is negative, the Dean will immediately communicate the decision in writing to the candidate, and if the review will not be forwarded to the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure, the candidate will be informed that they may request that the record be forwarded for further review by UCPT.

2. Candidate’s Right to Respond

The candidate may submit a written response to a negative recommendation or to a final rating of teaching, scholarship or service below the level of “good.” The written response will go forward with the dossier to the UCPT.

If UCPT sends a request for information to the School, the Dean will provide a copy of the request to the candidate and will inform the School P&T Committee.

The candidate will have the opportunity to participate in the preparation of the School’s response to the request for information and/or to submit his or her own documentation or comment to the UCPT.

F. Review of Candidates for Professor

The School P&T Committee and Dean conduct this review using the same procedure as for tenure review.

School of Journalism and Mass Communications P&T Approximate Timetable

The timetable provides an overview of “what happens when” and, as a result, how aspects of the process come together in stages. The timeframes are approximate so that some aspects can be completed (for the most part) early, removing pressure from the final months. It’s much easier to produce first drafts on this timetable and to submit updated versions later – and to add new materials, as allowed by UCPT and School regulations.

The P&T process for assistant professors generally begins in the second semester of a faculty-member’s fifth academic year. The process must begin in a spring semester. The candidate presents their full P&T dossier to the School P&T Committee at the beginning of the following fall semester, which is generally the first semester of the candidate’s sixth academic year as a faculty member. This schedule can vary and should be established by the Dean at the time of the candidate’s hiring. Candidates also can seek to enter the P&T process earlier than the sixth year, particularly with the encouragement of the Dean, the Mentor Group and the P&T Committee chair.

For associate professors seeking promotion to full professor, the process also begins in a spring semester, with the candidate’s full P&T dossier presented to the School P&T Committee at the beginning of the following fall semester. Associate professors seeking promotion to full should consult with the Dean and P&T Committee chair in the fall that precedes the spring semester in which they declare their candidacy for full professor. The University of Kansas Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations contain this passage regarding the timetable for movement from associate professor to full professor: “Although there may be some variation, continuing productivity should prepare most faculty members for promotion to full professor within six years of their promotion to the rank of associate professor.”

Following the formal assessment of the candidate’s P&T dossier by the School P&T Committee and the Dean, the P&T Committee chair forwards the dossier, with the assessments from the School P&T Committee and the Dean, to the University Committee on Promotion and Tenure. The dossier generally must be delivered to UCPT within in the first week of January in the spring semester that follows the fall-semester assessments. Generally, this is the second semester of the candidate’s sixth academic year. The exact submission deadline for each year is specified by the Provost and is published on KU’s P&T website. The required materials for submission are posted on that same website.

As each candidate enters the review calendar year, the following approximate timetable should be replaced by an actual one so that due dates are established and review meetings can be scheduled. In the fall semester before the relevant calendar year, the Office of Faculty Affairs contacts assistant professors and the Dean to inform them of the upcoming mandatory tenure review.

Revised and adopted by Promotion and Tenure Committee vote Oct. 28, 2022.