The Role of the Guidance & Oversight Committee in Faculty Progression from Assistant to Associate Professor (All Tracks)
Approved by the School of Pharmacy Executive Committee on June 9, 2020
Revised and approved by the Executive Committee on October 8, 2024
The purpose of the Guidance and Oversight Committee (referred to simply as the Committee below) is to provide information, advice, and constructive criticism to best prepare and position their probationary faculty member for promotion and to advocate on their behalf to school leadership.
Once a faculty candidate finalist has signed their letter of offer, the search and screen committee chair will work with the division chair of the newly signed faculty member’s home division and the new hire to begin advising the new hire as early as possible, even prior to the new hire’s start date. Upon the new hire’s start date, he or she becomes a probationary faculty member (assistant professor). As early as possible, guidance regarding the faculty onboarding program is provided by the division chair to the probationary faculty member. During the first six months after the start date, the probationary faculty member’s division chair is responsible for scheduling regular (e.g., monthly) one-on-one meetings with the probationary faculty member. Also during this period, the probationary faculty member is urged to work with the division chair to finalize the composition of their Committee. While it is ideal that the Committee membership remain stable throughout the probationary period, changes can be made at the request of either the probationary faculty member or a Committee member. The Committee should be comprised of two to three faculty members from the probationary faculty member’s home division and one faculty member from another division within the School of Pharmacy. Inclusion of one or two faculty members from campus with research, teaching or service interests similar to the probationary faculty member’s areas of focus is also encouraged. The division chair is responsible for notifying the Office of the Dean as early as possible of the composition of the Committee, or any changes in the Committee roster. The dean will then formally, via email or memo, charge the Committee or amended Committee.
The Committee chair, supported by the home division’s administrative assistant, is responsible for convening quarterly meetings with the probationary faculty member and his/her Committee. During these meetings, the Committee guides the faculty member on establishment of their program of research, teaching and service (and clinical practice for PPTR) as well as how to navigate the school and campus environment as they initiate their career. The Committee will provide information to the probationary faculty member about campus resources available to support faculty development. In subsequent years of the new faculty members probationary period, the probationary faculty member and Committee may schedule meetings at a frequency that they mutually agree is effective.
Annually, the probationary faculty member provides information to help the Committee chair write the Committee’s assessment of the probationary faculty member’s teaching, research and service activities. The Committee report is typically three to six pages and summarizes specific progress in teaching, research and service over the past year with expectations for the coming year. The report, an updated CV and relevant supplementary materials (e.g., teaching evaluations and publications) are submitted to the executive assistant to the dean seven days prior to the executive committee meeting when the probationary faculty member’s progress will be assessed. The executive assistant to the dean will upload the documents to the appropriate executive Oversight Committee Policy committee cloud-based file (currently, this is the Executive Committee folder in Box). The Committee chair presents the report to the executive committee. Additional comments may be made by other Committee members in attendance. The report is presented as an informational item in probationary years one and two. In probationary years three through six, the executive committee votes on whether to extend the probationary faculty member’s contract for another year. A final copy of the executive committee approved report, including any additional comments or recommendations from the executive committee, will be provided to the probationary faculty member by the executive assistant to the dean within five working days after the executive committee meeting, in accordance with FP&P 7.05. The probationary faculty member may respond to the report in writing or may, upon request, address the executive committee regarding the report.
Year-6 tenure track probationary faculty must be reviewed by the executive committee long enough in advance to meet the time limits for notification of nonretention and to allow administrative actions. Specifically, the executive committee must conduct reviews two weeks prior to the materials deadline for the relevant divisional committee’s last meeting of the semester to allow for dossier assemblage and dean’s office review. The School of Pharmacy is one of only two units on campus that sends dossiers to all four divisional committees. The deadlines for each divisional committee to receive dossiers, which occurs monthly during the academic year, are posted on the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty web page under the “Tenure” tab.
Year-6 academic staff probationary appointments must be reviewed by the executive committee long enough in advance to meet the time limits for review by the appropriate Area Review Committee for indefinite appointment. Most commonly for the School of Pharmacy, this will be the Biological/Medical Sciences Area Review Committee, which meets annually in late spring or early summer.