FRC Operating Procedures

The Faculty Review Committee follows the procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook in its deliberations.  For all questions regarding that process, please consult the Handbook (available on line at https://sites.allegheny.edu/facultyresources/faculty-handbook/).  This intent of this document is to clarify procedures that are not specifically delineated in the Faculty Handbook.

Confidentiality:

All FRC procedures for reviewing candidates for tenure, promotion, and reappointment are conducted in confidence.

FRC Officers:

From its elected faculty members, the FRC selects a Chairperson and a Secretary to serve for the year. The chairperson presides at FRC meetings. The secretary keeps minutes of the meetings, excluding the FRC’s deliberations on candidates under its review.

Tenure Subcommittees:

The purpose of the tenure subcommittee is to produce a summary of the candidate’s file for use by the FRC in its fall deliberations.  The subcommittee’s work begins in the spring, when its members review the contents of the candidate’s file, and ends when the final subcommittee report is submitted on October 15 by the subcommittee chair.  The subcommittee will interview the candidate in the spring, interview faculty and students as provided in the Faculty Handbook, review all the materials collected in the candidate’s file through October 1, and produce a final report.  This report makes no recommendation for or against granting tenure to the candidate.

Informational Meeting:

After subcommittees have been formed, the FRC calls a meeting (in February, March or April) of all candidates to be considered for pre-tenure and tenure in the fall and their department chairs. This is an informational meeting during which the FRC announces the subcommittee membership for tenure candidates, reviews procedures and due dates for candidates, and answers any questions candidates have concerning the review process.

Review of Candidates for Pre-tenure and Tenure:

Committee deliberations begin at least seven days after the tenure subcommittee report and the departmental evaluation are added to the candidate’s file in the Dean’s Office (usually October 15th). The review must be completed in time for the President to notify candidates of his or her decision by December 15.

Before discussion, a preliminary ballot is taken to determine the nature and length of the ensuing discussion. Members of the FRC may vote one of three ways: with “yes,” “no,” or a question mark. If there is a single “no” or question mark, the discussion will be full and in-depth. If all votes are “yes,” the discussion need not be as extensive.

For tenure cases, the chairperson of the candidate’s subcommittee (the Presenter) initiates discussion with a summary of the subcommittee report. Discussion of each pre-tenure case will be initiated by a selected member of the FRC (the Presenter), who will present an overview of the candidate’s file to the committee. Discussion proceeds by taking up, in turn, the candidate’s record in teaching, research and professional development, and contributions to maintaining a learning community.

At the conclusion of these deliberations, FRC members conduct a preliminary vote on the candidate. Votes are taken on paper ballots that are collected by the secretary. The secretary counts the votes and announces the results, which are recorded by the Dean of the College.

After all candidates have been discussed and preliminary votes taken, a second round of discussions occurs. During the second discussion, the Presenter may provide the committee with the list of major points from first discussion, which then becomes the foundation for both the second discussion and the Discussion Points that the chair of FRC will give to the candidate and the chair of the candidate’s department.

The second vote is final and constitutes the FRC’s recommendation to the President.  The Dean sends each candidate a letter notifying him or her of the FRC’s recommendation (but not the vote) and inviting the candidate to make an appointment to discuss the substance of the committee’s deliberations. In addition, the Dean invites the candidate’s departmental chair to make an appointment in which he or she will be informed of the substance of the remarks made to the candidate.

The final step in the recommendation process for FRC involves a meeting with the President.  For each candidate, the Presenter shares the Discussion Points, and members of FRC elaborate on these comments for the benefit of the President.  Because by this time the FRC has voted and given its recommendation to the Dean, members of the FRC who are in the same department as the candidate may remain for this presentation. However, they do not participate in discussion of that candidate unless requested to do so by the President.

Review of Candidates for Promotion:

Committee deliberations begin at least seven days after February 15th, when all materials must be in the candidate’s file. The FRC must make its recommendation in time for the President to notify candidates of his or her decision by March 31. Departmental colleagues of a candidate may not participate in the discussion or vote.

Before discussion, a preliminary ballot is taken to determine the nature and length of the ensuing discussion. Members of the FRC may vote one of three ways: with “yes,” “no,” or a question mark. If there is a single “no” or question mark, the discussion will be full and in-depth. If all votes are “yes,” the discussion need not be as extensive.

Each candidate’s contributions in teaching, professional growth, and service to the College are discussed, with a Presenter initiating the discussion.

At the conclusion of these deliberations, FRC members conduct a preliminary vote on the candidate. Votes are taken on paper ballots, which are collected by the secretary. The secretary counts the votes and announces the results, which are recorded by the Dean of the College.

After all candidates have been discussed and preliminary votes taken, a second round of discussions, conducted as above, precedes a second vote. The second vote is final and constitutes the FRC’s recommendation to the President.

After all votes are recorded, the Presenter will read his or her notes back to the FRC to ensure that they accurately reflect what will be contained in the Discussion Points. Those Discussion Points will be given to the candidate and the candidate’s chair in two subsequent meetings; one between the Dean, the FRC chair, and the candidate; and the second between the Dean, the FRC chair, and the candidate’s departmental chair.

[Updated March 2006]