The Apppointment Stream Faculty Promotions and Appointments (ASFPA) Committee shall consist of at least 24 members with staggered terms of three years. Membership will include both professors and associate professors, tenured and appointment stream. Nomination for membership is by a ballot compiled by the Vice Dean with election by the Executive Committee. Actual service on the Committee will begin in September. Currently there is one meeting per month on the second Monday at 4:00 p.m. There is no scheduled meeting in August. The chair of the Committee is appointed by the Vice Dean.
The Committee shall be divided into subcommittees (consisting of three members each) which are assigned departmental appointment and promotion and recommendations on a rotating basis. These subcommittees will not be of fixed composition, but assembled to have a proper mix of members, excluding those from the candidate's department and those having close academic ties with the candidate.
The Committee is expected to work efficiently and diligently to complete its charge in a timely manner, with the goal of returning a final report in no more than three to four months.
The following procedures will be followed for all proposals for appointment stream appointment or promotion.
- Chair's letter of recommendation, candidate's Executive Summary, curriculum vitae and bibliography (in the School's format), research form, and teaching form, are received from the department. The letter and Executive Summary should outline the basis for the recommendation, including the role of the candidate in teaching, research and service, including the range and value of contributions being made. Teaching should be emphasized and all available departmental data which evaluates the candidate's teaching should be provided. The department also submits a list of internal and external referees with current email addresses. Submission of papers representing the candidate's best scholarly contributions is required. Three to five papers should be submitted for promotion to associate professor and six to eight for promotion to professor. Only published papers or 'pre-prints' will be accepted.
- Each departmental proposal is assigned to a subcommittee, with a designated chairperson, for initial review. The chair, with the help of his subcommittee members, may submit additional referees. These individuals should hold equivalent or senior rank relative to the proposed rank. The subcommittee chair is responsible for functions of the subcommittee.
- Letters to referees are generated by the Faculty Affairs Office. All consultants will be sent the Executive Summary, the candidate's curriculum vitae and bibliography, the candidate's publications and a copy of the School's current criteria for promotion.
- All administrative support for the Committee is supplied by the Office of Faculty Affairs and all files are maintained electronically.
- When letters of evaluation from the consultants have been received, the completed portfolio is forwarded to the appropriate subcommittee members.
- The subcommittee chair arranges a meeting of the subcommittee and may include the chair of the candidate's department if necessary. The subcommittee may also elect to meet with the candidate's chief of service, division head, etc. It is imperative that at least two of the three subcommittee members attend this meeting. Subcommittee members not present are required to participate in the deliberations and recommendations of the subcommittee. After this meeting the subcommittee confers and votes. The written report is prepared by the subcommittee chair and should be reviewed by each subcommittee member before presentation to the entire committee. Regardless of the outcome of the subcommittee's vote, the report of the subcommittee comes before the entire Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
- The responsible subcommittee submits its report and recommendation to the Committee as a whole for review with a decision being made by formal vote of the whole Committee on the proposal. If time permits, a copy of the subcommittee's report should be sent to the Committee Coordinator, Ms. Julia Yingling, S531 Scaife Hall, prior to the meeting of the entire Committee. Confidentiality must be maintained when using fax or email to transmit reports and other information relative to the subcommittee deliberations.
- Members from the same department in which the candidate holds his/her primary appointment do not vote. They also will recuse themselves from the discussion and deliberations of the Committee.
- If the Committee feels more information is needed to make its decision, the proposal will be tabled and the subcommittee will be instructed to obtain additional information. If necessary, the candidate's chair or representative may be invited to a meeting of the full Committee.
- Only professors will vote for professors; both professors and associate professors will vote for associate professors. All decisions favorable or unfavorable are determined by a majority vote of the eligible voting members of the entire ASFPA.
- If a proposal does not receive a majority vote, it is presented again at the next meeting of the ASFPA. At that time, if a majority vote cannot be obtained, a telephone poll of the members not in attendance will be initiated.
- The Committee chair forwards all recommendations to the Vice Dean. Favorable reports will be presented to the Executive Committee of the School of Medicine. In cases of a negative recommendation, the appropriate department chair will receive written notice outlining the alternatives available to the candidate.
- Full Committee reports will indicate reasons for the decision and recommendation.
- Flow of Information. After a departmental proposal is received, all communications to the Appointment Stream Faculty Promotions and Appointments (ASFPA) Committee and between the Committee and the Department will be channeled through the Office of Faculty Affairs.
- Confidentiality. All information received by the ASFPA, as well as all deliberations of the committee, must be confidential. The use of fax or e-mail in transmitting information concerning outside referees, deliberations, and reports is permissible, but fax and e-mail communications should be utilized only when there is a high degree of certainty that confidentiality can be maintained (i.e. public fax machines should not be used, e-mail communication may include confidential labeling, etc.).
- Responsibilities of Committee Members. Members shall attend monthly meetings of the Committee and actively participate in the work of their subcommittees. This includes attendance at the subcommittee meetings and with the candidates' department chairs. Contributions to these efforts are instrumental in achieving rigorous and meaningful evaluations of faculty and provide a valid method to ensure the appointment and promotion of high quality faculty members who, in turn, strengthen and enrich the programs of the School of Medicine.