The selection and promotion of a faculty member is of paramount importance to Utah Valley University (UVU). UVU seeks to appoint excellent faculty, reward their achievement, and encourage them to become active participants in this scholarly institution. Promotion is granted in recognition of distinctive achievement. This policy is based on a firm expectation of ever-developing excellence in a faculty member's role as a teacher- scholar, and one's contributions to the mission of UVU. The purposes of this policy are 1) to place new hires in an appropriate academic rank; and 2) to create a new process for promotions. This policy does not address retention or tenure.

While many members of the academic community may end their careers at UVU at an academic rank below that of Professor, faculty members are encouraged to aspire to Professor status and prepare themselves to attain the rank of Professor.

This policy describes the minimum criteria for determining eligibility for initial appointment and advancement in rank. Except for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor upon achieving tenure, neither the attainment of tenure nor the length of time at a particular rank automatically confers rank advancement. Each promotion is evaluated on its own merit, recognizing not merely what has been accomplished, but also the promise for future achievement.

1. Academic Ranks Open to Members of the Academic Community
1. Ranks available to faculty members on tenure track and tenured faculty members. Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor.
2. Ranks available to faculty members on non-tenure track. Lecturer, Appointment in Residence, Visiting Faculty/Scholar, Senior Lecturer, Senior Appointment in Residence, and Senior Visiting Faculty/Scholar.
2. Initial Assignment and Rank Advancement for Tenure-Track Faculty Members
1. Newly hired Tenure-Track Faculty shall be assigned an appropriate rank according to the Department Rank Policy. Credit for previous academic experience, professional experience, and/or professional training may be considered for determination of the appropriate rank.
3. Minimum Qualifications for Initial Appointment
1. Instructor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee. The appointment to Instructor is reserved for a faculty member who lacks a terminal degree.
2. Assistant Professor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee.
3. Associate Professor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee and either (1) successful attainment of tenure at a regionally-accredited college or university or (2) tenure granted at the time of hire to UVU.
4. Professor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee, a minimum of five years of teaching, service and scholarship as a tenured Associate Professor, and successful fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Professor. The rank of Professor is reserved for individuals who are judged to be exemplary. Such individuals shall have achieved distinction clearly above that of Associate Professor.
4. Minimum Qualifications for Rank Advancement
1. Assistant Professor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee, successful fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Assistant Professor, and two years of teaching, service, and scholarship at UVU.
2. Associate Professor. Successful attainment of tenure at UVU. (Tenure is covered by policy F-2.6 Tenure Policy and Procedures.)
3. Professor. An earned appropriate degree as determined by the Department RTP Committee, a minimum of five years of teaching, service and scholarship at a regionally-accredited college or university as a tenured Associate Professor, and successful fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Professor. The rank of Professor is reserved for individuals who are judged to be exemplary. Such individuals shall have achieved distinction clearly above that of Associate Professor.
5. Initial Assignment and Rank Advancement for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Members
1. Newly hired Non-Tenure-Track Faculty shall be assigned an appropriate rank according to the Department Rank Policy. Credit for previous academic or professional experience and/or training may be considered for determination of the appropriate rank.
6. Minimum Qualifications for Initial Appointment
1. Lecturer. An earned degree in an appropriate discipline or professional field as determined by the Department RTP Committee.
2. Appointment in Residence (Writer, Artist, Executive, Professional). Regional, National, or International reputation and substantial body of work in an appropriate discipline with strong Department, School, Dean and VPAA endorsement. (See Policy C-5.10 Faculty Non-Competitive Selections for initial hiring information.)
3. Visiting Faculty/Scholar. Rank consistent with the academic rank the individual held in a previous faculty position or rank appropriate to the Visiting Faculty/Scholar position as negotiated and decided among the Department Chair, Dean and VPAA. This appointment may be given to an individual under temporary appointment to the institution. (See Policy C-5.10 Faculty Non-Competitive Selections for initial hiring information.)
7. Minimum Qualifications for Rank Advancement
1. Senior Lecturer. Fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Senior Lecturer status and seven years of university service.
2. Senior Appointment in Residence (Writer, Artist, Executive, Professional). Fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Senior Appointment in Residence status and seven years of university service.
3. Senior Visiting Faculty/Scholar. Fulfillment of Department RTP Committee criteria for promotion to Senior Visiting Faculty/Scholar status and seven years of university service.
8. Composition and Duties of the Department RTP Committee
1. Composition. A Department RTP Committee shall consist of no fewer than five (5) tenured or tenure-track faculty members elected by the faculty of that Department. Neither Deans nor Department Chairs shall serve on a Department RTP Committee, but may vote as a faculty member for the election of the membership of the committee in the Department to which they are tenured. A Department RTP Committee may, in some instances, incorporate multiple Departments, programs, or even all Departments within one School. One member of the committee from the Department wherein rank advancement is to be granted will be elected Chair of the committee by the members of the committee.
9. Duties The Department RTP Committee shall:
1. Establish and periodically update a Department Rank Policy consistent with this policy and the evaluation criteria common to their discipline.
2. Develop a plan for documentation in the Rank Advancement File that verifies the fulfillment of the criteria of its Department Rank Policy.
3. Establish and meet procedural timelines for evaluation of each candidate's Rank Advancement File.
4. Ensure that due process is afforded all candidates during the rank advancement review process.
5. Be thoroughly conversant with this policy as well as the Department Rank Policy.
6. Make thoughtful recommendations regarding appropriate initial placement and advancements in rank.
7. Assist in training new faculty in the requirements for rank advancement.
10. Department Rank Policy
1. Required Elements
1. Department rank policy must be consistent with the policy herein. Each Department RTP Committee shall establish and periodically update a Department Rank Policy that includes the following:
1. Criteria for evaluating its faculty members for awarding initial appointment in rank and for subsequent promotion in rank. Criteria shall include requirements, appropriate to the Department, for achievement in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service.
2. Procedures for evaluating the Rank Advancement File.
3. Appropriate timelines for submission and evaluation. The Department Rank Policy may contain due dates sooner than those established by this policy, but may not extend them. Earlier due dates are binding only for the candidate, Department RTP Committee, and Department Chair.
4. Criteria and review procedures shall be clear, precise, measurable and verifiable.
5. Criteria shall reflect attainment of a consistently high level of professional work in teaching, scholarship and service. The criteria for the rank of Professor shall require exemplary performance on the part of the faculty member.
2. Written Copies Provided to Faculty Members. A written copy of the Department Rank Policy shall be provided to its faculty members and to new faculty members upon hire. Whenever the Department Rank Policy is revised, copies of the new policy shall be provided to faculty members.
3. Department Rank Policy Approval. The Department Rank Policy shall be subject to approval by the Department Chair, School RTP Committee, Dean, VPAA, and an oversight committee of the Faculty Senate as established in its bylaws. Subsequent revisions to the Department Rank Policy shall also be approved by these same entities.
11. The Rank Advancement File
1. Creating and Maintaining the Rank Advancement File.
1. Candidate's File. The candidate shall create and maintain his or her own Rank Advancement File and submit it to the Department RTP Committee according to the due dates established by this policy or by the Department Rank Policy.
2. Department Chair's File. The Department Chair shall create and maintain a Rank Advancement File for each member of the department who desires to advance in rank. The Rank Advancement File maintained by the Department Chair shall contain documentation about the candidate related to or received as a function of the duties of a Department Chair. The Rank Advancement File maintained by the Department Chair shall be submitted to the Department RTP Committee according to the due dates established by this policy or by the Department Rank Policy. If the candidate is a Department Chair or program coordinator, the Dean shall be responsible for creating and maintaining the candidate's Rank Advancement File.
2. Contents of the Rank Advancement File
1. Contents. The Rank Advancement File may contain documents desired by the candidate or solicited by the Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, or Dean. At a minimum, the Rank Advancement File will contain the Request for Rank Advancement Form (Appendix B) and curriculum vitae. Letters of commendation or reprimand must be included in the Rank Advancement File, but these may be rebutted in writing by the candidate. The Department Chair (or Dean if the candidate is a Department Chair) shall notify the candidate of any negative information contained in the Rank Advancement File and provide the candidate with the opportunity to rebut the negative information in writing. Such rebuttals shall be included in the Rank Advancement File.
2. Combining Files. After the candidate and the Department Chair submit their Rank Advancement Files to the Chair of the Department RTP Committee, the two files will be considered one Rank Advancement File.
3. Adding Documents. Once the two Rank Advancement Files have been combined, no additional documents shall be added to the Rank Advancement File except for the written recommendations of the reviewers, any written rebuttals to those recommendations or materials specifically requested by the Department RTP Committee.
3. Rank Advancement File Review Process
1. At each stage of review, the candidate has the right to have the Rank Advancement File fairly and carefully considered according to the assessment criteria established by the Department Rank Policy.
2. At each stage of review, a written recommendation shall be placed in the Rank Advancement File. The candidate and all others who have participated in the review to that point shall receive a copy of the recommendation.
3. The candidate shall have five business days to respond in writing to a negative recommendation by the Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, or Dean. The written response is sent to the person making the recommendation and is included in the Rank Advancement File for subsequent reviewers.
4. The candidate has the right to retract and retrieve his/her application at any point of the process without prejudice.
5. Appeals may only be made on decisions, not recommendations, and must be based on errors in Due Process. (See policy C-5.5 Faculty Academic Freedom, Professional Responsibility, Tenure section VII.F regarding Due Process.)
6. The Board of Trustees has final authority in approving all rank advancements.
4. Incentives and Rewards
1. UVU recognizes the contribution of its faculty in teaching, scholarship, and service. The institution shall, within budgetary restraints, provide compensation for the advancement in rank of its faculty.
2. Exceptions
3. A candidate may request exceptions to the policy and procedures of this document and/or Department documents by written petition to the Department RTP Committee. After receiving a recommendation from the Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, and Dean, the VPAA has final authority to approve the exception. Exceptions must be requested at least one month prior to the due date for submission of the Rank Advancement File to the Department RTP Committee.
4. Appeals The candidate has the right to appeal the final outcome of the rank advancement process to a Due Process Committee following the procedures outlined in UVU Policy C-5.5 Faculty Academic Freedom, Professional Responsibilities, Tenure, section VII.F, or other policies subsequently adopted for this purpose. The recommendation of the Due Process Committee will go to the Board of Trustees who may accept or reject the recommendation.
1. Effective Date of Policy This policy replaces Policy F-1.3 Academic Rank and becomes effective July 1, 2005. Faculty members retain the rank and years of service held prior to the effective date.
5. Procedures
1. Procedure for Rank Advancement
1. The candidate begins the formal process for rank advancement by submitting the Request for Rank Advancement Form (see Appendix B) and his or her Rank Advancement File to the Department RTP Committee Chair by December 15. The Department RTP Committee Chair requests the Rank Advancement File from the Department Chair. The contents of both Rank Advancement Files shall hereafter be referred to as the Rank Advancement File. This final Rank Advancement File shall be submitted to the Department RTP Committee Chair no later than December 15.
2. Upon receipt of the Request for Rank Advancement Form and the Rank Advancement File, the Department RTP Committee Chair makes the file available to each member of the committee for review. The Department RTP Committee places its written recommendation and a copy of the Department Rank Policy in the Rank Advancement File, which is then forwarded to the Department Chair (or Dean if the candidate is the Department Chair) no later than January 15. The candidate receives a copy of the recommendation. The candidate has five business days to respond in writing, if necessary, to rebut the recommendation. The rebuttal becomes a part of the file.
3. The Department Chair (or Dean, if the candidate is a Department Chair) shall review the Rank Advancement File according to the assessment criteria established by the Department Rank Policy. The Department Chair's written recommendation (or that of the Dean, if the candidate is a Department Chair) is placed in the Rank Advancement File which is then forwarded to the Dean (or to the VPAA, if the candidate is a Department Chair) by February 1. The candidate and the Department RTP Committee receive a copy of the recommendation. The candidate has five business days to respond in writing, if necessary, to rebut the recommendation. The rebuttal becomes a part of the file.
4. The Dean shall review the Rank Advancement File according to the assessment criteria established by the Department Rank Policy. The Dean's written recommendation is placed in the Rank Advancement File which is then forwarded to the VPAA by February 15. The candidate, the Department RTP Committee, and the Department Chair receive a copy of the recommendation. The candidate has five business days to respond in writing, if necessary, to rebut the recommendation. The rebuttal becomes a part of the file.
5. The VPAA shall review the Rank Advancement File and send his or her written recommendation to the President of the institution by March 1. The Rank Advancement File shall be made available to the President of the institution. The candidate, Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, and Dean receive a copy of the recommendation.
6. The President of the institution sends his or her written recommendation to the Board of Trustees by March 15. The Rank Advancement File shall be made available to the Board of Trustees. The candidate, Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, Dean, and VPAA receive a copy of the recommendation.
7. The Board of Trustees evaluates the recommendation and, if necessary, the Rank Advancement File for each candidate no later than their April meeting. The President then informs the candidate in writing of the decision. A copy of the letter is also sent to the Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, Dean, and VPAA.
8. The candidate may appeal the outcome of the rank advancement process according to the procedures outlined in UVU policy C-5.5 Faculty Academic Freedom, Professional Responsibilities, Tenure, section VII.F, or other procedures subsequently adopted for this purpose. The recommendation of the Due Process Committee shall go to the Board of Trustees which may accept or reject the recommendation.
12. Appendix A
1. Summary of Dates in the Rank Advancement Process
2. No later ThanDecember 15
1. Candidates submit the Request for Rank Advancement Form (Appendix B) and the combined Rank Advancement File to the Department RTP Committee Chair.
3. No later ThanJanuary 15
1. The Department RTP Committee forwards the Rank Advancement File containing its written recommendation to the Department Chair (or Dean, if the candidate is a Department Chair). The candidate receives a copy of the recommendation.
4. No later ThanFebruary 1
1. The Department Chair (or Dean, if the candidate is a Department Chair) reviews the Rank Advancement File and forwards the Rank Advancement File with his or her written recommendation to the Dean. The candidate and Department RTP Committee receive a copy of the recommendation.
5. No later ThanFebruary 15
1. The Dean reviews the Rank Advancement File and forwards the Rank Advancement File with his or her written recommendation to the VPAA. The candidate, Department RTP Committee and Department Chair receive a copy of the recommendation.
6. No later ThanMarch 1
1. The VPAA reviews the Rank Advancement File and forwards his or her written recommendation to the President of the institution by March 1. The Rank Advancement File shall be available to the President of the institution. The candidate, Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, and Dean receive a copy of the recommendation.
7. No later ThanMarch 15
1. The President of the institution forwards his or her written recommendation to the Board of Trustees by March 15. The Rank Advancement File shall be available to the Board of Trustees. The candidate, Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, Dean, and VPAA receive a copy of the recommendation.
8. No later ThanApril 30
1. The Board of Trustees grants or denies rank advancement no later than its April meeting. The President reports that decision to the candidate by letter, with a copy sent to the Department RTP Committee, Department Chair, Dean, and VPAA.
9. No later ThanJuly 1
1. Rank advancement becomes official.
10. Appendix B

Request for Rank Advancement Form (PDF)