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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
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Promotion & Tenure: Guide for Administrators

Feinberg's promotion and tenure process occurs on an annual cycle, with approved promotion/tenure taking effect on September 1 of the year following application. Administrators and departmental APT committees use the Feinberg Faculty Portal, powered by Interfolio (external vendor), to manage promotion/tenure cases online. The experience for different audiences is:

  • Department Administrators use the Feinberg Faculty Portal to manage promotion/tenure cases, coordinate departmental APT committee review, obtain reference letters, and submit promotion packets to the Faculty Affairs Office. 
  • Departmental APT Committees log in to the Feinberg Faculty Portal to review promotion packets.
  • Department Chairs may log in to the Feinberg Faculty Portal to review promotion packets.
  • Promotion Candidates have the option of preparing most documents in their promotion packet either manually or using the Feinberg Faculty Portal (FFP). For more information, review the Prepare Your Packet page written for faculty. Even if faculty use the FFP to generate documents, they do not submit/route the packet electronically, so administrators should expect to collect the promotion documents from candidates by email.

2021-22 Promotion & Tenure Deadlines

Review/Action Needed in Advance of Nomination

Certain actions need review and/or processing in advance of nominating a candidate for promotion or tenure.
  • Proposals for early award of tenure: submit CV by 4/16/2021
    If you are proposing a tenure-eligible candidate for an early award of tenure, submit their name and current CV to fao@northwestern.edu. The Dean and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs will review and advise on whether you may proceed with the early nomination or should wait for a later cycle.
  • Proposals for promotion to tenure-eligible Associate Professor
    Faculty on the Investigator track sometimes request promotion to tenure-eligible Associate Professor.  For a number of reasons, this should be a rare event reserved for faculty who are performing at an exceptionally high level. If you are proposing a tenure-eligible Assistant Professor for promotion to tenure-eligible Associate Professor, submit their name and current CV to fao@northwestern.edu. The Dean and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs will review and advise on whether you may proceed with the nomination or should wait for a later cycle.
  • Appointment changes due no later than 9/1/2021
    For any promotion/tenure candidate, submit appointment changes (e.g., change of track or domains) separately prior to promotion/tenure requests, effective no later than 9/1/21. Exception: Changing from Undifferentiated to a specific career track can be requested in conjunction with the promotion.

Nomination Deadlines

To propose a candidate for promotion/tenure effective 9/1/2022, please complete phases 1-4 of the promotion and tenure workflow by the dates specified in the table. 
Administrative Promotion Table

 

Promotion & Tenure Workflow

Phase 1: Identify Promotion/Tenure Nominees

We encourage departments to separate the process of identifying promotion nominees from the process of collecting a complete promotion packet. This allows potential candidates and department leaders to discuss readiness for promotion/tenure early and align expectations. 

Department processes for identifying nominees include:

  • Use the faculty performance review process to discuss promotion/tenure and identify those ready to apply in the next cycle
  • Review a report of time in rank as a means of understanding who might be ready for promotion (recognizing that time in rank by itself does not justify promotion) or be in need of additional mentoring/support to advance in the future
  • Ask faculty interested in applying for promotion/tenure to submit their CV (rather than the full promotion packet) to department leadership early so that they can advise the candidate on proceeding; some departments do this in late winter/early spring. 

Phase 2: Launch Case Electronically in Feinberg Faculty Portal

Promotion/tenure cases advance through one of four different workflow processes, dependent on the rank, career track, and tenure status of the proposed promotion. Because packets will be routed through an online workflow, it is very important to start the correct process so that the packet advances through the right steps and reaches the correct reviewers. As a result, this year the Faculty Affairs Office will launch all promotion/tenure cases. To request the launch of a promotion case in the Feinberg Faculty Portal, please refer to the guidance and resources in the sections below. 

New! Note that your request to launch a case is no longer communicated to FAO by email. Instead you will submit a web form to request launch of a promotion or tenure case for 9/1/2022.

 Promotion to Assistant Professor without Tenure
Process #1: Cases reviewed by FAO, Dean, and Provost

  1. Select and complete the appropriate review criteria cover sheet for each candidate. This critical document includes the review criteria for the proposed promotion rank and will be used by all reviewers in Feinberg Faculty Portal (including the Provost, Dean, Department APT Committee, and external evaluators who write letters of reference). Please select carefully!   

    Review Criteria Cover Sheets for Assistant Professor Ranks
  2. Important: When completing the cover sheet, please refer to the FAO faculty database to confirm the candidate's current appointment details.
    • Generally speaking, the only value on the cover sheet that will differ compared to the FAO database is the rank (unless you are also declaring a track for someone who is currently undifferentiated) 
    • For Clinician-Educators, make sure the domains on the cover sheet match the domains in the FAO faculty database. If the domains need to change in the database, contact fao@northwestern.edu to request updates. The candidate will be evaluated for promotion based on the domains in the FAO faculty database. 
  3. Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
  4. Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2022 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
  5. FAO will review the cover sheet; assuming the proposed promotion is appropriate (rank, career track, tenure status, etc.), FAO will launch a case for your candidate in Feinberg Faculty Portal. FAO will upload the cover sheet to the candidate's packet at that time and notify you that the case is available electronically for the department workflow (Phase 4).
  6. Promotions to NTE Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor follow promotion process #1 (review by FAO, Dean, and Provost). After FAO notifies you that the case has been launched in the faculty portal, you will use corresponding Checklist #1 to prepare the promotion packet.

 

 Promotion to Associate Professor or Professor without Tenure
Process #2: Cases reviewed by FAO, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost

  1. Select and complete the appropriate review criteria cover sheet for each candidate. This critical document includes the review criteria for the proposed promotion rank and will be used by all reviewers in the Feinberg Faculty Portal (including the Provost, Dean, FSM APT Committee, Department APT Committee, and external evaluators who write letters of reference). Please select carefully!   

    Review Criteria Cover Sheets for Associate Professor Ranks

    Review Criteria Cover Sheets for Professor Ranks

  2. Important: When completing the cover sheet, please refer to the FAO faculty database to confirm the candidate's current appointment details.
    • Generally speaking, the only value on the cover sheet that will differ compared to the FAO database is the rank
    • For Clinician-Educators, make sure the domains on the cover sheet match the domains in the FAO database. If the domains need to change in the database, contact fao@northwestern.edu to request updates. The candidate will be evaluated for promotion based on the chosen domains. 
  3. Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
  4. Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2022 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
  5. FAO will review the cover sheet; assuming the proposed promotion is appropriate (rank, career track, tenure status, etc.), FAO will launch a case for your candidate in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. FAO will upload the cover sheet to the candidate's packet at that time and notify you that the case is available electronically for the department workflow (Phase 4).
  6. Promotions to NTE Associate Professor, Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, or Clinical Professor follow promotion process #2 (review by FAO, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost). After FAO notifies you that the case has been launched in the faculty portal, you will use corresponding Checklist #2 to prepare the promotion packet.

 Promotion and Tenure, Promotion (Already Tenured), or Tenure Only
Process #3: Cases reviewed by FAO, Ad Hoc Committee, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost

  1. Select and complete the appropriate review criteria cover sheet for each candidate. This critical document includes the review criteria for the proposed promotion rank and will be used by all reviewers in Interfolio (including the Provost, Dean, FSM APT Committee, department APT Committee, and external evaluators who write letters of reference). Please select carefully!   

    Review Criteria Cover Sheets for Tenured Ranks on the Investigator Track
  2. Important: When completing the cover sheet, please refer to the FAO faculty database to confirm the candidate's current appointment details.
    • The only values on the cover sheet that will differ compared to the FAO database are the rank and the tenure status (if you are proposing tenure)
  3. Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
  4. Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2022 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
  5. FAO will review the cover sheet; assuming the proposed promotion is appropriate (rank, career track, tenure status, etc.), FAO will launch a case for your candidate in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. FAO will upload the cover sheet to the candidate's packet at that time and notify you that the case is available electronically for the department workflow (Phase 4).
  6. Promotions to tenured ranks and the award of tenure follow promotion process #3 (review by FAO, Ad Hoc Committee, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost). After FAO notifies you that the case has been launched in the faculty portal, you will use corresponding Checklist #3 to prepare the promotion packet.

 Review Criteria: Research Faculty Promotions
Process #4: Cases reviewed by FAO, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost

  1. Select and complete the appropriate review criteria cover sheet for each candidate. This critical document includes the review criteria for the proposed promotion rank and will be used by all reviewers in Interfolio (including the Provost, Dean, FSM APT Committee, department APT Committee, and external evaluators who write letters of reference). Please select carefully!  
      
    Review Criteria Cover Sheets for Research Faculty
  2. Important: When completing the cover sheet, please refer to the FAO faculty database to confirm the candidate's current appointment details.
    • The only value on the cover sheet that will differ compared to the FAO database is the rank 
  3. Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
  4. Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2022 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
  5. FAO will review the cover sheet; assuming the proposed promotion is appropriate (rank, career track, tenure status, etc.), FAO will launch a case for your candidate in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. FAO will upload the cover sheet to the candidate's packet at that time and notify you that the case is available electronically for the department workflow (Phase 4).
  6. Promotions to Research Assistant Professor or Research Associate Professor follow promotion process #4 (review by FAO, FSM APT Committee, Dean, and Provost). After FAO notifies you that the case has been launched in the faculty portal, you will use corresponding Checklist #4 to prepare the promotion packet.

Phase 3: Collect Packet from Candidate

Candidates can prepare most documents in their promotion/tenure packet either manually or using the Feinberg Faculty Portal (FFP). Administrators should direct faculty to the page titled Prepare Your Packet for more information: document templates are available for those who choose to prepare them manually, while instructions are offered for those who wish to generate documents from the FFP. Administrators are encouraged to read that page as well, for it includes guidance from the FSM APT Committee on how to prepare each document effectively.

Regardless of whether the packet is prepared manually or via the FFP, faculty do not have the opportunity to submit the packet online for electronic routing. Department administrators should collect the packet documents from each candidate (typcially this occurs through email) and upload them to the corresponding case in the FFP.  

Important! Do not collect reference letters yet. Administrators will solicit reference letters in Phase 4 using the Feinberg Faculty Portal.

Phase 4: Department Review and Submission Using the Feinberg Faculty Portal

Departments submit promotion packets to the Faculty Affairs Office using the Feinberg Faculty Portal. After FAO launches a case (Phase 2), it enters the department workflow, and department administrators should manage department level review steps and finalization of the packet in the Feinberg Faculty Portal.

Confirm who has access to promotion cases in your department's workflow, and notify fao@northwestern.edu if updates are needed.

Department Workflow in Feinberg Faculty Portal

 1. Prepare for APT Review
Department staff have access to this step

In this step, you upload the candidate’s documents and do anything else you normally do to prepare a file for your departmental APT Committee--e.g., if you solicit reference letters prior to APT Committee review, you can do that here; if you upload supplemental documentation for APT review (like teaching evaluations), you can do that here as well.

When uploading candidate materials, make sure you are using the correct packet checklist.  The checklist number should match the process number of the template in the Feinberg Faculty Portal.

Promotion Packet Checklists

Checklist #1: Asst Prof (no tenure) 
Checklist #2: Assoc Prof or Prof (no tenure)
Checklist #3: Tenured cases
Checklist #4: Research Faculty

 2. Review by Department APT Committee
Department APT committee, department chair/vice chair, and department staff have access to this step

In this step, the departmental APT Committee has access to review the case.

Distribute the following quick reference guides to faculty members on the APT Committee to help them log in and review cases:

 3. Finalize Packet and Submit to FAO
Department chair/vice chair and department staff have access to this step

In this step, you do whatever is left to make the file complete for submission to FAO. You can solicit reference letters if you did not do that earlier. Make sure all required department documentation is uploaded by the end of this step (if it was not done sooner)—e.g., Chair’s letter, APT Committee narrative.

At the end of this step, you will submit the packet to FAO electronically through the Feinberg Faculty Portal; at that point, the case will exit your workflow and you will no longer be able to see it. Download the packet from the faculty portal before submitting if you wish to retain a copy for your records.

Prior to submitting, ensure the following:

  • The minimum number of reference letters have been RECEIVED. 
  • All required documents on the checklist are complete and uploaded in the correct order. 
  • Be aware that any extra documents you uploaded for your internal review process will be viewable by FSM and the Provost as the case continues into their electronic workflow.

Phase 5: Review by FSM and Provost

Once you submit the packet, it enters the workflow for the Faculty Affairs Office, which reviews and coordinates the school-level and university-level review steps. The recommendations of the department and school are forwarded to the provost, who reviews and makes the final decision on promotion or tenure. Candidates are typically notified of the provost's decision by July 1. Approved promotion or tenure takes effect on September 1, 2022.

If the candidate has substantial new accomplishments (e.g, receipt of a new grant) that warrant CV updates after the case has been submitted to FAO, please contact fao@northwestern.edu. 

Resources

 Learn Faculty Career Tracks

Department administrators are expected to coordinate the submission of a candidate's promotion/tenure packet to the Faculty Affairs Office, which includes collecting the promotion/tenure packet from the candidate, working with the Department Chair to establish and coordinate an internal departmental review process to evaluate the candidate's qualifications for promotion or tenure, and ensuring each promotion/tenure application is complete with supplementary documentation prepared/obtained by the department (e.g., evaluation from departmental APT Committee, recommendation letter from Department Chair, letters from external referees). Administrators often play an important role in advising faculty candidates on the promotion process and faculty may even look to you for guidance on how to strengthen their promotion/tenure applications. Given this, it is important that you become familiar with Feinberg's different faculty career tracks. The better you understand faculty career tracks and the expectations for achievement in each track, the better you will be able to support your faculty in their career advancement.

 Appointment Changes (due by 9/1/21, prior to submitting promotion to FAO)

Submit appointment changes separately PRIOR to promotion/tenure requests, effective no later than 9/1/21. Exception: Changing from Undifferentiated to a specific career track can be requested in conjunction with the promotion. 

  • Change of basis: submit request PRIOR to promotion requests, effective no later than 9/1/21.
  • Change of domains on the Clinician-Educator track: faculty can request domain changes until 9/1/21; these will then be locked until after promotion review is complete.
  • Change of career track/tenure status: Contact FAO first. Submit as separate request PRIOR to 9/1/21. (Exception: change from Undifferentiated to a specific track may be included w/the promotion request). Evidence of a national search for certain career tracks required.

 Solicit Reference Letters Using the Feinberg Faculty Portal

Department administrators are responsible for soliciting reference letters when candidates are proposed for promotion to ranks that are NTE or TE (process checklists #1, #2, and #4). Departments do not solicit reference letters for process #3 because those candidates are proposed for tenured ranks. 

Administrators should use the Feinberg Faculty Portal to request reference letters, and you may request letters at any time when the promotion case is in the department workflow--i.e., Phase 4 above, steps 1, 2, or 3.  Some departments solicit reference letters before packets are reviewed by the departmental APT committee, and some departments wait until the departmental APT committee has endorsed the packet to contact referees. Either strategy is fine. 

When soliciting reference letters:

  • Follow the Administrative Guide to the Case Review Module: This guide contains the detailed steps administrators should execute in the Feinberg Faculty Portal to contact referees.
  • As part of your request, you will give referees access to documents that are uploaded to the candidate's promotion case.  These include:
    • Guidance for External Evaluators: Before contacting referees, you should upload this document to the candidate packet; it contains the list of questions evaluators are asked to respond to. It is recommended that you locate it before the Review Criteria Cover Sheet (so that referees see it first when they open the packet), and then move this document to the Administrative Documents section after letters are received. 
    • Review Criteria Cover Sheet: This is the document you provided to FAO when requesting launch of the case. It provides the referees with details of the proposed promotion as well as the review criteria for the candidate's proposed rank and career track.
    • CV
    • Personal Statement

Promotion Packet Checklists 

Candidate Resources

Department Chair Letter Templates 

Department APT Committee Resources

Review Criteria Cover Sheets

  • See Phase 2 (Launch Case Electronically) above

Feinberg Faculty Portal / Interfolio Resources

Reference Letter Solicitation Resources