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 9/1/2023.
- 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
- 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.
- Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
- Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2023 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
- Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2023 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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)
- Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
- Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2023 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- Name the file CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
- Complete the web form to Launch Promotion or Tenure Case for 9/1/2023 and upload the review criteria cover sheet.
- 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).
- 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
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
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:
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, 2023.
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.