Step 1: Launch Case in the Feinberg Faculty Portal
Before you can use the Feinberg Faculty Portal to collect reference letters, the Faculty Affairs Office must launch a case in the system. Follow the steps below to request the launch of a case.
- Select and complete the appropriate review criteria cover sheet (found at the bottom of this page) for the candidate. This critical document outlines the appointment criteria for the proposed rank and career track. Referees will review this document when formulating their letters. Make sure you select the review criteria cover sheet that matches the rank and career track proposed in the offer letter (for regular faculty) or recommendation for research faculty appointment form (for research faculty).
- Name the file in this format: CandidateLastName Review Criteria (e.g. Smith Review Criteria)
- Complete the request to launch reference letter workflow. Upload the review criteria cover sheet to this request form.
- FAO will review the request and launch a corresponding case in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. FAO will upload the review criteria cover sheet to the candidate's case and notify you when the case is available to use for soliciting reference letters.
Step 2: Obtain Referee List & Review for Appropriateness
- Ask candidate to complete the Candidate's Referee List to suggest names of individuals who could provide letters.
- Review the list for appropriateness before contacting the referees:
- Referee rank must be at least as high as rank candidate will hold at NU
- Referees must be external to NU with one exception: if the candidate is proposed for the rank of Assistant Professor, up to two referees may be from within NU as long as they are outside the department proposing the faculty appointment. External referees are preferred, but we understand that candidates who trained at NU may have difficulty identifying external referees.
- No more than 2 letters from the same institution (geographic range of referees demonstrates the breadth of a candidate's reputation, which is especially important for appointments at the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor)
- For candidates proposed for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, referees should have arm's-length distance (i.e., avoid using mentors, mentees, and close colleagues)
Phase 3: Contact Referees Using the Feinberg Faculty Portal
Use the Case Review Module within the Feinberg Faculty Portal to contact referees (also called evaluators) to request reference letters, which are called external evaluations within the system. You will:
- Log into Feinberg Faculty Portal
- Upload documents that you need to distribute to the referees/evaluators
- Guidance for External Referees - download this template and fill in the Department Chair's signature
- Review Criteria Cover Sheet (loaded by FAO)
- CV
- Research Statement or Personal Statement (if applicable)
- Send evaluation requests to referees/evaluators
- Download the letters received from referees (you will need to upload these to the business plan and/or OnBase later)
For detailed information on how to execute these actions, please refer to the Administrative Guide to the Case Review Module. In particular, focus on these items within it:
- Quick Reference: Reference Letter Solicitation for New Faculty Appointment
- Section 8 on Soliciting Reference Letters
Step 4: Close the Case in the Feinberg Faculty Portal
Make sure you download the letters of reference first. You will lose access to the case in the Feinberg Faculty Portal when this step is complete.
After you have downloaded all the letters of reference from the Feinberg Faculty Portal, move the case forward to the next step. This alerts FAO to close the case. See the Administrative Guide to the Case Review Module for information on how to send a case forward.
Step 5: Finalize the Offer or Appointment Process
Add the letters of reference that you downloaded from the FFP into the process that required the letters:
- If you are preparing a draft offer for which letters of reference are required, upload the letters to the business plan.
- If you are preparing an OnBase appointment packet that requires reference letters, include the letters in the OnBase packet (it is also recommended that you upload them to the business plan if one exists).