Reference Letter Solicitation Using the Feinberg Faculty Portal

Note: If you are soliciting reference letters for a promotion or tenure case, do not use this page. Instead refer to the Promotion and Tenure Page because the reference letter solicitation process is included within the promotion and tenure workflow, and there are separate resources tailored to promotion and tenure cases.

Department administrators may use the Feinberg Faculty Portal (FFP) to solicit reference letters for faculty recruits who are non-tenure-eligible or tenure-eligible (FAO solicits reference letters for new recruits who are tenured).

Department administrators who have access to solicit reference letters for new recruits are the same as those who manage promotion and tenure cases in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. Staff granted access to solicit reference letters for new appointments will also have access to promotion and tenure cases, and vice versa. To confirm who has access for your unit, review the Feinberg Faculty Portal Committee Access page.

Referee Confidentiality

Before collecting letters, recognize that it is important to maintain the confidentiality of the referees. Letters should not be shared with the candidate or any individuals outside those who are involved in evaluating the candidate for appointment. Letters collected for one purpose should not be re-used for another purpose. Don't share with candidates the names of individuals who provided letters on their behalf or who declined to provide letters. That compromises the confidentiality of the referees.

Reference Letter Workflow

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
- Use this message template when entering the email message text in the system
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).

Resources

The following resources are tailored for new faculty appointments; do not use them when soliciting reference letters for the annual promotion and tenure process.