[VPAAEtal] T&P Policy Approved!

[Academic Affairs]

Colleagues,

I am excited to share that we have received final approval for the revised Tenure and Promotion Policy here at East Texas A&M University. Your hard work has paid off, and the new policy is now officially in effect and on our university web site. I am also attaching the document to this email for your convenience.

This milestone represents the culmination of a multi-year effort, shaped by genuine collaboration and a shared commitment to excellence. My appreciation to Drs. Andrea Graham and Kathy Dixon, who provided outstanding leadership over the past year as co-chairs of the committee. I'm also grateful to each of the committee members, whose dedication made this accomplishment possible. An additional "thank you" to all of the stakeholders who provided input. It was a collective effort that allowed us to work together in finalizing this crucial policy!

A brief reminder of the extensive process that brought us to this point. The committee consisted of across college representation, and included faculty senators, department heads, faculty representatives, and a dean. Drs. Graham and Dixon worked in close coordination with the Faculty Senate, Department Head Council, and Deans Council. Throughout the process, revisions were shared with these groups multiple times for thoughtful discussion and for additional feedback to emerge. Many of the suggestions were incorporated, and wherever needed, more conversation or exploration occurred.

I have asked the deans to immediately begin to communicate this good news, and work within their college to develop plans for socializing the new policy. Although I had hoped to have more time to share the news personally within each college, the timeline moved slightly ahead of that plan given the time of year. I appreciate the deans taking the reins as we adjust, and now sharing with their teams, as well as conveying my gratitude for everyone's work and for having reached this point.

Over the next several months, we will be embracing best practices for implementation of this critical policy. Deans, along with their leadership teams, will develop a communication plan for their college or unit. They will have the responsibility of cascading this information throughout the division. I have encouraged them to identify a short term, as well as long term communication plan. That is, what needs to occur in the next few weeks, what can wait, and what will be the approach they will use over the summer and early fall.

It will be important that all faculty read the new policy carefully, and remain involved at the college level for continued development of the college's adopted approach and operationalization. It will take all of us, at all levels, including the departments, for a truly positive impact, that of implementation through socializing, education, and ongoing discussion.

Please know that this will be a process. It is necessary, but perhaps at times challenging, transition as we implement new procedures throughout the tenure and promotion process. We will benefit greatly from being intentional, transparent, fair, and flexible as possible throughout the implementation of the revised policy. Never forget that the reason for the revision was to increase clarity of the process, so that tenure track faculty were informed and supported, starting from the very beginning of their hire.

That is, the new tenure and promotion process was introduced with the primary goal of streamlining procedures for everyone involved-especially the candidates. The intent was to reduce unnecessary complexity and administrative burden so that the focus remains where it truly matters: on the quality and substance of the candidates' work. By simplifying the process, we aim to ensure that faculty can devote their time and energy to developing and presenting the strongest possible case for tenure and/or promotion, rather than navigating procedural hurdles. This shift allows evaluators to concentrate on the core criteria-teaching, scholarship, and service-ensuring a fairer and more transparent evaluation process for all.

All those coming up this year for fourth year review, tenure and promotion, and promotion to full should follow the new process given the policy is now in place. As you will note, part of the update includes moving to an electronic process. Dean Lanee Dunlap is working diligently on having D2L shells created for every tenure track and tenured faculty member. I suspect you will hear more from her in the future.

Although there is still much work ahead, I hope you also celebrate that we have a newly revised tenure and promotion policy that we can be proud of! Increased clarity of the process; more transparency; additional steps to insure a comprehensive, intentional review; improved fairness; and consistency across campus where needed and as appropriate. There are so many positives about the revision. There's no doubt in my mind that a clear, fair, and transparent policy ensures that excellence in our division is cultivated and retained.

As I have shared, I believe tenure and promotion are at our core, and perhaps one of the most important decisions we make as faculty. It is a responsibility we have through shared governance; one where faculty are empowered to influence our university's mission well into the future. It represents our commitment to excellence through our teaching, research, and service, and a long-term investment in our collective intellectual leadership.

Please work within your colleges to continue to move forward. And of course, never hesitate to reach out to me directly if there is anything I can do to be of support. Congratulations s on this impressive accomplishment!

With warm regards,

tvh
_____________________________________
Tammi Vacha-Haase, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

East Texas A&M University
Administration Building
Commerce, TX  75428



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