© 2010 Florida State University
Guidelines for Writing Promotion and Tenure Letters for Faculty Members
1
James P. Sampson, Jr., Marcy P. Driscoll, and Pamela S. Carroll
2
Dean of the Faculties Office
Florida State University
3
April 26, 2010
These guidelines are intended to help department chairs write effective promotion and
tenure letters for faculty members that include appropriate information in a consistent format.
Providing a common format for these faculty evaluation letters can make it easier to find the
information necessary for completing reviews of faculty work.
The template included in these guidelines provides only a starting point for preparing an
evaluation letter. Department chairs should create letters that are congruent with their own
understanding of promotion and tenure, as well as their own approach to writing evaluative
letters. However, the letters must also take into account departmental promotion and tenure
criteria and procedures to maintain compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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Purposes of the Department Chair Letter
The department chair letter provides an analysis of a faculty member’s performance in
relation to departmental standards for promotion and tenure. These letters provide contextual
information needed by faculty serving on review committees and administrators who make
recommendations about promotion and tenure.
Characteristics of an Effective Department Chair Letter
An effective evaluation letter written by a department chair has the following
characteristics:
• Evaluates faculty members based upon their:
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o Annual evaluations.
o Annual assignments of responsibility (AOR). Evaluation for promotion and tenure is
based upon faculty members’ AOR for the period under evaluation.
1
This paper is intended to be used along with Successful Faculty Performance in Teaching, Research and Original
Creative Work, and Service; Using Personal Statements in Faculty Evaluations; and Guidelines for Writing Annual
Evaluation Letters for Faculty Members.” (The citations for these documents are available in the reference section
of this paper.)
2
Author information is provided at the end of this document.
3
314 Westcott Building, 222 S. Copeland Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1480, (850) 644-6876, http://dof.fsu.edu/
4
Refer to Article 10 (Performance Evaluations) in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between The Florida State
University Board of Trustees and The United Faculty of Florida, 2007-2010 (http://dof.fsu.edu/forms/2007-
2010CBApdf.pdf).
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See Articles 14.2d Promotion/Promotion Criteria/Basis for Promotion Decision and 15.3d Tenure/Criteria and
Procedures for Tenure/Basis for Tenure Decision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Florida State
University Board of Trustees and the United Faculty of Florida 2007-2010 (http://dof.fsu.edu/forms/2007-
2010CBApdf.pdf).
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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o Fulfillment of the department’s written promotion and tenure criteria as related to the
candidate’s assignments.
• Articulates a clear analysis of the elements of a faculty member’s performance in
teaching, research and original creative work, and service.
• Presents the most relevant elements of a faculty member’s work to highlight his or her
performance.
• Provides clear supporting evidence of the nature of faculty performance, including
identifying any discrepancies between planned and actual faculty performance.
• Provides an evaluation of annual faculty performance that is congruent with the analysis
and evidence included in the letter.
• Comments on any change in direction in a faculty member’s teaching, research and
original creative work, and service.
• Explains any unusual circumstances related to a faculty member’s work that has had an
impact on his or her performance.
• Comments on the extent of a faculty member’s success in completing any performance
improvement plans resulting from prior annual, third-year, or teaching evaluations.
• Incorporates relevant information from previous annual department chair evaluation
letters.
• Incorporates relevant information from outside letters solicited by the department chair.
• Complements information presented in the candidate’s personal statements for teaching,
research and original creative work, and service.
o Personal statements provide an opportunity for candidates to state their goals for
teaching, research and original creative work, and service, as well as the strategies
they used to achieve these goals.
The chair letter can then include evidence include of
the extent to which they achieved their goals, with the understanding that the chair
will decide if and how the information would be used in the candidate’s evaluation
letter. Department chairs should encourage faculty members to provide any data that
might provide evidence of their accomplishments.
Organization and Content of a Department Chair Letter
The five sections of the department chair letter include the following content:
• Introduction
• Teaching
• Research and Original Creative Work
• Service
• Conclusion
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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Headings may be used to quickly identify section content. The sections on teaching, research and
original creative work, and service should include:
• Elements of faculty performance with supporting evidence.
• An evaluative statement on the level of accomplishment expected for faculty members
with similar assignments, experience, and length of service at FSU.
The following template includes a wide range of faculty tasks in teaching, research and
original creative work, and service. It is unlikely that all of the evaluation elements included in
this template would apply to any one faculty member in a given year. The examples included are
not intended to be rigid requirements, but rather a stimulus to help department chairs write their
own letters. A fictitious “Dr. Maria Ortega” is used in this template. A checklist for elements of
promotion and tenure letters is provided on the last page of this document.
Introduction
The introduction to the letter confirms the purpose of the letter. One example of an
introduction is as follows.
“I am writing this letter to provide an evaluation of _____________’s performance
in teaching, research and original creative work, and service as part of his/her application for
promotion to _________ professor with tenure at FSU.”
“I am writing this letter to provide an evaluation of Dr. Maria Ortega’s performance
in teaching, research and original creative work, and service as part of her application for
promotion to associate professor with tenure at FSU.”
The introduction also summarizes, and may comment on, the nature of the faculty members’
Assignment of Responsibility for the period of the present review. In addition to noting
percentages in the assignment, an optional comment on the nature of the assignment of
responsibility can be added. For example, a statement could read:
“For the past ______ years, Dr. _____________’s average faculty assignment has
been ___% in teaching, __% in research and original creative work, and __% in service.”
“For the past five years, Dr. Ortega’s average faculty assignment has been 55% in
teaching, 40% in research and original creative work, and 5% in service. The policy in our
department is for tenure-earning assistant professors to focus their research and original
creative work efforts on publications instead of large grant applications, as well as limiting
their role in service, especially college and university service.”
“For the past year, Dr. Ortega’s faculty assignment has been 20% in teaching, 70%
in research and original creative work, and 10% in service. Since Dr. Ortega was recruited to
FSU to provide leadership in research, a large portion of her assignment has been devoted to
developing two interdisciplinary research teams with faculty in the College of Education and
the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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Teaching
Elements and evidence of faculty performance in teaching can include the following
required and optional elements.
Required Elements
• Effectiveness of Course Delivery
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) student ratings of effectiveness in teaching
and (b) faculty peer evaluations from classroom observations (including the extent of
improvement in instruction for faculty members with initially low student ratings of
classroom performance. Any inconsistencies among student ratings should be noted.
Also, any inconsistencies between peer observations of teaching and student rating of
teaching effectiveness need to be explained).
• Quality of Course Content
o Potential sources of evidence include peer review of course syllabi.
• Effectiveness of Academic Advising
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) personal statement and (b) unsolicited
statements from advisees.
Optional Elements
• Quality of Course Development
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o Potential sources of evidence include peer review of course proposals developed by
the faculty member.
• Quality of Curriculum Development
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty peer review of curriculum developed by
the faculty member. For faculty members in departments with professional degrees
(such as education, law, medicine, nursing, psychology, and social work), additional
evidence could include the accreditation or re-accreditation of a degree program.
• Effectiveness in Managing Multiple Course Sections
o Potential sources of evidence include comments from faculty members and graduate
students teaching sections of the course.
• Effectiveness in Mentoring Students
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) the extent of student involvement in faculty
publications, contacts and grants, and presentations, (b) faculty personal statement,
and (c) unsolicited student feedback.
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The meaning of some of the terminology used in this paper has been clarified in the additional information section
of this paper. These terms include course development, curriculum development, managing multiple course sections,
research, original creative work, program of research, focus of original creative work, and academic program.
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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• Effectiveness in Serving as Chair of Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation
Supervisory Committees
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) number of graduates, (b) recognition of
student research and original creative work by professional associations or other
groups, and (c) unsolicited student compliments and complaints.
• Recognition of Teaching
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty Vita, including recognition related to
visiting professorships, honors and awards, etc.
• Use of Research and Original Creative Work and/or Service to Enhance Teaching
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty personal statement.
Two examples of a summative evaluation statement for teaching are presented below.
“Dr. Ortega has clearly excelled in teaching. There is ample evidence that she is an
excellent instructor and curriculum designer.”
“While Dr. Ortega has worked diligently, she has been unable to improve her
teaching effectiveness as shown in her teaching ratings and classroom observations by
several faculty members in our department.”
Research and Original Creative Work
Elements and evidence of faculty performance in research and original creative work can
include the following required and optional elements.
• Quality of Research and Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) outside letters, (b) faculty Vita, (c) success
in obtaining external contract and grant funding, (d) outside letters, and (e)
supplemental data on the nature of scholarly or creative activities. Using direct quotes
from outside letters can be particularly useful in providing evidence related to the
quality and impact of a faculty member’s research and original creative work.
(Supplemental data can be used by faculty review committees and administrators to
evaluate the quality of faculty performance in comparison with other faculty
members. Types of supplemental data include, but are not limited to, journal
acceptance rates and impact ratings, as well as how many times a publication has
been cited in other publications. The letter should comment on faculty performance in
relation to the nature of quality research and original creative work in a given field,
such as the relative value of books versus journal articles or the value of conference
presentations versus poster sessions.)
• Productivity in Research and Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty Vita. (The chair letter should comment
on the typical role the faculty member has played in his or her publications; e.g.,
percentage of sole and senior authored publications. A comment on trajectory in
relation to productivity can also be helpful. The letter should also comment on faculty
performance in relation to typical productivity levels in a given field.)
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• Programmatic Nature of Research or Focus of Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) outside letters, (b) faculty Vita, and (c)
faculty personal statement.
• Sustainability of Research and Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) outside letters, (b) the ability of a faculty
member to publish and to obtain external funding over time as shown in his or her
Vita, and (c) faculty personal statement. (For tenure-earning assistant professors, the
chair letter should comment on whether or not the faculty member is on a trajectory
that is resulting in a sustainable program of research or focus of original creative
work.)
Optional Elements
• Recognition of Research and Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty Vita, including recognition related to
visiting professorships, fellowships, honors and awards, etc.
• Use of Teaching and/or Service to Enhance Research and Original Creative Work
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty personal statement.
Two examples of a summative evaluation statement for research and original creative work are
as follows:
“Dr. Ortega has clearly excelled in research. There is ample evidence of her well
established program of research and her strong national reputation as shown in her outside
letters.”
“Dr. Ortega has found it difficult to establish herself as a researcher. Both her Vita
and her outside letters show her limited productivity as a scholar and inconsistent program
of research.”
Service
Elements and evidence of faculty performance in service can include the following
required and optional elements.
Required Elements
• Service to the Institution (University, College, Department, and Program)
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) faculty Vita and (b) faculty personal
statement.
• Service to the Profession
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) outside letters, (b) faculty Vita, and (c)
faculty personal statement. Using direct quotes from outside letters can be helpful in
providing evidence related to the quality and impact of a faculty member’s service to
professional associations.
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Optional Elements
• Service as a Faculty Mentor to Tenure-Earning Faculty
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) verbal feedback from his or her mentee and
(b) faculty perceptions of the mentoring experience, including any plans for
improvement as a mentor in the next academic year.
• Service to Society through Consultation
o Potential sources of evidence include (a) outside letters, (b) faculty Vita, and (c)
faculty personal statement.
• Recognition of Service
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty Vita, including recognition related to
honors and awards.
• Use of Teaching and/or Research and Original Creative Work to Enhance Service
o Potential sources of evidence include faculty personal statement.
Two examples of a summative evaluation statement for service are as follows:
“As an assistant professor, Dr. Ortega has been given a limited service role in her
assignment of responsibility. The service tasks in her program that she has been assigned, or
volunteered for, have been completed in an effective and timely manner.”
“Dr. Ortega has completed a variety of service activities as part of her assignment of
responsibility. However, her performance has not involved the leadership activities we
would expect for a faculty member at the rank of professor in our department.”
Conclusion
Similar to the conclusion for each section on teaching, research and original creative
work, and service, the evaluation letter should close with a summary evaluative statement on the
level of accomplishment expected for faculty members to be promoted and tenured.
“Considering _____________’s performance in teaching, research and original
creative work, and service, I support his/her promotion to _________ professor and tenure at
FSU. My judgment is based on _____________’s _____________ teaching,
_____________ research and original creative work, and _____________ service.”
“Considering Dr. Ortega’s performance in teaching, research, and service, I strongly
support her promotion to associate professor and tenure at FSU. My judgment is based on
Dr. Ortega’s excellence as an instructor and curriculum designer, her well established
program of research and strong national reputation, and consistently effective service to her
department and the college.”
“Considering _____________’s performance in teaching, research and original
creative work, and service, I am not able to recommend his/her promotion to _________
professor and tenure at FSU. My judgment is based on _____________’s _____________
teaching, _____________ research and original creative work, and _____________
service.”
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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“Considering Dr. Ortega’s performance in teaching and research, I am not able to
recommend her promotion to associate professor and tenure at FSU. My judgment is based
on Dr. Ortega’s lack of success in improving her performance in teaching and her limited
productivity as a scholar and inconsistent program of research.”
This final section should also indicate agreement or disagreement with the recommendation
made by the departmental promotion and tenure committee. Examples of potential statements are
as follows:
“My own judgment is consistent with the judgment of faculty on our departmental
promotion and tenure committee. This consistency in evaluation clearly supports granting
promotion and tenure to Dr. Ortega.”
“While I respect the judgment of the faculty on our departmental promotion and
tenure committee, I do not concur with their majority vote to grant promotion to associate
professor and tenure for Dr. Ortega, based on the evidence included in this letter.”
Additional Information
Course Development
Course development refers to creating a new course or making substantive revisions,
such as developing a distance learning component or Web-based learning resources.
Curriculum Development
Curriculum development includes designing new courses, distance learning programs,
certificate programs, majors, and degree programs. Curriculum development does not include the
normal ongoing development of an existing course.
Management of Multiple Course Sections
Management of multiple course sections involves coordinating the ongoing design,
development, and delivery of instruction for a course having several sections that are taught by
various faculty members, graduate students, or adjunct faculty. Responsibilities typically include
leadership in development and/or selection of course materials, revision of course content based
on evaluations, selection of instructors, and arrangement of instructional technology for the
course. When the course is taught by graduate students or adjunct faculty members, regular
supervision and evaluation of instructors may be involved.
Research and Original Creative Work
Research includes various scholarly efforts designed to examine questions of scientific,
social, literary, or artistic importance by obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting data that can
guide future research and in some cases lead to application of the findings and the refinement of
public policy. Research contributions are most often made through publications and conference
presentations. Original creative work includes various imaginative and innovative contributions
that can have artistic, social, and economic value. Examples of original and creative work
include novels and novellas, short stories, poems, scripts, screenplays, musical compositions,
musical arrangements, choreography, performances, production and design for performances,
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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visual art, interior design, apparel design, edited works, Internet Web site development,
computer software development, and inventions.
Program of Research or Focus of Original Creative Work
A program of research involves a systematic investigation of related elements of a topic
over a period of time. A focus of original creative work involves the exploration of related
artistic themes or media of expression over a period of time. Having one or two clear and
consistent programs of research or foci of original creative work makes it more likely that faculty
members will achieve their goals and make substantive contributions to their field. The synergy
inherent to programmatic research helps faculty members gain insights and specialized expertise
that would not be possible if their research were conducted on a variety of unrelated topics.
Programmatic research builds on the prior research of faculty members, as well as that of
students and other researchers. Programmatic research also provides greater visibility for a
faculty member as other researchers note the consistent contributions of the faculty member in
publications and conference presentations. Similar advantages exist for having a thematic focus
for original creative work. However, a program of research or focus of original creative work
should not be restrictive. Serendipity resulting from new funding options, technology, or other
developments may provide new opportunities that should not be ignored.
A faculty member typically has only one or two programs of research that typically
evolve or change over time. The same is true for original creative work. The two can be distinct
or related in various ways. A program of research statement or focus of creative work statement
can reflect current work, past work, or both. A statement is typically no longer than one or two
sentences. The following example shows a faculty member having a single program of research:
“Examine the influence of extracognitive factors (beliefs, emotions, culture) in shaping the
teaching and learning of science.” In this second example, the faculty member has two programs
of research: “Examine the content and process of career decision making using a cognitive
information processing approach, and then apply the knowledge gained to designing and
delivering cost-effective career resources and services. Also, examine the design and appropriate
use of information and communication technology in the delivery of assessment and information
resources as well as counseling and guidance services.” An example of a focus of original
creative work statement is as follows: “Explore the interaction among light, composition, and
subject matter in expressing mood in still life photographs.”
Program
A program is a unit within a department responsible for specific degrees, majors,
specializations, or certificate programs.
References
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Driscoll, M. P., & Carroll, P. S. (2010). Guidelines for writing annual
evaluation letters for faculty members. Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University, Office
of the Dean of the Faculties.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Driscoll, M. P., Foulk, D. F., & Carroll, P. S. (2010). Successful faculty
performance in teaching, research and original creative work, and service. Tallahassee,
FL: Florida State University, Office of the Dean of the Faculties.
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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Sampson, J. P., Jr., Driscoll, M. P., Foulk, D. F., & Carroll, P. S. (2010). Using personal
statements in faculty evaluations. Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University, Office of the
Dean of the Faculties.
Author Information
James P. Sampson, Jr. is the Mode L. Stone Distinguished Professor of Counseling and
Career Development and Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Administration at the
College of Education at Florida State University. Marcy P. Driscoll is the Leslie J. Briggs
Professor of Educational Research and Dean of the College of Education at the Florida State
University. Pamela S. Carroll is the Dwight L. Burton Professor of English Education, the Mack
and Effie Tyner Distinguished Professor of Education, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
at the College of Education at Florida State University. Correspondence should be directed to
[email protected], College of Education, 1114 W. Call Street, P.O. Box 3064450, Tallahassee,
FL 32306-4450, (850) 644-6885. Helpful reviews of this paper were provided by Gloria Colvin,
Elisabeth Musch, Bob Reardon, and Walt Wager.
Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure Letters
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Checklist for Elements of Promotion and Tenure Letters
Dean of the Faculties Office
Florida State University
Teaching
Required Elements
___ Effectiveness of Course Delivery
___ Quality of Course Content
___ Effectiveness of Academic Advising
Optional Elements
___ Quality of Course Development
___ Quality of Curriculum Development
___ Effectiveness in Managing Multiple Course Sections
___ Effectiveness in Mentoring Students
___ Effectiveness in Serving as Chair of Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation Supervisory
Committees
___ Recognition of Teaching
___ Use of Research and Original Creative Work and/or Service to Enhance Teaching
Research and Original Creative Work
Required Elements
___ Quality of Research and Original Creative Work
___ Productivity in Research and Original Creative Work
___ Programmatic Nature of Research or Focus of Original Creative Work
___ Sustainability of Research and Original Creative Work
Optional Elements
___ Recognition of Research and Original Creative Work
___ Use of Teaching and/or Service to Enhance Research and Original Creative Work
Service
Required Elements
___ Service to the Institution (University, College, Department, and Program)
___ Service to the Profession
Optional Elements
___ Service as a Faculty Mentor to Tenure-Earning Faculty
___ Service to Society through Consultation
___ Recognition of Service
___ Use of Teaching and/or Research and Original Creative Work to Enhance Service
