EMU Tenure System

Long-term faculty appointments at EMU are made within a system of tenure with post-tenure review, which provides the context for regular contract renewal and promotion. Tenure with post-tenure review is constituted by a presumption of job security and contract renewal and by an assumption of continued performance in teaching, scholarship, and service. As a teaching university, EMU holds growth in teaching to be an essential criterion for promotion through the ranks.The specific goals of EMU tenure with post-tenure review are:

1. To provide a system of fair remuneration and recognition for services rendered, and periodic opportunities for advancement in professional rank.

2. To provide regular occasions for formative and summative feedback on performance and consideration of the quality of a faculty member's contribution to university mission and needs.

3. To facilitate growth as a scholar, educator, and a contributing member of the EMU community.

4. To safeguard professional autonomy, academic freedom, and the ability to take risks in innovative pedagogy and scholarship.

Faculty Performance and Rank

University Faculty Performance Criteria

Faculty members are responsible for making contributions to the fulfillment of EMU’s mission in the domains of Teaching, Scholarship, and Service, and faculty candidates are evaluated by their peers in each domain as demonstrating Competent, Proficient, or Outstanding levels of performance. EMU faculty strive to integrate the three domains, to keep them complementary, while recognizing that they sometimes represent distinct and competing pressures. Faculty are not expected to reach or maintain outstanding in all three domains, and the criteria for rank and promotion accommodates various combinations of focal areas. As a teaching university, EMU allocates significant faculty load to the teaching endeavor. Movement across the levels reflects greater breadth, depth, or scope of influence in a domain. Precise definition of Competent, Proficient, or Outstanding performance is difficult and may be too constraining; the criteria are not intended to be exhaustive or rigid measures. Rather, the criteria are intended to help faculty candidates gauge their own growth and performance and help faculty colleagues reach consensus in making decisions on contract renewal and promotion. The criteria below provide a university-wide benchmark of quality. Individual programs maintain guidelines for discipline-specific interpretation of the criteria; such guidelines, as well as the university criteria, are reviewed and approved by the Faculty Status Committee every six years.

Teaching

Teaching facilitates learning. Effective teachers assist the learner in acquiring new knowledge, skills, and values. This includes the thorough understanding of a discipline, sound pedagogy, clarity of communication, use of engaging strategies, the evaluation of student learning, and the capacity to remain current in pedagogies and learning technologies.

Competent: Competent performance in teaching includes creating a safe learning environment marked by mutual respect between teacher and students and among students. A competent teacher sets clear expectations, invites participation, gives constructive feedback, uses inclusive language, and establishes clear accountability processes. Teachers foster psychological safety when they encourage students to be candid in class, raise concerns, engage with difficult conversations, report mistakes and problems, and bring their authentic self to the learning endeavor. A competent teacher possesses currency of knowledge of the subject matter and is able to convey passion about learning the subject matter. Some engagement with evidence-based and inclusive pedagogy should be evidenced, including active learning strategies. A competent teacher uses multiple modes of communication, has an awareness of the affective domains of teaching and learning, and is willing to work with students both inside and outside of the classroom. A Competent teacher clarifies expectations for the learning process and uses both formative and summative assessments.

Proficient: A Proficient teacher contributes to student formation by providing an engaging learning environment. A Proficient teacher extends the learning beyond the textbook, guiding students to use critical thinking and understand the broader nature of the discipline. Proficient teachers can assess both student outcomes and their own praxis to enrich the academic environment. Proficient teachers make contributions to the curricular work of the program and remain current in pedagogy and technology.

Outstanding: An outstanding teacher embodies a way of being that enlivens the learning processes. An outstanding teacher motivates students to learn in ways that deeply impact how they think, act, feel, and serve. An outstanding teacher is an expert in the subject matter, has pedagogical fluency, is a skilled communicator, is a wise mentor in all aspects of student learning, and is an efficient evaluator of the learning process. An outstanding teacher displays enthusiasm for the discipline, exhibits a commitment to growth pedagogically, professionally, and personally, and is committed to the development and training of other teachers.

Scholarship

Scholarship is creative, intellectual work. It is the systematic, disciplined attempt to discover, transmit, and apply knowledge. Scholarly activities grow from the ideas and methods of the arts, humanities, sciences, and professions, including the visual and performing arts. Scholarship and creative activity are measured by the contribution to generating and disseminating knowledge within and across disciplines. We recognize multiple modes of scholarship, including discovery, integration, application/engagement, and teaching. At EMU we are a community of learning, and we affirm the importance of active scholarship and scholarly learning in maintaining our faculty's capacity to teach effectively, compellingly, and creatively. Our scholarship reflects the University’s values of collaboration, linking theory and practice, pursuing peace and justice, and removing barriers of inequality. Teacher/Scholars and Teacher/Artists at EMU make significant, publicly recognized contributions to their fields.

Competent: Competent scholarship/creative activity includes consistent and creative application of literature and research to teaching and practice within the discipline. It involves participation in professional conversations and conferences in order to gain and disseminate knowledge. Sharing original work through print and public presentations is an important part of this scholarship.

Proficient: Proficiency in scholarship/creative activity results in continuous and ongoing research in the pure and applied sciences, humanities, professions, or the creative/performing arts that builds on and contributes new knowledge to the discipline and/or enhances cross-disciplinary interaction. The originality of this scholarship is meant to deepen understanding of the subject and further develop methodologies and techniques that produce a product that is valued by others. Publications are reviewed and validated by peers and scholars in related disciplines.

Outstanding: Outstanding scholarship includes the highest standard of research, creativity, and practice. Scholarly contribution within and across disciplines regularly results in critical and public responses by others and is used and applied by others. Scholarship frequently includes research funded by highly competitive grants in the discipline. Outstanding scholars are often characterized by public recognition of their leadership in their discipline or professional body.

Service

Faculty service is composed of active contribution to the academic program and its students, involvement in university governance through membership on university committees and task forces, engagement in a faith community or broader community, or contribution to the discipline. Faculty are essential to the achievement of the mission of EMU, and faculty service is both highly valued and recognized as integral to the tenure and promotion system. Faculty service should be conducted in keeping with the University’s values of collaboration, pursuing peace and justice, and furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Competent: Competent service includes full participation in program-level meetings and activities such as academic advising, program and curriculum development, assessment of student outcomes and program effectiveness, student recruitment, and accreditation activities (when applicable). Competent performance also includes regular attendance at school/university meetings and participation in a university committee. Competent service is conducted in keeping with the University's mission and values and supports the University’s commitments to equity and justice.

Proficient: While maintaining competent-level service, proficient includes further university-wide involvement beyond the program level. Proficient service includes membership on elected or appointed committees, special task forces, significant search committees, more extensive roles in advising and mentoring students, and/or advising student organizations/groups. Significant or long term administrative positions like program director, associate dean, or dean may also build a case for proficient service. Proficient performance also involves active contribution to the larger community, which may include activities in faith communities, local and regional civic bodies, or professional organizations. Proficient service reflects the spirit of the mission and values of the University including commitments to justice, peacebuilding, and DEI.

Outstanding: While maintaining proficient-level service, outstanding adds leadership roles that are typically invited, appointed, or elected. Outstanding service often involves public recognition of the faculty member’s significant contribution in committee work, student advising and mentoring, or university leadership. This level of service may also have an impact beyond the campus including in national or international disciplinary associations, community or faith organizations, or national organizations in higher education. Outstanding servant-leaders walk in the way of peace and make the University and broader community more just and equitable.

Criteria for Rank

Rank is assigned according to: level of advanced degree, years of teaching service, and the quality of faculty performance in the 3 domains.

Instructor: Appointment to the rank of Instructor requires completion of the Master’s degree. Competent performance in all 3 domains is required. Normally for continued employment as instructor, there is an expectation for continued progress on an advanced degree.

Assistant Professor: Promotion or appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor requires completion of the terminal degree or the equivalent (as defined in the Appointment Procedures section). Competency in teaching, scholarship, and service must be achieved in order to receive a 3-year contract.

Associate Professor: Promotion to associate professor requires completion of the doctorate or the terminal degree/equivalent in the field. Normally, a minimum of six years of faculty experience is required. Proficient Teaching performance is required, as well as Proficient Scholarship or Service.

Professor: Completion of at least one six-year contract at EMU or its equivalent elsewhere is required. In addition to Proficient performance in Teaching, Scholarship, and Service, Outstanding performance is required in either Teaching or Scholarship.

Merit Advancement: In lieu of promotion to Professor, after completion of at least one six-year contract at EMU, an Associate Professor may seek a one-time, 3-step merit advancement. Proficient performance in Teaching, Scholarship, and Service is required.

For the definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, social justice, and community, visit the Office of DEI website here.

Responsible Party

Responsibility for this policy lies with the Provost.

Policy Review

This policy is to be reviewed every three years.

Distribution

Faculty/Staff Handbook