Structure of Faculty Promotion Committees for Purdue West Lafayette

Effective date: August 12, 2024

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  1. For Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty:
    1. Primary Committee
      1. For Purdue West Lafayette Faculty:

        Primary Committees are chaired by the school, division or department head/chair, who serves as a non-voting member unless the number of members on the committee is less than seven. Membership is comprised of all Tenured professors in the respective administrative unit (see note below). The committee must consist of at least five Tenured faculty members for cases of promotion to associate professor, and five professors for voting on cases of promotion to professor. When this minimum number is not available in the candidate’s department additional Tenured professors are appointed by the chair of the Area Committee to which the Primary Committee reports, following consultation with the appropriate department head. The Provost, dean of the Graduate School, dean of Libraries and the academic deans may not be voting members of any Primary Committee.

        Note: Department heads/chairs with faculty members who have joint appointments should establish an augmented Primary Committee according to the college-wide guidelines for evaluating joint-appointed faculty.

      2. For University Tenure in Indianapolis Faculty:

        There are two Primary Committees structured around disciplinary areas for faculty with the tenure home of University Tenure in Indianapolis: one for all technology faculty, and one for all engineering and computer science faculty. The Primary Committee for the technology disciplinary area is chaired by the associate dean for faculty affairs for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. The Primary Committee for the engineering and computer science disciplinary area is chaired by the associate dean for faculty affairs for the College of Engineering. The chair of the Primary Committee serves as a non-voting member.

        Membership for each Primary Committee is comprised of all Tenured professors with the tenure home of University Tenure in Indianapolis in the relevant disciplinary area. The committee must consist of at least seven associate or full professors holding University Tenure in Indianapolis for cases of tenure and promotion to associate professor, and at least seven full professors holding University Tenure in Indianapolis for cases of promotion to professor. When this minimum number is not available in the candidate’s disciplinary area, additional Tenured professors from Purdue West Lafayette disciplinary areas are appointed by the chair of the Area Committee to which the Primary Committee reports, following consultation with the appropriate department head and associate dean for faculty affairs.

    2. Area Committee
      1. For Purdue West Lafayette Faculty:

        Each college's Area Committee is chaired by its dean, who serves as a non-voting member. Membership is comprised of:

        1. One Tenured faculty member at the rank of professor from each school or department (typically the Department/School Head), appointed by the dean, and
        2. Tenured faculty members at the rank of professor elected by the voting faculty of the applicable college/school in accordance with procedures established by that faculty. If specified by college/school by-laws, Area Committees may include associate deans as ex-officio (non-voting) members only. At least a third of the membership of each Area Committee consists of Tenured faculty members without administrative responsibilities. In no case may the number of faculty members without administrative responsibilities be fewer than two. The membership of the Area Committee of the Libraries and School of Information Studies will have a different composition due to its unique academic role.
      2. For University Tenure in Indianapolis Faculty:

        The Area Committee for faculty with the tenure home of University Tenure in Indianapolis is chaired by the Senior Vice Provost for Purdue in Indianapolis, who serves as a non-voting member. Membership is comprised of eight voting members as follows:

        1. The chairs of the two Primary Committees for faculty with the tenure home of University Tenure in Indianapolis; and
        2. Three Tenured faculty members at the rank of professor from each Primary Committee, elected by the voting faculty for each disciplinary area, in accordance with procedures established by Tenured faculty in each disciplinary area who hold the tenure home of University Tenure in Indianapolis. If a computer science faculty member is being considered for promotion, one of the area committee members must be from computer science. At least one-third of the membership of the Area Committee consists of Tenured faculty members without administrative responsibilities.
    3. Campus Promotions Committee Panel A

      The Campus Promotions Committee convened for purposes of academic Tenure and promotion review is referred to as Panel A. Panel A is chaired by the Provost (who does not vote) and consists of the Dean of the Graduate School, Dean of Libraries, all academic deans, one Tenured professor from each college and a number of additional at-large Tenured faculty members so that there are equal numbers of faculty members and administrators on the committee. Faculty members are elected by the University Senate’s Nominating Committee for three-year terms, staggered in the first instance. The Nominating Committee will attend to the representation of college, interdisciplinary programs and diversity in background and experience in selecting candidates. In the event a vacancy occurs that must be filled at a time when it is difficult or impossible to convene the Nominating Committee, the President, in consultation with the University Senate chair, may appoint a Tenured professor as the replacement, ensuring that every college is represented. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs is invited to attend Panel A sessions as a non-voting advisor to the Provost.

      For consideration of promotion and tenure cases for faculty holding University Tenure in Indianapolis, Panel A will be augmented by the Senior Vice Provost for Purdue in Indianapolis and one Tenured full professor holding University Tenure in Indianapolis, elected by the University Senate’s Nominating Committee for a three-year term. Both individuals will have voting rights for University Tenure in Indianapolis cases only.

  2. For Clinical/Professional Faculty

    The Primary and Area promotion committee structures for Clinical/Professional Faculty are described in the procedures for appointing and promotion Clinical/Professional Faculty (www.purdue.edu/provost/policies/clinical-faculty.html).

    1. Campus Promotions Committee Panel B

      The Campus Promotions Committee convened for purposes of promotion of Clinical/ Professional Faculty is referred to as Panel B, and consists of the Provost as chair, three academic deans from schools/colleges employing Clinical/Professional Faculty, and six faculty members. The Provost nominates three of these faculty from Panel A. The remaining three faculty, Clinical/Professional Professors, are nominated by the University Senate Nominating Committee and appointed by the President for 3-year terms.

  3. For Research Faculty

    The Primary and Area promotion committee structures for Research Faculty are described in the procedures for Research Faculty appointment, review and promotion (www.purdue.edu/provost/policies/promotion-research.html), noting that the Primary and Area promotion committee composition varies based on the hiring and primary appointment unit for the Research Faculty candidate being considered for promotion.

    1. Campus Promotions Committee Panel C

      The Campus Promotions Committee convened for purposes of promotion of Research Faculty is referred to as Panel C, and consists of the Provost as chair, the Executive Vice President for Research (ex officio), two academic deans or associate deans from colleges/ schools that employ Research Faculty, three faculty members appointed by the Provost from Panel A, and three research professors appointed by the Provost.

  • Promotion and Tenure

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