3.2.17 Rank and Tenure Committee

(Bylaws)

The Rank and Tenure Committee is responsible to the University Senate.
The committee consists of six teaching faculty members, five elected by the faculty and one appointed by the President. The Vice President for Academic Administration is a non-voting member. The committee members are chosen from each of the ranks of assistant, associate, and full professor, with two full professors serving at all times. The members from the latter two ranks are tenured. Two faculty should be selected from each of three academic areas. A quorum shall consist of five voting members.

The committee elects the chair for a one-year term, which may be repeated. The chair must be a tenured associate or full professor with at least two years of experience on the committee.

A substitute for a member of the committee may be found in the case of a potential conflict of interest. In consultation with the committee, the chair chooses the substitute from persons with the same rank and prior experience on the committee. An associate professor may substitute for an assistant professor, if needed.
The term of membership is four years. Subsequent but not consecutive terms may be served.
The work of the committee is to
1. Consider, on the basis of guidelines set forth in the Governance Handbook, the qualifications of faculty members eligible for advancement in rank or tenure status. The committee then makes appropriate confidential recommendations to the administration, which then submits these recommendations to the Board. The committee is expected to work for fair, uniform, and objective consideration of advancement in all departments. The committee maintains high standards for faculty in the areas of responsibility outlined in 3.1.5.4 Responsibilities.
2. Consider, if requested by the CAO or department chair, the qualification of prospective faculty members on the basis of guidelines set up in the Governance Handbook. This is in order to assist the administration and the board in the assigning of initial academic rank and tenure status.
3. Consider, on the basis of guidelines set forth in the Governance Handbook, the qualifications of candidates for honorary degrees to be conferred at commencement exercises. The committee makes appropriate recommendations to University Assembly before final approval by the Board.
4. Consider, on the basis of guidelines set forth in the Governance Handbook, the qualifications of candidates for emeritus standing. The committee makes appropriate, confidential recommendations to the administration, which then submits recommendations to the Board for ratification.
The committee meets weekly or as called by the chair.

(Procedures)

Protocol
1. The chair develops the agenda in consultation with the committee members and the Academic Administration office. It is made available at least one day prior to the next meeting.
2. Actions are taken by majority vote with all members (or substitutes) present. The chair votes only in the case of a tie.
3. Committee workload (average in clock hours per quarter):
  i. Chair: 25 hrs.
  
  ii. Members: 15 hrs.
4. A substitute must be found if the faculty member to be reviewed is a member of the committee. Also, a substitute must be found if the person to be considered is from the same department as, is related to, or has a relationship with a committee member which would present a conflict of interest for that member.
5. Only complete dossiers will be considered.
6. Dossier materials are compiled by the Academic Administration office and made available to each member. This information is to be held in strict confidence by all committee members.
7. Reviews of candidates' dossiers for rank and tenure are conducted in the autumn quarter, with all committee recommendations being completed no later than two weeks prior to the winter meeting of the Board of Trustees.
8. Reviews of tenured faculty dossiers are conducted in the winter and spring quarters with all recommendations being completed no later than two weeks prior to the spring meeting of the Board of Trustees.
9. The Vice President for Academic Administration, acting as an ex officio member, records specific observations of the committee as each person is reviewed. These observations are retained by the vice president and shared with the committee as requested by the chair and/or committee members.
10. All actions, as recorded in the minutes, and observations, as noted by the Vice President for Academic Administration, are reviewed by the committee, preferably just prior to the forwarding of all recommendations to administration.
11. The chair for the following school year is elected in February. If a new chair is chosen, the present and new chairs consult with each other and the committee concerning decisions that affect the next year.
12. Committee materials, including notification letters, forms and checklists, dossier guidelines, and Governance Handbook copy are reviewed and revised annually in February. The program for student evaluation of faculty is also reviewed annually by this committee.
13. The chair and chair-elect, in consultation with the Academic Administration office, develop a list of faculty members eligible to apply for advancement in rank or required to provide materials for tenure review. Persons on the list must be notified by the end of fall quarter.
14. Newly elected members of the committee begin serving at the beginning of the academic year. Rank and tenure decisions during the summer are made by the previous year's committee, chaired by either the chair or chair-elect.
15. Walla Walla University confers honorary degrees to recognize persons who have exemplified, in an outstanding way, the mission for which the school is recognized and to which it is dedicated. Honorary degrees are not given routinely. This honor reflects upon the University. A candidate may be suggested by a faculty, administrator, or a member of the WWU Board. When a nomination is made, the Rank and Tenure Committee names an ad hoc committee consisting of the President and four faculty members. The ad hoc committee presents a recommendation to the Rank and Tenure Committee with supporting documentation. The Rank and Tenure Committee reviews and recommends the nomination to University Assembly. All nominations for honorary degrees must be reviewed and recommended by University Assembly before final approval by the WWU Board.
Communication
1. The secretary, in consultation with the chair, prepares and submits the minutes to the office of Academic Administration. After approval by the committee, the minutes are stored in the office of Academic Administration.
2. The chair reviews for accuracy all summary letters of conferences between the Vice President for Academic Administration and faculty members. After verification, the chair returns them to the vice president.
Documentation
1. Decisions and recommendations of the committee must be in writing and must include rationale.
2. Original copies of the minutes are retained in the Academic Administration office for ten years and then placed in the Central File.
3. Copies of the minutes of all committee actions for the current year are made available to the committee members.
4. The original copies of the faculty members' complete dossiers are placed in their permanent files, along with summary letters of related conferences and any responses. Peer evaluation forms that have been given in confidence with the consent of the faculty members must be placed in an envelope marked "Confidential" and removed if the faculty members request to see their files. These materials can be used in subsequent reviews at the discretion of the Vice President for Academic Administration and/or the Rank and Tenure committee.

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3.2 Committees