I. Rank and Tenure Committee Appointments

1. Function
   The Rank and Tenure Committee reviews and recommends on requests for promotion in academic rank and requests for tenure status. The Rank and Tenure Committee recommends directly to the President of the College who makes the final decision. The Rank and Tenure Committee also shall be responsible for conducting interim review of faculty. When necessary, the Rank and Tenure Committee shall review the current Student Evaluation Form and make recommendations concerning the method of student evaluation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the Academic Advisory Council, shall make the final selection of the form to be used taking into consideration the recommendation of the Rank and Tenure Committee.
   
   
2. Membership
   The membership of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall consist of the following:
   • The Vice President for Academic Affairs (chair, ex officio).
   • Four tenured faculty members, as appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
   • Four tenured faculty members, as appointed by the President of the Faculty Organization.
     
     
   The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall serve as Chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee participating in discussions but voting only to break a tie.
   
   
3. Appointment and Terms
   The term of service shall be for four calendar years, with staggered terms. Two new members shall join the Committee each year. Appointments by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the Faculty Organization shall be made in December of the academic year in advance of the academic year the member will begin serving on the committee. In case of vacancy, interim or permanent, the appropriate appointing authority shall make replacement appointments, if needed. For just cause, the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the President of the Faculty Organization may replace their respective appointees. Former members of the Committee may serve again after a one-year waiting period.
   
   
4. Procedures
   The meeting time set aside for Rank and Tenure Committee meetings shall be on Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. During fall semester, meetings shall commence on the first Wednesday after September 15, and during spring semester, meetings shall commence on the first Wednesday after February 10. The number of meetings will vary from semester to semester dependent upon the number of reviews required.
   
   To avoid potential conflicts of interest, a Committee member shall be excused from all discussion of a candidate and shall not be allowed to vote on a candidate when
   • the Committee member is the chair of the candidate’s division;
   • the Committee member is an immediate family member* of the candidate.
     
     
   *For purposes of this policy, immediate family members include spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, mother and father-in-law, grandparents, siblings, step-parents, step-siblings, and step-children.

II. Evaluative File Preparation (see also policy 3200 "Official Faculty Records")

Prior to review by the Rank and Tenure Committee, the faculty member shall obtain his or her Evaluative File from the Vice President for Academic Affairs office. The faculty member shall verify that all of the required elements are included. After reviewing the file, the faculty member shall write a self-evaluation (see policy 3620 "Documents and Procedures Used for Evaluation) that must address the three basic evaluative criteria of teaching effectiveness, academic service, and professional development and may address anything else that the faculty member deems relevant.

The self-evaluation should reference the material in the Evaluative File as evidence to support teaching effectiveness, academic service, and professional development. The faculty member shall organize the materials in the Evaluative File in order to make their accomplishments in all three areas clear and understood. The prepared Evaluative File shall include a table of contents, a self-evaluation, and remaining materials organized into sections. The organizational approach may be accomplished by type or topic (student evaluations, year-end reports, etc.), or chronologically, or however else the faculty member desires. A three-ring binder shall be used to facilitate this process of Evaluative File preparation. The Rank and Tenure Committee shall select faculty mentors from among their membership to assist candidates with the preparation of their Evaluative File.

When faculty members review and reorganize their Evaluative Files, no content may be removed. If an item is in the file by error, the Vice President for Academic Affairs may approve the removal of the item, but any such removal shall be rare and clearly documented.

For interim review and tenure, the Evaluative File shall include the following information on teaching effectiveness, academic service, and professional development:

• A statement of the candidate’s professional goals, created in consultation with the Division Chair.
• A self-evaluation (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Yearly letters of evaluation from the Division Chair (see policy 3620) and from the Director of Nursing when nursing faculty are under review. The Division Chair’s (and Director of Nursing, when applicable) letter of evaluation provided in the year of interim review or tenure consideration shall include a statement of the degree to which the Chair (or Director of Nursing, when applicable) supports a positive interim review or tenure decision. The faculty member shall have an opportunity to review and sign this letter prior to its submission to the Evaluative File.
• Compilations of student evaluations (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Compilations of peer evaluations of service (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Candidate’s Year-End Reports (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Other materials related to teaching, service, or professional development that the candidate wishes to include.

For promotion review, the Evaluative File shall contain the following information on teaching effectiveness, academic service, and professional development:

• A self-evaluation (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• A letter of evaluation from the Division Chair (see policy 3620) and from the Director of Nursing, when nursing faculty are under review, provided in the year of the promotion review, which shall include a statement of the degree to which the Chair (or Director of Nursing, when applicable) supports a positive promotion decision.
• Compilations of student evaluations (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration. 
• Compilations of peer evaluations of service (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Candidate’s Year-End Reports (see policy 3620) for the period appropriate to the decision under consideration.
• Other materials related to teaching, service, or professional development that the candidate wishes to include.

III. Procedures for Evaluation
The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall set the schedule of the Rank and Tenure Committee in consultation with its members. Each member of the Committee shall examine the appropriate Evaluative File prior to the scheduled meeting.

A quorum of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall consist of six voting members. No proxies are permitted.

1. Procedures for Interim Review
   The Rank and Tenure Committee shall conduct an interim review of all full-time faculty during the fall semester of their third year of service at the College. This review is mandatory, the purpose being to assist the faculty in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses in performance. The Committee shall follow all procedures for tenure, including the Peer Evaluation of Academic Service process (see policy 3620 "Documents and Procedures Used for Evaluation") and a review of the Evaluative File (see section II. of this policy) which must include a self-evaluation (see policy 3620 "Documents and Procedures Used for Evaluation") except that no vote is taken. The Committee shall report the results of this interim review to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for communication to the faculty member, the appropriate Division Chair, and the President. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall meet with the faculty member and his or her Division Chair to discuss the findings of the interim review and to assist in the formulation of plans and goals for further professional growth and development for tenure.
   
   
2. Procedures for Consideration for Tenure
   The Rank and Tenure Committee shall discuss the appointment at hand, referring to the “Faculty Evaluation in General” (see policy 3600), the “Documents and Procedures Used for Evaluation” (see policy 3620), as well as “Faculty Responsibilities” (see policy 3300) recognized in these Faculty Employment Policies.
   
   If the Committee does not feel it has sufficient information on which to base its decision, it may ask the candidate to provide additional information in writing or in person.
   
   All votes shall be by private ballot with no abstentions allowed. A simple majority of the Committee membership determines all recommendations. All Committee recommendations are treated as Committee, rather than individual, conclusions, and the votes shall remain confidential.
   
   Recommendations of the Rank and Tenure Committee go to the President of the College. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall also make a recommendation to the President. If the Vice President’s recommendation differs from that of the Committee, the Vice President shall discuss his/her reasons with the Committee prior to forwarding the recommendation to the President.
   
   The President may meet with the Committee and/or the Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to making a final decision. The President shall, within fourteen (14) calendar days, notify the candidate of the final decision. Typically, this will be before the end of April.
   
   
3. Procedures for Consideration for Promotion in Rank
   Faculty members who desire consideration for promotion shall consult with their Division Chair to determine that the candidate has met the criteria for promotion to the appropriate rank (see policy 3520 "Requirements for Tenure and Promotion").
   
   
   1. Nomination by a member of the ranked faculty
      Prior to October 15, a faculty member may be nominated for promotion in rank by any member of the ranked faculty. In this case, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall notify the candidate and the candidate’s Chair prior to November 1 or as soon thereafter as possible.
      
      
   2. Self-nomination
      Prior to October 15, a faculty member may request consideration for promotion via self-nomination. In this case, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall notify the candidate’s Chair prior to November 1 or as soon thereafter as possible.
      
      At any point in the promotion process, the faculty member may elect in writing (to the Vice President for Academic Affairs) to withdraw from consideration.
      
      For promotion consideration, the candidate’s Evaluative File should be completed by February 1. See Appendix G for the timetable for interim review, promotion, and tenure. The Rank and Tenure Committee shall review promotion candidates following the same procedure as for tenure.
      
      
4. Procedures for Appeal of a Tenure Decision
   The faculty member denied tenure may, if desired, initiate a contest before the Board of Trustees under the procedures as set forth in the Rules of Practice, adopted by the Board of Trustees, pursuant to the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act of 1965 and as amended found in Chapter 3 of Title 16, specifically 16-3-107 through 16-3-112 which can be found at https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title16.pdf.
   
   
5. Procedures for Professor Emeritus
   The faculty member or administrator who wants to nominate a candidate for Professor Emeritus shall send the nomination to the academic division of the candidate. The division shall make its recommendation in writing to the Rank and Tenure Committee prior to November 1 of the year of nomination. The President, upon the recommendation of the Rank and Tenure Committee, shall designate and appoint a Professor Emeritus.

Revised & Adopted 04/10/2017