12.8 Promotion and Tenure Committee
12.8.1 Function
The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be responsible for evaluating the qualifications of all tenure/tenure-track and library faculty Candidates for promotion and/or tenure and all Candidates for tenured employment and providing advice and recommendations thereon to the Provost. The University Promotion and Tenure Committee represents the Mines faculty as a whole and is intended to provide a university-wide evaluation of a colleague's suitability for promotion and/or tenure. The responsibility of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee is to: (i) examine the evidence presented in each Candidate’s dossier, including the recommendations of the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee and Department Head, in relation to the appropriate criteria established by the institution; (ii) ensure that consistent standards are applied to all Candidates; and (iii) make a written recommendation to the Provost regarding the Candidate's suitability for promotion and/or tenure.
12.8.2 Membership
The Committee shall consist of seven full-time and tenured Professors, or full-time Librarians. Neither multiple members from the same academic department nor Department Heads shall be permitted to serve on the committee.
12.8.3 Method of Operation
The Provost shall appoint the chairperson of the Promotion and Tenure Committee. A committee member who is a member of the same department as a promotion and/or tenure Candidate under consideration shall be excluded from all participation in the discussion and voting of the committee with regard to that Candidate. The committee shall meet at least once during the spring semester and at any other time deemed necessary by the Provost. At least four members must be present at a meeting to constitute a quorum sufficient to permit the committee to conduct its business. A majority vote of members present at a meeting shall be required for any action taken at the meeting to constitute an official act of the committee. All disputed procedural issues that arise regarding the conduct of the meetings of the committee shall be resolved according to the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
12.8.4 Method of Appointment
Promotion and Tenure Committee members shall be appointed by the Provost from a list of nominees provided by the Faculty Senate. The list shall include at least twice as many names as there are vacancies on the committee. If, on account of unavoidable absence from campus, illness, or recusal, a member becomes unavailable to serve and the committee finds that it has difficulty fulfilling the quorum requirement, the committee may request the Provost to appoint an alternate member to substitute for the unavailable member. The alternate member shall serve in the stead of the unavailable member for the duration of the period of unavailability.
12.8.5 Terms of Appointment
All Promotion and Tenure Committee members shall serve staggered three-year terms. A minimum of three years must elapse before a former member may be re-appointed to the committee.