8.2 Teaching Faculty

The procedures described in this section apply to Teaching Faculty in academic departments and in University Honors and Scholars Programs (UHSP). For UHSP promotions, the UHSP Executive Director will fulfill the role and responsibilities of the Department Head, and the duties typically assigned to the Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee will be the responsibility of the University Honors Teaching Faculty Promotion committee comprised as set forth in the Teaching Faculty member’s employment contract.

8.2.1 Criteria for Promotion

Promotion in teaching rank is based on the quality of a faculty member’s overall performance in teaching, service and scholarship. [The minimum qualifications for teaching faculty are set forth in Section 4.4.]

For promotion to the rank of teaching associate professor the following criteria must be met:

1. high level of proficiency in the faculty member’s subject area,
2. development of high-quality curricular and instructional materials,
3. mastery of effective instructional methods, and
4. service to Mines including membership in institutional and/or departmental committees and/or participation in activities aimed at recruitment or retention of students, such as individual and group advising and development of promotional materials.

In addition to these criteria, for promotion to the rank of teaching professor the following criteria must be met:

5. demonstration of leadership, which may include developing upper-level courses, coordinating courses, mentoring junior faculty, and/or coordinating program-wide efforts to assess and evaluate student learning outcomes,
6. demonstration of knowledge and application of existing discipline-specific educational research, and
7. significant service to Mines in the categories defined above

Finally, the following criteria may also be considered, but do not have to be met, for promotion to either teaching associate professor or teaching professor:

8. publications related to educational and/or scholarly activities, and
9. significant participation in local, national, or international professional organizations.

The decision whether or not to promote a faculty member lies solely within the discretion of the Board.

8.2.2 Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee

The Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee reviews the promotion application taking into account the standards and practices of the candidate’s discipline and the curricular needs and norms of the department or program, as well as familiarity with the Candidate’s teaching, interaction with students and colleagues, and contribution to the department or program. While it is the responsibility of the Department Head to facilitate the development of faculty in the department, candidates are encouraged to seek broader input and guidance from members of their Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee. 

At the time of application for promotion, the Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee shall examine the candidate's dossier and: (i) in relation to guidelines and criteria established by the institution, evaluate the Candidate's suitability for promotion; and (ii) make a written recommendation to the Department Head regarding the candidate's suitability for promotion. The Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee shall determine the process followed in producing this recommendation.

For consideration of promotion applications from Teaching Faculty members, the Departmental Promotion Committee will include all Tenured and Teaching Faculty with at least a 0.5 FTE appointment in the department with rank equal to or greater than the rank that the faculty member is pursuing. No Committee shall include Department Heads or faculty members on transitional appointments. In departments with fewer than three Teaching Faculty members at the required rank, the Department Head shall consult with the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee and the Associate Provost, and select Teaching Faculty members from other departments to bring the total number of Teaching Faculty representatives to three. Non-departmental members of the Departmental Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee shall serve one-year terms and must be approved by the Dean overseeing the host department.

8.2.3 Promotion Application Process

At the time a promotion is desired, it is the responsibility of the faculty member, in consultation with his or her Department Head, to submit a formal promotion application with appropriate supporting documentation to Mines for promotion review pursuant to the process specified in Section 8.2.4 below.

8.2.4 Promotion Review Process

The following is an outline of the promotion review process for all teaching faculty at Mines:

1. Candidates must submit applications (i.e., dossiers) to their Department Head. Academic Affairs shall disseminate the required format of the dossier, and the submission and promotion review process deadlines prior to the close of each Spring semester.
2. The Department Head shall convene the departmental Promotion Committee as defined in Section 8.2.2, transmit the dossier to the committee, and appoint a committee member to chair deliberations.
3. The Departmental Promotion Committee shall examine the dossier and prepare a written recommendation including the results of the vote that becomes part of the dossier. In the case of a split vote, the written recommendation(s) must reflect all viewpoints. The dossier shall be forwarded to the Department Head.
4. The Department Head shall prepare a written recommendation that becomes part of the dossier. The Department Head shall share her/his recommendation and the recommendation(s) of the Departmental Promotion Committee with the Candidate. Prior to sharing the recommendations with the Candidate, information that could disclose the identities of external reviewers or individual committee members shall be redacted. The Candidate may respond to the recommendations in order to correct factual errors. This response must be provided in writing to the Department Head within three (3) business days. This response shall be included in the dossier before being forwarded to the next level for review.
5. The Department Head shall forward the dossier to the Dean(s) overseeing the Candidate’s department or departments in the event of a split appointment. The Dean(s) shall review the dossier and prepare a written recommendation. This recommendation is added to the Candidate’s dossier, which is then forwarded to the Provost for transmission to the University Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee.
6. The University Teaching Faculty Promotion Committee shall conduct a thorough and independent review of the dossier and prepare a written recommendation for the Provost.
7. The Provost shall review the entire dossier and submit his or her recommendation to the President. In assessing the dossiers, the Provost may confer with any other parties who have relevant information on a pending application.
8. The President shall convey the Provost’s recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which has the final authority to grant or deny promotion for each candidate.
9. If a need for clarification arises at any stage of the review process, any of the parties reviewing the dossier (Department Head, Department Promotion Committee, etc.) may contact the Candidate to request more information, which shall be included in writing in the dossier before proceeding to the next step of the review process. In addition, a reviewing party may request clarification from any previous reviewer who has evaluated the dossier.
10. The Provost shall provide written notification to each Candidate of the results of his or her promotion application. Decisions shall be reflected in the official records of Mines. Any compensation adjustments resulting from a favorable decision shall be made effective at the beginning of the next academic year. However, Candidates may begin professional use of their new status, faculty rank, and exercise the responsibilities of the new rank immediately. Written recommendations produced by the Deans and the University Committee may, upon candidate request, be made available at the conclusion of the review process.
11. In the case of an unfavorable decision, an applicant may appeal the decision pursuant to the Promotion and Tenure Decision Appeal Procedure set forth in Section 8.5.