Minutes of a Regular Meeting, June 22-23, 2004 - Digital Collections

REGENTS’ POLICY MANUALSECTION 2—ACADEMICS(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)Tenure may be awarded to faculty members of high merit prior to the end of the pretenure period.An academic unit's recommendation to award tenure should be based on exceptional performance forat least two years at The University of Oklahoma. If tenure is not awarded, the faculty member may,subject to contract continuation or renewal, continue to serve in the pretenure period and beconsidered for tenure again without prejudice.Whenever a non-tenured part-time faculty member changes from part-time to full-time tenure-trackstatus, specific written understanding must be approved by the Senior Vice President and Provost asto how the period of part-time service will be counted toward satisfying the pretenure period fortenure.A maximum of one year of leave of absence without pay may be counted as part of the pretenureperiod, provided the chair of the academic unit in question records in writing the agreement with thefaculty member to count the leave of absence, including how the professional activities carried outduring the leave will be appropriately evaluated by the chair, and secures approval by the dean andSenior Vice President and Provost.If a tenure-track faculty member takes extended leave, the pretenure period prior to a tenure decisionmay be extended for one year at the written request of the faculty member with the approval of thechair of the academic unit, dean, and Senior Vice President and Provost.A faculty member at any rank who is denied tenure shall be retained until the end of the academicyear following that in which tenure was considered, (i.e. the terminal year) unless the facultymember is dismissed according to Section 3.12. An appeal of denial of tenure shall not have theeffect of extending the faculty member's terminal year.Under certain extraordinary circumstances due to the University's clinical care, service, or teachingobligations, a faculty member who has been denied tenure may be granted a consecutive term ortemporary appointment upon recommendation by the chair of the academic unit, dean, and SeniorVice President and Provost and approved by the Board of Regents.(l)Faculty members awarded tenure will normally commence their tenured appointments in theacademic year immediately following the Board of Regents' action.Criteria for the Tenure DecisionThe choices that the University makes in granting tenure are crucial to its endeavors toward academicexcellence. A decision to grant tenure must reflect an assessment of high professional competence andacademic performance measured against national standards in the discipline or professional area. Tenureshould never be regarded as a routine award based upon length of service.The tenure decision shall be based on a thorough evaluation of the candidate's total contribution to his/hercollege and the mission of the University and the candidate's adherence to the fundamentals of facultyaccountability as noted in Section 3.5. While specific responsibilities of faculty members may varybecause of special assignments or because of the particular mission of the academic unit, all evaluationsfor tenure shall address the manner in which each candidate has performed in:(1) Teaching (Section 3.6.1)(2) Research and Creative/Scholarly Activity (Section 3.6.2)(3) Professional and University Service and Public Outreach (Section 3.6.3)THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 44