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Promotion & Tenure Resources

Advance Your Career

We have created a series of short videos offering advice on topics ranging from how to answer specific questions, to common ways to package your application, to tips for getting started

Before you begin, you should read Article IX Sec. 4 of our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Short Videos:

Promotion Process Open to All

Contract language allows any member who thinks he/she has met the standards for promotion to apply. Members are no longer held back by the three-years-in-rank requirement. The 4Cs encourages members to apply. To help you put an application together, we offer the suggestions below.

Writing a Successful Promotion Application

Before you begin your promotion application, read Article XII of our Contract. Call the union office if you have any questions.

Your Professional File is Important

Check what’s in your Professional File prior to writing a promotion application. Your file will be reviewed by the Promotion Committee.

Your file should include general evaluations, classroom evaluations, and ratings from student evaluations; letters from college committees thanking you for serving; college merit awards; additional responsibilities proposals; any disciplinary records; and miscellaneous information that you have asked to be included.

You can request that items be added to your file such as community awards, published materials, thank you notes for speaking engagements, and so forth. You can also attach your own written response to anything negative in your file. Article VIII of the Contract specifies how your professional file is maintained.

Many members also include appendices of materials that are not in the professional file, such as letters from students, letters of appreciation from colleagues, outside agencies, or supervisors, any manuals or reports they may have written, any publicity they may have received.

The Promotion Application:

1. Include Information from the Entire Period. On your application, include accomplishments that happened since your previous promotion (but not activities that predate your last promotion). You may need to remember what you were doing three or more years ago. You’ll want to be specific about what happens in your classroom or in your job. Think about new software you’ve learned to use, additional training you’ve sought out, or instructional aids you are using. Think about extracurricular activities you have done both on campus and in the community. Have you been an advocate for the college either at the State Capitol or in the community? Have you been an advisor to student clubs? Additional responsibility forms and reports may help you remember.

2. CCPs Refer to Job Description. Members of the Promotion Committee may not be familiar with the range of duties for every CCP position. Make sure when filling out the application that you relate your activities to your written job description. Make sure you communicate the extent and range of your efforts. Some members of the committee will have no idea what your specific job entails.

3. Faculty Promotions. As an Instructor seeking promotion to Assistant Professor, focus on classroom achievements. For subsequent promotions, you’ll want to show more effort in contributions to the college and the community.

The most difficult promotion is the one from Associate to Full Professor. To be promoted to Professor, an applicant must show “academic leadership”. This usually requires showing extra effort.

4. Stress Community Service and Professional Development. If you volunteer in your community, hold a local elected position, serve on local boards or commissions, or participate in other community activities, these activities can enhance your promotion application. Even though you are not serving as a representative of the college, your work reflects positively on the college and is good for the community college system.

Mention attendance at Center for Teaching functions, presentations at conferences and/or at other community colleges, staying up to date in your field through professional development, continuing education, and any additional degrees.

5. Ask a Colleague for Advice. Ask a colleague or two to review your application before you submit it to the Committee. Colleagues may remember additional projects or accomplishments, can make sure your writing is clear, and can offer suggestions based on how the process works on your campus.

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