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Clay, R. A. (2018, January 1). The tenure process. Monitor on Psychology, 49(7). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/07-08/tenure-process

  • As soon as you're hired for a tenure-track position, the clock starts ticking. You'll typically go up for tenure review—and promotion to associate professor—in your sixth year at an institution.
  • You'll submit a dossier that includes such items as your publications, grant funding, list of courses taught, sample syllabi, student evaluations and a summary of your service to your department, institution and field.
  • You'll also submit a list of possible external evaluators; your department will generate its own list, and the chair will winnow the names down to half a dozen or so.
  • There are typically two layers of decision-making—an initial decision by tenured faculty in your department and then layers of decision-makers outside your discipline, who may include a college-wide tenure and promotion committee, dean, provost and university president. At some schools, the board of trustees must also approve the decision. —Rebecca A. Clay

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