On March 29, 2018 we reported that we had reached agreement on a correction for those supplemental letters of offer issued to tenure-track faculty members that were inconsistent with past practice.
Tenure-track junior faculty have historically had some choice about the P&T Guidelines to be applied in their evaluation. There was some confusion from junior faculty members in their first and second year about their reviews. We have corrected and replaced that previous MOA with this new MOA. The new MOA spells out a clear and consistent process for Assistant Professors in their first two years of employment on the tenure track.
The new agreement follows (the underlined is what was added).
PSU-AAUP will send the agreement to the faculty senate and recommend that appropriate changes be made to the University P&T Guidelines.
Agreement
1. This agreement applies to the Supplemental Offer Letters issued to Tenure Track faculty members with the above inconsistent language.
2. All Tenure Track faculty members issued Supplemental Offer Letters with the inconsistent language will receive this MOA, and this MOA shall become an addendum to their Supplemental Offer Letter.
3. The inconsistent language above in any Supplemental Offer Letter issued to a Tenure Track Faculty member is void.
4. All Promotion and Tenure guidelines approved by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) will show the date of OAA approval.
5. Starting in Fall 2018, Tenure Track faculty members that have a first or second year review can choose to be evaluated under the P&T guidelines in place at the time of hire (and as those requirements have been interpreted by the SCHOOL/COLLEGE/DEPT at the time of hire), or under the P&T guidelines in place at the time of their review. The member shall indicate the guidelines chosen at the beginning of their narrative.
6. Starting in Fall 2018 and applicable to those Tenure Track faculty members that have an upcoming 3rd year review, at the time a Tenure Track faculty member submits their materials for their 3rd year review, the member shall indicate at the beginning of their narrative that they choose to be evaluated under the University P&T Guidelines and Department P&T guidelines in place on their hiring date, or under the University P&T guidelines and Department P&T Guidelines that are in place at the time of the review. That choice will carry forward to the member’s subsequent reviews through to the tenure decision. The member shall indicate the approval date of the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines chosen in their narrative.
7. For Tenure Track faculty who have passed their 3rd year milestone as of September 2018, at the time a Tenure Track faculty member submits their materials for their 5th year for their next review in the tenure process, the member shall indicate at the beginning of their narrative that they choose to be evaluated under the University P&T Guidelines and Department P&T guidelines in place on their hiring date, or under the University P&T guidelines and Department P&T Guidelines that are in place at the time of the review. That choice will carry forward to the member’s subsequent reviews through to the tenure decision. The member shall indicate the approval date of the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines chosen in their narrative.
8. The Promotion and Tenure “Appraisal Signature Sheet and Recommendation Form” shall have a fill-in item added to the top of the form that indicates the Approval date of the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines indicated in paragraph 4.
9. The Portland State University Faculty Senate will be notified of this MOA and will be asked to incorporate this procedure in the University P&T Guidelines.
10. This MOU shall be an addendum to the parties CBA.
11. The parties will determine how to capture relevant elements of this MOA in the successor agreement to the 2015-19 CBA at the time of its negotiation