This does not constitute an employment contract. 

Department of Environmental Science Faculty Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion 

Approved by the Provost, July 2, 2024

I. Guidelines for Tenure & Promotion

The goal of this document is to establish substantive and actionable criteria for reappointment, tenure and promotion to Associate Professor and promotion to Professor in the Department of Environmental Science. This document is a supplement to the minimum standards set forth in the University’s Faculty Manual and highlights instruments and metrics for evaluating a faculty member’s body of work as a scholar-teacher-community builder. A faculty member must demonstrate excellence in both teaching and scholarship to merit promotion; excellence in one will not make up for a deficiency in the other. Meaningful service to the department, the university, and the community at large is also expected, with those responsibilities increasing over time. The department recognizes the importance of pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our field, and we value DEI contributions in the realms of scholarship, teaching, and service. Progression from reappointment to tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, and to promotion to Professor should be marked by a record of excellence and ongoing development in the areas of scholarship, teaching, and service to the department, the university, and the community.

A. Scholarship

Evidence of quality scholarship typically includes three major components: publications, external funding support, and external reviews. Community science work, research focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in our field, and exceptional support of student scholarship (as evidenced by students winning awards, co-authoring papers, being admitted to competitive Ph.D. programs, etc.) also counts toward scholarship.

Publications should consist primarily of refereed journal articles but may also include books and book chapters. The candidate, especially in tenure-track service, is encouraged to target high quality refereed journals in their field as the primary outlet for their scholarly work. Recognizing the innate interdisciplinarity of Environmental Science, we value publications in any reputable, peer-reviewed journal, regardless of the journal’s discipline. Moreover, the format of the journal (print, electronic, or both) does not matter for the purposes of tenure and promotion.

Likewise, no single metric or formula can be applied to all candidates to assess the quality of scholarship. However, metrics such as total number of publications, number or first-author publications, number of publications authored by student advisees, journal impact factor, journal acceptance rate, journal’s ranking within its field, and the candidate’s total number of citations, h-index, and i10-index should be included to provide evidence of the quantity, quality and impact of the candidate’s scholarship. Although books and book chapters represent legitimate outlets for scholarship, the lack of tools for quantifying quality and impact make evaluating them problematic and hence less informative relative to journal articles. Similarly, publications in dictionaries, encyclopedias, the popular press, reviews of textbooks, trade magazine articles and conference proceedings also present challenges for assessment. This last group of outlets should be regarded as secondary to books or book chapters, which are themselves secondary to journal articles, especially for tenure-track faculty.

We consider community science, environmental justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and/or supporting student success in research to also be elements of scholarship, and exceptional contributions in these areas will strengthen a candidate’s record of scholarship. Exceptional contributions mean those above and beyond what a typical faculty member would be expected to do in the normal course of their work. Attending occasional DEI trainings, serving on the departmental DEI committee, and participating in one community science project are examples of typical (but still valuable) contributions. Examples of exceptional contributions include long-term, labor-intensive, and/or high-impact collaborations with community groups, taking a leadership role in DEI within AU or professional organizations, conducting scholarship about DEI within the field of environmental science, or demonstrating a record of supporting student success that stands out relative to other faculty in the department and the university.

To support a productive research program, all faculty should actively pursue significant external funding at levels appropriate for their field. External funding from nationally or internationally recognized and competitive sources will be taken as affirmation of the quality of the candidate’s scholarly activities. For tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, the candidate should have a record of external funding sufficient to support an active research program, preferably from nationally or internationally competitive sources.

To merit promotion to the rank of Professor, in addition to meeting the criteria for the rank of Associate Professor, the faculty must show an arc of scholarly activity that demonstrates continued growth in both the breadth and impact of their work. Supporting evidence should include a substantial publication record in high impact journals (evaluated using the same criteria as for promotion to Associate Professor) and may also include books or book chapters, as well as significant external funding, preferably from national or international, peer-reviewed, competitive sources, to support a range of scholarly activities including research, training, and capacity building. 

B. Teaching

Becoming an excellent teacher is an ongoing process, and new faculty members are expected to build a record of teaching excellence. Faculty members are encouraged to consult their mentors and department chair regarding their overall development as teachers.

Excellence in teaching results in students who have developed competencies in their core discipline and have acquired critical faculties for understanding not only advances in their own field, but also significant work in related disciplines.  It is not easily captured by any one measure. Thus, teaching will be evaluated based on a portfolio. Faculty should refer to the Dean of Faculty website for teaching portfolio guidelines and should consult with their department chair early and often to confirm that the guidelines are still current and resolve any uncertainties.

Evidence of strong teaching may include: high or improving SET scores, recognition of problems and documentation of steps taken to address them, thoughtful and effective efforts to create a more welcoming and inclusive classroom environment, development of new classes, development and implementation of experiential learning or community-based learning within classes, improvement of existing classes, incorporation of diversity and equity through course content and/or pedagogy, incorporating new or innovative teaching methods, and a record of mentoring students and contributing to their success. All of these evidence types may not apply to every faculty member.

To merit promotion to the rank of Professor, the candidate should have established a record of excellence in teaching across the departmental curriculum.

C. Service

Any academic institution flourishes by blending a variety of abilities, interests, and commitments. Indeed, ENVS regards service as an important aspect of professional development. Thus, a strong record of service will be essential for reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions. Tenure-track faculty seeking promotion to associate professor with tenure are expected to demonstrate their willingness and ability to perform service, such as participating in one or more departmental committees and peer reviewing for journals.  They are not expected or required to take on leadership service roles or to devote so much time to service that it detracts from their research or teaching.

To merit promotion to the rank of Professor, a candidate must have a record of willingness and ability in providing leadership in faculty governance at multiple levels of the university community, including but not limited to serving on and chairing Senate Committees, College Educational Policy Committees, and Ad-Hoc committees; serving as Department Chair; leading department reviews and assessments; and other meaningful work to improve the function of our academic community.  Leadership in professional societies and organizations, DEI and EJ work, and community engagement are also encouraged, particularly in the case of candidates seeking promotion to Professor. However, an outstanding service record will not make up for deficiencies in other areas.