This does not constitute an employment contract. 

DPAP Promotion and Tenure Guidelines 

Criteria for Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor and Full Professor, Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty 

General Expectations for Promotion to Associate or Full Professor 

Approved by the Office of the Provost, February 19, 2024 

Successful candidates for P&T to the rank of associate professor are expected to demonstrate excellence in research, as well as the likelihood of continuing that excellence. They do this by publishing high-quality scholarship in refereed outlets, by achieving emerging recognition as nationally or internationally known experts in their fields of specialization, and by producing evidence of a research program that is likely to continue in the future, as well as by demonstrating effective performance in teaching and service. Successful candidates for promotion to full professor are expected to demonstrate national or international recognition as authorities in their fields and exhibit strong likelihood of maintaining and enhancing that stature into the future. 

In assessing the qualifications of a candidate for promotion and/or tenure, the following relative weight should ordinarily be ordered in the following manner: (a) research/publication will be given priority over teaching; (b) teaching effectiveness is a necessity for promotion/and or tenure, but it will not be a sufficient condition by itself; (c) contributions to public/university/department service are necessary but should be considered of lesser importance than research/publication and teaching effectiveness for P&T decisions. 

Research 

DPAP aims to be among the top five public administration/public management and policy departments in the country. Accordingly, high profile, influential (in their field of research and in the practice of public administration and policy), and rigorous scholarship are expected of all faculty, especially as they accumulate increasing numbers of years of service. Scholarship may be anchored in a faculty member’s disciplinary education and training and should appear in respected peer-reviewed outlets appropriate for their discipline and subjects. Faculty may focus scholarship on a range of public administration, public management, public policy, and nonprofit management topics and find appropriate outlets for these works. 

Basic responsibilities in the area of research/scholarship include the following: 

• Faculty members are expected to remain current in the research and scholarly literature in public administration and policy and their subfields. Evidence of such currency is found in an active and productive research program. 

• Faculty members maintain an active research program of scholarly publications and presentations. 

• Faculty members are expected to seek research grants to support scholarly activity when appropriate, available, and conducive to professional development and P&T. Opportunity costs and probabilities of success in competing for grants and/or contracts vary across fields, subfields, and grant funding opportunities. These costs should be weighed in deciding to pursue funding opportunities and should not negatively affect advancing research productivity and impact, especially for junior faculty. 

In assessing the quality and quantity of published works, DPAP is guided by the following considerations: 

1. At the most general level, greatest weight will be given to published high-quality work with demonstrated scholarly and academic impact. Impact on practice will also be valued. 

2. With this in mind, the following list of publication outlets and formats provides a guide to departmental evaluation of publications: 

• Articles in refereed journals, with top-tier journals – those with the highest influence, impact and prominence in the field or subfield – given greater weight than second- or third-tier journals. 

• Books reflecting original scholarship and research (with university presses normally given higher weight than commercial presses). 

• Edited scholarly books. 

• Original chapters in scholarly books. 

• Textbooks. 

• Refereed reports and working papers issued by recognized institutions, such as private independent research organizations (e.g., the Brookings Institution) or government agencies (e.g., the National Science Foundation).   

3. Our fields (public administration and public policy) value both single- and multi-authored publications. In evaluating multi-authored publications, the candidate should provide information describing the extent of their participation in research and writing of the publication (e.g., senior authorship? junior authorship? methodologist? etc.). This is not designed to discourage collaboration with colleagues at AU or at other research institutions. It is designed solely to assess a candidate’s contribution to the research and writing of the publication. We also recognize that different fields may have different norms related to authorship and its order, in the case of collaborative projects. Furthermore, as a multi-disciplinary department, DPAP acknowledges work in cross-disciplinary and intellectually diverse research teams.  

4. Emphasis in reviewing a file for action will be given to work completed while at American University. For candidates bringing in substantial credit toward tenure, the balance can be adjusted accordingly. 

5. Evidence of a future research trajectory will be evaluated and be given considerable weight. 

6. If a publication is not already in print and a candidate wants it to be considered relevant to assessing qualifications for tenure, the following guidelines must be met: 

a. If an article, a copy of the completed manuscript with a letter from the journal editor must be provided stating when it will be published without substantial revisions; 

b. If a book or edited book, a copy of the completed manuscript must be provided along with a letter from the publisher or editor stating that the manuscript will be published without substantial revisions in less than twelve months from the date of submission of the written statement and file for action. 

7. The date of submission of the file for action to the department is the last relevant date for reporting publication of scholarship, other than updates regarding publication acceptances of materials already referenced in the file (as provided in the CFA’s “Instructions for Submitting Files for Action” memo). 

8. The candidate is encouraged to provide, and the department should consider in its assessment, diverse and complementary metrics for research excellence for the outlets (such as journals or book publishers) and for individual publications (such as peer-reviewed articles, books or book chapters) in those outlets. For example, journal-level metrics may include journal impact factors and rankings within respective categories, as well as metrics such as SJR, H-5-Index or CiteScore, and information supplied by the editors, such as acceptance rates, or affiliation with prominent professional associations in the field. Examples of publication-level metrics include, but are not limited to, research awards, citations and downloads, positive book reviews published in recognized research outlets, and other. 

9. DPAP honors and supports inclusive excellence and the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in scholarship (as reflected in the 2023 Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) self-study). The department acknowledges the role of disseminating research using non-traditional outlets that are open source, electronic, or similarly accessible to practitioners and the general public, as well as other open practices such as putting manuscripts in repositories, pre-registering protocols, or making research data or other materials openly available. DPAP also acknowledges community-based scholarship that centers participants as collaborators. However, as stated above, greatest weight is given to original published high-quality work with demonstrated scholarly and academic impact in prominent outlets listed above (refereed journals, books, and others).   

Teaching and Advising 

Candidates for promotion and/or tenure are expected to be effective teachers. Teaching includes not only formal classroom instruction but also advising and mentoring of students in both required and concentration areas in our programs, including PhD students through the examination and dissertation processes, as well as joint research. Teaching may also include: 

• Field and non-credit instruction 

• Supervision of research, student internships, professional practice, clinical practice, and doctoral dissertations 

• Co-authorship with graduate students 

• Teaching executive program students 

• The improvement and enrichment of course offerings and other instructional activities within the faculty member’s discipline or profession 

• Participation in interdisciplinary courses and other units of the university 

• Development of other instructional materials to enhance education in the faculty member’s discipline or profession 

• Overseeing online teaching as a course developer 

A base level of expectation for all tenure-track and tenured faculty on teaching performance includes consistently positive performance each year in each of the following: 

• Teach graduate courses as needed by the department (or undergraduate courses if the department’s strategic plan takes it in this direction) 

• Courses must be designed to meet the curriculum of the department 

• Classroom materials must be up-to-date 

• Course outlines and syllabi must be provided for each course in a timely way (e.g., ready before the beginning of any semester). These documents should clearly state course and learning objectives and relate those objectives to the students’ overall preparation in the degree program (i.e., learning outcomes or competencies for MPA and MPP programs, etc.) 

• Faculty members are expected to: 

 

1. Prepare and present course activities in the classroom or online utilizing accepted educational methods 

2. Be available to students for advising and consultation both in person and online in a timely and responsive way 

3. Design teaching materials that meet the curriculum and the instructional rigor of the department  

4. Provide students with information on how student performance in the class will be evaluated; changes should be made rarely and not be made lightly 

5. Inform students in a timely fashion if they plan to change evaluation criteria during the semester, why they are changing evaluation criteria, and why students will not be adversely affected 

6. Provide timely, fair, and objective numerical and substantive feedback on their performance in the class during the semester and at the end of the semester; grades must be posted in accordance with university policies and procedures 

7. Always treat students with courtesy and respect; all faculty must act in accordance with student rights, including, but not limited to, academic freedom and those rights as outlined in the student manual 

8. Work on aligning course content, educational materials and delivery with the department’s diversity, equity and inclusion values, as outlined in MPA and MPP Programs’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plans. This may involve attention to removing bias, inequity, burdens or barriers to learning for diverse, underrepresented and/or vulnerable student groups. 

All files for action must include a teaching portfolio consistent with the American University Guidance on Teaching Portfolios, as outlined here:  

• https://www.american.edu/provost/academicaffairs/upload/beyond-sets-condensed-guidance-feb-2022.pdf  

•  https://www.american.edu/provost/academicaffairs/upload/au-teaching-portfolio-tenure_promotions2.pdf   

In addition, the candidates may present, and the department should consider, a range of evidence of effective teaching as presented in the teaching portfolio, which may include but is not limited to a combination of the following: 

• Students’ qualitative comments (if these are presented for a given course, all comments from the course should be presented). 

• Statement of teaching philosophy 

• Course documents, such as syllabi or assignments 

• Evidence of efforts to improve teaching such as teaching conference participation 

• Evidence of course updates/development 

• Evidence of innovative use of technology 

• Documentation of student mentoring and joint research  

• Peer observations, evaluations, and feedback 

• Honors or special recognitions for teaching accomplishments 

• Development or significant revision of programs and courses 

• Other evidence of teaching accomplishments and/or innovations 

• Publication activities related to teaching 

• Grants related to teaching 

• Election to offices, committee activities, and other important service to professional associations and learned societies, including editorial work and peer review as related to teaching 

The evidence regarding teaching performance should demonstrate clearly that the faculty member is strongly committed to becoming a highly effective teacher and adviser and is likely to achieve that goal.  

As members of a PhD granting department, public administration and policy faculty are expected to serve on dissertation committees and otherwise contribute to doctoral education. 

Service 

No department or university can properly fulfill its mission and responsibilities unless all faculty are willing to devote time and effort to professional activity, committee activity, program and coordination tasks, special projects, etc. The privileges associated with faculty membership carry a reciprocal responsibility for periodic service to various departmental, college, university, or external functions. A record of positive, consistent, and engaged performance in department, college, university, professional, and/or community service is requisite to a favorable tenure or promotion decision. 

The department recognizes that the expectations associated with research, publication, professional activities, and teaching reduce the departmental, school, and university demands that should be made on tenure-track faculty. Accordingly, department committee assignments and other service-associated activities must normally be adjusted to reasonable amounts commensurate with a faculty member’s years in service and progress toward P&T. The department chair should consult with faculty mentoring committees in determining these allocations. Equally, a tenure-track faculty member should work with their mentoring committee and Chair to restrict service activity beyond the department to those areas that will not affect performance in meeting the expectations and requirements for research, publication, and teaching. Although some record of service is expected of all candidates for tenure or promotion, it does not provide sufficient basis for tenure or promotion in the absence of satisfactory performance in teaching and research/publication, as specified above. Examples of internal service include, but are not limited to, departmental, school or university-level committee assignments and other service in support of the department, school and university missions. Examples of external service include, but are not limited to, service to professional associations and journals, advising of public or nonprofit agencies, and non-academic publications (e.g., policy briefs, op-eds, and media contributions) to help disseminate research to practitioners and the general public. While the balance between internal and external service may vary, some internal service is required of all faculty.  

The faculty, through their service, should consider contributing to 

• removing bias, inequity, burdens or barriers to any underrepresented and/or vulnerable groups within academia or professional community; 

• improving accessibility of own research to non-scholarly audiences, such as practitioners or ordinary citizens.  

I. Promotion to Associate Professor 

In addition to the expectations above, the following hold for promotion to Associate Professor: 

A. Research 

Successful candidates for promotion to the rank of associate professor are expected to demonstrate excellence in research, as well as the likelihood of continuing that excellence. They do this by publishing high-quality scholarship in refereed outlets, by achieving emerging recognition as nationally or internationally known experts in their fields of specialization, and by producing evidence of a research program that is likely to continue in the future, as well as by demonstrating effective performance in teaching and service. 

The department also expects the scholarly records of candidates for P&T to associate professor to: 

• Be recognized and reviewed favorably by members of the national or international scholarly community in the candidate’s area(s) of specialization and in the broader areas of public administration and policy. 

• Meet the norms for P&T that prevail at other leading schools of public administration and policy (i.e., top ten programs). 

• Be consistent with the department mission. 

B. Teaching 

At the time of candidacy for P&T to associate professor, the evidence should demonstrate unequivocally that the faculty member is an effective teacher and adviser of graduate students in an interdisciplinary, graduate professional (Masters) or research (PhD) programs. 

Junior tenure-track faculty are advised to participate only minimally serving on dissertation and examination committees. A more demanding role for a junior faculty member might be necessary on occasions such as when a PhD student is conducting research closely linked to the junior faculty member’s own research interest. But even in these instances, the junior faculty member is advised to assume a secondary role on a dissertation committee if he or she was judged in the most recent annual review to have serious teaching-advising or scholarly deficiencies.  

A more demanding role as a member of one or more dissertation committees each year is expected of a tenure-track faculty member as they approach the tenure decision—especially if there are PhD students whose research can benefit from the special competencies of the faculty member. But in no case is a tenure-track faculty member expected to chair a dissertation committee, except under the most unusual circumstances. 

Likewise, with increasing years of service, clear progress in meeting department standards for teaching and scholarship is expected. Each tenure-track faculty member is also expected to assume increasing responsibility for engagement with students outside the classroom and engaging doctoral students, in particular, in joint research. 

C. Service 

See base level service expectations for all tenure-track and tenured faculty members above in the service section. 

II. Promotion to Full Professor 

In addition to the expectations above, the following hold for promotion to Full Professor: 

A. Research 

Successful candidates for promotion to full professor are expected to demonstrate national or international recognition as among the leading scholars in their areas of expertise and exhibit strong likelihood of maintaining and enhancing that stature into the future. 

A candidate for promotion to full professor should have consistently published articles of high quality in respected refereed professional journals or books, and there should be other demonstrable evidence that scholarly research activity is continuing. Scholarship, including basic and applied research, means in-depth study in a specific field leading to contributions to knowledge in that field. Scholarship—as measured by peer recognition of its originality, impact on, and importance to the development of the field—is demonstrated most typically by refereed publications, such as journal articles and books of high quality, as well as citation rates of the candidate’s research, research awards, and speaking invitations at other universities. 

B. Teaching 

For candidates for promotion to full professor, the evidence regarding teaching performance should demonstrate clearly that the faculty member is a highly effective teacher. Teaching includes not only formal classroom instruction but also advising and mentoring of students in both required and concentration areas in our programs, including PhD students, through the examination and dissertation processes, such as serving on dissertation committees, chairing dissertation committees, and conducting joint research. Teaching may also include activities mentioned in the general promotion criteria above in this section. 

See base level expectations for promotion for all tenure-track and tenured faculty members above.  

C. Service 

A record of positive, consistent, and engaged performance in department, college, university, professional, and/or community service is requisite to a favorable promotion decision. To assure strong and effective faculty governance, tenured members of the faculty have a special responsibility to contribute to the health of their department, school, university, and profession. To merit promotion to the rank of full professor, a candidate must therefore have a record of active and constructive contributions to faculty governance at different levels of the university community, and to one’s discipline and profession. The candidate should have a record that demonstrates a willingness and ability to provide both service and leadership in service. 

The faculty, through their service, should consider contributing to 

• removing bias, inequity, burdens or barriers to any underrepresented and/or vulnerable groups within academia or professional community; 

• improving accessibility of own research to non-scholarly audiences, such as practitioners or ordinary citizens.