The normal provisional tenure period is 10 years at the College of Medicine, with the decision being made as a part of the ninth-year review. In order to consider individuals for tenure prior to this period, a strong case must be presented. The number of years and achievements beyond the completion of the doctoral degree (or the highest professional degree in the discipline) are key factors in early tenure considerations. In some instances, there may be unusual or extenuating circumstances that may merit consideration of early tenure. If this is the case, the following procedures should be followed.
Early Tenure Review Request Steps
- Department Chair submits the name of any candidate for early tenure review to the Office of Faculty Affairs at FacultyAffairs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu by the date shown in the annual promotion and tenure deadline memo. For these requests to be reviewed by the Dean and the Provost in time for the year’s review cycle, requests must be accompanied by the candidate’s current CV and a letter from the Department Chair presenting a strong justification for the request for an early tenure review, including any significant accomplishments achieved by the candidate that would support an early tenure review. Note: Prior to submitting the formal request to the Dean, Department Chairs should consult with the departmental promotion and tenure committee regarding the candidate’s eligibility for an early tenure review, and the committee’s concurrence with the request should be stated in the Chair’s letter to the Dean.
- Upon support of the request by the Dean, the Dean will submit the request to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, who will review each request on a case-by-case basis, and consult with the Executive Vice President and Provost. If the decision is to support the request to consider early tenure, the Dean will be advised to prepare the case for an early tenure review, without any guarantee that the candidate will receive tenure through an early review. If the decision is not to support the request, the Dean will be so advised with reasons for the evaluation.
- If a candidate is successful in receiving tenure through an early review process, he or she will be notified of the award of tenure at the time that all promotion and tenure decisions are released at the University level. If a candidate is not successful in receiving tenure through an early review process, he or she is not penalized in any way or disadvantaged from the normal tenure review sequence at a later time.
See AC23 Administrative Guidelines, Appendix H for more information.
Please direct any questions to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
Revisions
Revised November 2020
Revised April 2019
Formatting revised May 2017