Posted on May 2, 2020 by Tabatha Coleman

From: FPC
Spring 2020

The Faculty Personnel Committee met on Monday, April 6th to discuss the impact of COVID-19, the transition we have made to online teaching for Spring 2020, and the changes that this has necessitated— and may continue to require—on the faculty. In light of the alterations in all our lives; the possibility of on-going disruptions to teaching, service, and research; and our profound concern for our untenured and contingent colleagues, FPC has adopted the following measures:

1. FPC will NOT consider any course evaluations from Spring 2020. This would not preclude a candidate from discussing their teaching during Spring 2020 in their personal statement, or from including the evaluations in their supplementary materials, if they so choose. For FPC, however, it will be as though such evaluations do not exist.
2. FPC recognizes that our untenured colleagues are all different, are in various stages in their journeys toward tenure, and face varying life circumstances. We are eager to support our colleagues wherever they are, and we recognize that this means that there is no single solution that will accommodate them. We also do not know how long it may take for regular life to resume. Therefore, FPC proposes that this year is an “extra” year. That is, it does not need to count, and for those who choose, they can pause the tenure clock for a year if they choose (as one might for the birth of a child, for instance). This could look different, depending on the person, such as:
   1. A candidate in the second year of service might feel very confident, and choose to stand for their third-year review in academic year 2020-2021, as normal.
   2. A candidate in the second year of service might find that outcomes from this spring and summer seriously inhibit their ability to do any scholarship, and chooses to stop the tenure clock. They stand for a third-year review instead in 2021-2022.
   3. A candidate in the second year of service currently feels confident and stands for a third-year review in 2020-2021. Yet, in the following year they find that circumstances attributable the current crisis (say, a press where a manuscript has been accepted shuts down permanently) means they are not well positioned for tenure. They may then stop the tenure clock for a year and come up for a tenure review a year later than originally planned.

N.B. The hypothetical second-year candidate is just an example. This policy would apply to all pre-tenure colleagues at whatever stage of the process they currently find themselves.

FPC merely requests that all pre-tenure faculty confirm with the provost’s office before the end of the fiscal year (June 30) whether they intend to remain on their current schedule or prefer to stop the tenure clock for a year. Current untenured colleagues will have the option to do this each year prior to the time they stand for tenure.

We hope that our colleagues will find this a fair and supportive policy. We know that you have so many unexpected responsibilities and profound concerns about those you care for and the world we inhabit. We also know that this crisis is not over and may not be over for some time. If circumstances should change for the worse, please know that we would, of course, emend even this policy to address new, emergent concerns.