Renewal, Promotion & Tenure

The promotion and tenure process is one of the most important tasks that faculty undertake in an institution of higher education, and follows the principles in sections 2.4 through 2.7 of the Faculty Handbook.  Over the last two years, the Provost Office and Colleges have collaborated to make the guidelines for renewal, promotion, and tenure accessible online in a detailed format.

In each Department, the Chairs are responsible for:

• Managing the reviews within the department;
• Making their own recommendations;
• Maintaining full dossiers on each candidate; and
• Ensuring complete materials are electronically submitted to the Provost and President for further review.

In support of the promotion and tenure process, Mason has invested in Interfolio’s Renewal, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) content management system. The Renewal, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) tool automates existing workflows and processes for faculty renewal, promotion and tenure into a unified content management system. This will streamline the RPT experience for candidates and reviewers at all levels within one secure and configurable system.

The migration to this online RPT content management system started in 2020. While the method of submitting the Required Promotion and/or Tenure (P&T) Dossier Template (Attachment #1 format) and the Procedural Checklist for Promotion and/or Tenure Candidates has changed, all promotion and/or tenure content requirements remain the same.

Each of the Schools/Colleges have had a representative on the RPT Implementation Team, and the team has met weekly over the academic year to build and test the system for your faculty. The automated system has afforded us the opportunity to take a closer look at timelines. You will see that the date for notification to the Office of the Provost has been moved to the end of spring semester. This happens automatically in the system once a case is created, so that candidates can start to build their case materials over the summer.

The Promotion & Tenure schedule for AY 2024-2025 can be found here. 

Below are the deadlines for submission of information to the Office of the Provost:

• By March 2024: All candidate names for promotion and tenure should be submitted by Chairs to the COS HR Project Manager.
• By May 2024: All cases for promotion and tenure will be created in the Interfolio system and candidates will be notified.
• By June 1, 2024: The candidate's CV and research/teaching statement needed to solicit external reviews are due in the Interfolio system. External reviewers will then be contacted. Those that agree to review will receive the full dossier upon completion.
• By August 26, 2024: All Candidate materials for promotion and tenure are due in the Interfolio system. 
• February 7, 2025: A dossier for each of your candidates should be fully reviewed by all committees and the Dean electronically via the Interfolio system.
• May 2025: The Board of Visitors will meet and act on Promotion and/or Tenure recommendations.

The Tenure-Track Renewal schedule for AY 2024-2025 can be found here. 

In accordance with section 2.7.2 of the Faculty Handbook, Tenure-Track Faculty will be evaluated for renewal during the third year of their initial, three-year appointment.

Below are the deadlines for submission of information to the Office of the Provost.

• By August 2024: All cases for tenure-track renewal should be created, by the Dean’s office, in the Interfolio system. Please coordinate with your Chair and unit to submit your list of cases in a timely manner.
• By March 15, 2025: A dossier for each of your candidates should be fully reviewed by all committees and the Dean electronically via the Interfolio system.
• By April 2025: The Provost will act on all recommendations for renewal or non-renewal.