Appointment to one of the seven compensated academic pathways is a critically important step in a faculty member’s career, as career achievements will be assessed by the College Promotion and Tenure Committee according to the criteria for that specific pathway. There can arise, however, circumstances in the evolution of an individual’s academic career that could warrant a request to change the individual’s academic pathway.
A faculty member appointed to any of the four non-tenure pathways may request that his/her appointment be changed to the appropriate tenure-eligible pathway, with the approval of the Department Chair and the Dean, before the conclusion of his/her first 36 months of appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. The individual’s probationary period begins on July 1 of the current or next academic year following the Dean’s approval of the pathway change depending on whether the change occurs before or after January 1 as outlined.
It is permissible for a faculty member on a tenure-eligible pathway to switch to a non-tenure pathway anytime before the beginning of the final year of the probationary period (before the commencement of the seventh year in service unless the probationary period has been suspended through the process described above), with the permission of the Department Chair and the Dean. The switch from a tenure-eligible to a non-tenure pathway is a permanent change that cannot be subsequently reversed.