| Official Date Appointment on Tenure Track Begins | Must submit application for tenure (last chance application) | Tenure begins if awarded (last chance application) | Terminal Year Start Date (if tenure never awarded) | Tenure Clock End Date |
| January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 | September 2027 | July 1, 2028 | July 1, 2028 | June 30, 2029 |
| January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 | September 2028 | July 1, 2029 | July 1, 2029 | June 30, 2030 |
| January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 | September 2029 | July 1, 2030 | July 1, 2030 | June 30, 2031 |
| January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 | September 2030 | July 1, 2031 | July 1, 2031 | June 30, 2032 |
| January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 | September 2031 | July 1, 2032 | July 1, 2032 | June 30, 2033 |
| January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027 | September 2032 | July 1, 2033 | July 1, 2033 | June 30, 2034 |
| January 1, 2028 to December 31, 2028 | September 2033 | July 1, 2034 | July 1, 2034 | June 30, 2035 |
| January 1, 2029 to December 31, 2029 | September 2034 | July 1, 2035 | July 1, 2035 | June 30, 2036 |
| January 1, 2030 to December 31, 2030 | September 2035 | July 1, 2036 | July 1, 2036 | June 30, 2037 |
*If a faculty member was on a tenure earning pathway March 2020 – March 2021, they may have either one- or two-year extensions due to Covid.*
**The table above is for informational purposes only. Dates may change due to track changes and/or tenure clock suspension. Please consult with your department administrator and/or Katie Poe khpoe@uams.edu for exact timeline information.**
FAQs regarding tenure timeline:
Can I apply for tenure in my terminal/final/7th year? No. U of A policy 405.1 states that “the seventh appointment shall be a terminal appointment and the
individual may not be considered for tenure during the seventh appointment.” 405.1, IV, A, 12.
Am I required to apply for tenure in the fall of my 6th year? Yes. “Subject to any extension of the probationary period under IV.A.4, an individual in
a tenure-track position who was not awarded tenure with any of the first six
academic year or fiscal year appointments must be evaluated as specified in
Section IV.A.6 and 7 during the sixth appointment.” 405.1, IV, A, 12.
Can I change from TE to NTE? Yes, but you can only change tracks once. “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, page 9), 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.” 2020 COM PT Guidelines, page 10.
Can I request a tenure clock suspension/extension? Yes, but only in a few circumstances, and the request must be made at the time of the event. “During the first six years of the probationary period, a tenure-track faculty member may request, for reasons set forth below, that the probationary period be suspended by one (1) year. The reasons for such a request will generally be the same as required under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as amended, and are as follows: (a) the birth of a child to the faculty member or spouse and the child’s care during the first year; (b) the adoption of a child by the faculty member or placement in the faculty member’s home of a foster child within the first year of placement; (c) the care of the faculty member’s spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; (d) the serious health condition of the faculty member that makes the faculty member unable to perform the functions of his or her job; (e) a qualifying exigency arising from the military deployment of an employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent to a foreign country; (f) to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness if the employee is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the service member.
On the rare occasion that an additional one-year extension is requested, such
requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. However, the faculty
member will receive any leave to which he or she is entitled under the FMLA.
A request to suspend the probationary period for these reasons must be made at the time of the qualifying event and shall first be directed in writing to the
department chair for approval and must also be approved by the dean (or
approved through other established administrative channels), the vice chancellor for academic affairs, the Chancellor (or chief executive officer) of the campus, and the president, under such procedures as the president shall approve.”