Tenure is the right of continuous appointment, subject to University of Arkansas Board Policy 405.1. The awarding of tenure is a high honor bestowed by the University upon faculty members who have displayed substantive and continuous contributions that advance the mission of the College, and hence academic medicine. In accordance with UA Board policy, only full time faculty members appointed on the tenure-eligible pathways with the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Distinguished Professor are eligible to request and be awarded tenure.[1] Faculty members appointed on tenure-eligible pathways at the rank of Assistant Professor
may request tenure at the time of promotion to Associate Professor. Individuals on the non-tenure compensated pathways as well as those in voluntary non-compensated pathways are not eligible to acquire tenure. Tenure is typically awarded to faculty members appointed at the ranks of Associate Professor or Professor who have demonstrated their value to the University through at least three years of service within the College. Tenure may be awarded at the time of initial appointment to candidates, with the approval of the College Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Dean, the Chancellor or his/her designee, and the UA President, who are being hired to fill demonstrably vital, senior roles in the College and who have records of outstanding accomplishments in other institutions that strongly suggest they will continue to pursue academically productive careers within the College.
Appointment to a tenure-eligible pathway implies a commitment on the part of the faculty member to participate in the full range of academic activities of the College throughout one’s career. The criteria for being awarded tenure include:
- Clear demonstration that the faculty member is valuable to the University and shows evidence of sustained productive activity by having made significant contributions to the College’s mission consistent with the pathway-specific requirements for promotion as outlined later in this document.
- Evidence of positive institutional citizenship manifested as effective participation in service activities, mentoring, support of the University mission and values, professionalism, and leadership initiative.
The academic year begins July 1 and ends June 30. Appointments effective between July 1 and December 31 count as a full year for purposes of probationary year accrual. Appointments effective between January 1 and June 30 do not start the tenure clock until July 1 of the next academic year.
[1] Specific policy pertains to College of Medicine faculty members who work part time or full time within the Veterans Administration Healthcare System. See Appendix D: UAMS College of Medicine Policy for Tenure Related to VA Faculty Appointments.
Probationary Period
The term “probationary period” is used to specify the time interval between an individual’s appointment, in full time service, to a tenure-eligible pathway and the time at which tenure is awarded. In accordance with University of Arkansas Board Policy 405.1, the probationary period may not extend beyond seven years, except as specifically provided within that document and reflected herein. For tenure-eligible faculty members who are not awarded tenure effective July 1 of the commencement of their seventh year (having requested tenure no later than during the fall of their sixth year), the seventh appointment will be a terminal appointment. The granting of tenure implies that the individual has met the criteria noted above and, as such, has acquired additional procedural rights in the event that dismissal proceedings are filed.
It is recommended that annual departmental reviews of each faculty member include careful consideration of the individual’s progress toward meeting the requirements for promotion on his/her specific academic pathway. This is of particular importance for faculty members on the tenure-eligible pathways in view of the probationary period. In addition, it is advisable for departmental promotion and tenure committees to review the accomplishments of each tenure-eligible faculty member during the fourth year of the individual’s probationary period. The purpose of this review is to provide the basis for guidance about what further accomplishments must be achieved in order for the individual to be awarded promotion to Associate Professor and tenure. It is typical for a tenure-eligible faculty member who holds the rank of Assistant Professor to make a formal request for promotion and tenure of the College Promotion and Tenure Committee after having completed five years of service as an Assistant Professor (therefore in the Fall of their sixth year in rank as Assistant Professor).
Faculty members initially appointed at the advanced ranks of Associate Professor or Professor on tenure-eligible pathways may request tenure, typically, after having completed three years of service within the College and must request tenure no later than having completed five years of service within the College (therefore in the Fall of their sixth year in rank as Associate or Professor).
Suspending the Probationary Period (Pausing the Tenure Clock)
During the first six years of the probationary period, a full time faculty member appointed on a tenure-eligible pathway may request, for reasons set forth below, that the probationary period be suspended for as much as one year at a time per request. Any such request should be made within a reasonable period of time related to the circumstances that triggered the request – typically within twelve months. Each request requires the approval of the individual’s Department Chair, the College Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Dean, the UAMS Chancellor or his/her designee, and the UA President. It would be unusual that approval would be granted for more than a maximum of two years (total) suspension of an individual’s probationary period. The reasons for such a request are those required under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: a) the birth of a child to the faculty member or spouse and its care during the first year of life; b) the adoption of a child by the faculty member or placement in the faculty member’s home of a foster child; c) the care of the faculty member’s spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; and d) the serious health condition of the faculty member. There are two additional criteria for which a suspension of the probationary period may be requested: 1) the time period during which a faculty member pursues an advanced degree or certificate (other than during an Off-Campus Duty Assignment/Sabbatical), and 2) the time period during which a faculty member, at the request of the Department Chair and the Dean, assumes a significant administrative workload on an interim basis in service to the Department. In both of these latter circumstances, the individual and Department Chair must demonstrate to the Dean and the College Promotion and Tenure Committee why either of these new pursuits effectively precludes the achievement of the candidate’s previously expected scholarly activities.