Promotion and Tenure (P&T)

The vast majority of United Academics bargaining unit members are eligible for promotion, with the exception of Post-Doctoral Fellows. This includes faculty members on and off the tenure track. The process of applying for promotion is the same for TT and NTT, as is the 10% raise given at the end of a successful promotion process.

Article 9 of our CBA details the requirements, process, and deadlines. Faculty members in our bargaining unit who intend to stand for promotion need to be thoroughly familiar with article 9 of the CBA.

Tenure Track (TT) Promotion

For TT faculty, promotion and tenure are often applied for together, with one comprehensive file for review. A successful review results in promotion to associate professor with a 10% pay raise and the granting of tenure.

Tenure track faculty may apply for promotion to associate professor without also applying for tenure. When successful, faculty in this situation will receive the 10% raise without the added protections of tenure, which may be applied for separately in the future

Tenure Without Promotion

For TT faculty who applied for promotion without also seeking tenure, or who otherwise hold the title of associate professor but do not hold tenure, a file may be submitted for review to achieve tenure without promotion. In this situation, a successful comprehensive review will follow the same guidelines laid out in Article 9 for Promotion and Tenure, and will result in the granting of tenure protections without a 10% raise.

Promotion to Full Professor with Tenure

For faculty who have earned tenure, promotion to full professor is the final opportunity for promotion in the faculty ranks. The outcome of a successful promotion to full is a 10% raise.

Non-Tenure Track (NTT) Promotions

Faculty working in NTT positions are eligible for promotion. Successful candidates will be promoted from assistant professor to associate, or associate to full professor, with a 10% raise each time but without the granting of tenure. In some cases, individuals are awarded mult-year NTT contracts upon successful promotion.

General P&T Reminders

Once again, all UNAC members preparing to stand for promotion should be familiar with CBA article 9. We encourage all eligible faculty members to start building your files early, attend your provost’s P&T workshops, and review colleagues’ successful files from the recent past.

The work you completed during the period under review must match the work agreed upon in your signed workload agreements. This is why it’s important to revise your annual workloads when your assigned work changes during an academic year.

It is always a good idea to obtain peer-reviews of your work, whether that means a colleague’s written observations of your classroom teaching effectiveness or your work in the lab, field, or studio.