Tenure, CCE and Promotion Guidebook

Section 1 Guidebook for Tenure/CCE* and Promotion (Fall 2023)

Section 1: Areas of Evaluation and Forms of Documentation

1.1 Areas of Evaluation
Faculty who are tenure-track and/or applying for promotion (i.e., Assistant Professors and/or Associate Professors) are evaluated in the following three areas (the “three legs of the stool”):

Scholarship/Creative Work and Potential for Future Scholarship/Creative Work
Teaching and Teaching Effectiveness
Service to the Department, School, College, CUNY, Profession, the Public, and Professional Communities

Faculty who are pursuing a Certificate of Continuous Employment (a CCE) (Lecturers and Instructors) are evaluated on areas (b) and (c), though they may include evidence of area (a). For information on the areas of evaluation for tenure-track College Laboratory Technicians (CLTs), who may also apply for promotion to Senior CLT and Chief CLT, see Section 5 of this Guidebook.

Section 2 Section 2: Procedures for Faculty Pursuing Tenure (Seven-Year Clock)

2.1 Overview
The tenure-track process for faculty follows a seven-year timetable. It begins with a faculty member’s appointment to a tenure-track position (Assistant Professor or Associate Professor) for a full year of service, which is their first year of service. This is followed by six (6) annual reappointments. In Year 7, if the tenure decision is in the faculty member’s favor, the faculty member is reappointed to their eighth (8th) year of service as a tenured faculty member.

This section includes a timetable for tenure, the areas of evaluation, and the procedures of the tenure process as well as recommendations for what the faculty, chairs, and relevant committees should do for each step of the process.

2.4 Timetable for Tenure (Seven-Year Clock)
The timetable below provides an overview of the seven-year tenure clock. It is followed by a description of each year of the process. The table below includes references to four committees involved in decision making at different stages of the tenure process.
Committees:

Department P&B: Department Personnel & Budget Committee (tenured/tenuretrack faculty members & Chair). Only one member can be untenured.
FP&B: Faculty Personnel & Budget Committee (President, Provost, College Counsel, Deans, Chairs. (NB: only chairs can vote).
SEC: School Executive Committee (Chairs & Dean) or LEC: or Library Executive Committee (Chairs and Chief Librarian
TPCCE Committee: FP&B committee on Tenure, Promotion, and Certificate of Continuous Employment (chairs are elected by the FP&B to represent different schools).

Year of Service	Appointment	Fall Semester	Spring Semester	Reappointment Notification Deadline Date
Year 1	Initial Appointment		1st Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) for second year of service	April 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to School Executive Committee (SEC)
Year 2	First Reappointment	2nd Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) for third year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 3	Second Reappointment	3rd Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) for fourth year of service.	Pre-Tenure Review by Dean after Annual Evaluation.	Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 4	Third Reappointment	4th Reappointment Review School Executive P&B to School Executive Committee to FP&B for a fifth year of service.		August/September If negative P&B vote and negative SEC vote, the decision goes to the President
Year 5	Fourth Reappointment	5th Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) to a sixth year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 6	Fifth Reappointment	6th Reappointment Review (P&B to F P&B) to a seventh year of service	Department P&B vote on list of potential external reviewers (4-6 from faculty member, 4-6 from P&B). Prepare dossier for external reviewers (e.g., Dropbox folder), including Lehman C.V., scholarship/creative work, and Statement on Scholarship/Creative Work, Teaching, and Service. Chair (or Dean) sends dossier to external reviewers.	Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to Provost.
Year 7	Sixth Reappointment	Before start of fall semester, upload all final materials to digital file of evidence (e.g., DM), including updated Lehman C.V., scholarship/creative work, and Statement on Scholarship/Creative Work, Teaching, and Service. 7th Reappointment Review Tenure Review P&B to TPCCE Committee to FP&B to President to Board of Trustees		Dec. 1 May appeal a negative P&B vote or negative TPCCE Committee vote. Only one appeal with respect to the negative P&B vote or a negative TPCCE vote, prior to final appeal to President.
Year 8	Seventh Reappointment

Section 3 Section 3: Procedures for Faculty Pursuing Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE)

3.1 Overview

There are three lines that require a Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE):

Lecturers
Lecturers (Doctoral Schedule)
Instructors

The CCE process for Lecturers and Instructors13 follows a 5-year timetable. It begins with the appointment to a CCE track position, which is the first year of service. This is followed by four (4) annual reappointments. In Year 5, if the CCE decision is successful, the faculty member is reappointed to their 6th year of service as a faculty member with a Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE) and becomes a permanent member of the college.

This section includes a timetable for CCE, the areas for evaluation, and the steps of the CCE process that include recommendations for what the faculty, chairs, and relevant committees need to do for each step of the process.

3.3 Timetable for the Certificate for the Certificate of Continuous employment (CCE) (Five-Year Clock)
The timetable below provides an overview of the five-year CCE-clock. The table below includes references to four committees involved in decision making at different stages of the tenure process.

Department P&B: Department Personnel & Budget Committee (tenured/tenuretrack faculty members & Chair). Only one member can be untenured.
FP&B: Faculty Personnel & Budget Committee (President, Provost, College Counsel, Deans, Chairs. (NB: only chairs can vote).
SEC: School Executive Committee (Chairs & Dean) or LEC: or Library Executive Committee (Chairs and Chief Librarian).
TPCCE Committee: FP&B committee on Tenure, Promotion, and Certificate of Continuous Employment (chairs are elected by the FP&B to represent different schools).

Year of Service	Appointment	Fall Semester	Spring Semester	Reappointment Notification Deadline Date
Year 1	Initial Appointment		1st Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) for second year of service	April 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to School Executive Committee (SEC)
Year 2	First Reappointment		2nd Reappointment Review (P&B to FP&B) for third year of service Pre-CCE Review by Dean after Annual Evaluation	April 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 3	Second Reappointment	3rd Reappointment Review by School Executive Committee P&B to SEC to FP&B for fourth year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote and negative SEC vote, the decision goes to the President
Year 4	Third Reappointment	4th Reappointment Review P&B to FP&B to a fifth year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 5	Fourth Reappointment	Before the start of fall semester, upload all final materials to digital file of evidence (e.g., DM), including updated Lehman C.V, and Statement on Teaching and Service. CCE Review P&B to TPCCE Committee to FP&B to President to Board of Trustees		Dec. 1 May appeal a negative P&B vote or negative TPCCE Committee vote. Only one appeal with respect to the negative P&B vote or a negative TPCCE vote, prior to final appeal to President.
Year 6	Fifth CCE Eligibility Date

The processes for initial appointment and annual reappointments for Years 1-5 on the CCE-clock are similar to those described in the Section 2 of the Guidebook for tenure; however, because of the shorter clock, the pre-CCE review by the Dean takes place at the end of Year 2 and the presentation and vote by the School Executive Committee takes place at the beginning of Year 3.

Section 4
Section 5

Section 4 Section 4: Procedures for Faculty Pursuing Promotion from Assistant to Associate

4.1 Overview
Unlike tenure, there is no cycle for promotion. Hence, there is no such thing as ‘early’ or ‘late’ promotion. Promotion and tenure are separate and distinct. Votes on promotion and tenure are separate and distinct acts.

There are two kinds of promotion for faculty members:

Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
Associate Professor to Professor¹⁴

The decision about which year to apply for promotion rests with the faculty member. Nevertheless, at least since the introduction of the seven-year tenure cycle, an Assistant Professor normally applies for promotion to Associate Professor in the same year of service that they go up for tenure, which is to say, in their seventh year of service. If they apply for promotion in the same year as tenure, then they go up in the fall of that year, in which case tenure and promotion to Associate Professor are considered concurrently.

There is also no cycle of promotion from Associate Professor to Professor. The decision about which year to apply for promotion to Professor rests with the faculty member. The faculty member should make the decision to apply for promotion to full Professor in consultation with their Department Chair and School Dean. Promotion to Professor is possible for those who excel in their discipline are recognized as outstanding teachers, who contribute substantial service to their profession and the life of the College, and whose reputation brings credit to the College and the University.

When an Associate Professor applies for promotion to Professor, then they go through the promotion process in the spring of that year. They must notify their Department Chair and the School Dean by September 1st of that year. However, it is recommended that they notify their Chair and Dean in the spring of the previous year of their intention to apply for promotion the following year.

This section includes a timetable for promotion, the areas of evaluation, the criteria for evaluation, and the procedures of the promotion process as well as recommendations for what the faculty, chairs, and relevant committees should do for each step of the process.

4.6 Timetable for Assistant Professor Applying for Promotion to Associate Professor in the Same Year as Going up for Tenure
Faculty members normally apply for promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor at the same time as they go up for tenure, that is, in the fall semester of their 7th year of service. If a faculty member is doing this, then the timeline and the steps to take are the same steps as those for tenure. See the timeline chart for tenure in Section 2.4 of the Guidebook.

Section 5 Section 5. Procedures for College Laboratory Technicians (CLTs) Pursuing Tenure and Promotion from CLT to Senior CLT, and from Senior CLT to Chief CLT

5.1 Overview
According to the PSC-CUNY Handbook for College Laboratory Technicians (CLTs), full-time CLT positions are tenure-bearing, non-teaching Instructional Staff positions, providing technical support in CUNY laboratories, studios, theaters and other technical and technological areas.

There is a distinction between the administrative title of College Laboratory Technician (CLT) and the functional title. “One’s administrative title (CLT title series title) is the contractual payroll title in which you are employed or hired. One’s functional title is more informal and more accurately reflects day-to-day activities. Job descriptions for CLTs holding the same title often vary because their functional responsibilities are different. A CLT job description is specific to the department and college where the person is employed.”23

The CUNY Code of Practice provides general information regarding the CLT title series, general title definitions, and qualifications.24 The tenure process for CLT’s follows a 5-year timetable. It begins with the appointment to a tenure track position, which is the first year of service. This is followed by four (4) annual reappointments. In Year 5.1, if the CLT is awarded tenure, they are reappointed to their 6th year of service as a tenured CLT.

This section includes a timetable for tenure and the steps of the tenure process, including what the faculty, chairs, and relevant committees need to do at each step of the process.

5.4 Timetable for Tenure for CLT (Five-Year Clock)
The timetable below provides an overview of the five-year tenure clock for CLTs. The table below includes references to four committees involved in decision making at different stages of the tenure process.

Department P&B: Department Personnel & Budget Committee (tenured/tenure track faculty members & Chair). Only one member can be untenured.
FP&B: Faculty Personnel & Budget Committee (President, Provost, College Counsel, Deans, Chairs. (NB: only chairs can vote).
SEC: School Executive Committee (Chairs & Dean) or LEC: or Library Executive Committee (Chairs and Chief Librarian).
TPCCE Committee: FP&B committee on Tenure, Promotion, and Certificate of Continuous Employment (chairs are elected by the FP&B to represent different schools).

Year of Service	Appointment	Fall Semester	Spring Semester	Reappointment Notification Deadline Date
Year 1	Initial Appointment		1st Reappointment Review P&B to FP&B for second year of service	April 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to School Executive Committee (SEC)
Year 2	First Reappointment	2nd Reappointment Review P&B to FP&B for third year of service.	Pre-Tenure Review by Dean after Annual Evaluation	Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 3	Second Reappointment	3rd Reappointment Review by School Executive Committee P&B to SEC to FP&B for fourth year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote and negative SEC vote, appeal to President.
Year 4	Third Reappointment	4th Reappointment Review P&B to FP&B to a fifth year of service		Dec. 1 If negative P&B vote, appeal to SEC
Year 5	Fourth Reappointment	Before start of fall semester, upload all final materials to digital file of evidence (e.g., DM), including updated Lehman C.V, and Personal Statement. 5th Reappointment Review Tenure Review P&B to TPCCE Committee to FP&B to President to Board of Trustees		Dec. 1 May appeal a negative P&B vote or negative TPCCE Committee vote. Only one appeal with respect to the negative P&B vote or a negative TPCCE vote, prior to final appeal to President.
Year 6	5th Reappointment Tenure Eligibility Date

The processes for initial appointment and annual reappointments for Years 1-5 on the five-year tenure clock are similar to those described in the Section 3 of the Guidebook for the five-year CCE clock; however, because of the shorter clock, the pre-tenure review by the Dean takes place at the end of Year 2 and the presentation and vote by the School Executive Committee takes place at the beginning of Year 3.

It is recommended that CLTs going up for tenure prepare a Personal Statement and upload it to their digital file of evidence (e.g., DM).

Since letters from external reviewers are not required for tenure for CLTs, as with the CCE process, CLTs seeking a tenure, in consultation with their Chairs, may solicit individuals who can write letters of support, which the Chair can upload to their digital file of evidence (e.g., DM).