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Dear Faculty RelationsÌý–ÌýI recently commenced my journey down the tenure track and aspire towards a successful tenure review.Ìý How do I chart my course? – Navigating Towards TenureÌý

Dear Navigating Towards TenureÌý–ÌýTenure-track faculty may not yet be thinking about tenure when they begin their appointments, still celebrating the career milestone of securing a coveted position on the tenure track.Ìý However, charting a course for tenure begins the moment a tenure-track hire arrives on campus.Ìý

The first step on the journey is understanding the standards for tenure in teaching or librarianship, scholarly and creative work, and leadership and service, as well as the criteria for meeting those standards.Ìý While the Board of Regents (BOR) sets the standards, the primary unit sets the criteria for meeting those standards.Ìý Web links to the BOR standards and primary unit criteria are included in the offer letter at time of hire.Ìý

Once standards and criteria are understood, proactive steps can advance the record in the three areas.ÌýÌýÌý

Often, criteria stipulate that establishing independence from advisors is key in the area of scholarly and creative work.Ìý While collaboration with advisors is not uncommon earlier in the pre-tenure period, by tenure review, candidates should have forged their own path. Along the way, tenure-track faculty should seek out mentoring from senior colleagues on meeting specific primary unit criteria, such as publishing in top-tier journals, performing in prestigious venues, or writing competitive grant applications.Ìý

Listening to evaluative feedback from students, mentees, and peers is paramount for growth in teaching.Ìý Faculty are encouraged to engage campus programs for teaching development, for example, ASSETT or the Center for Teaching and Learning.Ìý At the time of comprehensive review and later review for tenure, challenges with teaching and efforts to improve should be acknowledged and addressed in the review dossier in the candidate’s teaching statement.ÌýÌýÌý

Tenure-track faculty should endeavor to maintain rank-appropriate levels of leadership and service, seeking a balance with achievement in scholarly and creative work and in teaching.Ìý

Questions along the way?Ìý E-mail facultyaffairs@colorado.edu.Ìý

Written by Carolyn Tir, Director of Faculty Personnel, Office of Faculty Affairs, April 2024.