While a number of us have started posting advice and information on the soon-to-be-in-full-swing fall hiring season, we should also spare a thought for those poor oft-forgotten-until-the-last-minute folks going up for promotion or tenure in the fall. So what are our collective thoughts on preparing for the semester of your promotion and/or tenure?
I'll start here and be happy for others to add comments.
1. Make sure you know the university and school rules on promotion and tenure, including the extent to which you're entitled to be informed of how the process is playing out, and the amount of feedback you can give your committee about external referees for your scholarship.
2. Have you spoken with the dean and the chair of the promotion and tenure committee to ensure that everyone is on the same page and to identify whether there are any problems/concerns at this early stage? If so, is there anything you can do to address perceived problems now? Is a deferral desirable? Necessary? Possible?
3. Are you entitled to see redacted versions of external review letters? If so, are you entitled to write rejoinders to them if necessary? (If so, make sure your are in touch with the committee chair and that you ensure ample opportunity to see the letters and write rejoinders to any comments you feel need clarification.)
4. If writing rejoinders, don't be too long-winded or defensive. Simply correct any misapprehensions an external reviewer may have had about an aspect of your work.
5. If you are entitled under your university's rules to have a hand in the selection or veto-ing of external referees, ask around senior people in your field to find out if there are any people who might make particularly good/supportive referees or who should be avoided at all costs.
6. If colleagues will be evaluating your teaching prior to the faculty vote, make sure you have an open channel of communication with the committee about the timeline for class visits, and that you can communicate with them about classes that may be particularly helpful for them to observe, or that may not be particularly useful for them to observe.
7. Have you looked over your student teaching evaluations from last year? Are there any discernible problems you should address in a memo to the committee before the final recommendation is written up?
But above all, don't be fazed by the haze! It's all part of this crazy process we call academia and hopefully most people will sail through with no problems. We've all been through it and most of us can/should empathize. I'd love it if others could add some amusing P&T anecdotes or some handy P&T tips for those of our colleagues who will be facing the music this coming semester…