2.10 Specific Criteria for Appointment, Promotion, and Award of Tenure

The university policies and the departmental, school, college, and/or UAB Libraries policies shall be used in evaluating faculty members for appointment, promotion, and award of tenure. However, the departmental, school, college, and/or UAB Libraries policies may not be less stringent than, or be inconsistent with, the UAB-wide policies contained herein.

Faculty appointment, promotion, and award of tenure are based on a faculty member's training, experience, and activities, as well as the potential for continued growth, in the areas of (1) teaching; (2) scholarly activities, including research and other creative activities; and (3) service. In the case of non-tenure-earning faculty, the requirement for demonstrated proficiency in one, two, or all three areas, as specified in the policies of the department, school, college, or UAB Libraries, shall apply to appointment and promotion. Promotion criteria for non-tenure-earning faculty must differ from those of tenure-earning faculty so as to be based on the assigned proportional effort in teaching, scholarly activities, and service. Candidates shall prepare appointment, promotion, and tenure award support material as prescribed by the Provost, their school/college, and their department.

An individual will be judged by the criteria outlined in this Handbook in proportion to their relative importance to each academic rank, to the type of appointment held by the faculty member, and to the program priorities of the appointing unit. Each faculty member shall be evaluated in these areas by colleagues at UAB, and by a minimum of three reviewers outside of the institution qualified to review the faculty member's qualifications. A school or college handbook may specify that fewer external reviewers are required, but only for promotion from instructor to assistant professor.  In the area of teaching, student evaluation also should be solicited.

See Appendix E for best practices regarding promotion and award of tenure.

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2.10.1 Effectiveness as a Teacher

Effectiveness as a teacher can be demonstrated by a review of the following considerations: the individual's knowledge of a subject field, including current developments in that field, and the ability to develop effective curriculum materials, to organize and effectively present course work, to motivate student interest and participation, and to contribute significantly to the academic progress of students.

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2.10.2 Effectiveness in Scholarly Activities

Although scholarly work takes many forms, including design, basic and applied research, and other creative activities, a faculty member's effectiveness can be demonstrated by such achievements as (but not limited to) publications, fine arts creations, personal presentations of formal papers, artistic performances, creation and disclosure of intellectual property, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the like. The quality of the individual's scholarly approach, capacity for independent thought, originality, and products of scholarship must be addressed.

2.10.3 Effectiveness in Service Activities

Service functions can be those performed for UAB, the Birmingham community, the state of Alabama, and regional, national, or international groups. Service may include such activities as (1) participation in committee work, (2) fulfillment of administrative assignments, (3) contributions to the improvement of student and faculty life, (4) faculty consultation within or outside UAB (5) professional service, and (6) support of UAB Shared Values.

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