Tenure and/or promotion to associate professor or full professor

Consideration for tenure and promotion to associate professor normally occurs in the second last year of the second probationary term, but can be deferred until the final year.

Consideration for promotion to full professor normally occurs five years after receiving tenure and promotion to associate professor.

When a candidate for tenure and/or promotion has a joint appointment, their case will be considered by the Department/School Tenure and Promotion Committee (DTPC/STPC) of the department/school in which the faculty member has more than 50% of their appointment. The chair/director of this department/school will request and obtain information from the other chair/director for consideration during the DTPC/STPC deliberations.

This page provides a summary of requirements and timelines of typical proceedings for tenure and/or promotion within the Faculty of Health. For further details consult Policy 76, Policy 77 or Administrator, Faculty Relations and Appointments.

Candidate responsibilities

• By May 1, the candidate must consult with the chair/director and confirm in writing whether they would like to proceed. Candidates can request deferment of consideration, except when policy dictates an individual must be considered for tenure and/or promotion.
• By June 1, the candidate must submit the following documentation to the chair/director in electronic format (Microsoft Word documents preferred):
  • Candidate statement
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Teaching summary
  • External referees
  • three to five reprints/published articles
• By July 25, the candidate will review the pool of potential external referees and provide any objections in writing to the chair/director.

Back to top

Department/School Tenure and Promotion Committee (DTPC/STPC) responsibilities

• By April 1, the chair/director will notify faculty members who are eligible for tenure and/or promotion.
• By May 15, the chair/director will co-ordinate peer evaluations of the candidate's teaching activities.
• By June 1, the DTPC/STPC will be established. The first task of the DTPC/STPC is to determine whether any of its members have a potential conflict of interest due to a close association with a candidate. The dean, and delegate, will be notified of:
  • DTPC/STPC membership
  • recommended members for the Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committee (FTPC)
  • candidates going forward for tenure and/or promotion
• By June 20, the DTPC/STPC will meet to review candidate submissions and compile a list of DTPC/STPC recommended external referees.
• By July 15:
  • The DTPC/STPC will compile a proposed ranked list of external referees, along with completed External Referee Information Sheet (available at Provost's Office Forms and Templates). This list must consist of at least: three referees suggested by the candidate, three suggested by the DTPC/STPC and dean, and two international referees.
  • The chair/director will ensure there are no potential conflicts of interest between the candidate and the proposed external referees. If it could be perceived that a close association exists between the candidate and an external referee, an appropriate explanation must be included on the External Referee Information Sheet in the Relationship to the Candidate section. For example, the candidate accepted an invitation to give a research seminar in the external referee's department, but no collaborative relationship exists.
  • The chair/director will submit the proposed ranked list to the dean, who may add or remove potential referees.
  • The chair/director will then send the pool of potential external referees to the candidate.
• By August 1, the chair/director will send the candidate statement, curriculum vitae, reprints/published articles, and ranked list of potential external referees to the dean. This final list is kept confidential.
• By November 1, the DTPC/STPC will meet, assess, and vote on each candidate's case for tenure and/or promotion.
• By November 15, the chair/director will compile the DTCP/STPC recommendation, share with the DTPC/SPTC members and receive signed approval.
• By November 20, the chair/director, with the DTPC/STPC approval, will:
  • inform the candidate in writing of the outcome of DTPC/STPC decision
  • upload the tenure and/or promotion file (including their recommendation, annual performance review and peer teaching evaluations) to the SharePoint site for the FTPC to review
  • destroy DTPC/STPC committee member files and remove access to electronic copies

Back to top

Dean's Office responsibilities

• By March 1, the dean, or delegate, will forward a list of faculty members who must be considered for tenure and/or promotion to each chair/director.
• By August 1, the dean, or delegate, will contact potential external referees (ideally all from different institutions) by email to determine if they are willing to assess the candidate's scholarly work. A record of the response, including reasons for refusal, will be kept. An official letter, along with copies of UWaterloo's tenure and promotion policies, candidate's reprints, curriculum vitae, and candidate statement, will be sent by email to each external referee that agrees to provide an assessment. If there has been an extension to the tenure clock, an explanatory paragraph will be included in the official letter.
• By October 8, the dean's office will follow-up with any pending assessments from the external referees.
• By October 15, external referee letters are received and forwarded to the department/school. These letters are kept confidential.
• By January 15 the following year, the FTPC will meet, assess, and vote on each candidate's case for tenure and/or promotion. The dean, with the FTPC approval, will:
  • inform the candidate in writing of the outcome of FTPC decision
  • upload the tenure and promotion file, including the FTPC recommendation, to the SharePoint site for the President and University Tenure and Promotion Committee (UTPC) to review
  • destroy FTPC committee member files and remove access to electronic copies
• By March 1 the following year, the President, with the advice of the UTPC, will consider each candidate's case. If the President decides in favour of promotion, the President shall inform the candidate.

Back to top