Reappointment to a second probationary term - tenure stream

Consideration for reappointment to a second probationary term normally occurs in the final year of the first probationary term.

When a candidate for reappointment has a joint appointment, their case will be considered by the Department/School Tenure, Permanence and Promotion Committee (DTPPC/STPPC) 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 DTPPC/STPPC deliberations.

This page provides a summary of requirements and timelines of typical proceedings for reappointment within the Faculty of Health. For further details consult Policy 76, Policy 77, Associate Vice-President, Faculty Planning and Policy, Provost's Office Forms and Templates or Administrator, Faculty Relations and Appointments..

Candidate responsibilities

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Chair's & Department/School Tenure, Permanence and Promotion Committee (DTPPC/STPPC) responsibilities

  • The chair shall give the candidate written notification of consideration for reappointment at least 13 months before the end-date of the first probationary appointment
  • By April 1, the chair/director will re-notify faculty members who are eligible for a second probationary term.
  • By May 15, the chair/director will co-ordinate peer evaluations of the candidate's teaching activities.
  • By June 1, the DTPPC/STPPC will be established. The first task of the DTPPC/STPPC 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:
    • DTPPC/STPPC membership
    • candidates going forward for reappointment
  • By November 1, the DTPPC/STPPC will meet, assess, and vote on each candidate's case for reappointment.
  • By November 15, the chair/director will compile the DTPPC/STPPC recommendation, share with the DTPPC/STPPC members and receive signed approval.
  • By November 20, the chair/director, with the DTPPC/STPPC approval, will:
    • inform the candidate in writing of the outcome of DTPPC/STPPC decision
    • upload the reappointment file (including their recommendation, annual performance review and peer teaching evaluations) to the SharePoint site for the dean to review
    • destroy DTPPC/STPPC committee member files and remove access to electronic copies once the tenure, permanence and promotion decisions are complete.

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Dean's Office responsibilities

  • By March 1, the Administrator, Faculty Relations and Appointments will forward the list of eligible faculty members who must be considered for a second probationary term to each chair/director.
  • By February 28 the following year, the dean shall decide whether to reappoint and will inform the candidate in writing of the outcome.

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Documentation

Candidate statement

For reappointment of Tenure Stream faculty members, the candidate is expected to present a record as a good teacher and evidence of scholarly or creative work as described in sections 2 and 3 of Policy 77.  The candidate must provide a signed statement (limit to three pages) outlining their major strengths, contributions and accomplishments in the three areas of teaching, research and service. It is important that the candidate include evidence of impact and effectiveness in both research and teaching. As well, the candidate must include the number of full-time years teaching at Waterloo and any other institution(s).

Evidence of research impact may include:

  • references in citation indices
  • references to the candidate's work by leading researchers in the field
  • publications in leading journals
  • sole authorship
  • invitations to speak at major conferences
  • election to and awards received from professional and disciplinary societies

Similarly, evidence of impact and effectiveness in teaching and service should be provided by drawing attention to areas where the candidate has made particularly innovative contributions to teaching or has achieved significant positive influence on curriculum development. Evidence should be provided for the full spectrum of teaching activities (e.g., undergraduate lectures, graduate seminars, contributions to project and thesis supervision, oral and thesis examinations, clinical supervision and instruction). The candidate should also make note of significant administrative activities that have been undertaken (e.g., membership on government or professional committees, editing a professional society journal).

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Curriculum vitae

Candidates must submit a curriculum vitae in the Faculty of Health format.

Special attention should be paid to the listing of publications, contracts, and research grants. Clearly identify the contribution made by the candidate to multiple authored papers. Committee members are looking for evidence of research leadership and personal contributions in collaborative research programs. This can be included as an explanatory page preceding the references lists in the curriculum vitae or in the candidate statement.

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Teaching summary

Candidates to be considered for a second probationary term must submit a teaching summary for the time they have been at the University of Waterloo.

Candidates for tenure and promotion must submit a teaching summary for the past five years.

Please contact your department/school administrator to confirm the information to be included in your teaching summary, such as:

  • whether it is a graduate or undergraduate course
  • approximate class size
  • term(s) taught
  • course outlines (for DTPPC/STPPC use only)
  • course and instructor evaluation ratings, along with meaningful interpretive information (e.g., comparative ranking within a unit)

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External referees

Candidates for a second probationary term do not need to submit external referees, unless requested by the DTPPC/STPPC or dean. See UW Policy 77 sections 2 and 3 for exceptional circumstances.

Candidates for tenure and promotion must provide the DTPPC/STPPC with at least three external referees (however, five is recommended); one or two must be international, especially in cases of promotion to full professor. The candidate, in consultation with the DTPPC/STPPC, must complete the External Referee Information Sheet (available at Provost's Office Forms and Templates) for each external referee.

External referees must meet the following criteria:

  • do not have a close association with the candidate or their department/school*
  • external to the University of Waterloo
  • hold high academic stature, preferably the rank of full professor
  • expert in the candidate's research area and capable of assessing the candidate's scholarly work

* Close associations include co-authors, friends, former colleagues and collaborators, former thesis supervisor, and adjunct professors in the candidate's department. The chair/director will ensure there are no potential conflicts of interest between the candidate and 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/school, but no collaborative relationship exists.

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Peer evaluations

The DTPPC/STPPC will arrange for at least two peers to evaluate the candidate's teaching activities. The peer evaluators should not be currently serving on the FTPPC, definite-term lecturers, or retired faculty. At the time the evaluation is submitted, the chair/director must obtain the consent of every peer evaluator to disclose the evaluation with the candidate in the rare event of a negative recommendation.

Each peer evaluator will:

  1. meet with the candidate to discuss their
    1. approach to the course
    2. goals and objectives
    3. course outline
    4. any additional materials the candidate has developed
  2. attend one class taught by the candidate; course specified by the chair/director
  3. provide the DTPPC/STPPC with a signed critical report of the candidate's:
    1. in-class teaching ability
    2. curriculum planning (e.g., course content and course structure, including outlines and assignments)
    3. course evaluations

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