Tenure and Promotion Policy

01. POLICY STATEMENT

01.01. The Department of Health Informatics & Information Management (HIIM) sets forth criteria and guidelines for tenure and promotion of eligible faculty. The department adopts the College of Health Professions policy and procedures and incorporates the refinements described below. These criteria are based on the following source:

• CHP/PPS 04.02.20 Tenure and Promotion

02. DEFINITIONS

02.01. Incorporated from CHP/PPS 04.02.20 Tenure and Promotion

03. TENURE TRACK CANDIDATES FOR TENURE AND/OR PROMOTION
 

03.01. Criteria for Appointment beyond CHP/PPS 04.02.20 Tenure and Promotion

1. A terminal degree and related work in Health Information Management, Health Informatics, or related fields is required and varies according to the needs of the department. See the approved HIIM Faculty Qualifications Policy.
2. No faculty member will be promoted to associate professor with fewer than (5) years of full-time university-level teaching experience, or to full professor with less than (10) years full-time university-level experience. Application for promotion may be initiated in the year prior to the effectiveness of the promotion, i.e., the beginning of the fifth and tenth years.
3. Exceptions to the tenure clock rule must follow University rules such as for the care of newborn, adopted, foster child or other family member needing care and should be specifically justified during the tenure process.
    

04. CLINICAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY PROMOTIONS
 

04.01. Procedures for promotion of non-tenure line faculty follow AA/PPS 04.02.21 Non-Tenure Line Faculty Promotion Review, and CHP/PPS 4.02.20 Tenure and Promotion. The Personnel Committee reviews candidates and submits recommendations to the Department Chair, who forwards them to the CHP Dean along with the chair's recommendations.

05. Criteria Summary Table

05.01 This table summarizes the HIIM Department criteria for quick reference.

06. BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TENURE AND/OR PROMOTION

06.01. The HIIM Department adopts CHP/PPS 04.02.20 Tenure and Promotion with these refinements.

• Teaching: The following teaching criteria apply to all faculty tracks (Tenure-Track, Clinical, and Professors of Instruction) and are intended to clarify the minimum standards
  • To be considered adequate, student course evaluations as well as course appraisals from peers, tenured faculty, members of the Personnel Department, and Department Chair should average not less than 4.0 on a 5.0 scale over the previous five years. Individuals must obtain at least one peer review per calendar year. Within the five years, at least one review must be received from the Department Chair and another from a member of the personnel committee. The Personnel Committee will provide annual feedback for improvement when necessary and candidates should follow recommendations in subsequent classes.
  • High-quality teaching is necessary but not sufficient achievement upon which to base a promotion recommendation. Evidence of teaching quality may include, but is not limited to, student evaluations, peer or chair evaluations, course syllabi, evidence of curriculum innovation, and a reflective teaching philosophy statement.
• Scholarly and/or Creative Activity: The following scholarly and creative criteria apply to all faculty tracks (Tenure-Track, Clinical, and Professors of Instruction) and are intended to clarify the minimum standards. Related to quantity and quality, the following standards apply by faculty track.
  • Tenure track faculty must have a strong publication record with a minimum of six (6) refereed scholarly articles. Full Professor candidates require a minimum of eight (8) refereed research articles since promotion to Associate Professors. Full Professor applicants are encouraged to apply for grant funding.
  • Clinical Track Faculty: The minimum for Clinical track faculty to be considered for promotion is three (3) refereed research articles. Up to one (1) of these articles may be replaced by two (2) scholarly presentations or other equivalent scholarly activities (e.g., invited lectures, published book chapters, workshop leadership); however, a minimum of two (2) refereed publications is required in all cases.
  • Faculty of Instruction: Per university policy (AA/PPS 04.01.26), Faculty of Instruction are not required to perform scholarly activities. Promotion will be based on teaching, service, and leadership. Scholarly activities may be submitted as optional supporting evidence documenting contributions in teaching or service but will not substitute for required teaching or service documentation.
  • For all tracks: one book may be substituted for two articles and one book chapter or monograph chapter for one article. In no case will equivalent activities entirely replace all required refereed scholarly journal articles (for tracks where articles are required). Accepted articles will be considered if  the publisher acceptance is clearly documented. Refereed means blind peer review for journal articles. In the case of a book, book chapter, or monograph, it means peer review though not necessarily blind peer review.
  • Additional contributions, such as non-refereed publications, cases, presentations, and workshops are encouraged because they provide evidence of sustained activity during the annual evaluation process.
  • Any publication in a journal listed on Cabell’s Predatory Reports Database or otherwise identified as a predatory journal will not be considered in the candidate's collective body of work.
  • Grants: For tenure-track faculty, submittal of at least one internal and one external grant is required. Full Professor applicants are encouraged to apply for grant funding.
• Service: The following service criteria apply to all faculty tracks (Tenure-Track, Clinical, and Professors of Instruction) and are intended to clarify the minimum standards.
  • All faculty for tenure and/or promotion should participate in at least five (5)
    service-related activities such as workshop leader, discussant, invited lecturer, conference proceeding presentation, research presenter, committee member, committee chair, hiring committee, faculty search, department representative or equivalent activities during the previous five-year evaluation cycle.
  • Tenure-Track and Clinical Track Faculty: A minimum of five (5) service activities is required over the five-year evaluation cycle. Professional leadership activities at the national or state level will be looked upon favorably for Tenure-Track and Clinical Track Faculty candidates.
  • Faculty of Instruction: Because scholarly activity is not required, service carries increased weight in the promotion review. A minimum of seven (7) service activities is required over the five-year evaluation cycle, and at least one (1) of these must involve course or program coordination.
  • All candidates seeking Full Professor must demonstrate significant leadership at the university, college, or department level.