Pre-Tenure/Tenure Review

The university's Tenure Policy is governed by Baylor University Personnel Policy (BU-PP) 704. The university's Tenure Procedures are not part of a BU-PP. The Procedures contain instructions for the sixth-year Tenure review and for annual reviews prior to the sixth year, and these instructions, along with departmental tenure guidelines, are used by department chairs each year to manage the review process of tenure-track faculty.

Each year, deans' offices receive lists of tenure-track faculty from the Office of the Provost, manage the annual review process in coordination with department chairs, and submit letters reporting on the annual reviews to the Office of the Provost.

The annual letter is an essential component of the tenure candidate's file, so the letter must address all strengths and weaknesses of the candidate so as to provide a foundation for the eventual Tenure Review. The content of the letter is based on the department chair's summary of the tenured faculty evaluations of the candidate and the discussions with the candidate during the annual review meeting. Besides providing support for the annual review letter, the meeting also serves to determine whether the candidate should be offered continued employment and provides an opportunity for discussion and support of the candidate's ongoing work.