DRAFT (Aug 22, 2001)

Guidelines for the Development of a Tenure Portfolio

Applicants for tenure should be familiar with Section 9 (Faculty: Tenure Criteria and Procedures) of the Mesa State College Professional Staff Policy Handbook.  Specifically, Mesa State College's Handbook states "By October 1, the faculty member (applicant) seeking tenure shall be responsible for compiling the necessary documentation to support his/her request for tenure."(Section 9.3.B, page 9-2)   Further, Section 9 of the Handbook clearly specifies the application must include an official written application and copies of previous Comprehensive evaluations.  Applicants should note that the policy outlined in this Section supplements but does not superseded the substantive and procedural requirements established in the Trustees Handbook which should also be reviewed.

This document establishes general guidelines that may be useful for those applying for tenure.  These guidelines were developed to establish a more common presentation for the folios.  Committees and administrators reviewing applications have commented that substantial differences have developed within schools and across campus.  Thus, these guidelines are also presented to assist those reviewing folios. 

As a note, these are only guidelines.  Clearly, if a faculty member applying for tenure believes these guidelines do not permit him/her to present the best case, the applicant should disregard these guidelines. 

It is suggested that a complete tenure application should contain the following:

1.  A letter of application and copies of previous comprehensive evaluations (required)

2.  A curriculum vitae.

3.  A statement of the candidate's expectations for effective teaching and how she/he has met these expectations.  Included in this statement should be evidence of how teaching evaluations and/or other assessments have been used to improve the candidate's teaching skills.

4.  A statement about how the candidate's scholarly activity has contributed to her/his professional development and enhanced the educational experience for the students of Mesa State College.

5.  A statement about how the candidate's service has positively impacted the quality of education at Mesa State College.

The complete statement should be limited to ten pages or less.  It should be stapled/bound and submitted separately from any supporting documentation that the candidate is required to or may elect to submit.