When are nominations due for promotion and appointment?

Applicants for promotion and/or tenure must submit complete promotion and/or tenure packages to their department or center in time for their department or center to submit these completed packets to the senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs by the deadline of the first Friday in August. Please make sure you are aware of your own deadline for your department.

Nominations for appointment at senior rank are submitted on a rolling basis throughout the year, but must be submitted to the senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs by your department chair or center director no later than sixty (60) days following your employment start date.

What is the process for approving my nomination?

The Senior Appointments and Promotions Committee (SAPC) is the first level of review and will make its recommendations to the dean. In order to be successful, a nomination must be approved by the dean, the provost, and the UConn Health Board of Directors.

Who is on the Senior Appointment and Promotions Committee?

The SAPC consists of thirteen (13) Primary Members; seven (7) from clinical departments and six (6) from basic science departments; and fifteen (15) Alternate Members from various departments (no particular makeup is required).

How does the SAPC process work?

Each candidate’s nomination is assigned to a primary and secondary reviewer. Each reviewer selects approximately ten (10) independent references of their own for each candidate that they are assigned. The SAPC then sends letters to these SAPC-selected references and to the references selected by the candidate. As letters from these references come in for each candidate, they are reviewed by the primary and secondary reviewer who determine if enough information for consideration has been submitted. Once it is determined that there is ample information received, the candidate is scheduled for presentation at an upcoming SAPC meeting.

Approximately three-six (3-6) candidates are on each agenda. A quorum of eight (8) SAPC members must be present. Primary reviewers attend every SAPC meeting. However, they must not be present during deliberations of candidates in their own department. Secondary reviewers attend only the meeting in which a candidate assigned to them is being reviewed.

Following deliberation, voting is by secret ballot. Note that secondary reviewers cast votes only for the candidates who have been assigned to them.

When does the SAPC meet?

The SAPC has approximately eighteen (18) meetings during its meeting cycle which customarily runs from November to May. The meetings occur every two weeks with extra meetings in March and April. Additional meetings are scheduled as needed for appointment nominations.

Will I know when my nomination is on the SAPC’s agenda?

No, the only people who are made aware of the agenda are members of the SAPC.

Can I ask the SAPC for the status on my nomination packet?

Procedures of the SAPC are confidential and progress of nominations, agendas and outcomes are not shared by the SAPC. Department chairs will be kept informed of recommendations of the SAPC and decisions of the Dean, Provost, and UConn Health Board of Directors at each stage of the process by the Office of Faculty Affairs.

How long does the SAPC take to notify me regarding their recommendation on promotion or appointment?

Following its meeting, the SAPC provides formal notification of its recommendation to the dean. Within two (2) weeks of the SAPC’s formal recommendation, the dean communicates the SAPC’s recommendation to the department chair who in turn, will notify you. Remember, you will not know when your nomination is on an agenda and meetings take place from November to May.

Can I submit updates to my promotion packet?

Yes, you may send any updates to your nomination material at any point during the nomination process. They should be directed to the senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs.

What if my nomination is not recommended by the SAPC?

A faculty member can do one of three (3) things after a negative recommendation by the SAPC. They can withdraw their nomination packet; they can request reconsideration through their department chair by updating or clarifying their nomination packet; or they can accept that the nomination packet will move forward to the next level of review. A faculty member may withdraw his or her nomination at any stage prior to the Provost’s decision. Reconsideration includes request to the Dean/designee by the department chair. A reconsideration request must occur within 30 calendar days after a department chair is notified of the SAPC’s negative recommendation.

What if I go through the promotion process and I have been turned down for promotion and/or tenure, what are my rights?

Faculty members have the right to appeal a denial of promotion and/or tenure by the Provost using the grievance process described in the University Bylaws and School of Medicine Bylaws. Our advice is that you set up a meeting with the senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs who can describe and outline the process in more detail.

When is my appointment/promotion effective?

Nominations for appointment can be considered at any of the four (4) meetings of the Academic Affairs Subcommittee of the UConn Health Board of Directors meetings which take place during the year with the effective date of appointment being the date of the meeting.

Nominations for promotion and/or tenure that are approved by the Provost are confirmed at the August/September meeting of the Academic Affairs Subcommittee of the UConn Health Board of Directors. The effective date of promotion and/or tenure is the later of September 1 or the date of the meeting.