Assembling the Dossier

Dossier FAQs

What should I include in the dossier?

In summary, the candidate is responsible for making a compelling case to the: tenured department faculty, department chair, school dean, University Rank and Tenure Committee, provost, president, and Board of Trustees. The Rank and Tenure Committee consists of one tenured faculty member from each school and two elected at large from the tenured faculty (Statutes: 3.3A.5). The candidate should be mindful of the broad range of expertise represented by those who review the dossier.

The order of the dossier is typically as follows:

  • Letter of application (typical effective range is 12-15 pages): please clearly identify your application request, i.e., tenure and/or promotion.
  • CV
  • Letters from the chair and dean (with the understanding that the candidate does not have access to these).
  • Letters from tenured department faculty members (with the understanding that the candidate does not have access to these).
  • A list of the names of the reviewers must be provided by the candidate. The candidate should briefly explain the relationship, if any, between the candidate and the reviewers. Statutes 3.10.4 and 3.11.4.
  • Letters from reviewers (with the understanding that the candidate does not have access to these).
  • Course evaluation numerical summaries (added by the provost's office).
  • Supporting documents, which may include, but are not limited to:
    • Exemplar syllabi-not all, but a representation
    • Scholarly work, such as publications and presentations
    • Evidence of advisement activities
    • Supporting evidence of service activities

What should I include in the letter of application?

The letter of application is a persuasive presentation of evidence supporting the performance of the candidate in meeting the standards as put forth in the Faculty Statutes, and is organized to address each section of the Statutes. In general, candidates should include headers for sections addressing teaching, advising, scholarship, and service. Candidates who had careers before coming to the University may relate that experience to their current position. This is more important if the candidate has been granted credit for previous years of service to their probationary period (Statutes: 3.10.2). Emphasis should be placed on evidence dating since the candidate's arrival at the University.

What should I include as supplementary material?

Any claim of evidence in the letter of application should (in general) include a citation to documentation in the Supplementary Material section. Candidates have typically used binders with a tab for each citation in the letter of application. Candidates are encouraged to present focused, compelling support. Examples of documentation of compelling evidence include, but are not limited to, published, peer-reviewed scholarship, innovative teaching materials or a series of steadily improving materials, and students' standardized test results.

When should I start building my dossier?

Faculty members are encouraged to begin building their dossiers at the time of hire, to both ease preparation and encourage ongoing reflection and careful selection of teaching, advising, scholarship, and service work.

Use the annual evaluations as milestones to gauge your progress toward tenure/promotion. The mid-probationary review should be utilized as an opportunity to engage the chair/dean/director and provost in a focused discussion about progress toward tenure and promotion. It also affords the opportunity to identify future action steps to achieve that goal.

May I update my dossier after it is submitted?

Updates may occur by January 15, but are limited to:

  • The candidate may request that the course evaluation scores for the fall semester during which the candidate is submitting his or her dossier be added by the provost's office.
  • In addition, per the Faculty Statutes, candidates may choose to submit an update to their dossier. This update must not exceed one page and must be emailed by the candidate directly to the chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee and the provost's office by midnight on January 15 of the decision year.

Rank and Tenure Committee Recommendations for Assembling the Dossier