Rank, Tenure & Promotion

Step Advancements

The Dean notifies faculty members who are eligible for step advancements at the time they receive their annual contracts. Included with the notification is information on the application procedures and materials that are required to apply for step advancement. For faculty members who are eligible for step advancements, the annual reviews conducted by the Associate Deans and an updated Faculty Data Form completed by the eligible faculty member (see Appendix D-1) are submitted to the Dean, generally in the month of January. The Dean reviews these materials and determines whether or not to recommend the step advancement. Notification of the outcome of the review process is included with the next succeeding year's annual contract. Annual reviews cover the criteria used for tenure and promotion evaluations. These criteria are teaching effectiveness, scholarly activity, service, and support for Christian values.

A faculty member may be advanced only one step at a time (see Appendix C-1), except under merit acceleration considerations (see Section VIII.A.). After review, the Dean shall notify the faculty member in writing of his or her decision. If the Dean decides against the step advancement, the faculty member may consult with his or her Associate Dean regarding the decision and plan an appropriate course of action in response to the decision. If a faculty member is denied step advancement, he or she forfeits that year for purposes of future advancement considerations. Thus, if a faculty member is denied step advancement one year but is successful in a subsequent year, he or she must remain at the new step for the number of years specified in the RTP Manual before becoming eligible to apply for further advancement.