Reappointment of Tenure-Track Professors

Regulations

The Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure Track and Tenured Academic Staff provide the regulatory framework for reappointment and, where appropriate, non-renewal of tenure-track academic staff.

Terms

Reappointments shall be for a definite term of up to three years. It is practice to grant three-year reappointments to candidates who are on track for tenure and one- or two-year reappointments to candidates whose performance of their academic duties is of concern.

An Assistant Professor may be reappointed at this rank for up to three years, provided that the appointment and reappointments do not exceed a total of seven years. No later than the sixth year as an Assistant Professor, the staff member shall be considered for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor

An Associate Professor may be reappointed at this rank for up to three years, provided that the appointment and reappointments shall not exceed a total six years.

A Full Professor may be reappointed on an initial appointment of at least five years, but less than six years.

Criteria for Reappointment

The academic unit's criteria for reappointment must be communicated in writing to the staff member by the Department Chair or by the Dean in Faculties without departments, within two months of the initial appointment. Staff members shall be guided in the preparation of their dossier by the requirements for a tenure dossier as set out in the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure Track and Tenured Academic Staff.

Recommendations relating to reappointment are based on the staff member’s performance of academic duties and on whether the staff member’s dossier discloses satisfactory progress and promise of meeting the criteria for tenure.

Dossier

It is the responsibility of the staff member to prepare and pursue their case for reappointment, and to provide the committee with a dossier to establish that they have met the reappointment criteria. Guidelines for developing a teaching, research, and service portfolio are provided in the appendices to the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure Track and Tenured Academic Staff.

The reappointment dossier is not expected to be as extensive as a tenure dossier. For example, copies of publications are not required, unless specified by the Department. At the time of consideration for reappointment the staff member shall provide the Departmental Chair with the necessary information and documentation (the “dossier”) to support the case for reappointment.

The Dean’s recommendation to the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) must be accompanied by this dossier, as well as the report of the Department Chair of the reappointment committee.

Timing

Department Chairs must initiate the reappointment process one year in advance of the appointment end date. Depending on the end date of the staff member’s appointment end dates, timelines for the process are provided in the table below.

The reappointment process, including the communication of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)’s decision to the staff member, must be completed at least 37 weeks before the end date of the appointment. This is especially critical where the decision is against reappointment, since failure to provide the 37 weeks notification results in an automatic one year extension of the candidate’s appointment.

Dates

Note: All first appointments will end on July 31^stat least three years from the start date.

Process

1.  At the time of consideration for reappointment, the staff member shall provide the departmental chair with the dossier to support their case for reappointment.

2. The staff member’s Department Chair consults with an appropriate committee of the department or departmental tenure committee (DTC) concerning the reappointment. In units without departments, the committee is chaired by a member of the academic staff other than the Dean. In the case of joint appointments, this committee shall have representation from all relevant departments and the chair shall be determined by the departmental chairs.

3. The departmental committee shall submit a written report containing substantive reasons to the Dean, with a copy to the staff member, recommending either reappointment for a further definite term, in accordance with these regulations, or the non-renewal of the staff member’s appointment.

4. The Dean shall submit a written recommendation with substantive reasons to the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), with a copy to the staff member and the departmental chair, containing either a recommendation for reappointment for a further definite term in accordance with these regulations; or a recommendation for the non-renewal of the staff member’s appointment. In parallel, the Faculty initiates the reappointment process in Workday by selecting the Update Academic Appointment BP (see the Academic Appointment Job Aid).

5. Within 25 working days of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) receiving a recommendation from the Dean, the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) shall provide the staff member, the departmental chair and the Dean with a written decision either for reappointment for a further definite term in accordance with these regulations; or non-renewal of the staff member’s appointment.

6. The Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) communicates his or her decision to the staff member via Workday. The Dean and departmental chair can access the information in Workday directly.

7. For non-renewals, the staff member must be offered a reappointment of 1 year, which is processed in Workday. Then a termination must be processed with a future date.

If at any stage in the process the departmental committee, the Dean or the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) is tending towards a negative recommendation or decision, the staff member must be 1) notified that the recommendation or decision is so tending; 2) provided with substantive reasons (in writing) for the negative recommendation or decision; and 3) given the opportunity to address the concerns in person, accompanied by an advisor if they so wish.

Deferring Reappointment Consideration

All pre-tenure (tenure-track) professors will be allowed to elect to defer their consideration for reappointment and tenure by one full year because of the impact of the coronavirus on their productivity. Professors who wish to defer reappointment consideration in light of this option must advise their Chair/Director and Dean at least one month before their reappointment dossier is due in their Department, and follow the same process as below (except for the delay which is one month for this option) but indicate that the reason is the current situation. This extension does not count against the maximum two-year extension to reappointment and tenure clocks for periods of authorized leave permitted under McGill’s Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure Track and Tenured Academic Staff (ss. 6.10 and 7.5).

Staff members who have taken an authorized leave of three months or more prior to the beginning of their year of reappointment consideration may request a postponement of their reappointment consideration. Reappointment consideration may be postponed for a maximum of one year per authorized leave and a maximum of two extensions total, at the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)’s discretion. It should be understood by the staff member that postponement of reappointment consideration may delay tenure consideration. Such requests are made by email to academic.personnel [at] mcgill.ca, with a copy to their Department Chair, within three months of the beginning the year of reappointment consideration.