Employment and Benefits Policies Guidance for UNH Research Faculty

• Promotion recommendations for Research Faculty follow University Promotion and Tenure policy except that evaluation of the candidate is limited to accomplishments in research and scholarly activity. 

  See: USNH Policy, Section 8.4.3 http://www.usnh.edu/olpm/UNH/V.Pers/C.htm#8

• Promotion Statements for Research Faculty are to be prepared in the same manner as the Promotion and Tenure Statements for tenure-track faculty.  However, Research Faculty are not eligible for tenure, and their promotions are to be based only on performance in the areas of research, scholarship, and service.

• Most Research Faculty are associated with a single department.  In such cases, the department chairperson and the department Promotion and Tenure Committee function as they do in considerations of tenure-track faculty. 

• For Research Faculty with a joint appointment, promotion is administered through the unit designated as the home unit.  The home unit will be determined by mutual agreement among the faculty member, the unit head, and the dean/director of the college/ school/ institute.

  See: http://www.unh.edu/provost/sites/unh.edu.provost/files/docs/jointfacultyappointments1.pdf

  • The awarding of a promotion shall be initiated only through the designated home unit, but the secondary unit must be consulted and given an opportunity to provide information concerning performance as it relates to promotion.

  • Evaluation will be based on the criteria described under teaching, scholarship, and service in the Procedures and Criteria for Promotion and Tenure (See: above document reference).  The evaluation will consider the nature of the appointment and the expectations of the position as specified at the time of appointment or as subsequently modified.

  • If the joint appointment of a research faculty member does not include an academic department, an ad hoc Promotion Committee will be formed.  It must consist of no fewer than three tenured faculty, all of whom have scholarly expertise related to that of the candidate, and may include Research Faculty at an equal or higher rank of the candidate.  The dean or deans who approved the original appointment of the research faculty member will appoint the members of the ad hoc Promotion Committee.  The candidate may suggest nominees, but it is not required that the Committee include any of the candidates’ nominees.

• The department (or committee) chairperson is responsible for the preparation of the Statement, but to ensure accuracy and completeness, the curriculum vitae and the description sections should be written in close collaboration with the candidate.  In fact, it is preferable that these sections be written by the candidate and verified by the chairperson.

• The evaluation and departmental recommendation sections are confidential and must be written either by the chairperson or a member of the department (or ad hoc) Promotion and Tenure Committee.  The chairperson’s and dean’s own recommendations are to be written by the respective individuals.  Three copies of the Statement should be prepared.  One copy is to be retained by the department, and the original and one copy forwarded to the dean.  After the appropriate recommendations are added at the college/school level, including the recommendation from the Graduate Dean and the Senior Vice Provost for Research, the dean sends the original to the Provost.