Extension of Tenure Clock (Probationary Term of Appointment)

Faculty members who hold probationary assistant or associate professor appointments may find that they are not ready for the mandatory review for promotion and tenure due to any number of circumstances.  The Tenure Regulations state:

For reasons of health, requirements of childbirth or child care, or similar compelling circumstances, a faculty member holding a probationary term of appointment at the rank of assistant professor or associate professor may request a written memorandum of amendment extending the term of the current appointment and thereby the maximum probationary period with no resulting change in normal employment obligations, in order to provide the faculty member additional time to demonstrate fully his or her professional qualifications for reappointment or permanent tenure. Extensions under this subsection (iii) may be granted in increments not to exceed 12 months, up to a maximum of 24 months (including any extensions that may have been granted under subsection (ii), above). [Amended May 20, 2004.]

Any request pursuant to the above must be initiated not later than 24 months before the end of the term to which it is to apply and must be approved by the Chancellor.  A second request for 12 months following the initial request (of 12 months) requires the same paperwork.  The extension granted cannot exceed a total of 24 months.  A request for extension initiated during the third or fourth year of an initial probationary term at the rank of assistant professor shall be granted only upon the condition that the initial appointment is renewed.

The provisions above do not apply to informal temporary adjustments of the regularly assigned duties of faculty members by the department chair who is responsible for their direct supervision; nor to the granting by the University of extended leaves of absence with or without compensation.

Tenure clock extension requests should be routed through the normal EPA administrative channels to the Offices of the Provost and Chancellor.  Initially, the request should go via hardcopy through administrative channels without entering any action in EPAWeb.  All relevant supporting documents must be included with this approval process.

Once the Office of the Chancellor has communicated its tenure clock extension decision by letter, if the action is approved, an EPAWeb Extension Action should be entered using the date of the Chancellor's approval letter as the effective date of the action rather than the next day after current appointment's original end date.  In completing this action, only change the rank Scheduled End Date while the Begin Date remains the same.  The purpose of the extension action in EPAWeb is to reflect the approved tenure clock extension formally in the faculty member's on-line record and to permit extension of the faculty rank end date.

The following are required for review of an extension request:

• Letter from the faculty member explaining the need for the extension
• Letter of justification from the department chair approved by the dean
• EPAWeb Extension Action with the Chancellor's approval letter attached