Faculty Appointments and Promotions
From the Boston University Faculty Handbook:
Appointment and Continuance of Appointments for Full-Time Faculty on the Medical Campus
For every faculty appointment, a written document specifying the initial title, status with respect to Tenure, initial term with dates, starting salary, and other appropriate conditions shall be provided to the faculty member with a copy supplied to his/her department. No full-time appointments at the rank of Associate or Full Professor take effect unless and until approved by the President of Boston University. Any subsequent extensions or modifications of an appointment shall be stated in writing to the faculty member with a copy to his/her department.
Tenure is not awarded to faculty at the Boston University School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
The bylaws of each Medical Campus school detail selection, appointment, and reappointment procedures for each faculty rank and title. These and any similar statements of school-level policy are subject to the approval of the Medical Campus Provost.
The following University policies apply to full-time faculty of the Boston University School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, in the ranks of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Instructor. Full-time faculty as used in this policy refers to faculty who are compensated for full-time employment by Boston University through the University’s payroll. Voluntary (unpaid) faculty and part-time faculty are not covered by these provisions. There is no minimum requirement for notice of non-continuance of voluntary or part-time faculty. Some of the following provisions, as documented below, do not apply to Faculty Practice Plan members.
Promotions on the Medical Campus
Promotion at Boston University is the result of demonstrated and significant additional attainments after a faculty member has been appointed or last promoted. No rigid schedule exists for promotion. Eligibility for promotion is open to all full-time faculty members of Instructor or higher rank, including Research, Clinical, or of the Practice faculty. The decision to pursue promotion may be initiated by the faculty member.
A. Promotion Standards
Each school shall define appropriate standards for promotion. These standards are subject to approval by the Medical Campus Provost, and shall be made available to all faculty members in the school.
B. Promotion Procedures
- The first level of Promotion Review in the candidate’s department or division is conducted by full-time members holding rank at least as high as that for which the candidate is considered. The chair of the department or division reports the result of the faculty review as well as his/her own recommendation to the dean. The dean then refers the recommendation to the faculty committee process as outlined in each school’s by-laws. If the dean approves the promotion after considering the recommendation of the faculty review process, the recommendation is forwarded by the school to the Medical Campus Provost, the President, and the Trustees for approval. The decision of the Trustees is final.
- The candidate shall, at his/her request, be given copies of reports and rationales from each level of the promotion review process. To facilitate this procedure, reports and rationales are formulated to preserve the anonymity of participants in the judgment (to the extent that this is consistent with the communication of the basis of judgment) at each level. The candidate is not given access to individual evaluations submitted in confidence.
- The candidate being reviewed for promotion has the right to appeal a negative recommendation of the dean to the Medical Campus Provost or of the Medical Campus Provost to the President, indicating the grounds of his/her dissatisfaction with the negative recommendations. This right of appeal does not extend beyond the President.
Adopted April 18, 2007, by the University Council.
The Boston University Faculty Handbook may be accessed in its entirety at the Faculty Handbook website.
