CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF AFRICANA STUDIES PROGRAM MEMBERS APPLYING FOR TENURE AND PROMOTION

Written By:
Africana Studies Program Faculty
Donnetrice Allison, Chair
Patricia Reid-Merritt, Distinguished Professor
Stockton University
August 22, 2021

Preamble
The Africana Studies Program was founded in 1983 as a topical concentration that later
became a certificate program. In 1998, it was officially listed in the college bulletin as an
interdisciplinary minor and remained as such for more than two decades. Given that the Africana
Studies Program was one of the most active minor programs at the University, recognized on a
national level due to the scholarship and community activism produced by its contributing faculty,
the program became a major as of 2019. This document was developed in the summer of 2021,
during the program’s infancy, as a guide for new faculty who will help to guide and shape the
future of the program.
The Africana Studies Program Standards outlines the requirements for candidates seeking
tenure and/or promotion. It is understood that these guidelines can be amended or modified
depending on demands, changes or new expectations from the Program. The individual faculty
plan will be created by new faculty in consultation with senior faculty. It is important that new
faculty in a new program have clear, attainable goals that meet the expectations of the university,
school and program.

University Standards
According to University Standards, faculty seeking tenure and promotion will be evaluated
on their achievements in teaching, scholarly and creative activity, and service, based on the
following criteria.

6.1 Teaching
6.1.1 Performance in teaching carries the greatest weight in the evaluation
of faculty. All aspects of teaching, including preceptorial teaching, will
be evaluated in order to gain a clear understanding of each faculty
member’s performance.

6.2 Scholarly and Creative Activity
6.2.1 The teacher-scholar model recognizes that a serious and continuing
commitment to scholarship or creative activity enriches teaching and
is the foundation of sustained excellence within the classroom.
6.2.2 Publications and creative work in support of reappointment and tenure
are those achieved during the applicant’s probationary period.
6.2.3 The University recognizes a wide variety of scholarly vehicles:
disciplinary or interdisciplinary research, pedagogical research, applied
research, integrative scholarship, artistic or creative activity, and grant acquisition. Scholarly or creative activities may take many forms and use different vehicles to communicate with the broader academic
community.

6.3 University and Community Service
6.3.1 The faculty role includes contributions to the achievement of the
University’s mission through effective participation in governance
activities, including leadership roles at the Program, School, or
University-wide levels. These contributions may require the capacity to
work collaboratively with other members of the University community,
including activities related to alumni and the University Foundation.
6.3.2 Faculty may also contribute in broader arenas such as local, State
regional or national organizations and disciplinary associations or their
activities. In addition, faculty may contribute to the University’s public
mission through service to our community, region, state or nation.
6.3.3 Normally the University expects probationary faculty to serve the
University and community in selected activities, while faculty who are
tenured and/or of senior rank would be expected to have more substantial
records in this area, as demonstrated by achievements in leadership on
campus, to their disciplines, and professional organizations.
6.3.4 Evaluation of achievements in this area focuses on the significance of
participation, the impact of service, the scope of responsibilities, and the
effectiveness of participation. Clear goals, adequate preparation and
appropriate methods of providing service, significant results of the
service, and reflection on the contribution and its use to improve the
quality of future service are all aspects of documenting achievement in
campus and community service.

School Standards
The School of Arts and Humanities have adopted the University standards as a desirable
set of School Standards for the Arts & Humanities faculty.

Program Standards
It is our goal to make our standards as clear and concise as possible so as to ensure that
faculty entering the Africana Studies Program at Stockton University have the greatest chance for
success. As stated above, new faculty are assessed based on their ability to demonstrated
excellence in three areas: teaching, scholarship and service.

Teaching
6.1.1 Teaching excellence is characterized by:
6.1.1.1 A thorough and current command of the subject matter,
teaching techniques, and methodologies of the disciplines one
teaches.
6.1.1.2 Sound course design and delivery in all teaching
assignments–whether program or General Studies, introductory
or advanced offerings–as evident in clear learning goals and
expectations, content reflecting the best available scholarship or
artistic practices, and teaching techniques aimed at student
learning.
6.1.2.3. Ability to organize course material and to communicate
this information effectively. The development of a
comprehensive syllabus for each course taught, including
expectations, grading, and attendance policies and the timely
provision of copies to students.
6.1.2.4 Excellence in teaching also entails respect for students as
members of the Stockton academic community, the effective
response to student questions, and the timely evaluation of and
feedback to students.

Given that the Africana Studies is a new BA Program, it is important that new faculty demonstrate
their ability to contribute to the growth of the program. One of the most important ways to do so
is by capturing student interest in the classroom. It is also important that new Africana Studies
faculty demonstrate their understanding of the principles of teaching from an Afrocentric
perspective. New faculty must not only have a strong command of their specific course material,
but also of the field of Africana Studies. And the must be able to clearly impart that knowledge to
students.

Scholarly Activity
The University expects new faculty to demonstrate scholarly excellence in the following
ways:
6.2.4.6.1 Books should be published by reputable academic or
trade presses and reviewed in appropriate journals.
6.2.4.6.2 Articles, essays, and creative writing should be
published in appropriate scholarly journals, whether
print or electronic. Some assessment should be made
as to the quality of the journal in which the piece
appears, in particular, its scholarly reputation and
whether or not the journal or proceedings are peer
reviewed. 

Standard 6.2.4.6.2 does not apply as strictly to faculty candidates in Africana Studies. Given that
Africana Studies is a relatively young discipline (just over 50 years), there are fewer established
journals. There are, however, several new and innovative journals that are still growing their
reputation and we encourage Africana Studies faculty to submit their work to those journals.
6.2.4.6.3 Scholarly and creative activity that involves students
as co-presenters, co-participants, or co-authors.
6.2.4.6.4 A presentation should be evaluated on the quality
of its content and on the prestige of the meeting where
it was delivered. Qualitative judgments are best made
when copies of presentations are made available.
National and regional meetings should rank higher
than local meetings in most instances. Scholarly
presentations should be ranked more highly than non-scholarly ones. Competitive selections as well as
presentations receiving disciplinary
acknowledgementfor excellence should be noted. In
most disciplines a record of scholarship based on
presentations alonewill not be evaluated as highly as
one including refereed publications.

Again, Africana Studies faculty will have more flexibility with regard to university standard
6.2.4.6.4. Faculty members who are pursuing tenure in Africana Studies are encouraged to not
only participate in the national and international conferences most recognized within the
discipline, but they are also encouraged to present for new and innovative scholarly and creative
organizations representing the discipline.

6.2.4.6.5 Other forms of scholarly or creative activity that may
appear in emerging scholarly or artistic media may be
included as well, provided that comparable standards
of peer review can be applied to them.
6.2.4.6.6 Professional activities undertaken as a practitioner or
consultant are considered scholarly activity when they
go beyond the routine application of knowledge to the
creation of new knowledge and the development of
new standards for practice. Such qualities distinguish
between scholarship and professional service. Those
making the judgments regarding the standards for
applied research necessarily involve more than clients
and include academic peers familiar with the area of
practice under consideration.

For Africana Studies scholars, this may include conducting workshops and presentations for
various organizations wishing to educate their clientele on Africana history and culture.
6.2.4.6.7 Grants or monetary awards that are funded or
reviewed as fundable from governmental or nongovernmental organizations are considered examples
of scholarship if those grants and awards are subject
to external peer review.

6.2.4.6.8 Faculty engaged in community outreach can make a
difference in the communities and beyond by defining
or resolving relevant social problems or issues, by
facilitating organizational development, by
improving existing practices or programs, and by
enriching the cultural life of the community.
Scholarship may take the form of widely
disseminating the knowledge gained in communitybased projects in appropriate professional venues in
order to share its significance with those who do not
benefit directly from the project.

Faculty of the Stockton University Africana Studies Program have a strong record of scholarly
excellence through the publication of numerous books, book chapters, journal articles and
presentations that uplift the field. New faculty members to the program are expected to contribute
to the program’s reputation through regular attendance and presentations at regional, national and
international conferences; and through the publication of at least three book chapters or journal
articles, with the understanding that the publication of a book by a reputable publisher in time for
the tenure and promotion application would fully meet the criteria for scholarly excellence.

Service
6.1.1 Evidence of effectiveness in University or community service may
include such items as:
6.1.1.1 One or more instances when one has used one’s
professional skills or knowledge for the benefit of the University,
or of a non-University group or individual.
6.1.1.2 Contributions to professional organizations that are
focused on service or professional responsibility as opposed to
scholarship, research, or artistic/creative work. For example, an
officership or service on a professional board may be more
appropriately listed here, whereas editing a special issue of a
journal may be more appropriately listed under the section on
scholarship.
6.1.1.3 General civic or community activities to which one has
contributed one’s professional skills or a significant amount of
time, talent, energy, and involvement beyond that which might
be expected by the usual citizen or member.

Faculty of the Stockton University Africana Studies Program also have a strong record of service
to the university and local community, as moving beyond the walls of the classroom to serve the
larger African diasporic community has been a foundation of the discipline from the start. Faculty
pursuing tenure in the Africana Studies Program are expected to contribute to the organization and
execution of both on campus and community-based programming. They are also encouraged to
initiate new programming.
At the program level, new faculty are expected to contribute to program development by regularly
meeting with senior faculty and offering new ideas for curriculum and pedagogy. At the universitylevel, new Africana Studies faculty are expected to be visible and participate in university-wide
initiatives. Similarly, new faculty will also be called upon to represent the program at the school
level through school-wide initiatives and open house events.