TENURE AND PROMOTION GUIDELINES IN THE LITERATURE PROGRAM

Preamble
In its Statement Deploring Systemic Racism, the Modern Language Association writes “We urge
departments of language and literature to engage with the art and criticism that reflects on history and
envisions another future. We call on educational institutions to renew their commitment to actively undo
structures that limit access by and hinder the full participation of Black Americans and other nonwhite
people at all levels.” The 2021 revisions to our program standards heed this call.
Note regarding COVID-19 pandemic and program standards:1
In line with the recently passed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Evaluation of Faculty and
Librarians in the Time of Covid-19, the Literature program recognizes that faculty members going
through the personnel process at any stage starting in September 2020 will likely have been negatively
impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic resulted in:

• Canceled conferences, research grants, residential fellowships, and other funds
• Closure of libraries, museums, and archives or open with limited hours and access, further
inhibiting research
• Delays in review and publication of scholarly and creative work
• Rapid change to remote teaching in Spring 2020, potentially resulting in unavoidable problems
with teaching/learning, such as student perception of the course/instructor due to circumstances
not under the control of the teacher
• Ongoing change to different teaching modalities and assignments since Fall 2020, including most
faculty having to move to hybrid or online teaching due to limited availability of large classroom
spaces and family and health constraints
• Significant caregiver challenges in response to such challenges, which research indicates
disproportionately affects women and faculty of color
• Impact on mental and physical health, of which faculty members of color are also more likely to
have been impacted by, due to the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color

The Literature program recognizes the on-going need for its faculty to adjust scholarly and creative
activity, teaching, and service and for the Program Review Committee to apply program standards in light
of the above challenges, including limiting the use and/or weight of student course and precepting
evaluations in the evaluation of teaching, recognizing and rewarding the adoption to new teaching
modalities and contexts, supporting adjustments to scholarly and creative agendas and productivity,
recognizing conference acceptances and other acceptances or invitations that were canceled due to the
pandemic, and recognizing unanticipated shifts in availability to complete service work. Supporting our
faculty and teaching excellence, and recognizing a range of means to evaluate it, remains our priority.
Excellence in teaching is obligatory for all members of the Literature program. Scholarship and artistic
production are necessary and highly valued, as is service to the program and university, but without a
clear demonstration of teaching excellence, a faculty member cannot be tenured or promoted.

_________________________
¹Adopted from the Historical Studies program standards, https://stockton.edu/academic-affairs/agreements/historical-studies-program-standards.html

6.1. Means of Assessing “Excellence in Teaching” in the Literature Program
Provisional faculty should provide the program clear evidence of the following:

6.1.1. A thorough command of the subject matter, teaching techniques, and methodology of the
discipline.

6.1.1.1. Evidence for meeting these criteria may include:
• Artistic, scholarly, or public-facing publication and/or presentations related to the
faculty member’s field(s) of study or pedagogy
• Detailed syllabi
• Successful experience in teaching courses in one’s area(s) of expertise as well as
foundational courses such as Literary Interpretation, Introduction to Research in
Literature, Introduction to Creative Writing, Craft and Theory Workshop, and
Senior Seminar
• Results of university-administered student evaluations
• Design and organization of co-curricular campus, community, and professional
opportunities

6.1.2. Continuous growth in one’s field(s) of expertise.

6.1.2.1. Evidence may include:
• Artistic, scholarly, or public-facing publication
• Presentations or other contributions related to the faculty member’s field(s) of
study or pedagogy
• Thoughtful self-evaluation and revision of courses
• Participation in curricular development or assessment activities
• Successful experience teaching upper-level courses in one’s area(s) of expertise
• Professional development
• Results of university-administered student evaluations

6.1.3. Soundness of presentation, including thoughtful course organization, content reflecting the
best available scholarship or artistic practice, and teaching techniques appropriate to eliciting a
high level of student understanding in all one’s teaching assignments.

6.1.3.1. Evidence may include:
• Detailed teaching portfolio, including syllabi and rationale and reflection on
courses, assignments, and outcomes
• Teaching observations by peers
• Formal course assessment, samples and analysis of student papers and projects
• Results of university-administered student evaluations

6.1.4. Current knowledge in the subject matter.

6.1.4.1. Evidence may include:
• Artistic, scholarly, or public-facing publication
• Presentations or other contributions related to the faculty member’s field(s) of
study or pedagogy
• Inclusion of recent and relevant secondary source material in courses
• Use of new or updated editions of textbooks and materials
• Attendance at scholarly conferences or workshops on pedagogy

6.1.5. Ability to use technology appropriately in teaching.

6.1.5.1. Evidence may include:
• Scholarly or practical publication on or presentations of pedagogical use of
technology
• Teaching portfolio with discussion of relevant uses of technology
• Sample student projects that make use of technology
• Innovations in the pedagogical use of technology
• Development of online and/or hybrid courses

6.1.6. The capacity to relate the subject matter to other fields of knowledge when appropriate.

6.1.6.1. Evidence may include:
• Artistic, scholarly, or public-facing interdisciplinary publication and
presentations or other contributions
• Use of interdisciplinary knowledge and materials in courses
• Effective teaching and/or curricular development of general studies courses or in
interdisciplinary minors or in service-learning
• Collaboration or team-teaching with faculty from other disciplines

6.1.7. The ability to perform effectively in all one’s teaching assignments, whether at the
introductory or advanced level or in interdisciplinary teaching.

6.1.7.1. Evidence for meeting these criteria may be documented by demonstrated
excellence in items one through six above (6.1.1-6). Excellence in teaching also entails:

• Respect for students as members of the Stockton academic community
• Responding to student questions effectively
• Encouraging academic freedom
• Positively seeking opportunities inside and outside of the classroom to enhance
student learning of the subject matter

Evidence may include:

• Meeting classes regularly
• Holding regular office hours
• Making use of email and other available web-conferencing tools to extend
classroom knowledge and offer additional support
• Assignment of, and appropriate use of, reading materials
• Effective student precepting, which may be shown through positive student
evaluations of precepting
• Supporting student research, performances, and creative productions
• Supervising internships and independent studies
• Including students in research projects and presentations
• Field trips
• Service-learning

9.3. Guidelines on appointments that confer tenure

9.3.5. Assistant Professors normally apply for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor
concurrent with their reappointment with tenure, unless there are extenuating circumstances
outlined by the candidate.

9.3.5.1. Faculty should refer to “Note regarding COVID-19 pandemic and program
standards” in the Preamble when discussing the impact of the pandemic on their teaching,
scholarship/creative activity, and/or service.

9.3.6. While expectations for tenure and promotion are similar, the program recognizes that under
certain circumstances, provisional faculty may have met the criteria for tenure but not promotion.

10.1. Expectations for Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

10.1.1. Teaching

10.1.1.1. Foremost in an application for tenure must be an explanation of the candidate’s
teaching goals and practices, demonstrated teaching excellence, and the successful
implementation of the program’s stated mission and goals.

10.1.1.2. A variety of materials will help to establish the candidate’s skills, such as
teaching philosophies, portfolios of teaching materials, and self-analysis of classroom
practices, along with student evaluations of teaching and preceptorial advising. (See 6.1
“Means of Assessing Teaching Excellence in Literature.”)

10.1.1.3. Additional input will be gained by peer teaching observations by program and
other faculty members. For promotion to Associate Professor, candidates must
demonstrate teaching excellence and the ability to contribute to and maintain the
program’s curriculum.

10.1.2. Scholarship and/or Creative Activity

10.1.2.1. In order to meet the requirements of tenure and promotion to Associate
Professor, candidates also must provide evidence of scholarly, artistic, and/or publicfacing production. This work must be documented, provided in the file, and explained
with reference to results, theoretical underpinnings, creative innovation, and/or
intellectual rigor. It is the responsibility of candidates for tenure and promotion to explain
the significance and impact of their work and of the venues in which their work appears.

This significance and impact may be evidenced through:

• External letters of recommendation from scholars or other professionals in
the field
• Peer review: publication policy, reader reports
• Publication: submission, revise and resubmit, acceptance, in-print
• Publication venue: acceptance rate, circulation, reputation
• Reprint
• Reviews of published work, including readership/response
• Course adaptation of published work
• Awards

• Grants
• Cited references

10.1.2.2. The Literature program expects that such work, whether in print or electronic
form, will be part of a clearly articulated scholarly or artistic agenda that is discussed in
the self evaluation. Evidence of scholarly, creative, and public-facing productivity is
cumulative and may also include publications and projects completed prior to
appointment at Stockton.

To earn tenure and promotion, candidates must demonstrate knowledge or artistic
contribution through scholarly, creative, and/or public-facing accomplishments in the
three following areas OR demonstrate a focused contribution and impact in two of the
three areas:

Area 1: Submission, Presentation, Grants and Awards: Candidates should include
evidence of submission and/or presentation while undergoing review, including evidence
of submission, revise and resubmit, reader reports, author/co-author status, letter of
conference acceptance, conference program, and/or letter of invitation, etc. in at least one
of the following:

• Submission of scholarly, public-facing, and/or creative work to any venue
(single- or co-authored): it is expected that a candidate will submit work for
dissemination to appropriate venues
• Conference presentation: it is expected that a candidate will present scholarly or
artistic work at academic conferences or other appropriate venues
• Public lecture, guest lecture/workshop, roundtable, podcast, or reading: it is
expected that a candidate will present scholarly or artistic work at academic
conferences or other appropriate venues
• Submission of grants and awards: to competitive internal and/or external grants
or awards (to support candidate or group/community)

Area 2: Publication and Receipt of Grants and Awards: Candidates should include
evidence of acceptance and/or publication (in print or digital format) and/or
award/acceptance in at least one of the following:

• Single- or co-authored/edited peer-reviewed or juried publication (accepted or in
print) in or outside the candidate’s area or areas of expertise as well as pedagogy,
including creative writing, article, book chapter, monograph, edited collection,
textbook publication
• Contract for single- or co-authored/edited publication, including creative writing,
article, book chapter, monograph, edited collection, textbook publication
• Scholarly editing, recovery, or translation project, including anthology, journal,
textbook, or book editing (single- or co-authored)
• Creation and production of multi-disciplinary and/or digital media project
(single- or co-authored), such as a performance, website, exhibit, podcast, or
game
• Receipt of grant and/or award

Area 3: Community and Public Facing: Candidates should include evidence of work and
clarify role and duties (lead author, co-author, invited author, etc.) in at least one of the
following:

• Public-facing publication/scholarship (non-peer-reviewed/juried), including
creative writing, essay, article, book review, report, white paper, toolkit,
interview, website, film, oral history, or contribution to blog or newsletter in
one’s area(s) of expertise
• Research and activity related to the implementation of university and/or
community initiatives, such as centers or new majors, minors, or certificate
programs or community-based reports or creative publications or activities, such
as lecture or film series, reading groups, or workshops
• Publishing endeavors tied to University, academic or community projects, such
as anthologies of student work, anniversary publications, and community-based
texts, etc.

10.1.2.3. The candidate’s individual plan for tenure and promotion, as stipulated by
contract, serves as a conversation piece between candidate and program for developing
an appropriate scholarly/artistic agenda that meets the standards for tenure and
promotion. To support disciplinary and interdisciplinary teaching and scholarly/creative
activity, the program encourages faculty members to pursue various scholarly and artistic
interests, including projects outside one’s hired area(s) of expertise. Faculty over time can
and do change their focus of expertise and teaching. As a result, the Literature program
standards value scholarly and creative activity within and beyond the candidate’s job
description and teaching duties, including disciplinary, multi-disciplinary, and
interdisciplinary work. Individual faculty plans for tenure and promotion must be
approved by tenured members of the program.

10.1.2.4. When the program evaluates scholarly, artistic, and public-facing activity for
purposes of reappointment, tenure, and promotion, the activity is judged according to a
range of scholarly/artistic criteria. The criteria to evaluate knowledge/artistic contribution
include:

Quality of the work (innovation/contribution to the scholarly/artistic/public-facing
conversation/field and manner of presentation), which may be demonstrated by:

• Reader reports
• Letters from outside readers
• Documentation on the state of the field and how the work contributes
• Research conducted
• Grants that support research
• Invitations to present
• Readings

Quality of the venue, which may be demonstrated by:

• Peer review or acceptance/editorial policy
• Acceptance rate
• Reputation of editorial board, publisher, sponsoring organization (significance
and prominence to the field[s] covered)
• Publication circulation/conference scope (regional, national, international)

10.1.3. Service

10.1.3.1. Finally, in order to meet the requirements for tenure and promotion to Associate
Professor, candidates must present records of service to the program that demonstrate the ability
to support the program’s stated missions and goals. Candidates must also document meaningful
university-wide service and/or service to the community.

Program service prior to tenure and promotion might include:
• Staffing open houses or contributing to other program recruitment efforts
• Serving as a member of a standing program committee, such as social media or
assessment
• Contributing to program curricular development, assessment, and/or bulletin review
• Attendance at program meetings
• Serving on a hiring committee
• Assisting with the planning and promotion of and attending program events

University, community, or service to the profession prior to tenure and promotion might include:
• Attendance at ARHU or other significant university meetings/events
• Election or appointment to an ARHU or university committee
• Affiliate membership and service in another program or programs (major, minor,
graduate program)
• Acting as a peer reviewer for a conference or a publication
• Election or appointment to a professional or community
committee/organization/board/editorial board

10.2. Expectations for Promotion to Full Professor

10.2.1. For promotion to Full Professor, candidates must demonstrate excellence in teaching,
scholarly, creative, or public-facing achievement, and service to the program and university
beyond the level of accomplishment stated for tenured Associate Professors. See 10.2.1.2-5.

10.2.1.1. Faculty should refer to “Note regarding COVID-19 pandemic and program
standards” in the Preamble when discussing the impact of the pandemic on their teaching,
scholarship/creative activity, and/or service.

10.2.1.2. Demonstrated innovation, achievement, leadership, and mentoring in teaching.

Evidence may include:

• Artistic, scholarly, or public-facing publications and/or presentations related to
the faculty member’s field(s) of study or pedagogy
• Teaching portfolio with detailed syllabi, sample assignments, rubrics, servicelearning outcomes, etc.
• Successful experience in teaching courses in one’s area(s) of expertise as well as
foundational courses such as Literary Interpretation, Introduction to Research in
Literature, Introduction to Creative Writing, Craft and Theory Workshop, and
Senior Seminar
• Peer observations of teaching (of the candidate’s courses as well as conducted by
the candidate as a peer observer)
• Precepting evaluations
• Faculty fellowship or other leadership related to teaching, service-learning,
and/or curricular design or assessment
• Mentoring of students and/or faculty
• Letter or letters from students or former students
• Curricular development/innovation, including new program and general studies
course approvals, approval and renewal of university-wide
requirements/attributes
• Supervision of independent studies and internships
• Results of university-administered student evaluations

10.2.1.3. On-going engagement and recognition in scholarly, artistic, or public-facing
pursuits.
For Literature program faculty to earn promotion to Full Professor, candidates must
demonstrate scholarly, artistic, and/or public-facing contributions beyond what was
demonstrated for promotion to Associate.
Faculty may focus on bringing a larger project to completion or focus on several smaller,
not necessarily related, scholarly, artistic, and/or public-facing work. It is the
responsibility of candidates to explain the significance and impact of their work and of
the venues in which their work appears.

The significance and impact may be evidenced through:
• External letters of recommendation from scholars or other professionals in the
field
• Peer review: publication policy, reader reports
• Publication: submission, revise and resubmit, acceptance, published
• Publication venue: acceptance rate, circulation, reputation
• Reprint
• Reviews of published work, including readership/response
• Course adaptation of published work
• Awards
• Grants
• Cited references

Promotion to Full Professor requires demonstrated accomplishment, beyond what was
completed for Associate, in the three following areas OR demonstrated focused
contribution and impact in two of the three areas:

Area 1: Submission, Presentation, Grants and Awards: Candidates should include
evidence of submission and/or presentation,* including documentation of submission,
revise and resubmit, reader reports, author/co-author status, letter of conference
acceptance, conference program, and/or letter of invitation, etc. in at least one of the
following:

• Public lecture, guest lecture/workshop, roundtable, podcast, or reading: it is
expected that a candidate will present scholarly or artistic work at academic
conferences or other appropriate venues
• Submission of grants and awards: to competitive internal and/or external grants
or awards (to support candidate or group/community)

The program recognizes gaps in submission are normal for faculty at the Associate level
due to the work required to devise and complete new scholarly/creative/public-facing
projects, the work required to bring larger or multiple projects to fruition, and the fact
that Associate faculty also often have increased service duties.

Area 2: Publication and Receipt of Grants and Awards: Candidates should include
evidence of acceptance and/or publication (in print or digital format) and/or the receipt of
grants or awards in one or more of the following:

Area 3: Community and Public Facing: Candidates should include evidence of work and
clarify roles and duties (lead author, co-author, invited author, etc.), in at least one of the
following:

10.2.1.4. Just as for tenure and promotion to Associate, when the program evaluates
scholarly, artistic, and public-facing activity, the activity is judged according to a range of
scholarly/artistic criteria.*

The criteria to demonstrate and evaluate knowledge/artistic contribution include:
Quality of the work (innovation/contribution to the scholarly/artistic/public-facing
conversation/field and manner of presentation), which may be demonstrated by:

Quality of the venue, which may be demonstrated by:

• Peer review or acceptance/editorial policy
• Acceptance rate
• Reputation of editorial board, publisher, sponsoring organization (significance
and prominence to the field[s] covered)

• Publication circulation/conference scope (regional, national, international)

While it is expected that a candidate for Full Professor will publish and present
scholarly, artistic, or public-facing work at academic conferences or other appropriate
venues, breaks or gaps in scholarly, creative, or public-facing productivity since
promotion to Associate do not disqualify a candidate.

10.2.1.5. Demonstrated service to the program, university, profession, and/or community
that reflects leadership and a thorough understanding of and commitment to their mission
and goals.

Evidence may include:
• On-going or additional service at the previous level (see 10.1.3.1. )
• Serving as program chair
• Serving as a chair, director, coordinator, or other leadership position for another
program or minor
• Chairing or contributing to program(s) and/or university committees and/or the
Stockton Federation of Teachers (SFT) and/or center(s)
• Writing program, university, and/or professional reports and/or documents
• Election or appointment to leadership roles at the program, university,
professional, and/or community levels
• Design and organization of co-curricular campus, community, and/or
professional opportunities
• Serving as an external reviewer or reader for publication, tenure and promotion,
dissertation or thesis
• Measurable outcomes as a result of program, university, professional, and/or
community service