Criteria for Evaluation of Philosophy and Religion Program Members Applying for Tenure and Promotion

Department of Philosophy and Religion
Jongbok Yi, Program Chair
Rodger L. Jackson
Lucio Privitello
A. Edward Siecienski
Stockton University
Revised as of February 2024
(Previous revisions:
January 20, 2006, and
June 2008)

 

PREAMBLE
The faculty of the Philosophy and Religion Program supports the Standards of the
College and School of Arts and Humanities and intends for the elements of this document to
further elucidate the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service from the perspective of the
Philosophy and Religion Program. Candidates for reappointment, reappointment with tenure,
and promotion need to refer to both the University and the Philosophy and Religion Program
standards.

In the Fall of 2005, the Philosophy and Religion Program, following the guidelines
set down in the College's Policy and Procedures Manual, constructed a statement of the
criteria by which the Program would evaluate candidates coming up for tenure. It was
updated in June 2008 in order to match the format of the College's Policy and Procedures
Manual better and to add material addressing promotion to full Professor. There was no
change in any of the substantive aspects of the guidelines with regard to tenure or promotion
to Associate Professor.

Our goal is to provide a document that allows the candidate, the Program, and the
college at large to have a clear understanding of the expectations of a faculty member as
she/he progresses through her/his career at Stockton University. This document will be the
basis for the Program evaluation of the candidate in its Program letter to the Dean and the
Faculty Review Committee.

With regard to tenure, we have attempted to demonstrate our commitment to creating
a first-rate Philosophy and Religion Program and yet also be realistic with regard to the
challenges facing someone in their first four years at Stockton. Each member of the current
Program who came up for tenure has to accomplish the requirements listed in this document.
We believe that the following requirements will give the Program and the college adequate
evidence for making the tenure decision. We also believe that the requirements we have
outlined here for tenure and rigorous enough to warrant an individual be promoted at the
same time to Associate Professor rank. With regard to promotion to Professor we have tried
to achieve a balance between the three areas: teaching, scholarship, and service.

The document is divided into two parts. We cover the general requirements that a
candidate must meet in the three areas identified by the Manual of Policies and Procedures:
teaching, scholarship, and service. After each section, we outline the kinds of measurement
tools the Program will use to ascertain whether the candidate has met these requirements. In
each case we have avoided touching on those areas that are covered by the terms and
conditions of the candidate's contract with the University. For example, we expect candidates
to conduct independent studies with students and to develop courses for the General Studies
Program. However, since these are both requirements of any faculty member we do not
mention them in this document, assuming that the candidate will already understand that
she/he is responsible for such activities.

Finally, as the reader will see, there are numbers of places in which the Program and
the candidate must agree whether a particular course of action meets the Program's
requirements for tenure. We believe that key to a fair and accurate assessment of the
candidate's progress will be ongoing communication between the Program members and the
candidate. Wherever possible conversations between the candidate and Program members in
which both parties discuss these issues should be documented. The candidate will be
responsible for keeping this correspondence and including it where appropriate in his/her
annual self-evaluation. To further clarify this process, starting in Fall 2008, the Program will
require new Faculty members to construct a plan that outlines their approach to meeting the
Program guidelines.

In February 2024, the Philosophy and Religion Program reviewed the requirements
for tenure and promotion.

REQUIREMENTS FOR TENURE
6.1. Teaching

The criteria for the evaluation of teaching are in 6.1 of University Policy II-10.5. What
follows are the criteria that the Philosophy and Religion Program interprets. Excellence in
teaching is essential for any faculty member to be tenured. While defining excellence in
teaching is difficult, at very least we believe it entails, though is not limited to, the following:

The candidate, in consultation with the Philosophy and Religion Program,
will spell out in his or her individual faculty plan the contributions he or she
intends to make in each area.

6.1.1. All Philosophy and Religion professors must:

6.1.1.1. Be well versed in the subject matter being taught, including recent
developments in the area.
6.1.1.2. Have a clear vision of what she/he hopes to accomplish in the course
being taught.
6.1.1.3. Be clear and open with students about the objectives of the course.
6.1.1.4. Have methods of evaluation that are sensibly related to the objectives of
the course.
6.1.1.5. Construct classes that meet the overall Program goals for philosophy
majors/minors as well as for non-majors/minors.
6.1.1.6. Incorporate writing of papers into a significant portion of courses being
taught, most especially in a W2 or W1 course.
6.1.1.7. Provide thoughtful and helpful feedback to the students about their
progress in the course.
6.1.1.8. Be willing to offer new courses in areas that the Program deems
necessary.
6.1.1.9. Post and regularly hold office hours at times that are reasonably accessible
for students.
6.1.1.10. Be responsive to concerns about areas where the professor might need
improvement in her/his pedagogy.

6.1.3. Possible Measurement Tools

6.1.3.1. Student assessment will play a critical role in determining the success of some of
the above requirements (e.g., whether the professor has been open and clear about
the objectives of the course). Stockton requires all faculty members to undergo a
student assessment for each class taught. The result of the IDEA Diagnostic
Instrument (IDEA) or the Small Class Instrument (SCI) will also be a key
component of the Program's assessment of the candidate's successes as an
instructor.
6.1.3.2. However, student assessment is only one aspect of the process of evaluating the
quality of the candidate's teaching. There may be any number of measurement tools
that may be employed by the faculty member and Program to determine if the
faculty member is successful meeting the above criteria. The following are some
suggestions that candidates may wish to consider:
• Portfolio of course syllabi and assignments
• Samples of graded papers or tests
• Recorded classes
• Observation of classes by Program members or non-Program faculty
• Portfolios of student work
• Letters or other correspondence from students
• Scholarly work on pedagogy
• Attendance at seminars on teaching
6.1.3.3. As stated, the above are suggestions. The Program will be open to any reasonable
suggestions from the candidate regarding methods of evaluating their teaching
effectiveness. What is essential for any candidate is to clearly explain in the selfevaluation how the provided evidence supports her/his claims about the teaching
effectiveness.

6.2. Scholarly and Creative Activity

6.2.1. The criteria for scholarly and creative activity are in 6.2 of the University guidelines. Each
Philosophy and Religion Program member is expected to be an active scholar and
researcher. To be awarded tenure, a candidate must demonstrate a commitment to
furthering her/his knowledge and contributing to the field of philosophy or religion. The
candidate, in consultation with the Philosophy and Religion faculty member, will spell
out their individual faculty plan for the contributions they intend to make in each
area.
6.2.2. Hence, in evaluating a candidate's scholarship, the Program will be looking at two
areas. First, the candidate is expected to maintain an ongoing high level of
proficiency in their area of specialization. Such proficiency will require that the
candidate be cognizant of significant new works in their area and continue to
develop knowledge of the key works in the field. Second, a faculty member
applying for tenure will need to have published articles or books and presented
papers at conferences.

6.2.3. Candidates must have published scholarly, peer-reviewed work utilizing one of the
following two options:

6.2.3.1 Book Option: Candidates for tenure will have published a book by the fall
of the fifth year of their employment at Stockton with a publisher agreed
to by both the candidate and the Program as meeting mutually agreed
upon standards. This is not to be understood as a requirement that a
candidate for tenure must have completed a book by the time of the tenure
decision. A statement indicating the successful publication of a book by a
mutually agreed upon candidate and the publisher would constitute
adequate grounds for meeting this part of the scholarship requirement.
6.2.3.2 Article Option: A candidate for tenure will have published three or more
articles in peer-reviewed journals by September of the fifth year of their
employment at Stockton, For the purposes of our evaluation, a peer
reviewed chapter in an edited collection would count the same as a journal
article.
6.2.3.3. Book reviews, conference proceedings, and encyclopedia articles will not
be counted as interchangeable with journal articles. As in the case of the
book option, the Program and the candidate should mutually agree upon
whether the journals meet the standards of the Program.

6.2.4. In addition to completing one of the two options above, a candidate must have
done one of the following:

6.2.4.1. Presented at least three papers at national or international conferences mutually
agreed to by the candidate and Program. Except under exceptional circumstances
agreed to by both the Program and the candidate, commenting on papers will not
count as presenting a paper, nor will chairing panels be equivalent to presenting
papers.
6.2.4.2. Published at least three book reviews in journals agreed to by the
candidate and the Program.
6.2.4.3. Published a number of articles in encyclopedias or dictionaries,
translations, or critical editions from primary or secondary texts in their
field of scholarship, mutually agreed upon by the candidate and the
Program.
6.2.4.4. Had papers published as part of a proceeding of a conference.
6.2.4.5. Some combination of the above mutually agreed to by the Program and
the candidate.

6.2.5. Possible Measurement Tools

6.2.5.1. There will be an apparent overlap between the measurement tools for the two
scholarship components. Moreover, there will probably be some overlap between
the tools used to measure the candidate's success at teaching and their successful
scholarship with regard to the first of the Program's requirements. For example,
the way the candidate structures classes, especially the upper-level courses, can
provide evidence that the candidate has continued to keep abreast of their field.
6.2.5.2. In addition, the following are some ways that the candidate can demonstrate
commitment to continually developing their philosophical understanding:
• Attendance at Philosophy and Religion conferences
• Membership in professional organizations
• Participation in local or national discussion groups on current
philosophical research
6.2.5.3. Finally, we recognize the formidable challenges entailed in securing grants from
national funding organizations such as the NEH or NIH, and that the
administration or FRC may quite appropriately view this as significant
scholarship. The Program might possibly also consider it when deciding whether
to support a candidate's bid for promotion to Full Professor. However, as the
tradition within the field has been to define philosophic or religious research in
terms of articles, books, and presentations at conferences, it is essential for any
tenured member of the Program to demonstrate the ability to succeed within that
tradition. Hence, for the purposes of evaluation of tenure, the Program will not
view the securing of grants as equivalent to any of the scholarship requirements
listed above

6.3. SERVICE

6.3.1. The criteria for the evaluation of service are in 6.3 of the University Guidelines.
What follows are the specific ways in which the Philosophy and Religion Program
interprets those criteria. Stockton recognizes three levels of service: service to the
Program, service to the University, and service to the community. This last category
is further divided into professional and non-professional communities. The
Philosophy and Religion Program stipulates that candidates must contribute on the
first two levels and that the candidates will determine the degree to which they can
contribute on the third level. Furthermore, service for Philosophy and Religion
faculty should include student engagement and Program assessment of student
learning. In consultation with the Philosophy and Religion Program, the candidate
will spell out in his or her individual faculty plan the contributions he or she intends
to make in each area.

6.3.2. Program Level: The general requirements of service to the Program would include
most, though not necessarily, all of the following:
• Leading sessions of the Stockton Philosophical Society
• Leading sessions of Philosophy Goes to the Movies
• Assisting in the Philosophy Speaker Series
• Contributions to the planning of the future of the Program
• Contributing to the Five-Year Review
• Acting as Program liaison to other Programs and divisions where the candidate's
expertise makes such activity reasonable
• Attend and contribute to Program meetings
• Working in a collegial fashion with his/her colleagues

6.3.3. University Level: The Program will be extremely open to the candidate's
suggestions as to what meets university-wide contributions, at least from the
perspective of the Program. The FRC, the Dean, and the administration may have
different views, but it is assumed that they will make their views known through the
appropriate channels. The general requirements of service to the college should
include some combination of the following kinds of activities:

• Membership in or chairing ARHU committees
• Membership in or chairing college-wide committees
• Becoming an officer in the Faculty Assembly
• Becoming an officer in the SFT
• Attendance at various college functions
• Scholastic presentations to the college community
• Writing reports or other documents for the college
• Mentoring new faculty members
• Contributions to the Stockton artistic community
• Being a member of one of the Board of Trustee committees
• Guest lecturing to courses in other Programs or divisions
• Being a member of a team-taught course
• Organizing conferences at the college
• Organizing student events
• Serving as an advisor to non-philosophy student organizations

6.3.4. Community Level: Stockton requires that all professors contribute to the community
beyond the college. The Philosophy and Religion Program distinguishes between
those contributions that are directed toward the non-professional community and
those directed to the professional community.

6.3.4.1. Non-Professional Service: Once again, the Program will be open to any
number of ways in which a candidate might contribute to the community. We
define non-professional community as being organizations and activities not
necessarily connected with philosophy at either the local, state, national, or
international level. If the candidate chooses to focus her/his energies on
service to the community as their remaining service component she/he might
include the following types of activities:
• Membership in or chairing a local, statewide, national, or international
charity
• Membership in or chairing local, statewide, national, or international civic
groups
• Membership in or chairing committees of local, statewide, national, or
international institutions
• Membership in or chairing committees of local, statewide, national, or
international advocacy groups
• Acting as a consultant to local, statewide, national, or international
charities, institutions, civic groups or advocacy groups
• Organizing or helping to plan local, statewide, national, or international
non-philosophy conferences
• Conducting in-services or lectures at local schools
• Giving lectures to local, statewide, national, or international nonphilosophy groups
• Leading local, statewide, national, or international non-philosophy
discussion groups

6.3.4.2. Professional Service: Again, the Philosophy and Religion Program
recognizes that there is a wide range of activities that would be acceptable to
the Program as meeting the service requirements from the Program
perspective. Suppose the candidate chooses to focus her/his energies on
contributions to the profession as the last piece of their service requirement.
In that case, the general requirements might include the following types of
activities:
• Organizing or assisting in the planning of a regional, national, or international
philosophy conference
• Organizing or assisting in the planning of a panel for a regional, national, or
international conference
• Chairing panels at regional, national, or international conferences
• Serving as a reader for either conferences, journals, or publishing houses
• Serving as an officer of a professional organizations

6.3.5. Possible Measurement Tools
For the Service requirements, the following would be considered good measurement tools:
• Letters from the chair of committees the candidate served on detailing the candidate's
contributions
• Letters from fellow committee members detailing the candidate's contributions
• Letters from institutional members recognizing contributions by the candidate
• Awards or other types of public recognition of contributions by the candidate
• Programs from events the candidate worked on indicating the candidate's
contributions
• Membership listings

10.00. Expectations for Rank in Philosophy and Religion Program
10.00.1.A faculty member seeking promotion will need to make contributions in all three
areas: teaching, scholarship, and service.

10.3. Promotion to Associate Professor in Philosophy and Religion
We believe that the criteria for tenure are also the appropriate ones for promotion to the rank
of Associate Professor. An individual who has met the above criteria should be awarded
promotion to Associate rank along with being tenured.

10.4. Promotion to Professor in Philosophy and Religion should be based on:
• Leadership in teaching innovation
• Leadership in Program, College-wide, or professional service activities and
• A record of active and ongoing scholarship, including, for example,
publication of a book and/or the equivalent in peer-reviewed articles in
scholarly periodicals or edited volumes, in addition to professional
presentations or activities, book reviews, as outlined above in 6.2.3.1 through
6.2.4.5.
10.4.1. The manner in which such contributions are balanced overall and over time
may recognizably vary from one candidate to another.