Instructional Faculty Promotion Committee
The composition of the Promotion of Instructional Faculty Committee (PIF) will be faculty from the School including one Tenure Track faculty (assigned by the School director, usually the previous School P&T Committee Chair), and four Instructional faculty at or above the rank of Associate Professor of Instruction. Three of the Instructional faculty members will be elected by the School's Instructional faculty, and one will be appointed by the School Director. The election will be based on a majority vote by School promotion-eligible Instructional faculty by anonymous ballot. If all Divisions are not represented on the committee after the vote, the School Director will appoint a person from the unrepresented Division whenever possible. The Division Coordinator from the candidate's area will serve as an ex officio committee member during deliberations. Until such a time exists that the composition of the PIF committee can be comprised of the requisite Instructional faculty at or above rank, the School Director will appoint members to the PIF committee from the existing P&T committee to serve on one-year appointments. The one-year appointments can be consecutive.
If fewer than four promotion-eligible Instructional Faculty qualify, the School Director, in consultation with the Chair of the PIF Committee, will identify potential members, and the Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions will appoint additional members from outside the School as needed.
A faculty member seeking promotion or who has a family member being evaluated for promotion will not be allowed to be voted on or appointed to the Committee. (For a definition of "family," see Faculty Handbook 1.C.7.a-b.)
Elected committee members shall serve for three years. Faculty members may serve consecutive terms. Terms of service shall be staggered, so that no more than one member of the Committee is new each year. The appointed Instructional faculty will serve a one-year term.
If a faculty member is unable to complete an assigned term on the Committee (e.g., is a candidate for promotion, on sabbatical), an alternate member will be elected to fill the vacant position. If the vacancy is temporary, the replacement faculty member will serve only its period. If the vacancy is permanent, the replacement faculty member will complete the term.
The vote for the upcoming academic year will occur on or before the last day of Spring semester exams. The individual(s) receiving the most votes shall serve. In the case of a tie, there will be an additional secret ballot vote to break it. Ballots will be counted by the School Director and a continuing member of the Committee.
The Chair of the PIF Committee shall be an Instructional faculty elected yearly by instructional faculty within the School. The Chair will represent the Committee during the summer months. The chair will be elected by a majority vote of the Instructional faculty. If no Instructional faculty at or above rank is available, the School P&T chair will serve as chairperson of the PIF Committee.
Responsibilities of the PIF Committee Chair are:
- Assuring that the Committee follows the School, College, and University guidelines regarding all instructional faculty evaluation issues.
- Coordinating all necessary activities to complete the review of materials submitted by candidates for promotion.
- Arranging Committee meetings.
- Preparing Committee agendas.
- Delegating Committee tasks.
- Conducting meetings.
- Maintaining a record of Committee actions.
Committee Responsibilities
The Committee will oversee the Professor of Instruction track promotion review. The first meeting of the Committee shall be an orientation meeting for the entire Committee, scheduled by the Chair, to review the calendar and the guidelines, and to establish a schedule of meetings.
The PIF Committee will meet the deadlines for promotion as specified in these guidelines and the College Instructional Faculty Promotion Policy, and the Ohio University Faculty Handbook.
Each PIF Committee member must review the dossier and supporting materials individually before the entire Committee meets to review these materials. Members of the Committee should notify the Chairperson prior to a full Committee meeting about missing materials or the need to obtain additional information. The PIF Committee is responsible for addressing the following questions: Is there clear and sufficient evidence to support the candidate's effectiveness as a teacher? Have the School's expectations for effective teaching been met?
After the final review of the dossier, the Committee will vote by anonymous ballot "for" or "against" promotion. Following the vote, the Committee Chair will prepare a letter to the School Director with the written recommendation of the Committee. The letter should state the vote results. Any individual member of the Committee may submit an addendum to the evaluation summary that may reflect a different viewpoint. This letter will be given to the school Director by the end of the first week of business after the winter break, with a copy also sent to the candidate.
Following a positive recommendation, a letter from the Committee goes forward to the School Director, along with the materials submitted by the candidate. The School Director then decides about the candidate's promotion case and writes a letter to the College Dean by the last day of the fall semester; this letter is also copied to the candidate and School PIF Committee. If the candidate does not receive a positive recommendation at the School level, the candidate may follow the grievance procedures identified in the faculty handbook.