Introduction

This document sets forth the standards and expectations relevant to the Department of Theatre and procedures for the initial review of our candidates for promotion and/or tenure. It complements the stated policies and instructions concerning tenure and/or promotion presented by the university and faculty governance bodies. For university-wide policies regarding the application of promotion and/or tenure standards and procedure, as well as candidates’ rights throughout this process, candidates are instructed to refer to those policies.

The mechanism for Departmental approval of these written standards and procedures shall follow the by-laws of the Department of Theatre according to which a majority vote by the voting membership of the department is needed to establish policy.

General Provisions

Scope and Purpose. The awards of tenure and/or promotion in rank are among the most important and far- reaching decisions made by the department because an excellent faculty is an essential component of any outstanding institution of higher learning. Promotion and tenure decisions also have a profound effect on the lives and careers of faculty. Recommendations concerning promotion and tenure must be made carefully, based upon a thorough examination of the candidate’s record and the impartial application of departmental standards and procedures, which are established in compliance with the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (FSRR) Article VI.

It is the purpose of this document to promote the rigorous and fair evaluation of faculty during the promotion and tenure process by (a) establishing criteria that express departmental expectations for meeting University standards in terms of disciplinary practices; (b) providing procedures for the initial (unit) evaluation of teaching/advising, scholarship, and service; (c) preserving and enhancing the participatory rights of candidates, including the basic right to be informed about critical stages of the process and to have an opportunity to respond to negative evaluations; and (d) clarifying the responsibilities, roles, and relationships of the departmental participants in the promotion and tenure review process.

Each level of review — including the initial unit review, the intermediate College review, and the University level review, conducts an independent evaluation of a candidate’s record of performance and makes independent recommendations to the next review level. Later stages of review neither affirm nor reverse earlier recommendations, which remain part of the record for consideration by the Chancellor. It is the responsibility of each person involved in the review process to exercise his/her own judgment to evaluate a faculty member’s teaching, scholarship, and service based upon the entirety of the data and information in the record. No single source of information, such as peer review letters, shall be considered a conclusive indicator of quality.

Academic Freedom. All faculty members, regardless of rank, are entitled to academic freedom in relation to teaching and scholarship and the right as citizens to speak on matters of public concern. Likewise, all faculty members, regardless of rank, bear the obligation to exercise their academic freedom responsibly and in accordance with the accepted standards of their academic disciplines.

Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest. Consideration and evaluation of a faculty member’s record is a confidential personnel matter. Only those persons eligible to vote on promotion and tenure may participate in or observe deliberations or have access to the personnel file (except those clerical staff involved in the preparation of documents under conditions that assure confidentiality).

No person shall participate in any aspect of the promotion and tenure process concerning a candidate when participation would create a clear conflict of interest or compromise the impartiality of an evaluation or recommendation.

If a candidate believes that a conflict of interest exists, the candidate may petition to have that person recuse him/herself. If that committee member does not recuse him/herself, the decision about whether that person has a conflict of interest shall be made by a majority of the other committee members.

Promotion and Tenure Standards

General Principles. The university strives for a consistent standard of quality against which the performance of all faculty members is measured. Nonetheless, the nature of faculty activity varies across the University and a faculty member’s record must be evaluated in light of his/her particular responsibilities and the expectations of the discipline. The criteria in this document sets forth the Department of Theatre’s expectations relative to the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service necessary to satisfy the University standards for the award of tenure and/or promotion to associate professor and for promotion to full professor, or equivalent ranks.

Teaching and scholarship should normally be given primary consideration, but the particular weight to be accorded to each component of a faculty member’s activities depends upon the responsibilities of the faculty member. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has traditionally recognized the 40-40-20 formula for weighting research, teaching, and service, except when weight is differentiated for unclassified academic staff members pursuant to their job description and/or in accordance with approved administrative differential allocations of effort.

Teaching. Teaching is a primary function of the university, which strives to provide an outstanding education for its students. The evaluation of teaching is based on multiple sources, including consideration of syllabi, course materials and other information related to a faculty member’s courses; peer and student evaluations; participation in curriculum development for the department; innovations in teaching; teaching awards; awards earned by students as a result of faculty mentorship; a candidate’s own statement of teaching philosophy and goals; public representations of teaching; and other accepted methods of evaluation, which may include external evaluations and teaching portfolios.

In accordance with university standards, the Department of Theatre recognizes that high quality teaching is serious intellectual work and grounded in a deep knowledge and understanding of the field and includes the ability to convey that understanding in clear and engaging ways.

The conduct of classes is the central feature of teaching responsibilities at KU, but teaching also includes supervising student research, mentoring and advising students, and other teaching-related activities outside of the classroom. In the Department of Theatre, the teaching, supervising, mentoring, and advising activities of our faculty often occurs in the context of creating theatre productions and through projects involving students in research and creative activities that take place on campus or in regional, national, or international contexts. Advising is a particularly broad rubric within the department, as faculty spend many hours providing students with extensive feedback of their artistic and scholarly endeavors, particularly in the context of studio and production work. In addition, faculty serve as advisors on undergraduate research and honors projects and graduate theses and dissertations, some of which may contain studio components. While faculty share the responsibility for supporting the work of graduate students, the Director of Graduate Studies has principle responsibility for overseeing the distribution of thesis and dissertation assignments, in consideration of student need and preference.

Evidence that shall be considered for the evaluation of such extensive non-classroom teaching activity and advising undertaken by theatre faculty may take many forms. Examples include but are not limited to production portfolios, published reviews or similar evaluative responses, visual and aural documentation, peer evaluation, student evaluation and informal feedback, theses and dissertations achieved, student awards, and so on.

Under the university standards for the award of tenure and/or promotion to associate professor, the record must demonstrate, as reflected in such factors as command of the subject matter, the ability to communicate effectively in the classroom, a demonstrated commitment to student learning, and involvement in providing advice and support for students outside the classroom.

In the Department of Theatre, we apply the following teaching expectations in order to meet these standards: As indicated through multiple sources of evaluation (as outlined above), candidates must demonstrate that they carry their share of the department’s curricular, tutorial, advising, and mentorship needs. Faculty members must support assigned advisees, supervise independent undergraduate projects, and serve on graduate committees. Untenured members of the graduate faculty are not expected to serve as chairperson of a PhD dissertation or MFA thesis committee. In the quality of their teaching, candidates are expected to be not only effective presenters of information, ideas and/or practices discovered or constituted by others, but to know how to analyze and critique the evidence and/or methods that form the basis for the knowledge they are responsible for sharing. Candidates are expected to engage students in the subject matter through their own expertise and enthusiasm. They will treat students with respect as demonstrated in academic dialogue, appropriately challenging assignments and rigorous, timely and substantial feedback.

For teaching, advising, and mentoring that occurs outside the context of classroom-based instruction, the multiple sources of evaluation should demonstrate that the candidate is effective in tutoring students in the skills and techniques required of creative specialties or research, developing students’ artistic potential and intellectual capacity, and in mentoring the students as arts professionals — as needed according to the types of projects undertaken. The candidate’s record must also demonstrate they discharge their responsibilities associated with teaching, including prompt and regular holding of class sessions and office hours, timely and sufficient grading and comment on assignments, acceptable and fair expectations and criteria for student work (as judged by disciplinary standards), adequate class preparation and effective use of class time, and reflection about pedagogy.

Under the university standards for promotion to the rank of professor, the record must demonstrate continued effectiveness and growth as a teacher, as reflected in such factors as mastery of the subject matter, strong classroom teaching skills, an ongoing commitment to student learning, and active involvement in providing advice and support for students outside the classroom. In the Department of Theatre, we meet university standards as follows: For promotion to the rank of professor, the record should demonstrate effectiveness in both classroom and non-classroom environments (as relevant to the candidate’s teaching responsibilities) according to the same standards and criteria required by tenure. Candidates at this level must also provide evidence of excellence and achievement in teaching, shown by willingness to teach required graduate and undergraduate courses as needed and according to specialization, to propose and develop new courses, and to revise syllabi in response to advancements in the discipline. Evidence of efforts to develop teaching beyond basic expectations may include participation in training events such as the KU Teaching Summit, workshops at professional meetings, NEH summer institutes, innovative course design or redesign, collaborative research projects with students, collaborative teaching efforts, and others. It is expected that senior faculty demonstrate their seniority by serving as chairperson for dissertation and theses committees according to their qualifications and expertise. The record must also reflect the consistent fulfillment of responsibilities associated with teaching, including prompt and regular holding of class sessions and office hours, timely and sufficient grading and comment on assignments, acceptable and fair expectations and criteria for student work (as judged by disciplinary standards), adequate class preparation and effective use of class time, and reflection about pedagogy.

Scholarship. The concept of “scholarship” encompasses not only traditional academic research and publication, but also the creation of artistic works or performances and any other products or activities accepted by the academic discipline as reflecting scholarly effort and achievement for purposes of promotion and tenure. While the nature of scholarship varies among disciplines, the university adheres to a consistently high standard of quality in its scholarly activities to which all faculty members, regardless of discipline, are held.

In the Department of Theatre, scholarship is defined as research in the areas of acting, directing, design, dramatic literature, and pedagogy, as well as the historical, literary, and cultural study of theatre and/or performance broadly conceived. Our faculty typically hold one of two terminal degrees: the Ph.D. or the M.F.A. These degrees, however, do not represent isolated spheres of scholarly activity. Embodying the disciplinary ideal of an integrated approach to the study and practice of theatre, Department faculty are scholar–artists whose individualized research programs may extend across a range of activities including but not limited to acting, directing, choreography, scenography, dramaturgy, playwriting, movement, voice and speech, and academic research. In addition to live public performance and exhibition, scholarship in theatre and performance may include producing and curating, as well as digitally created and/or disseminated work. The Department regards artistic research/dissemination and academic research/dissemination as equivalent methodologies. Given the variety of activities consistent with the departmental definition of scholarship, productivity for theatre faculty is measured in terms of the totality of major scholarship accomplished across the range of possible scholarly and/or artistic endeavors.

When a faculty member applies for promotion and/or tenure, it is necessary to classify research accomplishments as major or minor. The classification of major or minor for both traditional academic scholarship and creative activity is based on common factors including peer-review; content, scope, and importance of a final product; its length, form and style; and the venue and audience for whom it is intended.

Examples of major creative activity include creator and/or key collaborator (e.g., director, designer, leading actor) role on a full-length theatre or performing arts project presented for the public in an educational or professional context and subject to critical review and/or peer evaluation, guest artist opportunities, and extended residencies. Examples of minor creative scholarship include but are not limited to staged readings; presentations of work-in-progress; or a lesser collaborative or consulting role in a theatre production or digital creation.

As with traditional publication scholarship, meaningful evaluation pertaining to the scope and importance of creative activity requires the judgment of professionals in the field who have knowledge of the candidate‘s arena of practice. While formal peer review is desirable, the competitive nature of the performing arts means that earning the opportunity to direct, design, perform, etc., in reputable professional or educational venues demonstrates in itself a positive evaluation by one’s peers, regardless of whether the creative work undergoes a formal peer review. As regards productions within the Department of Theatre, the unit’s by-laws provide for anonymous peer reviews by visiting external experts. To address the unique demands of adjudicating the activities of theatre scholar–artists, the department draws on principles of artistic peer-review articulated by the leading professional organizations of our fields, including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, and the Association for Theatre Movement Educators.

Examples of major activity in the area of traditional research include the publication of peer-reviewed monographs, edited volumes, articles, and chapters. Minor publications typically include book and performance reviews, invited journal articles of brief length, and encyclopedia entries or similar reference work.

Public presentations are a key part of a well-rounded research program and central to the development of faculty scholarship and reputation. In the Department of Theatre, presentation encompasses creative as well as traditional scholarship. Major presentations include but are not limited to invited or named lectures and demonstrations, exhibits, master classes, and workshops at local, regional, national, or international venues of professional and/or academic status. Minor presentations typically include demonstrations, exhibits, workshops and other presentations given in KU campus venues such as the Hall Center for the Humanities, and informal presentations (such as roundtables) at regional, national, or international meetings. Presentations given at KU can be considered “major” if they are part of a regional, national, or international occasion and the product was vetted through the same procedures as non-KU products.

Funded grants that may be considered major research are typically large, externally funded grants made available to the faculty member by a state, national or international agency. Funded grants that may be considered minor research are normally smaller, internally funded grants from within the University.

Scholarship is measured in the Department of Theatre on an annual basis through a peer evaluation process described in our Faculty Evaluation Plan that considers quantitative and qualitative measures of productivity. Quantitative measures include the number and scope of artistic works, performances, and/or publications undertaken and achieved; the number and kind of annual occasions of participation in exhibits and/or conferences; and the number of external grants, fellowships, and awards sought and/or won. Qualitative considerations are measured by a faculty member having a consistent and developing program of research with regional, national and/or international reach.

Our unit recognizes that theatre and performance is often a collaborative process and determined or limited by factors external to the process of creative research itself. We further recognize the multi-year nature of both artistic work and research publication.

According to university standards, for the award of tenure and/or promotion to the rank of associate professor, the record must demonstrate a successfully developing scholarly career, as reflected in such factors as the quality and quantity of publications or creative activities, external reviews of the candidate’s work by respected scholars or practitioners in the field, the candidate’s regional, national, or international reputation, and other evidence of an active and productive scholarly agenda.

In the Department of Theatre, the following expectations to meet university standards apply for the award of tenure and/or promotion to the rank of associate professor: Scholarship that merits tenure demonstrates an ambitious and focused research program that includes a pattern of peer-reviewed, traditional scholarship and/or creative activity with achievement at the national level.

Candidates with research programs focused on creating artistic works are expected to develop portfolios with national and/or international achievements while pursuing projects at the local and regional levels. Geographic and other factors related to theatre production (which typically involves several weeks on-site) necessitates that a segment of work undertaken for tenure and/or promotion take place on campus or in nearby locales. The Department of Theatre is thus a locus for the creative productivity for our faculty, who regularly explore, develop and disseminate artistic works through its venues and according to criteria that meet the standards for major scholarship. The University Theatre as well as other departmental programs are valuable sites for the dissemination of faculty artistic work to Kansas and regional communities. When resulting in clear demonstration of national or international reach and recognition, artistic work created within the Departmental context may be recognized as a national and/or international achievement. Nevertheless, a portfolio consisting exclusively of creative work produced in the University Theatre or other on-campus venues shall not be considered sufficient to warrant tenure and/or promotion.

Under the university standards, for promotion to the rank of professor the record must demonstrate an established scholarly career, as reflected in such factors as a substantial and ongoing pattern of publication or creative activity, external reviews of the candidate’s work by eminent scholars or practitioners in the field, the candidate’s national or international reputation, and other evidence of an active and productive scholarly career.

In the Department of Theatre, the following expectations to meet university standards apply for promotion to the rank of professor: Candidates for promotion to the rank of full professor are expected to have produced a body of artistic works and/or traditional academic research at least equivalent to the quantity and quality achieved for their initial promotion including work at national and/or international levels.

Evidence of scholarship that merits promotion to full professor includes substantial and ongoing pattern of research publication and/or creative activity, external reviews of the candidate’s work by eminent scholars or practitioners in the field, and the candidate’s national or international reputation as demonstrated through such evidence as books, articles or chapters; artistic activity undertaken in professional venues and/or invited by other educational institutions; national or international presentations, invited lectures, workshops, master classes or performances; and advisory or administrative positions in scholarly organizations. Involvement in the departmental production program remains necessary and valuable to the local and regional dissemination of faculty artistic work. Nevertheless, a portfolio consisting exclusively of creative work produced in the University Theatre or other on-campus venues shall not be considered sufficient to warrant tenure and/or promotion.

Service. Service is an important responsibility of all faculty members that contributes to the university’s performance of its larger mission. Although the nature of service activities will depend on a candidate’s particular interests and abilities, service contributions are an essential part of being a good citizen of the university. The department accepts and values scholarly service to the discipline or profession, service with the University, and public service at the local state, national or international level. In the Department of Theatre, service activities include scholarly service to the academic discipline of theatre and performance studies, service to theatre in educational and professional contexts, service within the university, and public service at the local, state, national, or international level.

Under university standards, for the award of tenure and/or promotion to associate professor the record must demonstrate a pattern of service to the university at one or more levels, to the discipline or profession, and/or to the local, state, national, or international communities. For promotion to associate professor in the Department of Theatre, the majority of a candidate’s service contributions may be in the department, the School of the Arts, the college and the university. Greater amounts of service to national or international professional organizations, and to the larger community, will be expected later in one’s career.

Under university standards for promotion to the rank of professor, the record must demonstrate an ongoing pattern of service reflecting substantial contributions to the university at one or more levels, to the discipline or profession, and/or to the local, state, national, or international communities. In the Department of Theatre greater amounts of service at the School of the Arts, the college, and university level and in national or international professional organizations and the larger community will be expected of the candidate to meet university standards for the award of promotion to the rank of professor.

Ratings for Performance. Using the criteria described above, the candidate’s performance in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service will be rated using the terms “excellent,” “very good,” “good,” “marginal,” or “poor,” defined as follows:

1. “Excellent” means that the candidate substantially exceeds expectations for tenure and/or promotion to this rank.
2. “Very Good” means the candidate exceeds expectations for tenure and/or promotion to this rank.

3. “Good” means the candidate meets expectations for tenure and/or promotion to this rank.
4. “Marginal” means the candidate falls below disciplinary and department/unit expectations for tenure and/or promotion to this rank.
5. “Poor” means the candidate falls significantly below expectations for tenure and/or promotion to this rank.

Absent exceptional circumstances, no candidate may be recommended for promotion or tenure without meeting standards in all applicable areas of performance

Promotion and Tenure Procedures

Departmental Procedure for Initial Review

The department conducts the initial review of the candidate pursuant to the procedures and requirements of section 5 of Article VI of the FSRR in connection with the candidate’s responsibility in the department.

Promotion and Tenure Committee. In the Department of Theatre, the Promotion and Tenure Committee (PTC) is the initial review committee and shall evaluate the candidate’s teaching, research, and service. The Promotion and Tenure Committee (PTC) consists of all tenured members of the Department and a tenured faculty member of a department other than theatre within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, such as selected by the Chair of Theatre to assist in the preparation and evaluation of a candidate’s file, and who serves in a non-voting capacity. In cases involving promotion to the rank of full professor, membership is restricted to full professors. The chairperson of the department serves as the PTC chair in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity.

No students or untenured faculty members, except unclassified academic staff with the rank equivalent to or higher than associate professor, shall serve on the Promotion and Tenure Committee or vote on any recommendation concerning promotion and/or tenure.

Initiation of Review. Prior to the beginning of the spring semester, the Provost shall notify all faculty whose mandatory review year will be the following academic year, with copies provided to unit administrators and the dean. Upon receipt of this notice or if a faculty member requests it prior to the mandatory review year, the unit shall initiate procedures for evaluating the candidate for the award of tenure or tenure and promotion in rank.

At or before the beginning of the spring semester, the unit shall consider the qualifications of all faculty members below the rank of full professor, with a view toward possible promotion in rank during the following academic year. After considering a faculty member’s qualifications, if the unit determines that those qualifications may warrant promotion in rank, or if the faculty member requests it, the unit shall initiate procedures for reviewing the faculty member for promotion to full professor.

Preparation of the Promotion and/or Tenure File. NOTE: Candidates who hold joint appointments prepare only one set of promotion and tenure materials for review by both units in which they hold an appointment.

The initial review units (i.e., departments, centers, etc.) shall consult with each other on their evaluations and the evaluation process, but each initial review unit must provide a separate evaluation of the candidate’s performance in the unit. Please refer to the College’s Promotion and Tenure Statement for detailed instructions. It is the responsibility of the candidate to complete the appropriate portions of the form and provide necessary documents and information in accordance with the provost’s instructions and guidelines.

The departmental Promotion and Tenure Review Committee shall receive the form and accompanying materials from the candidate and finish compiling the record of the candidate’s teaching, scholarship and service in accordance with the Provost’s guidelines.

For each promotion candidate, the department chairperson appoints, in consultation with the candidate, an ad hoc committee drawn from the membership of the department’s promotion and tenure committee to assist in gathering and evaluating the candidate’s materials and to present its report to the Department of Theatre Promotion and Tenure Committee. The ad hoc committee shall be comprised of at least three but no more than four faculty members. The members of the ad hoc committee must be at a rank at least equivalent to that being sought by the candidate and include a tenured faculty member from a department other than theatre within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The chair of the department, in consultation with the candidate for promotion and/or tenure and appropriate faculty (including the candidate’s ad hoc committee), and in accordance with the college’s procedures, shall provide for the solicitation of outside reviewers to assist in the evaluation of a faculty member’s scholarship. Emphasis shall be placed on selecting reviewers who hold academic rank or a professional position equal to or greater than the rank for which the candidate is being considered. The committee shall give the candidate the opportunity to suggest individuals to be included or excluded from the list of reviewers. The committee, however, is responsible for using its judgment in the final selection of reviewers. For College specific requirements and guidelines, please refer to “Section B. Process for Obtaining Evaluation Letters from External Reviewers” within the College’s posted policy for promotion and tenure.

When soliciting external reviews of a candidate’s scholarship, the department committee shall inform prospective reviewers of the extent to which the candidate will have access to the review. The college's confidentiality policy regarding soliciting external reviewers for the promotion and tenure review process is as follows:

"As a part of the promotion and/or tenure review process, we are soliciting assessments of Professor         ’s research contributions from academic colleagues and distinguished professionals. These letters will become part of the candidate's promotion and tenure dossier and are treated as confidential by the university to the extent we are permitted to do so by law."

Recommendations. Upon completion of the record, the department’s Promotion and Tenure Committee, which consists of all faculty members holding the appropriate academic rank, conducts the initial review shall evaluate the candidate’s record of teaching, scholarship, and service in light of the applicable standards and criteria and make recommendations concerning the award of tenure and/or promotion in rank in accordance with the voting procedures detailed below.

Departmental procedures stipulate that the candidate’s ad hoc committee recommendation shall be forwarded for consideration to the Department of Theatre Promotion and Tenure Committee, the composition of which is described above.  The committee meets and discusses the candidate’s teaching, research, and service record. By secret ballot, each member, with the exception of any faculty member from a department other than theatre, who serves in a non-voting capacity, rates the candidate in these areas according to the rating for performance described above and recommends promotion and/or tenure. A simple majority shall be required for recommendation of promotion and/or tenure by the department. In the case of a tie, the chair will vote. Voting rights are not transferrable. In the case where a member of the Department Promotion and Tenure committee is unable to attend, the member provides the chair with a vote in the form of a sealed ballot.

Following the recommendation of the Department of Theatre Promotion and Tenure Committee, the candidate’s ad hoc committee shall prepare the “Initial Review Composite Evaluation and Recommendations” sections of the promotion and/or tenure forms. The forms and recommendations shall be forwarded to the department chair who shall indicate separately, in writing, whether he or she concurs or disagrees with the recommendations of the committee. The chair is responsible for preparing and submitting the departmental recommendations concerning promotion and tenure and all relevant administrative forms to the college office by the appropriate deadlines.

The department chair shall communicate the recommendations of the initial review, and his or her concurrence or disagreement with the recommendation, to the candidate and provide the candidate with a copy of the summary evaluation section of the promotion and tenure form. Negative recommendations shall be communicated in writing and, if the review will not be forwarded automatically, the chair shall inform the candidate that he or she may request that the record be forwarded for further review.