Letter 6: Draft letter from AD HOC CTE to external reviewers for APPOINTMENT of ASSOCIATE OR FULL Professor:
[For the highlighted sections, the letter writer should delete one or the other bracketed sentence as needed:]
Dear ______:
An ad hoc committee has been appointed to consider the qualifications of Dr. ______, as [tenured Professor/tenured Associate Professor] in the Department of ______at Johns Hopkins University. I am writing on behalf of the committee to ask your help in evaluating Dr. ______’s qualifications for appointment.
We would appreciate very much your frank evaluation of Dr. ______’s scholarly achievements and promise for the future. It would be especially helpful to us if you could compare Dr. ______’s record with that of other scholars at approximately the same stage of career development, and if the appointment is to the rank of Associate Professor, if you could evaluate the likelihood that [he/she] will in time equal the achievements of current leaders in [his/her] field. We would also be grateful for any comments you might be able to offer on Dr. ______’s abilities as a teacher. We would ask that you also describe the nature of any current or prior relationship you have with Dr. ______.
The primary criteria are the candidate’s scholarly research, teaching, and service to the University. The appointment criteria of the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering hold that to qualify for the rank of [Associate Professor, a candidate must be a recognized leader among scholars at a similar stage of career development.] [Professor, a candidate must be an eminent and influential scholar and demonstrate a continuing commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring, with clear evidence of additional scholarly achievement since promotion or appointment to the rank of Associate Professor.] University and professional service are also expected of candidates.
I am enclosing a copy of Dr. ______’s vita and list of publications for your convenience. In the interest of time, I am taking the liberty to include a package of materials along with our request for reference. Let me know if I can supply any additional material. Please feel free to retain the enclosed.
Your reply will be treated as a confidential and privileged communication; we will take all responsible steps to ensure that it is seen only by those directly involved in the appointment process.
Our committee must report to the Academic Council as soon as possible, and it would help us greatly to have your response at your earliest convenience, and no later than _____. The committee and the University are grateful for your help.
Sincerely, [Chair of Ad Hoc Committee]