Promotions Checklist and
Template Letters
University of Toronto Scarborough
Decanal Promotions Dossier
– Instructions for Chair’s Assistants
Please prepare each dossier in the sequence listed below. (Do not submit teaching portfolios, copies of publications or other extraneous material.)
NOTE: Promotion dossiers must be submitted to the Dean c/o the Human Resources Office, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2017 byFEBRUARY 1, 2013.
Dossiers should be submitted in a binder, separated by index tabs bearing the name of each section as noted below. Also, please provide a scanned copy of the complete file on a CD-ROM or USB key (see attached for details).
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First page of the dossier: TABLE OF CONTENTS - include only the sections noted below.
SECTION 1: CHAIR'S REPORT - Please include a separate report for each candidate
SECTION 2: CURRICULUM VITAE
- The candidate’s CV must follow the Faculty's Format for Curriculum Vitae. Please ensure
that the teaching and research statements are included as well as statements from co-authors for all major publications.
SECTION 3: INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS
- This section includes letters from colleagues who are specialists in the field (at least two are
recommended). If the candidate holds a budgetary cross-appointment in another department or division, an assessment should be included from that unit.
- If applicable, include assessments from colleagues with whom courses have been shared.
SECTION 4: EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS – The recommended minimum is five assessments.)
- Provide a separate sheet that lists the name, academic rank, institution, and comments regarding
qualifications of each external referee selected.
- In the top right-hand corner of each letter received from referees, indicate whether the individual was
suggested by the candidate or by the departmental Promotions Committee.
- N.B. Translations must be provided for material submitted in languages other than English or French.
SECTION 5: TEACHING EVALUATION
- Ensure that the report of the Teaching Evaluation Committee is a single document signed by all committee
members.
- Include summaries of teaching evaluations for all courses taught in the past five years. N.B. Copies of
individual evaluations are not required for the Decanal Promotions committee dossier.
SECTION 6: STUDENT OPINION
- Provide letters solicited by the Chair of the Promotions Committee from current and former undergraduate and graduate students for courses taught by the candidate.
- Include letters from current and former graduate students listed in the candidate’s CV.
- Do not include any copies of the letter issued by the Chair of the committee requesting student opinions.
CHECKLIST
Please provide a copy of each promotion file in PDF format on a CD-ROM or USB key in the following sequence:
Main Folder: = [SURNAME], [Firstname] – [full name of department/institute]
Sub Folders:
- Chair’s Report
- 1. CV – followed by attachments in sub-folders in this order:
2. Research Statement (submit as a separate file)
3. Teaching Statement (submit as a separate file)
4. Co-author statements (submit together as one file)
- Internal Assessments (submit each letter as a separate file; name each file by the surname of the assessor and number them in the order in which they should appear)
- External Assessments (submit qualifications list and each letter as a separate file; name each file by the surname of the referee and number them in the order in which they should appear)
- Teaching Evaluation
1. Report (submit as a separate file)
2. Teaching Evaluation Summaries - beginning with a list of teaching assignments over past five years (submit altogether as one file)
- Student Opinion
1. Graduate Students letters (submit together as one file)
2. Undergraduate Student letters (submit together as one file)
All files must be submitted in PDF format.
Ensure your files are numbered as noted above. Please review the files you have scanned onto the CD-ROM or USB key against the original dossier to ensure that none of the materials have been missed. If you are submitting more than one dossier, please include them on a single CD-ROM or USB key.
Do not write or label the CD-ROM in any way since marking the surface of the CD often causes technical difficulties (i.e. makes it unreadable).
1. First letter to candidate:
Professor X
Department of ______
University of Toronto Scarborough
Dear X:
I am writing to inform you that the Promotions Committee will be giving you detailed consideration for promotion to full Professor. I am enclosing a copy of the Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions so that you will understand the procedure to be followed in the next few months.
To enable the members of the Departmental promotions committee to give your case full consideration, I would be grateful if you would provide me with:
1.8 copies of all of your published works (parts of books, books, monographs, articles, reviews, review articles, papers published in conference proceedings, research reports), unpublished writings (papers presented at conferences, unpublished research reports) including a statement in regard to your research;
2.a list of all Ph.D. students you have supervised and are presently supervising;
3.a list of the names of individuals (including mailing address and e-mail address) not on the U. of T. staff whom you would nominate as external referees to assess your achievement as a scholar and a researcher. At least one of the referees you nominate will be included among the referees chosen;
4.3 copies of your teaching dossier (course evaluations, course outlines, reading lists, essay topics, any other evidence of quality of scholarship, teaching, skills, etc), including a statement in regard to your teaching;
5.a list of all courses you have taught in the past five years; and
5.an updated copy of your curriculum vitae as per the attached guidelines
I would appreciate receiving these from you by October 21, 2011. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely
X
Chair
Encl.
2. Letter to external referee
Professor Y
Dear Professor Y:
Professor x will be given detailed consideration for promotion to Full Professor this year. I am writing to thank you for agreeing to assist in the detailed consideration by preparing a written assessment of Professor X’s scholarship and professional accomplishments. Your assessment will form part of the dossier upon which a decision will be made to recommend or not to recommend the promotion of Professor X to Full Professor.
To assist you in this task, I enclose our Policy and Procedures on Promotions document and draw particular attention to the criteria for promotion outlined in sections 7, 11a, 12a, and 13a. I also enclose a comprehensive curriculum vitae for Professor X. If you need copies of some or all of her published works, please contact my assistant X at 905- or by e-mail at X, and she will be happy to provide them.
Promotion to Full Professor at the University of Toronto is based, to a considerable extent, on the individual's reputation as a scholar and it is in this regard that I would appreciate your views. What in your judgement is the significance of Professor X's published and unpublished work in terms of its impact on the discipline? In addition, also please compare Professor X's contributions with those of individuals at a comparable stage in their careers. If she was at your university would she be considered for this promotion?
Your reply should be forwarded to me by January 2, 2012:
Professor ….
Chair, Department of
University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail
Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4
Please send a copy as well (by PDF is fine) to the Assistant Dean at
I appreciate your willingness to act as a referee and thank you in advance for your time, effort and comments.
Sincerely
X
Chair
Encls.
3. Letter to internal referee
Professor Y
Dear Y:
Professor X will be given detailed consideration for promotion to Full Professor this year. I am writing to ask you to assist, along with Professor Z, in the detailed consideration by preparing a written assessment of Professor X's scholarship and professional accomplishments. Your assessment will form part of the dossier upon which a decision will be made to recommend or not to recommend the promotion of Professor X to Full Professor.
To assist you in this task, I enclose excerpts from our Policy and Procedures on Promotions document and draw particular attention to the criteria for promotion outlined in section 7, 11 a) 12 a) and 13 a). I also enclose a comprehensive curriculum vitae for Professor X and copies of all of his published works.
Promotion to Full Professor at the University of Toronto is based, to a considerable extent, on the individual's reputation as a scholar and teacher. What in your judgement is the significance of Professor X's published and unpublished work in terms of its impact on the discipline? Please compare Professor X's contributions with those of individuals at a comparable stage in their careers.
Your assessment should be forwarded to me by January 2, 2012.
Should you accept my invitation to serve, I would appreciate your written acknowledgement by November 8, 2011. I appreciate your willingness to act as a referee and thank you in advance for your time, effort and comments.
Sincerely
X
Professor and Chair
Encls.
I acceptDate
I do not accept
4. Letter to appoint internal teaching committee
Professor X
Dear X:
Professor X will be given detailed consideration for promotion to Full Professor this year. I am writing to ask you to assist, along with Professor Y, in the detailed consideration by assessing Professor X's teaching. This will require the evaluation of Professor X's teaching dossier. Your assessment on teaching effectiveness will form part of the dossier upon which a decision will be made to recommend or not to recommend the promotion of Professor X to Full Professor.
Your assessment should be forwarded to me by January 2, 2012.
Should you accept my invitation to serve, I would appreciate your written acknowledgement by November 8, 2011. I appreciate your willingness and thank you in advance for your time, effort and comments.
Sincerely
X
Professor and Chair
I accept
______
Date
I do not accept
5. Requests for co-authors
Sample e-mail to candidate re co-authors
As part of the promotion process, I am required to obtain statements from your collaborators about your co-authored/co-edited publications.
Please provide a brief statement on the nature of your collaboration and nature and extent of your contribution to each work.
After receiving your statements, your co-authors/co-editors will be contacted to confirm their agreement with your statements about the collaborative work.
Please also provide e-mail addresses for all of your major collaborators.
Sample e-mail to co-authors
Professor [ ] is being considered for promotion to Full Professor at the University of Toronto. As part of the promotion process the University requires that collaborators are contacted about the nature and extent of the candidate’s contribution to co-authored work.
I reproduce below what Professor [ ] has written about the cited article jointly written with you. Please let me know whether or not you agree with [his/her] statement and, if not, please provide clarification:
[Author, First and Second Author. Title of Article, Title of Journal, Volume #, Issue #, Date].
[Candidate’s statement]
I would appreciate hearing from you no later than [date].
Thank you for your contribution to this process.
6. Letter inviting graduate student evaluations
Dear :
Professor x of the University of Toronto Scarborough Department of ______is being considered for promotion to full professor and I am writing to some of her graduate students to solicit comments on her as a teacher. Although promotion decisions at the University are based on a candidate's accomplishments in scholarship, teaching and service, it is in relation to her teaching that your comments could be most helpful.
The University Policy on Promotion states that "teaching effectiveness is demonstrated by the degree to which the candidate for promotion is able to stimulate and challenge the intellectual ability of students, to communicate academic material effectively, and to maintain a mastery of his or her subject areas. It also involved maintaining accessibility to students, and the ability to influence the intellectual and scholarly development of students."
I would appreciate your taking the time to consider Professor X's effectiveness as a teacher of graduate students and to forward your comments to me by e mail at the following address:
In order for these to be available to the Promotion Committee, I will have to receive your responses no later than January 2, 2011.
Sincerely
X
Chair
7. Letter inviting undergraduate student evaluations
Dear :
Professor X of the Department of Psychology is being considered for promotion to full Professor and I am writing to past and present students to solicit comments on her as a teacher. Although promotion decisions at the University are based on a candidate's accomplishments in scholarship, teaching and service, it is in relation to teaching that your comments could be most helpful.
The University Policy on Promotion states that "teaching effectiveness is demonstrated by the degree to which the candidate for promotion is able to stimulate and challenge the intellectual ability of students, to communicate academic material effectively, and to maintain a mastery of his or her subject areas. It also involves maintaining accessibility to students, and the ability to influence the intellectual and scholarly development of students."
I would appreciate your taking the time to consider Professor X's teaching and to forward your comments to me by e-mail at …
In order for these to be available to the Promotion Committee, I will have to receive your response no later than January 2, 2012.
Sincerely
X
Chair