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9.1 (Step One) Each Spring Semester, the Dean of University Libraries shall notify candidates who are entering the final year of their probationary period that they shall stand for tenure in the fall.

9.2 (Step Two) The candidate shall identify external reviewers in compliance with the requirements and timeline specified in Section V.D. of this Handbook.

9.3 (Step Three) The candidate shall compile a file covering the entirety of the probationary period up to and including the day the file is submitted to support the tenure application. The candidate is permitted to use a reasonable amount of work time in compiling this file. The candidate shall complete and submit the file for review in compliance with the deadline set by the University.

9.4  (Step Four)  The Dean shall review the file the candidate prepared with the candidate in order to insure that the file is complete and shall prepare a statement indicating that the file is complete. Both the candidate and the Dean shall sign the completed file statement. Thereafter, the candidate must be informed of anything that is added to or removed from the file and provided the opportunity to insert written comments concerning that new or removed material.

9.5 (Step Five) Before convening the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, the Dean shall inform all tenured faculty that the files are available for inspection and shall formally invite signed, written comments from all tenured faculty members who are not members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. The Dean shall provide those comments to the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, copy the candidate, and place the comments in the file.

9.6 (Step Six) The Dean shall appoint an ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. The Committee shall be comprised of at least five (5) voting members.

a.     All tenured members of the College Advisory Committee shall serve as full, voting members.

b.     Any tenured full professor who is a member of the Tenure-Track Collective Bargaining Unit and who is not a member of the College Advisory Committee shall serve as a full, voting member.

c.     Additional tenured Faculty may be nominated by the College Advisory Committee so that the committee has at least five (5) voting members. These Faculty shall serve as full, voting members.

d.     If there are insufficient tenured UL Faculty members to meet the requirement of at least five (5) voting members, the College Advisory Committee may nominate tenured Faculty outside of UL. These Faculty shall be full voting members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee.

e.     CAC may nominate additional tenured faculty, such as a Regional Campus Library Director, to the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee if it feels it is necessary for the full and fair evaluation of the tenure candidate. These faculty shall be full voting members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee.

f.      The Dean shall be the nonvoting chair of the Committee.

g.     The administrator who serves as the liaison in faculty personnel matters of UL shall be a nonvoting member of the Committee.

h.     If the vote concerns the spouse, domestic partner, or relative of a member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, that member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee shall not vote nor shall he/she be present during deliberations or voting. In such a situation, the College Advisory Committee may, if necessary, nominate an additional tenured Faculty member to the committee for the review of that particular file to guarantee that the committee has at least five (5) voting members.

i.      If the vote concerns a faculty member of higher rank than a member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, that member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee shall not vote nor shall he/she be present during deliberations or voting. In such a situation, the College Advisory Committee may, if necessary, nominate an additional tenured Faculty member of equivalent or higher rank to the committee for the review of that particular file to guarantee that the committee has at least five (5) voting members.

9.7 (Step Seven)

a. The Dean shall convene a meeting of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee.

b. The members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee shall discuss each individual candidate for tenure. The
Dean shall initiate discussion by sharing his/her estimate of the strengths and weaknesses of each individual candidate with the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee.

c. At the conclusion of the deliberations of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, there shall be a preliminary voice vote of all members, who shall vote yea or nay on each candidate under consideration.

d. Abstentions are permitted only if a member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee is on an approved leave of absence and has received the right to abstain from the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. Members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee on approved leave of absence may vote by absentee ballot rather than requesting permission to abstain.

9.8 (Step Eight)

a. After the adjournment of the meeting of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, each voting member of the Committee shall promptly record his/her vote and the reasons for the vote on the appropriate University form. This written vote shall be the final vote. Each voting member shall return the completed form(s) to the Dean or his/her designee.

b. When completing the ballot form, the Committee member should give careful consideration to fully supporting his/her vote on a particular candidate. The ballot should be written in such a way that reviewers at other levels of the tenure process can clearly understand the requirements of the UL tenure policy in particular and the candidate's success or failure at meeting those requirements. The Committee member must be sure to provide, using the language of other sections of this policy and examples from the submitted file itself, a clear indication of the Committee member's assessment of that particular tenure candidacy.

c. In order to be recommended for tenure by the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee, a candidate must receive approval from at least three fourths of the written ballots of committee members who vote.

d. Abstentions are permitted only if a member of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee is on an approved leave of absence and has received the right to abstain from the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. Members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee on approved leave of absence may vote by absentee ballot rather than requesting permission to abstain.

9.9 (Step Nine) After carefully reviewing the recorded votes and comments submitted by all voting members of the Committee, the Dean shall weigh and assess each candidate's record as represented in the candidate's tenure file and in other relevant information that the Committee has reviewed. The Dean shall conclude his/her deliberations on each candidate by preparing a memo to the Provost or his/her designee for the Regional Campuses. In this memo, the Dean shall reference the numerical Committee vote on each candidate, indicate whether or not he/she concurs with the Committee's recommendation on each candidate, and outline his/her reasons for recommending or not recommending the candidate. The Dean should focus on the requirements of the UL tenure policy in particular and the candidate's success or failure at meeting those requirements. As with the committee members, the Dean is encouraged to use the language of the UL tenure policy when drafting this memo.

9.10 (Step Ten) The Dean shall place a copy of this memo in the candidate's tenure and personnel file and shall send a copy of this memo to the candidate and to all members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. The Dean shall assemble his/her written recommendation on each candidate and the written recommendation on each candidate submitted by the voting members of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee. These documents shall be placed in each candidate's tenure file.

9.11 (Step Eleven)The Dean shall notify the candidate by sending the candidate a copy of his/her letter of recommendation and copies of the written ballots of the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee at the same time the recommendation is submitted to the Provost or his/her designee for the Regional Campuses. This notification letter shall also include a statement informing the candidate that she/he has the right to include, within five working days, a letter in the file responding to any errors of fact that the candidate believes are in any of the recommendations and supporting documents from the Dean or the ad hoc Tenure Review Committee or other advisory committees. The letter shall also indicate that if the candidate wishes to appeal a negative decision, notification of such intent shall be sent in writing within ten working days of receipt of the Dean's letter.

9.12 (Step Twelve) The Dean shall forward, in a timely fashion, the tenure file of each candidate to the Provost or his/her designee for the Regional Campuses, as appropriate.