WHEREAS, the Faculty Advisory Committee on Tenure Appointments (FACTA) was created by the Faculty Senate on November 12, 1997 and its charge was revised October 11, 2000, and

WHEREAS, the current members of FACTA in consultation with Provost Carolyn Martin have unanimously recommended that the legislation be amended in order allow for more expeditious handling of external lateral appointments, and

WHEREAS, the current members of FACTA in consultation with Provost Carolyn Martin have unanimously recommended that the legislation be amended : (a) to clarify the relevance of department/college standards by referencing the Faculty Handbook; (b) to make explicit FACTA’s ability to comment on problematic unit standards; and (c) to clarify FACTA’s role in determining sufficiency of the file,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the following amendments be made: (additions are underlined, deletions appear with strikethroughs in brackets)

Opening Paragraph

The Faculty Advisory Committee on Tenure Appointments (FACTA) is established to advise the Provost on proposed promotions to tenure, as well as proposed denials of tenure by a dean after a positive recommendation from the department. Review of tenure recommendations for those who have achieved tenure at another institution will be at the discretion of the Provost.

Procedures (1st paragraph)

The committee will determine whether the documentation and the evidence in the tenure file is sufficient to show[s] that the candidate has demonstrated excellence in carrying out the responsibilities of the position, and unusual promise for continued achievement. More detailed information on tenure criteria can be found in Section 2.3 of the Faculty Handbook.

In particular, the committee will consider the evaluations made by the candidate’s peers and students, as well as those of outside reviewers and the ad hoc committee. The committee will also take into consideration the academic standing of the candidate’s outside reviewers, as well as any special considerations that might pertain in the case of those candidates with appointments in professional schools, performing arts or extension programs. In coming to its conclusions, the committee will limit itself to assessing the strength of the candidate summarized by prior substantive reviews. The committee will not solicit additional reviews; its judgment will be based on the information in t candidate’s file. University financial and other non-academic considerations will play no role in the committee’s deliberations. The committee should ensure that tenure appointments are consistent with Cornell’s high standards, but that no faculty member is turned down for tenure wrongfully, capriciously, or without reference to the responsibilities of the position or the mission of the college.

If, in the course of reviewing an individual case, the committee becomes concerned that the standard department, or a school or college, are inconsistent with Cornell’s high standards or otherwise not in the interests of the university, it shall report this separately to the Provost. FACTA will not use these conce reaching a tenure recommendation for the individual involved.