Solicitation of External Reviews

  1. Materials to include
    1. Faculty applicant’s personal statement (2-5 pages, summarizing program of research)
    2. An up-to-date curriculum vita
    3. Departmental criteria for tenure and/or promotion which have been approved by the Dean and the Provost that aligns with the criteria in the Missouri State University Faculty Handbook. Relevant University criteria found in the Faculty Handbook also can be provided.
    4. Information on the number of hours taught and other pertinent details concerning the candidate’s teaching assignment in each academic year since the last promotion or since the time of hire if this is a tenure consideration.
    5. Samples of research selected by the candidate that are of the type for which the enclosed criteria would be applied as part of the tenure and/or promotion decision. Only materials produced since the last promotion should be considered. Materials from each academic year in the current rank are encouraged in order to document ongoing productivity.
  2. Instructions for external reviewers
    1. The reviewer is invited to consider the whole of the candidate’s CV, but the primary focus of the external review is on scholarship and research.
    2. It is expected that faculty in one’s own department and institution can fairly assess contributions in teaching and service.
  3. Confidentiality of external reviews
    1. Reviews are solicited and returned to the department head and included in the dossier. Within the parameters of federal and state laws, we make every effort to maintain confidentiality on behalf of the individual candidate for appointment, promotion and/or tenure. Each department/school, college, or Office of the Provost is diligent in maintaining confidentiality with respect to the materials under review and the deliberations between involved parties. The external reviewer is asked to provide an honest assessment of the candidate for tenure and/or promotion in the area of scholarship, but it is made clear that these letters may be reviewed upon request of the candidate.
  4. Timeline
    1. Specifics provided on the Calendar for Faculty Evaluation.
    2. Generally, packets are sent to reviewers in August with requests to return reviews by the end of September.