This page describes best practices in Brown’s procedures for reappointment, tenure, and promotion. It also contains information about candidates’ rights and opportunities for participating in the review process. What follows is a summary of provisions in the Faculty Rules and Regulations and the Handbook of Academic Administration and is meant to supplement, not replace, those documents. Individual cases may vary in some particulars from the practices described here without necessarily violating Faculty Rules.

1. Candidates for reappointment and tenure have the right to appear before the tenured associate and full professors in their department before the department reaches its recommendation. Candidates for promotion to Professor have the right to appear before the tenured full professors. Department chair/center directors will inform candidates of this right in writing. If the candidate chooses to exercise this right, then these meetings should be scheduled in a timely manner to ensure the presence of a majority of the eligible voting members of the department. The dossier submitted to TPAC must include the letter from the chair/center director apprising candidates of the right to appear, and either (1) a written statement by the candidate waiving his/her right to appear, or (2) an account of the candidate’s presentation, and the numbers of eligible voting faculty present.
2. The department chair/center director will inform the candidate in writing of the department/center’s recommendation to TPAC without reference to the vote tally. This communication will be included in the dossier submitted to TPAC.
3. Candidates have the right to appear before TPAC and/or present materials that they feel may be relevant to their case. In advance of the TPAC meeting, candidates will be contacted by a TPAC staff member and asked if they wish to appear before the committee or if they prefer to waive this right. In the latter case, a written communication from the candidate waiving this right must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.
4. After TPAC has voted on its recommendation on the candidate’s case, the chair of TPAC will inform the department chair/center director of the recommendation without reference to the vote tally, following a standardized format. The department chair/center director has the responsibility of promptly conveying TPAC’s recommendation to the candidate. If TPAC does not recommend reappointment, tenure, or promotion, then the department chair/center director will also inform the candidate of his/her right to discuss the case with the Committee on Faculty Equity and Diversity (CFED), which reviews cases only with regard to issues of procedural fairness and compliance with the Corporation’s Statement on Nondiscrimination.
5. In the event of a denial of the department's recommendation for reappointment, tenure or promotion, then TPAC will provide a letter of explanation to the department chair/ center director within 3 weeks of the TPAC vote. It is then the department chair’s/ center director's responsibility to inform the candidate. A copy of the TPAC letter will be included in the dossier given to CFED.
6. The TPAC recommendation is then transmitted to the Provost for further review. If TPAC does not recommend reappointment, tenure, or promotion, then the chair of CFED will also be informed. CFED will receive a copy of the dossier, including the TPAC letter of explanation, as soon as it is available. CFED will submit its written report on the case to the Provost within two weeks of its receipt of the full dossier. In the unusual circumstance that multiple negative recommendations require review simultaneously, CFED and the Provost may adjust the two week timeframe in order to accomplish a thorough and fair assessment of each case.
7. The Provost will make his/her decision on the case within 30 days of receipt of TPAC’s written recommendation. If the Provost's decision is negative, the relevant dean will provide the department chair/center director a written explanation of that decision. In cases where CFED has already written a response to a negative recommendation by TPAC, the Provost should include CFED’s report to the President with his/her negative decision. The candidate has the right to discuss the Provost’s decision with the President or his/her designee, or to submit material in writing for their further consideration.
8. If TPAC’s recommendation is positive but the Provost’s decision is negative, the candidate’s dossier will at that point be made available to CFED for review. CFED will advise the Provost and the President of its findings within two weeks of receipt of the Provost’s decision

This page was produced by the CFED, 2012-13 (Chair, Andrea Simmons, Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences) and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.