Teaching@Ryerson

Communications and Memos

Dear colleagues:

As the academic year winds down, I wanted to pass along some reminders as they relate to the evaluation of probationary tenure-stream faculty.

In terms of the year-end assessments of probationary faculty, we are still in a transition period from the processes under the prior collective agreement to the processes in the new collective agreement. One change that is being implemented this year relates to those probationers who are undergoing their Intermediate Tenure Review at the end of their third year. In the past, Departmental Appointment Committees were required to do a year-end assessment report covering the third year of probation and a separate Intermediate Tenure Review report. This year ONLY an Intermediate Tenure Review report is required. We believe this will reduce the workload of the DAC's and remove some confusion around what the two reports were expected to cover.

Finally, as you may be aware, the parties agreed that transfer to tenure will result in candidates being promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, without a separate promotion process having to be undertaken following transfer to tenure.

The University and the RFA have agreed that this change does not imply a corresponding raising of the bar in order to satisfy the criteria for transfer to tenure. Specifically, it was agreed that the criteria to be applied for tenure review and assessments are those for tenure and not those previously in place for promotion to Associate Professor.

That being said, this does not mean that the standards for tenure are immutable, as we understand that they may evolve over time as a result of factors internal and external to a department. It means that this particular change in our procedures does not change the tenure standards.

With that I would like to wish you a healthy and productive Spring and Summer.

Regards,

John Isbister

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