Policies and Procedures

In order to address the negative impact of the pandemic on faculty research, tenure-track faculty will receive an automatic one-year extension of their tenure clock. A faculty member may rescind the extension at any time after approval and proceed with tenure review following the original timetable. A faculty member who wishes to rescind the extension should notify the Office of Faculty Affairs, their academic supervisor, and dean in advance of the academic year during which the review will take place, before July 1. This policy is applicable to all tenure-track faculty. We also recognize that the impact of the pandemic will have ongoing implications and we will revisit this policy with an eye towards additional extensions in late spring 2021.

No action is needed on the part of faculty to receive this extension; it is granted automatically for all qualifying faculty. Faculty cannot be retaliated or discriminated against for using the rights granted pursuant to this policy. The COVID-related Tenure Clock Extension policy does not nullify or interfere with a faculty member’s right to request an “extension of probationary period for tenure” or an “extension of a leave of absence” as outlined in the Faculty Handbook.