Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure

January 09, 2024

Guides to Assist WUFA Members:


See also Senate Bylaw 22 and 23, Collective Agreement Art. 13:01-08, and UCAPT booklets/resources on processes and procedures.

Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) is a collegial process that ensures high standards of scholarship, teaching, and service, and offers support and guidance to faculty members at all stages of their careers.

Some terms you will need to know:

eCV refers to the University’s electronic C.V. form, which is mandatory. It can be found HERE. (you will need to log in using your UWin ID and password).

AAU (Academic Administrative Unit) Head refers to the candidate’s department head (or Dean in non-departmentalized faculties like Business, Law, and Nursing). The Dept. Head evaluates the candidate’s accomplishments in light of the AAU-approved criteria and assesses his/ her progress toward tenure.

RPT (Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure) Committee refers to the RPT Committee of the candidate’s AAU, which is composed of faculty and students elected by and from the AAU plus a non-voting Employment Equity/Procedures Assessor (EE/PA). The Committee must include faculty members of both genders. The RPT Committee evaluates the candidate’s accomplishments and progress towards tenure or promotion in light of the AAU-approved criteria and the Head’s Performance Review.

UCAPT (University Committee on Academic Promotion and Tenure) is composed of the Provost or delegate (chair), Dean of Graduate Studies, plus one representative from each Faculty (FAHSS has two representatives) of whom half are Deans on rotation and half are elected representatives plus one student from each of the three student bodies plus a non-voting Employment Equity/Procedures Assessor (EE/PA). UCAPT evaluates the candidate’s performance in light of the AAU-approved criteria, taking into account the Head’s Performance Review, the RPT Committee’s assessment, and letters of reference from external reviewers. The decision of UCAPT is technically a recommendation to the President; in practice, it is final in all but exceptional circumstances.

EE/PA (Employment Equity/Procedures Assessor) is assigned to ensure that procedures are followed and promotion and tenure criteria are applied in a manner than is fair and non-discriminatory. EE/PAs are appointed from a list agreed to by the Administration and WUFA.

External Reviewers refers to academics, not employed by the University of Windsor, with established reputations in the candidate’s field. A minimum of three external reviews of a candidate’s record of research are required for tenure or promotion. At least one of these referees is chosen from a list provided by the candidate and at least one from a list provided by the RPT Committee. The reviewer must be at arm’s length, and must not be the candidate’s PhD supervisor or external examiner, research collaborator or co-author during the previous six years, or someone with whom the candidate plans to collaborate in the near future. The candidate must not contact the reviewers. Reviewers receive the candidate’s eCV, samples of publications or documentation of creative works, Senate Bylaws 23, and departmental criteria, and are asked to evaluate the significance of the candidate’s scholarship and its impact on the field, and to compare the candidate to others at the same stage of career. Reviewers are not asked to evaluate the candidate’s teaching or service or whether he/ she should be awarded tenure or would be awarded tenure and promotion at their university.