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PROPOSAL – Draft April 30, 2010 INCREASING THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR
Affiliated PhDs IN THE TENURE TRACK
Department of Ophthalmology Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Department of Surgery
Proposal: Extend the probationary period for the awarding of tenure to 10 years for Affiliated PhDs in the tenure track.
Background: The probationary period for the awarding of tenure to MDs in UCs College of Medicine is 10 years. For PhDs, this probationary period is only 7 years. This difference was originally implemented because it was anticipated that clinical responsibilities for MD faculty would extend the period of time to establish an investigative career. The probationary period defines the maximal length of time a faculty member has available to achieve tenure. At any time after appointment and before the end of the probationary period, if the requirements for tenure are met, faculty can choose to electively apply for promotion and tenure. Recruitment and retention of excellent faculty including women, minorities and dual career partners in academics requires more flexibility in the promotion and tenure guidelines. The significant institutional investment in faculty start-up packages requires that policies be in place to insure that faculty have every opportunity for success. The recent decrease in the NIH budget and consequent increased competition for significant and continuous extramural funding requires more time to demonstrate success. The documented increase in the age of first time grant awardees at the national level indicates that it is taking longer for new faculty to obtain their first independent extramural grant. The Department of Pediatrics has previously petitioned successfully to align its MD and PhD tenure track windows. At the present time, there are four Affiliated PhD faculty in the tenure track in the pediatric sections of the above Departments. If this proposal were approved, it would go into effect immediately. These current tenure-track PhD faculty could choose to go We propose to extend the probationary period for Affiliated PhDs from 7 years to 10 years for the following reasons:
HB PAGE I 61
SURGERY RPT I PAGE 3
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