Reappointment and Promotion Checklist

The following items should be included for the reappointment and promotion case, as applicable. Italicized items are Mandatory. You do not need to number these documents, but please label the documents the way they appear below, and place them in the order you see below.

Please also consider external guidance such as the CRA Best Practices Memo when assembling cases.

Though some sections of this checklist may not be applicable for certain classifications, candidates are all asked to use the same checklist for providing information to be reviewed. 

In some departments in SCS, there are specific preferences about how to assemble a case for review by the department level committee. To be certain you are meeting your department's expectations, please work closely with your department head or case shepherd. 

1. Cover Page (this information will be supplied by the department)

2. Dean’s Summary (this information will be supplied by the Dean’s Office)

3. Recommendation of Department Head and Review Committee (this information will be supplied by the department)

• Includes opinions of senior faculty, as determined by interviews or at meetings. The narrative will include:
  • a descriptive synopsis of the candidate's research
  • an assessment of the quality of the candidate's achievements
  • a description and evaluation of the role which the candidate is expected to fill in the future

4. Reading Committee Digest (this information will be supplied by the department)

• An objective summary of the case being presented which highlights any particular areas of strength or weakness.  This should be prepared by an appointed chair  following discussion among a reading committee of peers.  Required for all levels of R&P except the first reappointment.

5. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Biographical data, educational record, thesis advisor, and all previous appointments.
• Note that the publications list that is traditionally part of a full CV is required in a separate section of this checklist below. 

6. Statement of Career Goals

• Outlining career highlights, career goals and describing the role s/he hopes to play in the Department, School and University -- in dimensions of both teaching and other educational activities, and research, scholarly and artistic activity. (It is desirable to submit a draft at least to the case shepherd but the mentor as well before submitting the final version for inclusion to the R&P Coordinator.)

7. Publications List

• Separated as follows: (List entries in each of the categories in reverse chronological order. Number sequentially throughout the section.)
  • Books
  • Chapters in Books
  • Refereed Journal Papers - Published
  • Refereed Journal Papers - Accepted
  • Refereed Journal Papers - Submitted
  • Refereed Conference/Workshop Papers
  • Unrefereed Conference/Workshop Papers
  • Technical Reports
  • Other Publications
  • Patents and Invention Disclosures
  • Software Artifacts
  • Video Productions

• Papers published in multiple places (e.g., first a tech report, then a journal or conference paper, then included in an anthology) should be cited only once, in the section of highest significance, with the following notation as appropriate: "Originally published as and later included in.”
• May be optional for Teaching and Systems track Faculty, please check with your R&P Administrator.

8. Recent Publications

• Your three most significant publications since your last review are needed so that they can be distributed to letter writers. Referenced or Highlighted in publications list, if preferred. In most cases they will not be included in the final casebook.
• May be optional for Teaching and Systems track Faculty, please check with your R&P Administrator.

9. Contract and Grant Support (this information will be supplied by the department)

• Include funding which the candidate has received in the past that which is current, and proposals which have been submitted but not yet funded. Gifts may be included in this section as appropriate.

10. Faculty Course Evaluations (this information will be supplied by the department)

• This information is supplied by the department from online records.

11. Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Self Evaluation

• This statement will outline your approach to your style of teaching, as well as self-evaluate past goals for instruction completed since the most recent reappointment or promotion.
  • For Research and Systems track, if you have taught or co-taught (as instructor-of-record, not as a guest lecturer) more than once during the period of evaluation, then this statement is required.

12. Contributions to Education

• Apart from classroom performance and supervision; i.e., curriculum development, new programs, unsolicited evaluations by colleagues, teaching materials, textbooks, lecture notes, examinations, original laboratory exercises.

13. Professional Activities (previously also referred to as "Related Non-classroom Activities") 

• Include outside committee work, consulting, membership in and offices held in professional societies and associations, editorial duties and major activities in professional societies and meetings, participation in civic, regional and/or national service organizations (please give dates).

14. Evidence of External Reputation

• Include citations and awards, all invited talks and colloquia at professional meetings and conferences, seminars and colloquia at universities, industry, etc. (provide date and location for each)

15. University, College or Department Service

• Service and committee work within the University. Participation in or leadership of students or faculty organizations, committees, and/or ad hoc appointments.

16. Statement of Other Service Contributions

• Standards for promotions and reappointments among the faculty of the School include substantive contribution to improving the community, broadly defined.  Reviewers of your case will value meaningful contributions demonstrating social responsibility.  Candidates might document contributions to the mission or culture of their department, our school, or the university; or other contributions to their region, country, or the planet.  Your statement, which should be no more than a page or two, might for example describe your personal contributions to diversity/equity/inclusion, environmental protection, human rights, adult literacy, or other area of social responsibility.  See also CMU’s Vision, Mission and Values statement.

17. Graduate Student Advising

• Candidates should provide lists (including thesis titles, dates of completion and present occupation/employer) of:
  • • Current and former advisees (formal advisiting) 
    • Any thesis committee service
    • Other less formal supervision/mentoring of individual students

18. Student Service and Team Mentoring

• Tutoring, advising of undergraduates, mentoring of project teams, oversight of fraternities, sororities, and clubs, chaperone for trips and competitions, etc. 

Evaluation Letters

19. External Evaluations

• Letters of recommendation from people outside of CMU who are qualified to speak on the faculty member’s work.
  • Candidate should provide list of suggested names, including current addresses and email, to the chair, for final selection of recommenders.
  • The chair with input from the department head, will select additional recommenders as appropriate. Invited recommenders should include roughly equal numbers of recommenders who are suggested by the candidate and recommenders who were chosen separate from the candidate suggestions.
  • Letters should be preceded by a list of those from whom letters were requested.
  • Chair should indicate the relationship of each recommender to the candidate, i.e., PhD thesis advisor, co-author, co-PI, collaborator, program manager, or other as appropriate.

20. Internal Evaluations

• Letters of recommendation from current CMU faculty.
  • Letters should be preceded by a list of those from whom letters were requested.

21. Student Evaluations

• Letters from students, preceded by a list of those from whom letters were requested, including:
  • Students suggested by the candidate.
  • Students selected by the department. Include all current and former PhD students. Masters students may be included at the discretion of the department.
  • Randomly selected students. A randomly generated list of students from the roster of courses taught in the past, usually ~3 from each course for the past two years.

Guidance for Recommendation Letters

• Collection of external recommendation letters should focus first on obtaining substantive feedback about the candidate from highly qualified individuals.
• SCS has established targets for the number of recommender letters that should appear in a case. Please see guidance below for the specific type of case you are assembling.
• Note that the targets are expressed as ranges - we emphasize here that these ranges are targets only. There is no required minimum or maxim number of letters.
• We recommend seeking enough recommenders so that the assembled case results in the targeted ranges below. 

 *There is an option to do this review as a summary review rather than assembling a full case.

  *There is an option to do this review as a summary review rather than assembling a full case.
** Letters are optional at this stage in some but not all cases.

  *There is an option to do this review as a summary review rather than assembling a full case.

  *There is an option to do this review as a summary review rather than assembling a full case.

 *There is an option to do this review as a summary review rather than assembling a full case.

Top of Page