Tenure Timelines - North Idaho College

Deadlines	Tasks	Details
First week of October	Candidate nominates FETs	First-year candidate submits to his/her division chair names of two or three faculty to serve as faculty evaluation team (FET). One member of the FET will serve as a mentor/coordinator.
Third week of October	Division chair approves FETs Candidate forwards names to Tenure Committee	By the third week of October division chair notifies the candidate of the approval of the FET and the mentor. After approval of the FET by the division chair, the candidate forwards member’s names to Tenure Committee.
Both Fall & Spring Semester	Candidate solicits student evaluations for all courses & shares with FETs FETs observe & submit suggestions to candidate	Candidate will solicit student feedback for all courses taught using the approved student evaluation instrument appropriate to the mode of delivery. Candidates will share copies of these evaluations with their FETs. Each member of the FET will observe the candidate’s class or lab and share observations with the candidate. A written record, indicating any suggestions to strengthen teaching effectiveness, will be made by each FET and delivered only to the candidate.
First week of April	Candidate prepares self evaluation	The candidate will prepare and submit a self evaluation to the FET and division chair. The self-evaluation will describe in detail his/her progress in demonstrating eligibility for tenure and performance of all duties outlined in the Teaching Focus Policy. In addition, this report will reflect any professional and pedagogical changes from year-to-year throughout the tenure process.
Third week of April	Mentor calls team meeting with Division Chair & FETs	The mentor, other FET member, and the division chair meets as a group to discuss the candidate’s progress, self-evaluation, classroom observations, and student evaluations. The mentor shall call these meetings.
First week of May	Mentor writes formative evaluation & forwards to division chair, tenure committee, candidate	The mentor prepares and submits an informal, formative written evaluation indicating the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and providing recommendations for improvement and/or development, as determined by a consensus of the group. If the group cannot reach a consensus, the dissenting evaluation should also be included. The mentor will provide copies of these year-end formative evaluations to the appropriate division chair, the Tenure Committee and the candidate.
First week of June	Tenure committee notified	If significant deficiencies are noted at this time, in coordination with HR, the FET and division chair/director will develop a performance improvement plan to address noted deficiencies and will submit the plan to the candidate and the Tenure Committee by the first week of June. The performance improvement plan will outline goals, action steps, and a timeline for improvement with periodic checkpoints that will extend the overall time to completion of the Tenure process. The division chair/director will notify the appropriate dean about the deficiencies and forward to the dean the plan agreed to by the FET and candidate.

* This timeline is a quick guide to tenure & evaluation procedures. Please consult NIC Policies and Procedures for full descriptions and/or to clarify any questions.

Deadlines	Tasks	Details
Both Fall & Spring Semester	Candidate solicits student evaluations for all courses & shares with FETs FETs observe & submit suggestions to candidate	The candidate solicits student feedback for all courses taught using the approved student evaluation instrument appropriate to the mode of delivery. The candidate shares copies of these evaluations with their FETs. Each member of the FET observes the candidate’s class or lab and share observations with the candidate. A written record, indicating any suggestions to strengthen teaching effectiveness, will be made by each FET and delivered only to the candidate.
First week of April	Candidate submits cumulative self evaluation	The candidate submits a cumulative self-evaluation, inclusive of all years in the tenure process, to the FET members and division chair. The self-evaluation describes in detail his/her progress in demonstrating eligibility for tenure and performance of all duties outlined in the Teaching Focus Policy. In addition, the self-evaluation reflects any professional and pedagogical changes from year-to-year throughout the tenure process. Data from previous student, FET, and division chair observations and evaluations should be included to support the conferral of tenure.
Third week of April	Mentor calls team meeting with Division Chair & FET	The mentor, other FET member(s), and the division chair shall meet as a group to discuss the candidate’s progress, self-evaluation, classroom observations, and student evaluations.
First week of May	FETs submits summative evaluations	Each FET member submits a separate written, summative evaluation, inclusive of all years of observation by that FET member. The evaluations will discuss the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, and will include recommendations for improvement and/or development.
Third week of May	FETs meet with candidate	Each FET member shares this evaluation individually in conference with the candidate. The candidate signs the original summative evaluation to acknowledge its review. Signed copies of each evaluation are provided to the faculty member and division chair.

* This timeline is a quick guide to tenure & evaluation procedures. Please consult NIC Policies and Procedures for full descriptions and/or to clarify any questions.

Deadlines	Tasks	Details
First Week of October	FETs submit recommendation for/against conferral	Each FET submits the following to the candidate and division chair: 1) copies of the third-year summative evaluations, and 2) a formal recommendation for or against the conferral of tenure, with supporting reasoning.
Second week of November	Division Chair submits recommendation for/against conferral	The division chair submits the following to the candidate: 1) a formal evaluation of the candidate’s qualification for tenure based on duties outlined in the Teaching Focus Policy, and 2) a formal recommendation for or against conferral of tenure.
First week of December	Division Chair meets with candidate	The division chair meets with the candidate to discuss the formal evaluation and recommendation.
Second week of December	Candidate collates and submits tenure portfolio to Tenure Committee	The candidate collates and forwards to the Tenure Committee a portfolio including: Copies of all FET and division chair formative observation reports for the entire probationary period Copies of all student evaluation summaries for the entire probationary period All FET and division chair observations,and summative and formative evaluations All FET and division chair formal recommendations for or against conferral of tenure The candidate’s cumulative written self-evaluation.
Second week of December	Tenure Committee submits recommendations	The Tenure Committee submits its written recommendation for or against tenure to the candidate, the division chair, the vice president for instruction (VPI) and the president.
Last week of March	VPI & President make recommendations	The VPI submits recommendation for or against tenure to the president, and by March 15, the president completes his/her recommendation.
Second week of April	President forwards recommendations to Board of Trustees	The president forwards the Tenure Committee’s, the VPI’s, and the president’s recommendations to the board of trustees for their next scheduled meeting. At the board’s request, the candidate’s portfolio will be forwarded by the president for their review.
Last week of April	President notifies candidate of board decision	The president notifies the candidate in writing of the Board’s decision. Tenure begins the fall semester following approval.

* This timeline is a quick guide to tenure & evaluation procedures. Please consult NIC Policies and Procedures for full descriptions and/or to clarify any questions.