Promotion and Tenure Reviews

A faculty member being evaluated for promotion or the award of tenure shall be accorded a fair and impartial review based on the individual's merit and applicable standards of the discipline, school, or regional campus. The recommendation for promotion to the next higher rank is made by colleagues senior in rank. For promotions with the conferral of tenure, the recommendations are made by the tenured faculty with academic rank equal to, or higher than, that for which the person is being evaluated. Recommendations for the award of tenure to full professors or associate professors on probationary appointments are made by tenured faculty with rank equal to or higher than that for which the person is being evaluated. Schools have their own internal procedures to be followed in tenure decisions.

At the University level, the Provost’s Advisory Council on Tenure and Promotion (PACTP) will be implemented over the coming years to advise the Provost on whether the recommendations at the academic unit level are consistent with the criteria and standards of the University of Pittsburgh. Implementation of PACTP was endorsed by the Council of Deans (on January 10, 2020) and approved by the Faculty Assembly (on March 4, 2020) based on the Promotion & Tenure Ad Hoc Committee Final Report and Recommendations, dated December 29, 2019.

The ad hoc committee recommended institution of a University-wide tenure and promotion committee based on its beliefs that “a University-level committee would ensure consistency in — as well as strengthen and elevate — the standards for tenure and promotion across the University” and would serve to “make the promotion and tenure process more transparent to the faculty, and be helpful in calibrating standards within the schools and campuses.”

Read more about PACTP.