The FAPTC is composed of the associate dean for faculty affairs, associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and two faculty members elected from each department.
The FAPTC is charged with maintaining documentation of all policies and procedures guidelines or criteria that relate to all faculty-level appointments, promotions and tenure decisions and assure the faculty have access to this documentation.
Resources for Navigating Promotion and Tenure
- School of Public Health Faculty CV Template (MS Word doc; 2024)
- CV Template FAQ
- FAPTC Operating Manual (Approved October 2018)
- Faculty Guidelines for Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure
- Graduate Faculty Nominations Policy
- External Reference Collection for Promotions
Six external reference letters are required for promotion dossiers. The department is responsible for collecting these letters. At least three letters must be elicited from referees identified by the candidate and three must be elicited from referees identified without candidate input. External referees must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible.
- Referees must have equal or higher rank of that to which the candidate is being promoted. If a candidate is applying for conferral of tenure, then all referees must be tenured. Confirmation of referee tenure statuses must be included in the submission.
- Referees cannot be affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh or UPMC. This includes adjunct appointments.
- Referees cannot have collaborated with the candidate in any fashion over the past three years. Exceptions are made for indirect collaborations that occur due to involvement of large consortiums for a publication.
- Referees must be from a peer institution. Referees from non-academic institutions are permitted.
- There can only be one referee per institution. We cannot accept multiple letters from separate individuals within the same institution.
If there are any questions regarding a potential referee's eligibility, please contact the associate dean for faculty affairs or the faculty affairs coordinator.
The department chair may identify potential referees or designate another individual within the department to do so on their behalf. External referees must be provided with the candidate's CV, narrative statement, sample publications, and teaching portfolio when available. The chair letter may not be included in the materials shared with referees. Referees must also be provided with criteria to provide a framework for the review. This can include excerpts from the FAPTC Operating Manual, the University Faculty Handbook, or the Faculty Promotion Guidelines (formerly known as Appendix D).
The reference collection must be documented in an external reference report. The report must be included with the external reference letters in the promotion dossier. The external reference report must include information on all individuals contacted for the review, including those who declined to assist and the reason for their refusal.
- The names and institutions of the referees
- Who identified the referee as a contact (i.e. the chair, the candidate, etc.)
- The result of the contact. Did the referee agree, decline, or fail to reply?
- If a referee declined, then detail the reasoning for them doing so. If no reason was given, then indicate that the reason is unknown.
The identities of external referees and their comments cannot be shared with the candidate. It is critical that the confidentiality of this process is maintained per University policy.
Faculty Search Committee Resources
- Roles and Responsibilities of Pitt Public Health Search Committee Members
- Search Committee Requirements
- Search Committee External Reviewer Request Template
- Health Sciences Office of Diversity Info
- Diversifying Faculty Guidebook
- Handbook on Diversity and the Law
- Diversity Recruitment Resource Guide
- Faculty Recruiting Guidelines and Resources
- Provost Office Checklist for Faculty Search Committees
Required Documentation for Faculty Actions
- Primary Faculty Appointment Checklist
- Primary Faculty Promotion Checklist
- Secondary Faculty Appointment Checklist
- Adjunct Faculty Appointment Checklist
- Graduate Faculty Nomination Checklist
- Faculty Offer Letter Checklist
- Faculty Emeritus Checklist