Tenure and Appointments Committees (TACs)

Purpose

Tenure and promotion in the FAS is overseen by a set of four committees in the four broad academic areas that compose the FAS: Humanities; Social Sciences; Biological Sciences; Physical Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences. Each committee is composed of a group of full Professors from the relevant area who serve as members of the area advisory committee, along with a representative from a department or program outside the area (the “outside member”). In cases involving faculty from one of the School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) departments, the Dean of SEAS also sits on the committee as a voting member.

These committees have two related functions. In their advisory roles — under the name “Area Advisory Committee” — they provide advice to the Dean of the FAS and others responsible for FAS governance about the quality and effectiveness, as well as the appointments needs, of the departments and programs in their academic division or area. In supplemented form these divisional/area committees serve as the Tenure and Appointments Committees (TACs) for their divisions/areas, overseeing ladder appointments, reappointments, and promotions.

Each area advisory committee is chaired by the divisional dean or director of its corresponding academic division, and the Dean of the FAS oversees the four TACs. TACs review all appointments and promotions to the ranks of Associate Professor on term (Nontenured associate, AOPN); Associate Professor without term (Tenured associate, AOPT); and Professor (PROF).

Meetings of the TACs involving appointments or promotions to tenure in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences and Engineering are chaired by the Dean of the FAS. Meetings of the TAC involving appointments or promotions to tenure in the Biological Sciences are chaired by the Dean of the FAS and the Dean of the School of Medicine, both of whom sit as voting members of the committee.

Humanities Advisory and Tenure and Appointments Committee

Social Sciences Advisory and Tenure and Appointments Committee

Biological Sciences Advisory and Tenure and Appointments Committee

Physical Sciences & Engineering Advisory and Tenure and Appointments Committee