Appointments to Tenure

Columbia employs a standing committee system to conduct a final University-wide evaluation whenever a school or department, including Barnard College but excepting the Faculty of Law and Teachers College, recommends a candidate for tenure. This evaluation is the culmination of a process of review involving multiple considerations of the nomination within the departments/divisions and schools. The purpose of the final review is to confirm that the earlier reviews were rigorous and substantive and that all candidates meet the same high standards, regardless of the school or department originating the nomination. By examining both the process by which candidates are nominated and their qualifications, the Provost’s Tenure Review Advisory Committee (TRAC), a standing committee, seeks to ensure a University-wide consistency in the evaluation of nominations to tenure and thereby to promote the appointment of faculty of exceptional quality and distinction throughout the institution. The standing committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Provost who determines whether the candidate should be recommended to the President and Trustees for tenure. The University’s standing committee system of tenure review is administered on behalf of the Provost by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

The Principles and Customs Governing University-wide Tenure Reviews policy governs TRAC’s review of all tenure nominations with the exception of those originating in Barnard College. The procedures followed in evaluating candidates from Barnard College differ in some respects, as provided for in the inter-institutional agreement between the College and the University. Therefore, the process by which Barnard nominations are reviewed is described in a separate document, the Principles and Customs Governing University-wide Tenure Reviews for Barnard College.

For more information please contact Angel Flesher, Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs, at [email protected]