Williams College Employee Handbook
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Academic Faculty Appointments, Reappointments, and Promotions
In making its appointments, reappointments and promotions, Williams College, in compliance with state and federal law, does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national or ethnic origin, race, color, religion or creed, age, or disability. It does not consider other factors unrelated to the educational objectives of the College (see Appointment Appeals, footnote 3). Nor does it discriminate on those grounds in determining salaries, fringe benefits, or any other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
Initial recommendations concerning appointments, reappointments, and promotions normally come from the departments. The Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CAP) considers the recommendations of the departments and transmits its own recommendations to the President, who in turn makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees for final action. (On the authorization and filling of new positions see Departmental Governance.) The Committee reviews the performance and progress of each non-tenured faculty member each fall, whether or not a reappointment decision is pending, when it considers the annual staffing reports submitted by the departments. The role of the CAP is an active one; it does not simply "register" departmental recommendations. Members of the faculty are encouraged to keep their personnel files in their departments and in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty up-to-date with respect to both their extramural professional activities and their College responsibilities. The Dean of the Faculty circulates a form each year to assist the faculty in keeping these data current.
The criteria by which the CAP judges a candidate for reappointment or promotion in the professorial ranks are the following: (1) above all, interest in and talent for sound and effective teaching of undergraduates and promise of continuing growth in ability to do so; (2) demonstrated capacity to contribute to the arts or to scholarship in the appropriate field and a perception of its relation to liberal learning; (3) significant usefulness and contribution to the College community - student advising, committee service, and so forth. Given the shifting needs of the College and the differing circumstances of departments, no precise "weights" can be attached to each of these three areas. Of the three, however, it may be said that the first two are of central importance, and exceptional strength in both is usually a requirement for appointment to tenure. (See also: Evaluation of Teaching, Scholarship, and Community Service and Policies Governing Part-time Faculty)
The decision on whether to recommend promotion to tenure for a faculty member is a comparative and prospective one. There is no presumption in favor of reappointment with continuous tenure; recommendations must be seen as part of the College's effort to identify and retain the best qualified faculty within its means. The decision reflects a comprehensive judgment about past performance and future potential based on the particular combination of strengths demonstrated by the individual in relation to the College's needs.
Quite apart from the merits of individual candidates, decisions affecting tenure are subject to such structural considerations as the College's future curricular needs, including the requirements of special strengths within a field and shifts in student interests, the number and age of tenured professors already in the department, the overall demand for staff in the College's total program, and budgetary considerations. The College does not, however, have a tenure quota, and structural considerations are rarely the overriding factor in a negative tenure decision. Still, the standard of evaluation for teaching, scholarship, and service does become stricter when structural factors do not favor appointment to tenure. Should it become clear at any point in the career of a non-tenured faculty member that a stricter standard will most likely need to be applied, the faculty member's yearly letter of evaluation will include a statement to that effect. For these reasons, as well as those noted in the paragraph above, a decision not to make an appointment to tenure in a particular case should not necessarily be taken to reflect a negative judgment of an individual's performance.
The Dean of the Faculty and the elected members of the Committee on Appointments and Promotions hold an extended meeting with all second-year assistant professors to discuss matters related to the reappointment and promotion process. Non-tenured faculty members are also welcome at any time to discuss with their department chair or the Dean of the Faculty matters related to the College's reappointment and promotion policies and procedures.
Promotion from associate professor to professor also depends on an assessment of teaching effectiveness, scholarly achievement, and contribution to the needs of the College. The CAP conducts a formal review of the performance of associate professors during their fourth year in rank and the Dean of the Faculty discusses the results of this review with each associate professor (See Section II-L Tenured Faculty Evaluation).
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