3341-1-17 Faculty Tenure Policy

1. Policy Statement and Purpose

   In accordance with Ohio law, the Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees adopts a faculty tenure policy. This policy applies to all tenured and tenure-track faculty.

2. Periodic Review and Approval Requirement

   Every five years, BGSU will review this policy to determine if any updates are needed. Any recommended changes will be presented to and discussed with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, who may at their sole discretion discuss the recommended changes with the full Senate for an advisory vote. Any updates must be approved by the Board of Trustees before they become effective.

3. Policy Scope

   This policy applies to all BGSU full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members directly compensated by the University.

4. Statements on Tenure

   1. The rights and privileges of tenure are awarded to tenure-track faculty by the Board of Trustees following either: successful completion of the probationary period; or the offer to hire at the rank of Professor, in which case tenure is immediately granted. An Associate Professor may also be hired with tenure immediately granted.
   2. Tenure shall mean the opportunity to continue full-time employment on the terms and conditions set forth in this policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University and the Bowling Green State University Faculty Association through each successive academic year at BGSU in an assignment that is appropriate to the academic credentials, professional training and experience, and previous BGSU employment history as a faculty member.
   3. Tenured faculty members shall have the continuing professional obligation and responsibility to remain informed in their disciplines, in order to render efficient service to the University.
   4. The tenure of a faculty member shall continue until one of the following occurs: death; resignation; retirement; discontinuance of the position due to retrenchment, or termination for just cause.
   5. Tenured faculty who wish to either resign an existing appointment or to retire from BGSU service should notify in writing both the Dean and their respective department chair/school director, at least three months prior to the end of the academic year. A waiver of these requirements may be provided by the Dean in cases such as disability, health emergency, or other reasons.
   6. A tenured faculty member may be offered and may accept an assignment to administrative duties without interrupting or impairing the faculty member’s tenure, but tenure shall apply only to rank and assignment as a faculty member; an administrative assignment is subject to change at any time by action of the University.

5. Rank for Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty

   1. Assistant Professor. Consistent with the discipline, a tenure-track faculty member shall either hold an appropriate doctoral degree or, in those fields where the doctorate is not the typical terminal degree, the appropriate terminal degree from an accredited college or university. Faculty shall have evident ability as a teacher/librarian; give evidence of ability to do scholarly/creative activity and give evidence of the potential to make contributions to the University, community, and/or profession.
   2. Associate Professor. Consistent with the discipline, a tenure-track (if eligible for this rank) or tenured faculty member shall hold the appropriate doctoral degree, or in those fields where the doctorate is not the typical terminal degree, the appropriate terminal degree from an accredited college or university. Faculty at BGSU shall have demonstrated ability as a teacher/librarian; demonstrated ability to do scholarly/creative activity as indicated by publications, significant research, or presentation of refereed papers at regional or national meetings, or their equivalent in the creative or performing arts. If currently employed at BGSU, shall give evidence of active involvement in service to the University, community, and/or profession. If initially hired at this rank, shall give evidence of potential contributions to the University, community, and/or profession.
   3. Professor. Consistent with the discipline a tenured faculty member with the rank of Professor shall hold the appropriate doctoral degree, or in those fields where the doctorate is not the typical terminal degree, the appropriate terminal degree from an accredited college or university. Faculty shall have an established reputation as a teacher/librarian; shall have an established record of productive scholarship, significant research, or the equivalent in the creative or performing arts. If currently employed at BGSU, shall give evidence of significant service to the University, community, and/or profession. If initially hired at this rank, shall give evidence of potential contributions to the University, community, and/or profession. and give evidence of the potential to make contributions to the University, community, and/or profession.

6. Standards for Tenure

   1. The probationary tenure-track faculty candidate for tenure who has adhered to professional standards or codes of ethics and the Ohio Ethics Law shall be granted or denied tenure solely on the basis of the following criteria: attainment of the terminal degree or its professional equivalent, teaching/librarian effectiveness, scholarly/creative activity, and service to the University community or profession.
   2. More precise statements of criteria and standards for teaching/librarian effectiveness, scholarly/creative activity, and service used for the granting or denial of tenure are specified by the tenured faculty members in individual academic units. All such statements must be approved by the Dean and the Provost.

7. Evaluation for Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

   1. Probationary tenure-track and tenured faculty members shall be advised of the time when decisions affecting tenure and promotion are ordinarily made and shall be given the opportunity to submit material that they believe to be pertinent to a decision.
   2. Probationary tenure-track faculty members may seek tenure at any time during the period of probationary service, and denial of an early application for tenure shall have no effect on subsequent applications for tenure within the probationary period.
   3. A probationary tenure-track faculty member in the last year of probationary appointment, or who applies for tenure and promotion at an earlier date, shall be evaluated by the eligible voters of the academic unit, and there a single vote of recommendation for or against tenure and promotion to Associate Professor shall be made.
   4. The academic unit’s eligible voters shall consist of those faculty who are tenured and are at or above the rank of Associate Professor. In academic units with fewer than three eligible voters, the Dean of the college shall appoint tenured faculty from related disciplines outside the unit with the consent of the unit’s tenured faculty and the department chair/school director. Appointments shall be made so as to maintain integrity of the discipline.
   5. An affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all eligible voters shall be required to recommend that tenure and promotion to Associate Professor be granted. Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor during the probationary period requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of all eligible voters in the academic unit because such action constitutes immediate tenure. Tenured faculty at or above the rank of Associate Professor have the responsibility to vote in decisions on tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. An abstention or failure to vote has the same effect as a negative vote, except in the cases below:
      1. Eligible voters on FIL or other approved leaves of absence have the right to participate and vote in these decisions on tenure and promotion to Associate Professor; however, if they abstain or fail to vote, such abstention or failure to vote shall not be counted as a negative vote.
      2. Consistent with University policies on conflict of interest (e.g., Consensual Amorous Relationships Policy, Ethical Conduct and Professional Workplace Behavior Policy), eligible voters shall recuse themselves from participating and/or voting in decisions involving individuals with whom they have a conflict of interest. Such abstention shall not be counted as a negative vote.
      3. With the approval of the Dean, an eligible voter may request recusal from participating based on documented extenuating circumstances. Failure to vote due to an approved recusal shall not be counted as a negative vote.
   6. Assistant Professors may not be tenured without promotion. Nothing in this policy excludes the matter of promotion to Professor from collective bargaining, and nothing in this policy shall be interpreted and/or applied to have any such effect. In those rare cases prior to collective bargaining where the faculty member is a tenured Assistant Professor, the faculty member shall apply for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor independently of an application for tenure. In such cases, an affirmative vote of a majority of all eligible voters shall be required to recommend that promotion be granted. An abstention or failure to vote has the same effect as a negative vote, except in the cases below:
      1. Eligible voters on FIL or other approved leaves of absence have the right to participate and vote in these decisions on promotion to Associate Professor; however, if they abstain or fail to vote, such abstention or failure to vote shall not be counted as negative vote.
      2. Consistent with University policies on conflict of interest (e.g., Consensual Amorous Relationships Policy, Ethical Conduct and Professional Workplace Behavior Policy), eligible voters shall recuse themselves from participating and/or voting in decisions involving individuals with whom they have a conflict of interest. Such abstention shall not be counted as a negative vote.
      3. With the approval of the Dean, an eligible voter may request recusal from participating based on documented extenuating circumstances. Failure to vote due to an approved recusal shall not be counted as a negative vote.
   7. In cases where the faculty member begins employment at BGSU as an Associate Professor without tenure, the faculty member may apply for tenure independently of an application for promotion. In such cases, an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all eligible voters shall be required to recommend that tenure be granted. An abstention or failure to vote has the same effect as a negative vote, except in the cases below:
      1. Eligible voters on FIL or other approved leaves of absence have the right to participate and vote in these decisions on promotion; however, if they abstain or fail to vote, such abstention or failure to vote shall not be counted as a negative vote.
      2. Consistent with University policies on conflict of interest (e.g., Consensual Amorous Relationships Policy, Ethical Conduct and Professional Workplace Behavior Policy), eligible voters shall recuse themselves from participating and/or voting in decisions involving individuals with whom they have a conflict of interest. Such abstention shall not be counted as a negative vote.
      3. With the approval of the Dean, an eligible voter may request recusal from participating based on documented extenuating circumstances. Failure to vote due to an approved recusal shall not be counted as a negative vote.

8. Process for Making Tenure and Promotion Recommendations

   1. Initial responsibility for applying the established criteria and standards and making recommendations regarding tenure and promotion rests with the academic unit’s eligible voters, who shall make a written recommendation to the department chair/school director. No eligible voter shall vote in more than one level of review. If eligible voters have the opportunity to vote at more than one level, they shall vote only at the unit level on candidates from their unit.
   2. The department chair/school director shall submit the recommendation of the tenured faculty of the academic unit and a written statement agreeing or disagreeing with that recommendation to the Dean. If the recommendation of the department chair/school director differs from that of the academic unit’s tenured faculty, this recommendation of the department chair/school director shall state the reasons for the difference.
   3. Faculty shall have the opportunity to submit an appeal letter within three business days after a recommendation is forwarded to the Dean.
   4. The college-level review committee provides an independent recommendation to college deans regarding tenure and promotion.
   5. The Dean of the college shall make an independent recommendation after reviewing the written recommendations of the faculty of the academic unit, the department chair/school director, and the college-level review committee. The Dean shall then forward all of these recommendations to the Provost.
   6. Faculty shall have the opportunity to submit an appeal letter within three business days after a recommendation is forwarded to the Provost.
   7. When there are one or more negative recommendations provided by the candidate’s unit, department chair/school director, college committee, or Dean, the University-Level Review Committee provides independent advice to the Provost regarding tenure and promotion.
   8. The Provost shall have the responsibility for recommending approval or disapproval to the President and the Board of Trustees. All written recommendations with appropriate supporting material appended thereto and a record of actions taken shall become part of the permanent personnel files in the Office of the Provost.
   9. Before the recommendation is forwarded to the next level, the tenure-track faculty member shall be informed in writing of the recommendation at each stage of the evaluation process. Except for the tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, evaluation occurring during the last year of the probationary appointment, the candidate has the right to withdraw from the evaluation process at any time by informing the department chair/school director, Dean and Provost, as appropriate. In cases where the candidate has the right to withdraw from the evaluation process, the recommendation shall not be forwarded to the next level and the evaluation process shall cease without prejudice regarding any future request for tenure and/or promotion.

9. Extension of the Probationary Period

   1. Specific information regarding extensions of the probationary period is included in Article 11 – in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

10. Appeal Rights Regarding Final Evaluation for Tenure

    1. Upon receipt of the tenure recommendations from the department chair/school director and/or the college dean, the faculty member may appeal the review within three business days.
    2. An appeal letter shall be uploaded by the faculty member into the electronic review system within three business days of the receipt of the tenure review by the department chair/school director and college dean. The appeal letter shall be made part of the final tenure review dossier.
    3. The Provost will review the appeal letter along with the complete dossier and review letters provided by the department chair/school director and college dean and communicate their final decision to the faculty member, department chair/school director and dean.

11. With respect to any collective bargaining agreement entered into after the date of this policy the following apply:

    1. Nothing in this policy may be collectively bargained;
    2. In the event that this policy conflicts with a collective bargaining agreement, this policy will prevail; and
    3. Any past practices required by or associated with a collective bargaining agreement do not impact implementation of this policy.

Registered Date: December 24, 2025