RPT Resources for New Faculty
Welcome to UCCS! As a new faculty member, you may be curious about the reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) process. The RPT process is an important part of academic life at UCCS, and it helps to ensure that faculty members are recognized and rewarded for their diverse contributions to teaching or librarianship, scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service.
It is important to note that the RPT process is both meticulous and fair. UCCS is committed to supporting its faculty members and providing them with the resources they need to succeed. This brief document summarizes the core components of the initial reappointment process here at UCCS to help faculty members during this first step in the RPT journey.
Steps* for Initial Reappointment Review Process
*The steps and associated information are a general guide for this review. Please refer to your unit criteria for specific requirements. For information regarding grievances, please consult your unit leader. The Office of Faculty Affairs is also a resource.
Candidates receives notification of eligibility based on the hiring Letter of Offer.
Candidate will submit their dossier in Watermark Faculty Success. The dossier will be reviewed by the Primary Unit Evaluation Committee (PUEC).
After the dossier is reviewed, the PUEC votes if “on track for tenure”, “not yet on track for tenure, but could meet standards for tenure with appropriate corrections”, and “not on track for tenure.”
PUEC will submit a letter based on the results of the vote to the Dean's Review Committee (DRC).
The DRC reviews the recommendation from the PUEC, evaluates the candidate's dossier, conducts a vote if “on track for tenure”, “not yet on track for tenure, but could meet standards for tenure with appropriate corrections”, and submits a letter to the Dean with their recommendation.
The dean shall prepare a recommendation for action that discusses the earlier reviews (Primary Unit Evaluation Committee, Primary Unit Faculty [if applicable], Department Chair [if applicable], and Dean’s Review Committee) and points out areas of concern or disagreement.
The Provost will review the complete packet, including committee letters.
Upon reviewing the packet, the Provost will write a recommendation letter to the Chancellor for final recommendation.
The Chancellor will write a recommendation for final approval. The Chancellor’s decision in RPT cases is the final and presiding one.
Required Dossier Materials
The dossier should provide an extensive overview of the candidate’s performance and future plans It includes an executive summary, three detailed statements (Teaching or Librarianship, Scholarly/Creative Work, and Leadership and Service), one optional statement, and an up-to-date curriculum vitae.
Each Unit has different RPT criteria and materials should frequently reference that criteria in the dossier materials. In addition, each discipline has different standards of practice with regard to the length of summaries and statements and candidates should seek out advice as they prepare materials.
Dossier Item | Overview | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Summary | This is a holistic summary of the candidate’s entire record, dossier, workload expectation, and plans for the future. It should address teaching or librarianship, scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service. | Generally, this statement should be 2-3 pages. Cite your unit’s criteria to showcase how you meet the criteria |
| Teaching or Librarianship Statement | Statement should include teaching philosophy and teaching methods, the history of courses taught, the number of students in classes, work with or mentoring of students outside the classroom, methods used to review teaching, grading practices, Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQs) student evaluation data, a response to the student evaluation data, and other materials related to the primary unit evaluation criteria. | Be sure to include supporting documents and multiple evaluation measures, not only FCQs and cite your unit’s criteria to showcase how you meet the criteria |
| Scholarly/Creative Work Statement | Statement should describe the focus of the candidate’s scholarly/creative work, evidence of scholarly/creative work to date, anticipated future directions, and other materials related to the primary unit evaluation criteria. | Be sure to include supporting documents and cite your unit’s criteria to showcase how you meet the criteria |
| Leadership and Service Statement | Statement should describe all significant professional leadership and/or service. This can include leadership/service to UCCS, the CU system, local, state, regional, national, international, and professional associations, as well as other materials related to the primary unit evaluation criteria. | Be sure to include supporting documents and cite your unit’s criteria to showcase how you meet the criteria |
| Life Context and Circumstance Statements | Candidates may wish to document how life contexts and circumstances (including the COVID-19 pandemic) impacted their teaching or librarianship, scholarly/creative works, and service and leadership activities. These impacts can be documented in the relevant statements depending on the area impacted, whether teaching or librarianship, scholarly/creative work, and/or leadership and service. | The PUEC should consider such statements without bias to aid in the initial reappointment review. |
| Vita | An updated vita current through the date of submission is required. Candidates should use the recommended vita format provided in UCCS Policy 200-001. | Update your vita regularly (e.g., once per semester or every time you have a new item). |
Faculty Advancement Resources
The OOR Belayers serves as UCCS’s research network, bringing together faculty with shared research interests, similar career stages, or a desire to build collaborative relationships. Inspired by rock climbing, where a belayer supports and stabilizes the climber, the name reflects a community dedicated to supporting one another’s progress.
Faculty interested in joining the OOR Belayers and the Teams page is encouraged to contact Kelly McNear at kmcnear@uccs.edu.
Faculty interested in accessing the dossier respository, please send a request email to Kelly McNear at kmcnear@uccs.edu.
The FRC supports faculty and promotes high-quality, inclusive teaching and learning by building strong relationships, offering thoughtful guidance on effective practices, encouraging innovative use of learning technologies, and providing helpful resources, training, and consultation for the entire UCCS community.
The NCFDD is a nationally recognized organization that provides research-based professional development, mentoring, and networking resources to help faculty succeed at all stages of their academic careers. Through its institutional membership, faculty can gain access to tools and programs that support research productivity, career advancement, and work–life balance, ultimately strengthening faculty success and retention.
Offering ten essential skills designed to support success in academic careers, with an emphasis on strong writing and research productivity, faculty are encouraged to begin with NCFDD's Core Curriculum.