UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two final opportunities for tenure-line faculty to provide input to the Promotion and Tenure Modernization Committee will be available in October. These include an open listening session to be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 15 over Zoom and an anonymous survey.
Any tenure-line faculty member who was unable to attend their unit’s session in spring 2025, or earlier this semester, is encouraged to join the Oct. 15 discussion and share their feedback related to Penn State Policy AC23. Those unable to attend the open listening session, or those who prefer to provide feedback anonymously, are asked to use the online survey.
The Promotion and Tenure Modernization Committee, charged by the Office of the Provost and supported by the Office of Faculty Affairs, is comprised of faculty from across disciplines working to gather feedback on Penn State’s promotion and tenure criteria and processes (Policy AC23). The committee has been asked to evaluate and assess the extent to which the current promotion and tenure process fosters excellence and is transparent, efficient, well-communicated and consistently applied to tenure-line faculty. Each academic unit will continue to hold the primary responsibility for developing its specific promotion and tenure criteria.
According to committee chair Mallika Bose, associate dean for research, creative activity and graduate studies and professor of landscape architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture, broad participation from faculty across colleges and campuses is vital to ensuring the committee’s work reflects diverse perspectives and experiences.
“The feedback we receive will shape how Penn State approaches promotion and tenure to foster and recognize excellence for all of its faculty,” Bose said. “Once we’ve carefully considered all the faculty feedback, we expect to be able to make recommendations to the provost and academic leaders across the University.”
“I strongly encourage any tenured or tenure-line faculty member who has not yet provided the committee with feedback to make their voices heard,” said Kathy Bieschke, senior vice provost. “By incorporating a broad range of perspectives, we can ensure our guidance and processes are serving you and your colleagues in the pursuit of tenure and promotion.”
Seventeen listening sessions with academic units at University Park, the College of Medicine and the Commonwealth Campuses were held in spring 2025.
Questions about the Promotion and Tenure Modernization Committee can be directed to p&tmodernization@psu.edu.