19297: Navigate and Improve P&T Processes: Insights From The Center for Excellence in Faculty Advancement

Friday, July 25, 2025

13:00 - 17:00 CEST (GMT+2)

Location: Bella Center: Hall D- D1-m3

Session Type: PDW (workshop)
Orientation: Teaching,Research,Diversity
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/PnYLPL

Facilitator(s)

CS

Christiane Spitzmueller

University of California Merced, United States
AS

Ally St. Aubin

University of Houston, United States
JM

Juan M. Madera

U. of Houston, United States

Presenter(s)

TM

Theodore Charles Masters-Waage

Singapore Management U., Singapore
JA

Joshua Ash

University of Houston
EE

Ebenezer Edema-Sillo

I/O psychology, U. of Houston, United States
EH

Erika Henderson

U. of Houston
MP

Michelle Penn-Marshall

Texas Southern University
PL

Peggy Lindner

U. of Houston

Promotion and tenure (P&T) processes — critical to the academic ecosystem — are assumed to advance meritorious faculty. However, emerging evidence suggests these processes may function inconsistently, undermining their validity and fairness. This four-hour workshop will explore how P&T processes and outcomes can diverge from formal evaluation metrics and institutional priorities and how junior faculty and decision-makers can navigate and resolve this gap. Drawing on findings from a grant-funded (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and NSF grants #1409928, #2100034, and #2411941) Center for Excellence in Faculty Advancement (CEFA) consortium study, with over 2,000 P&T files and 10,000 external review letters (ERLs), we highlight how academic units operate as loosely coupled systems in which P&T processes do not adhere to policy. For example, data indicate that factors such as ERL writer characteristics, ERL linguistic features, candidate characteristics and activities, and extensions relate to counterproductive P&T outcomes that conflict with institutional policies. Additionally, although helpful for ameliorating inconsistencies, joint evaluations are not fully embraced by P&T committees. Results will be discussed broadly and within the context of business schools. In roundtable discussions and with organizer feedback and insights, junior faculty will develop action plans to successfully navigate current P&T processes, including attaining mentorship, preparing portfolios, suggesting external review letter writers, etc. Policymakers will identify strategies to promote sustainable, fair, and valid P&T systems at their institutions. Finally, attendees can network to support professional, institutional, and broader outcomes.