Procedures for Promotion, Tenure, Sabbaticals

This memorandum provides information for those applying for (I) Promotion & Tenure and (II) Sabbaticals.

I. Promotion and Tenure

Procedures and criteria for promotion and tenure are detailed in the Faculty Guide (Adopted July, 2018, Articles 1 – 5 Revised June, 2020), Seton Hall University, for faculty on the South Orange campus; in the Faculty Guide (Adopted July, 2014), School of Theology, for faculty in the School of Theology; in the Tenure, Promotion, and Appointment Standards of the School of Law (Adopted on May, 2019), for faculty of the School of Law; and in the Faculty Guide and ByLaws of the School of Health and Medical Sciences (Adopted December 6, 2010) for faculty in the School of Health and Medical Sciences.

For confidentiality, sustainability, and ease of use, tenure and promotion applications are submitted electronically through Watermark Faculty Success. All committee decisions and ballots are likewise submitted and distributed electronically to ensure access to the appropriate materials is granted to the appropriate individuals at the appropriate times. Paper copies should not be provided of material that can be distributed electronically. If committee members need to generate paper copies for deliberations, they should destroy any necessary paper copies as soon as practicable after their deliberations.

Candidates will upload and update their own electronic documents in Watermark Faculty Success. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their documents are in the correct, clearly marked, electronic folder in Watermark Faculty Success.

The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center is a resource available for rendering paper documents and other material into shareable electronic documents. The candidate should alert the Dean's Office as soon as possible to specific items in the supporting material that cannot be shared electronically.

Schedule For Promotion And Tenure Application:

Schedule For Promotion And Tenure Application

Date	Description	Responsibility
May 15	Faculty members who intend to submit an application for promotion and/or tenure must ordinarily submit a notice to their Department Chairperson not later than May 15 of the Academic Year prior to submission of the application.	Applicant
May - June	Applicants are to request access to Faculty Success application beginning in May through their Dean who will verify their eligibility for tenure/promotion/renewal.	Applicant
October 1	Applicants for promotion and/or tenure upload complete applications to Watermark Faculty Success that includes a file of publications, departmental standards/bylaw, and supporting documentation for the department's review or to the Dean in cases where departments do not exist.	Applicant
October 15	External review letters are due by October 15. The Department Chair should upload to Watermark Faculty Success. This is pursuant to the policy in the Faculty Guide Please consult Article 5.2.b for the procedures.	Applicant
November 1	The departmental review is uploaded to Watermark Faculty Success.	Chairperson of Department
	The college/school Rank and Tenure Committee is convened.	Dean
December 15	The college/school Rank and Tenure Committee makes its recommendation to the Provost.	Chairperson, School/College Rank and Tenure Committee
	The Dean submits his/her separate and distinct recommendation to the Provost and uploads to Watermark Faculty Success.	Dean
	Application and the file of Publications and Supporting Documentation is delivered to the location specified by the Office of the Provost.	Dean
December 20	The University Rank and Tenure Committee is convened.	Provost
	The University Rank and Tenure Committee receives access to the University Rank and Tenure Faculty Success application.	Provost
March 1	University Rank and Tenure Committee submits its recommendations to the Provost.	Chairperson, University Rank and Tenure Committee
March 15	The Candidate may submit a supplementary statement, but not additional documentation, to the Provost on or before March 15.	Applicant
April 1	Notification is given to applicants of the Provost’s action.	Provost
	Board of Regents vote on the Promotion and Tenure Candidates.	Board of Regents
April 30	The applicant is notified of action taken by Academic Affairs Committee/Board of Regents.	Provost
September 1	Applications approved by the Board of Regents become effective.

II. Sabbaticals

Procedures for sabbatical leaves are detailed in the Faculty Guide Article 6.1 (for faculty on the South Orange campus as well as Nursing faculty from the IHS Campus; in the Faculty Guide (Adopted July, 2014), School of Theology, for faculty in the School of Theology; in the Tenure, Promotion, and Appointment Standards of the School of Law (Adopted on May, 2019), for faculty of the School of Law, and in the Faculty Guide and ByLaws of the School of Health and Medical Sciences (Adopted December 6, 2010).

The number of sabbaticals to be awarded in a given year may be influenced by the University's financial situation and resources, though the primary criteria will continue to be the relative scholarly merit and impact of the project. As always, faculty should carefully consider the appropriateness of a one-semester vs a full-year sabbatical, as the merits of the project will be weighed in relation to its proposed duration, and faculty will be expected to serve the sabbatical as approved.

Sabbatical applications must be submitted on the Sabbatical Request form. It is the faculty member's responsibility to demonstrate eligibility for a sabbatical according to his or her respective Faculty Guide, particularly in terms of years of service. Faculty are asked to attend carefully to their responsibility to a) provide a report at the end of their sabbatical, b) for any sabbatical after the first, to provide a copy of the report of the previous sabbatical, and c) formally accept the sabbatical in writing after it is granted, with the responsibility to remain in Seton Hall's employ for at least a year after returning from sabbatical. Note that a sabbatical award is only for the year applied and deferral of an awarded sabbatical requires additional approval.

The Faculty Success software is being to support the application process for faculty sabbaticals. Faculty Success is an online portfolio management tool that captures faculty productivity and facilitates the generation of reports.

September 13

• Sabbatical Application Acknowledgment

Submit this form to indicate that you anticipate submitting a Sabbatical Application. Based on the information provided you will be sent the link to the application in Digital Measures. If you have questions regarding this form, please contact Anna Calka in the Office of the Provost at [email protected].

October 1 

•  Applications are due to the Department

The deadline for submitting the application to the school or department for a sabbatical is October 1 of the year preceding the academic year in which the leave is to be taken. The criteria for eligibility are detailed in Article 6.1.a in both the Faculty Guide (Adopted July, 2018), Seton Hall University, and the Faculty Guide (Adopted July, 2014), School of Theology.

To apply for a sabbatical: 

• A detailed description of sabbatical plans and projects should be appended to the sabbatical request form. Once the department votes on the sabbatical, the request form should be emailed to the Dean, with a copy to the Provost, as well as a paper copy to the Dean. 

November 1 

• Recommendations from the Department are due to the Dean.

Recommendations based upon a majority vote of the total full-time faculty members in the department and/or committee holding tenured appointments, and probationary faculty, plus faculty associates and term faculty members with two academic years of service completed, are submitted to the Dean of the respective college no later than November 1.

December 1 

• Deans shall submit their recommendations to the Provost by December 1.

January 15 

• The Provost shall take action on applications by the tenured faculty before January 15.

February 15

• The faculty member must accept the sabbatical on or before February 15 or two weeks after the Provost's final decision.

The Provost shall not take action on any application by a faculty member who has also applied for tenure until a final affirmative tenure decision is rendered.

During the sabbatical: 

• The faculty member should notify the Dean and Provost if circumstances arise during the term of the project that substantially change the goal of the project. It is understood that such circumstances could be positive or negative.
• At the midpoint of the sabbatical, the faculty member should send the Dean and Provost a progress report on all the goals detailed in the sabbatical proposal.

At the completion of a sabbatical: 

• The faculty member must submit a sabbatical report to: (1) the department, (2) the Dean of the College/School; and (3) the Provost via Faculty Success. If the sabbatical ends in the fall semester, the sabbatical report is due by the first day of class for the upcoming spring semester; if it ends in the spring semester, the report is due by the first day of class for the upcoming fall semester. A sabbatical is considered a serious investment on the part of all concerned, so faculty are encouraged to prepare a detailed report in a professional style, suitable for presentation to internal and external audiences.
• The department must report to the Dean on the value of the sabbatical leave for the faculty member and the department's efforts. In addition, the department's findings must be forwarded to the Provost for inclusion in the faculty member's file.
• Faculty are encouraged to update the Dean and Provost as longer-term goals from the sabbatical project are realized.
• Reference to the sabbatical must be included among the Acknowledgments in presentations/publications of scholarship engaged in during the sabbatical.
• The faculty member must remain at Seton Hall for one-year upon completion of their sabbatical.

A copy of each Faculty Guide is available here »

Relevant forms can be found below:

• Faculty Associate Re-appointment Form

Effective Date

September 1, 1986