Faculty who have achieved the rank of Associate Professor and are interested in being considered for promotion to Professor should discuss their potential candidacy with their respective Division Head during the fall semester.

If there is a consensus that the faculty member is ready to move forward with a case for professor:

  • the faculty member:
    • will work with the corresponding Division Head to compose a narrative outlining the candidate’s activities and accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research/creative accomplishments, and service. Special emphasis should be placed on the achievements since the last promotion.
    • will compile a packet for the Chancellor and Dean's consideration, which should include the narrative, a copy of the current CV, and evidence of teaching effectiveness including an SRTE table downloaded from Activity Insight.
  • the Division Head:
    • will consult with professors in the candidate’s discipline locally (Altoona College) or at other Penn State Colleges to acquire additional discipline-specific insight into the candidate’s activities and accomplishments. This information would be added to the Chancellor and Dean’s review packet.
      • The faculty member seeking promotion may recommend 2 to 3 references for this pre-screening process.
  • These steps should be completed by the end of the fall semester.

If there is disagreement between the faculty member and the Division Head about the presented case for promotion to professor, the faculty member can choose to pursue the following appeals process:

  • the faculty member may solicit a letter from a professor in the same or a similar discipline to support the promotion request.
    • This letter, together with the narrative statement, the current CV, and the evidence of teaching effectiveness (including the SRTE table), should be submitted to the corresponding divisional Promotion to Professor Review Committee for consideration. The external discipline letter should be sent directly to the chair of the divisional Promotion to Professor Review Committee. If there is no current Promotion to Professor Review Committee at the divisional level, the most recent such committee should be utilized. The committee will then review all the materials and write an independent recommendation letter to be included in the Chancellor and Dean’s review packet.

The faculty member’s informational packet, and, if necessary, the recommendation letter from the corresponding divisional Promotion to Professor Review Committee, will then be submitted to the Chancellor and Dean for consideration. The Chancellor and Dean of the Altoona College is solely responsible for the final decision regarding the nomination.

  • If the Chancellor and Dean supports the candidate, the candidate is invited to enter the next promotion to professor review cycle.
  • If the Chancellor and Dean does not support the candidate, feedback is provided to the candidate. The feedback is to remain anonymous and is formative in nature. Under no circumstances should specific feedback/comments be directly attributed to any reviewer in the process.

All candidates will receive written responses to their narratives by January 15th of the new year (or by the end of the spring semester in case of an appeal).

Minor revisions approved by the Altoona College Faculty Senate, April 13, 2023

Procedural document approved by the Altoona College Faculty Senate on November 18, 2021

Editorial revisions approved by Altoona College Faculty Senate, March 16, 2023