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Bylaws and Procedures

Bylaws [pdf]

SECTION I. FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE

A. COMPOSITION

The Faculty of the Cullen College of Engineering shall consist of all tenured and tenure-track faculty (assistant professor, associate professor, and professor) and non-tenure track faculty (research faculty, instructional faculty, joint faculty, visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, and lecturers). The voting college faculty shall consist of all tenured and tenure-track professors, associate professors and assistant professors. Non-tenure track faculty and other members of the faculty holding academic and non-academic appointments shall be eligible to participate in all activities listed in the University of Houston Faculty Handbook under Academic Privileges except voting, candidacy for elective office, and other activities specified herein.

B. MEETINGS OF THE COLLEGE

A general meeting of the Cullen College of Engineering shall be held at least once during each academic semester (Fall and Spring). Special meetings may be called by the Dean.

  1. Agenda
    A notice of the meeting and its agenda shall be furnished to members of the faculty at least three working days in advance. The agenda and notification will be provided by electronic mail.
  2. Rules of Procedure
    The Dean shall preside over faculty meetings but may appoint a pro tempore chair at his or her discretion. In the absence of special rules adopted by the faculty, as approved by a vote of two-thirds of the eligible voting members (as defined in Section I.A) at a meeting, proceedings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Proxies will not be accepted.
  3. Quorum
    For voting purposes, a quorum shall consist of one-half of the eligible voting faculty.
  4. Voting on Issues
    Any issue to be presented to the faculty may be publicized by electronic mail and subsequently voted on at the faculty meeting. No vote can be taken in the absence of a quorum. If the issue at hand is not resolved at the meeting, either for lack of a quorum or because the issue did not come to a vote, an election by mail may be held, to be conducted within 14 days of the meeting.
  5. Minutes
    Minutes of all meetings shall be kept by an individual as appointed by the Dean and shall remain on file in the Office of the Dean where they will be available for reference by the faculty. Copies will be distributed to members of the faculty, by electronic mail, as deemed appropriate.
C. COLLEGE ELECTIONS
  1. Elections of Faculty Representatives
    Voting for an elective faculty representative to any university, college, or other body may be held by mail, following the procedures specified in the appropriate sections of these Bylaws.
  2. Conduct of Elections
    Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, mail balloting shall be conducted by the office of the Dean. The Dean or Dean’s designee shall announce election results within one week of the close of balloting. The ballots shall be kept safe for at least 30 days following close of balloting and shall be available for inspection by members of the faculty on demand.
D. FACULTY SENATE REPRESENTATIVES

The Faculty of the College shall elect annually the requisite number of representatives to the Faculty Senate. In accordance with the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, elections shall be completed by October 31 of each year.

  1. Nomination
    At the beginning of the Fall Semester, the Dean shall appoint a Nominating Committee which shall nominate two candidates for each vacancy. Vacancies to be filled by elections shall be those arising from the completion of a normal term ending December 31 or from any vacancies due to faculty being unable to serve the remainder of their term. Any five members of the faculty may nominate a candidate by a signed petition submitted to the Nominating Committee. The Committee shall obtain the consent of all nominees and, on or before October 1, transmit the nominations to the Dean. The Dean or Dean's designee shall distribute the ballots to the voting faculty, allowing two weeks for close of ballot.
  2. Election
    In accordance with the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, senators from the College of Engineering shall be elected for a term of three years. The terms of office shall be arranged so that the number of senators elected each year is as close to one-third of the total number allotted to the College of Engineering. The Dean or the Dean's designee shall conduct the elections by mail ballot. It shall prepare and submit to members of the voting faculty ballots listing all candidates, indicating names of the incumbent representatives, and outlining further instructions for voting and returning ballots.
    The Dean shall announce election results within one week of the close of balloting and forward the names to the Faculty Senate by October 31.

SECTION II. ADMINISTRATION

A. OFFICERS
  1. Dean of the College
    The Dean of the College shall be responsible for its administration and development, and, in consultation with the Executive Council, for the formulation of policies of the College. Specific responsibilities shall include:
    1. Official Representative of the College:
      The Dean shall be the official representative of the College in all official communications with the University administration. This in no way precludes the normal access of faculty members to administrative officers of the University.
    2. Promotions, Tenure, Post-Tenure, Salary Increments, Terminations and New Appointments
      The Dean shall make recommendations to the appropriate university body for faculty promotions, tenure, post-tenure review, salary increments, terminations, and new appointments, according to the University and College procedures and policies.
    3. College Budget
      With consultation with the Executive Council and other staff members responsible for expenditure of funds, the Dean shall prepare and recommend the annual College budget or budgets to the University administration. The Dean shall be responsible for budgetary expenditures.
    4. Curricular Matters
      The Dean shall be responsible for the academic program. After consultation with the Executive Council, the Dean shall submit recommended changes, additions, or deletions in the academic program to the appropriate university body.
    5. Projects
      The Dean shall be responsible for approval of all research projects and other college-related activities such as short courses. The Dean or the Dean's designee shall submit proposals originating in the College to the appropriate administrative body.
    6. Annual Report
      The Dean shall prepare and submit to the appropriate administrative officer an annual report which details the progress and activities of the College for the previous academic year and present plans for future development.
  2. Department Chairs
    Each academic department is administered by a Department Chair appointed by the Dean.
    The Dean, in consultation with the departmental faculty, will decide when a search for a Department Chair will be initiated and whether the search will be an external one or restricted to current UH faculty members. The search will be governed by the following conditions: The Dean, in consultation with the departmental faculty, will appoint a search committee, of which the majority shall be from the searching department. The Dean will appoint a committee chair. The search committee will recommend one or more possible candidates to the Dean. The Dean has the prerogative to request a further search. Otherwise, the Dean appoints a candidate as Department Chair. In searches for an outside Department Chair, all procedures for appointment of new faculty must be followed.
    Department Chairs will be reviewed every three years. When a Department Chair decides not to continue in the position, no review will take place. The review will be conducted by a committee selected in accordance with the Bylaws of the department. In the case where the department does not have specific Bylaws governing the review committee, the Dean shall appoint a committee in consultation with the departmental faculty. The review committee will first discuss its findings with the Department Chair. After these discussions, the committee will provide a confidential report to the Dean. Ordinarily, the Dean will use this evaluation to share with the Department Chair positive reports on the Department Chair's leadership, any concerns that are expressed, and ideas that are proposed for improvement. The Dean may use the evaluation to indicate specific actions a Department Chair must take to 5 retain a leadership position. Finally, the Dean meets with the faculty, without the Department Chair, to discuss the results of the evaluation.
  3. Associate and Assistant Deans
    The Dean shall appoint Associate and Assistant Deans to administer college programs. In the absence or incapacity of the Dean, the Dean may designate an Associate Dean to perform such duties of this office as may be required. In general, the Associate and Assistant Deans shall assist in carrying out the duties and responsibilities attached to the office of Dean.
B. DEPARTMENTS

Departmental organization of the College shall be the joint responsibility of the Dean and the Department Faculty.

  1. Department Chairs
    1. Appointment
      The appointment of Department Chairs will follow the procedures described in Section II.A.2.
    2. Duties
      The Department Chair shall be the official representative of the Department in all official communications with the Dean and through the Dean to the officers of the University. This in no way precludes the normal access of faculty members to the Dean of the College or other administrative officers. Specific responsibilities shall include:
      1. Administration and development of the Department; formulation of departmental policies in consultation with the departmental faculty.
      2. Preparation and recommendation to the Dean, with consultation of the Department Faculty and other staff members responsible for expenditure of funds, of the annual departmental budget; administration of the budget in the Department.
      3. Recommendations to the Dean regarding tenure, promotions, post-tenure reviews, salary increments, terminations, nonrenewals of contract, and new appointments of members of the departmental faculty according to the University, College, and Department procedures and policies.
      4. Approval of Department course assignments and schedules, in consultation with Department Faculty.
      5. Submission of recommended changes, deletions, or additions to the curriculum to the appropriate College body, after consultation with the departmental faculty.
      6. Preparation and submission to the Dean of accreditation reports, with consultation of the Department Faculty and following the standard formats established by the College and University.
      7. Assignment of faculty work load responsibilities and faculty space, in consultation with departmental faculty.
      8. Presentation to the departmental faculty, with transmittal to the Dean, of the department’s annual report detailing progress and activities for the previous academic year, a summary of budget income and expenditures, and current plans for future development.
  2. Department Faculties
    1. Duties
      The faculty of each department, together with its Department Chair, shall be responsible for the academic program and maintenance of high academic standards of the Department. Curricular offerings shall originate within the respective departments, and recommendations shall be transmitted to the Undergraduate Curriculum or Graduate Standards Committee for consideration. Proposals regarding Department courses and requirements for graduation shall be submitted to the Undergraduate Curriculum or Graduate Standards Committee. The faculty shall be responsible for developing the Department curricula and course content, and shall select and approve textbooks to be used in the Department, subject to agreement with other departmental faculties in instances where two or more departments may be concerned. The faculty shall also be responsible in assessing the effectiveness of the Department curricula.
    2. Meetings
      The faculty of each Department shall hold at least one meeting each academic semester (Fall and Spring).
      1. Rules of Procedure. The Department Chair shall preside over Department meetings but may optionally appoint a pro tempore chair. In the absence of special rules adopted by the Department Faculty, meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. A voting member shall be defined as one who holds a tenured or tenure-track appointment in the department. Nontenure track faculty and other members of the faculty holding special appointments should be notified of each meeting and invited to participate.
      2. Minutes. An individual shall be appointed by the Department Chair to keep minutes of all meetings, copies of which shall remain on file in the Department, where they will be available for reference by the faculty.
C. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Grievances will follow the procedures listed in the University of Houston Faculty Handbook.

  1. Composition of the Grievance Pool
    The grievance pool shall be composed of two faculty members per department, elected by the respective departments, who shall serve overlapping terms of three years. Elections shall be held each fall semester or when a vacancy occurs. No member of the administration including Dean, Associate or Assistant Dean, and Department Chair or Associate Department Chair will be eligible for membership in the pool.
  2. Duties
    In the event of a grievance by a faculty member or student, the Dean will assign members from the pool to serve on the Grievance Committee, following respective College and University grievance procedures for faculty and students. The Committee shall seek constructive and equitable solutions to problems presented to them by the faculty member or student.
D. ACADEMIC HONESTY PROCEDURES

Academic honesty hearings will follow the procedures listed in the University of Houston Student Handbook.

  1. Composition of the Academic Honesty Pool
    The academic honesty pool shall be composed of three faculty members per department, elected by the respective departments, who shall serve overlapping terms of three years. Elections shall be held each fall semester or when a vacancy occurs. No member of the administration including Dean, Associate or Assistant Dean, and Department Chair or Associate Department Chair will be eligible for membership on the pool.
  2. Duties
    In the need of an academic honesty hearing, the Dean will assign members from the pool to serve on the Academic Honesty Panel, following respective College and University academic honesty procedures for students.

SECTION III. COMMITTEES

A. STANDING COMMITTEES

Standing committees of the College shall consist of the following: Executive Council; Operations Committee; Undergraduate Curriculum; Effective Instruction; College Awards; Graduate Standards; College Promotion and Tenure; Information Technology; College Governance; and Research Development as detailed below. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, the following rules shall apply to each committee:

(1) Chairs. Each Committee shall elect a Chair from its membership at the last meeting of the academic year. This rule shall not apply to the Executive Council, Operations, Undergraduate Curriculum, College Promotion and Tenure, and Research Development committees.

(2) Temporary Chair. In the event of a committee Chair's inability to function as Chair due to illness or absence from the University, and if the committee does not have a Vice Chair, the Dean may appoint a Temporary Chair until such time as the permanent Chair is able to resume duties or a new Chair is elected.

(3) Minutes. The committee Chair shall appoint an individual who shall keep the minutes of all meetings.

(4) Tenure. Committee members shall serve two-year terms except for the formation of newly elected committees in which case approximately half of the members will be elected for a one year term. Tenure of approximately half of the members shall expire every year. The rule shall not apply to the Executive Council, Promotion and Tenure, and Grievance and Academic Honesty committees.

(5) Meetings. At least one committee meeting shall be held each academic semester (Fall and Spring) at the call of the Chair except where noted otherwise.

(6) Agenda. For those meetings which are held at infrequent intervals, an agenda shall be compiled by the Chair and copies distributed to members at least three days in advance of the meeting. For meetings held at frequent intervals, an agenda should be distributed at least one day before the meeting. Faculty members may submit items for the agenda or may send in written recommendations to the Chair of the committee.

  1. Executive Council
    1. Composition
      The Executive Council shall be composed of the Dean, the Departmental Chairs, and Associate and Assistant Deans.
    2. Chair
      The Dean of the College shall serve as Chair.
    3. Meetings
      The meeting schedule is a prerogative of the Dean, but shall be set on a regular basis, typically every two weeks. Meetings may also be held on special occasions as called by the Dean or as requested by a member of the Committee.
    4. Duties
      The Executive Council shall advise the Dean regarding matters of College policy, administration, academic programs, and such items as may be presented by other committees, departments, and faculty of the College.
  2. Operations Committee
    1. Composition
      The Operations Committee shall be composed of the Dean, the Department Chairs, Associate and Assistant Deans, and other members appointed by the Dean.
    2. Chair
      The Dean of the College shall serve as Chair.
    3. Meetings
      Meetings will be held as called by the Dean or as requested by a member of the Committee.
    4. Duties
      The Operations Committee shall advise the Dean regarding matters of College policy, administration, academic programs, and such items as may be presented by other committees, departments, and faculty of the College.
  3. Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
    1. Composition
      The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean, or other appointee of the Dean, as a non-voting Committee Chair, and one representative from the faculty of each undergraduate degree program of the College who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair.
    2. Duties
      The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee shall recommend to the Dean undergraduate courses, departmental curricula, options, degree requirements, and other pertinent information normally included in the catalog. Recommendations on curricular matters will normally originate in the departments or special committees. Such matters as core curriculum, continual review of general curricula for content, and development of interdisciplinary programs will be considered by the Committee.
    3. Meetings
      Meetings may be held at the request of a departmental representative as well as at the call of the Chair.
  4. Effective Instruction Committee
    1. Composition
      The Effective Instruction Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean as a non-voting member, the last three Kittinger Teaching Award winners, plus additional faculty as needed to ensure there is representation from each department who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair.
    2. Duties
      The Committee shall initiate the annual College teaching awards process, including the solicitation, review, and recommendation to the Dean of teaching award recipients. The Committee shall also initiate proposals aimed at improving instruction at all levels of the College and shall concern itself with matters aimed at teaching innovations, experiments, evaluations, and other related areas.
  5. College Awards Committee
    1. Composition
      The Awards Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean as a non-voting member and one representative from the faculty of each department of the College who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair.
    2. Duties
      Unless otherwise noted in these Bylaws and with the exception of teaching awards, the Committee shall initiate the annual awards process for the selection of all research and other College awards, including the solicitation, review, and recommendation to the Dean of College award recipients.
  6. Graduate Standards Committee
    1. Composition
      The Graduate Standards Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean as a non-voting member and one faculty member from each doctoral degree granting department, who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair; and two faculty members representing interdisciplinary doctoral programs, appointed by the Dean.
    2. Duties
      The Committee shall make recommendations to the Dean on addition or deletion of graduate courses, options and curricula; admission standards and examination requirements for graduate students; and other academic matters normally included in the graduate catalog.
  7. College Promotion and Tenure Committee
    1. Composition
      The College Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be composed of a Chair elected by the Full Professors of the College and two Full Professors from each Department, one elected by the Department Faculty and the other appointed by the Dean. All elections and appointments will be on an annual basis. After the promotion and tenure deliberations are complete each year, the Chair will conduct the election for the next Chair.
    2. Duties
      The Committee shall serve as an advisory committee to the Dean for promotion and tenure and third-year retention reviews. The committee shall hold at least one meeting each academic year to discuss and vote on all candidates for promotion and tenure. Additional meetings may be held at the request of the Dean as well as at the call of the Committee Chair.
  8. Information Technology Committee
    1. Composition
      The Information Technology Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean, or other appointee of the Dean as a non-voting member, and one representative from the faculty of each department of the College who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair, with overlapping terms of two years. In addition, the college representative to the University Information Technology Committee (or its equivalent) will serve as a non-voting member of this committee.
    2. Duties
      The Committee shall make recommendations to the Dean on needs, assessments, and all other issues related to information technology for college facilities, including college laboratories, networking, and distance programs.
  9. College Governance Committee
    1. Composition
      The College Governance Committee shall be composed of an Associate Dean, or other appointee of the Dean as a non-voting member, and one representative from the faculty of each department of the College who shall be recommended for appointment by the Department Chair, with overlapping terms of two years.
    2. Duties
      The Committee shall study, review, and make recommendations to the faculty of the College on matters affecting the governance of the College, as defined in these Bylaws. Committee recommendations on proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be reported to the faculty prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the College Faculty. Meetings will be called when there is business to conduct, either upon call of the Chair or at the request of the Dean.
  10. Research Development Committee
    The committee membership shall be comprised of the three engineering faculty representatives on the University Research Council and one additional faculty member appointed by the Department Chair for any department not yet represented. Each additional committee member shall serve a one year term with possible consecutive reappointments at the Department Chair’s approval. The role of this committee is to disseminate the discussions and decisions of the Research Council, and to discuss and advise the Research Council members on CCOE positions concerning research related matters. The meetings should occur before the monthly Research Council meeting but after the Research Council meeting agenda has been distributed. Minutes of the Research Council meetings should be distributed to the Research Development Committee after they have been approved by the Research Council.
B. AD HOC COMMITTEES

Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Dean of the College as deemed necessary.

SECTION IV. AMENDMENTS

Any proposed amendment to these Bylaws shall be discussed in a meeting of the College Faculty. A copy of the proposed changes should be distributed to faculty members at least seven days prior to the meeting. The amendments may then be adopted by a two-thirds vote of all eligible faculty voting at the meeting provided that a quorum of at least one-half of the faculty is present. Voting on the amendment can also be conducted by mail or email ballot within 14 days after the meeting in which it was discussed. A similar two-thirds vote is required to adopt the changes.

REVISED AND APPROVED AUGUST 2007

 

 

 

Promotion and Tenure and Mandatory Retention Review Procedures

 

Promotion and Tenure and Mandatory Retention Review Procedures [pdf]

The College follows the general University of Houston Promotion and Tenure Guidelines distributed annually by the Provost. In addition, the following procedural guidelines are utilized.

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

Promotion and Tenure Review
  1. The tenured full professors in the College comprise the Committee of Full Professors (COFP). They elect a committee chair each year, normally in the Spring. The COFP committee chair serves as Chair of the College P&T Committee for the following year.
  2. In the Spring of each year, the department chairs recommend to the Dean of Engineering, on behalf of their departments, certain members of their faculty for tenure, promotion, or promotion and tenure action.
  3. The department chair, in consultation with the faculty candidate, assembles a list of “arm’s length” names of external reviewers. The candidate may recommend no more than 50% of the names. The list varies in length from a minimum of eight names to over twenty. The department chair submits the list to the Dean of Engineering for review and approval. The Dean of Engineering may (a) approve the list as submitted; (b) strike names from the list; (c) add names to the list. The Dean of Engineering may meet with the department chair, as necessary, to finalize the list.
  4. The candidate is permitted to strike two names from the final list of external reviewers.
  5. The department chair, as the Dean of Engineering’s designee, writes to a minimum of six external reviewers, soliciting their opinions on the candidate. The reviewers are sent the candidate’s resume and a few of his/her publications.
  6. A department review is conducted, first by the department Promotion and Tenure Committee, then by the department chair. The department chair then submits the candidate’s portfolio to the Dean of Engineering.
  7. The Dean of Engineering convenes the College P&T Committee, giving the committee charge, distributing candidate portfolios, and setting the time line to be followed.
  8. The chair of the College P&T Committee conducts a meeting(s) at which the candidates are reviewed; department chairs are invited individually to address any considerations related to their respective candidate(s). Following deliberations, a secret ballot is taken. Taken together, these actions comprise the committee recommendation to the Dean of Engineering.
  9. The Dean of Engineering, in consultation with the associate deans and others, evaluates each candidate and submits a recommendation to the Provost.
  10. At each level in the review process, the candidate is given a copy of the recommendation with the opportunity to provide rebuttal.
Third-Year Mandatory Retention Review
  1. Faculty undergoing third-year mandatory review will be evaluated during the Fall semester of the faculty member's third year at the University of Houston. Regular P&T deadline dates are followed.
  2. The faculty member submits to the department chair a portfolio in accordance with departmental and/or college procedures, to include the following:
    • Candidate’s Statement (brief, no more than 3 pages) and Curriculum Vitae
    • Teaching (one document, with 1-page table of contents); teaching credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Evaluation of Teaching by Students and Peers (include summary table of student evaluations with comparative data; teaching evaluation procedures and questionnaire)
      • Course and Program Development and/or revision
      • Evidence of Student Learning (advisor list of students graduated at PhD, MS, and undergraduate level; list of current students advised at PhD, MS, and undergraduate level)
      • Other Evidence of the Scholarship of Teaching
    • Scholarship (one document, with 1-page table of contents); scholarship credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Published Works (books, book chapters, refereed journal publications, abstract reviewed conference papers, conference proceedings, citations, patents, technical reports, editorships, publications in progress; include Impact Factors for all journals in which the faculty member has published
      • Conference Presentations (conference/symposia chair or co-chair, member of organizing committee; invited conference presentations, other conference presentations, other invited talks)
      • Funded Grants and Contracts (newest to oldest, including federal, state, industrial, gift, other grants; provide total dollars of each grant and candidate’s share of multi-PI grants; provide percentage (%) credit assigned to the faculty member for each research grant/contract)
      • Unfunded Proposals Submitted
      • Students/Others Supported Through Funded Research
      • Research/Scholarship Award Recognition at UH (international awards, national awards, state awards, local, university awards)
      • Samples of Published Works (abstract or page 1 only)
    • Service (one document, with 1-page table of contents); service credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Department, College, and University
      • Professional/Academic Discipline
      • Community/Public
      • Other
    • Curriculum Vitae covering entire professional career
  3. The department chair submits the portfolio to the departmental review committee, made up of all eligible faculty in the department. After review, the department committee submits a report to the department chair, who conducts an independent review. The department chair then writes a letter to the candidate detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-tenure review portfolio. The chair submits a copy of the pre-tenure portfolio, department committee review, and letter to the Dean of Engineering.
  4. The Dean of Engineering provides the portfolio to the College Promotion and Tenure Committee for an independent review. The College Promotion and Tenure Committee then submits its review to the Dean of Engineering.
  5. The Dean of Engineering performs an independent review and submits his/her findings, along with the College Promotion and Tenure Committee findings, to the faculty candidate, with a copy sent to the department chair who files it in the faculty member's personnel file. Findings at all levels then become part of the mandatory tenure review.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Promotion or Continuing Employment Agreement Review

Research and Instructional Faculty are eligible for promotion or continuing employment agreement, taking into account the expectations for the respective position at each rank. Faculty applying for promotion or continuing employment agreement will follow the same review schedule as for regular tenure-track faculty, with reviews conducted at the Center (if applicable), Department, and College level, with final approval by the Provost. The Dean of Engineering will appoint at least one instructional faculty and one research faculty of a higher rank than the candidates to serve on the College P&T Committee to review requests for promotion or continuing employment agreement for non-tenure track faculty.

The components of the application portfolio will include the following:

  1. Portfolio Checklist
  2. Face Sheet
  3. Internal Reviews
    1. Department Review Committee
    2. Department Chair
    3. College P&T Committee
    4. Dean of Engineering
  4. Review Letters: For promotion to NTT associate professor, a minimum of three letters is required (maximum six). At least one letter must be from outside the College but may be from within the university. For promotion to NTT full professor, a minimum of four letters is required (maximum six). At least one letter must be from outside the University. All letters referenced above should be considered arms-length in nature. The list of reviewers will be developed using the same procedures as outlined above in the Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty section (#3, #4).
  5. Candidate’s Statement of Accomplishment in Emphasis Area (either Research or Teaching) and Service
  6. Candidate’s Curriculum Vitae
  7. Examples of Work

Promotion to the next rank will be effective at the beginning of the fiscal year immediately following the application review (September 1).

Pre-Promotion or Pre-Continuing Employment Agreement Review
  1. Faculty undergoing pre-promotion mandatory review will be evaluated during the Fall semester of the faculty member's third year at the University of Houston. Regular P&T deadline dates are followed.
  2. The faculty member submits to the department chair or director a portfolio in accordance with departmental and/or college procedures, to include the following:
    • Candidate’s Statement (brief, no more than 3 pages) and Curriculum Vitae
    • Teaching (one document, with 1-page table of contents); teaching credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Evaluation of Teaching by Students and Peers (include summary table of student evaluations with comparative data; teaching evaluation procedures and questionnaire)
      • Course and Program Development and/or revision
      • Other Evidence of Teaching, Student Learning, and the Scholarship of Teaching
    • Research/Scholarship/Creative Endeavor (one document, with 1-page table of contents); scholarship credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Published Works (books, book chapters, refereed journal publications, abstract reviewed conference papers, conference proceedings, citations, patents, technical reports, editorships, publications in progress; include Impact Factors for all journals in which the faculty member has published
      • Conference Presentations (conference/symposia chair or co-chair, member of organizing committee; invited conference presentations, other conference presentations, other invited talks)
      • Funded Grants and Contracts (newest to oldest, including federal, state, industrial, gift, other grants; provide total dollars of each grant and candidate’s share of multi-PI grants; provide percentage (%) credit assigned to the faculty member for each research grant/contract)
      • Unfunded Proposals Submitted
      • Students/Others Supported Through Funded Research
      • Research/Scholarship Award Recognition at UH (international awards, national awards, state awards, local, university awards)
      • Samples of Published Works (abstract or page 1 only)
    • Service (one document, with 1-page table of contents); service credentials should be listed in the following order:
      • Department, College, and University
      • Professional/Academic Discipline
      • Community/Public
      • Other
    • Curriculum Vitae covering entire professional career
  3. The department chair submits the portfolio to the Department Promotion and Tenure Committee, which will include at least one NTT faculty of higher rank in the candidate’s emphasis area (instructional or research). After review, the department committee submits a report to the department chair, who conducts an independent review. The department chair then writes a letter to the candidate detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the portfolio. The department chair submits a copy of the letter to the Dean of Engineering who files it in the faculty member's personnel file. Findings at all levels then become part of the mandatory review.
  4. For academic units in the Office of the Dean, the director submits the portfolio to the College Promotion and Tenure Committee, which will include at least one NTT faculty of higher rank in the candidate’s emphasis area (instructional or research). After review, the College Promotion and Tenure Committee submits a report to the director, who conducts an independent review. The director then writes a letter to the candidate detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the portfolio. The director submits a copy of the letter to the Dean of Engineering who files it in the faculty member's personnel file. Findings at all levels then become part of the mandatory review.

Revised: Spring 2010
Revised: Spring 2014
Revised: Fall 2014
Revised: Summer 2017

 

 

Departmental guidelines and policies are subject to policies promulgated at the college and university levels. In the case of promotion and tenure, guidelines provided by the Office of the Provost form the basis of all promotion and tenure decisions. While a college or department may choose to implement more rigorous standards than those detailed in the university-level promotion and tenure guidelines, a college or department may not implement policies that result implicitly or explicitly in the application of less rigorous standards than detailed in the in the university-level promotion and tenure guidelines. It is the obligation of the chair of the department to make all new tenured or tenure-track faculty members aware in writing of not only the university-level promotion beyond tenure guidelines but also any college or departmental level policies or procedures that may impact their tenure and/or promotion.

These guidelines for professional evaluation of tenured and tenure-track members of the University of Houston's College of Engineering are prepared as a general document without reference to particular individuals or configurations of accomplishment. They do not prescribe a uniform roster of accomplishments that must be achieved by all candidates for tenure or promotion. Rather, they suggest ways of evaluating accomplishments in research, teaching, and service by allowing flexibility in assigning relative weights to these three activities.

 

 

 

Pursuant to the merger of the Colleges of Engineering and Technology, bylaws for the merged college are under development and will be posted on this page once approved. For any questions or inquiries, contact dean [at] egr.uh.edu (dean[at]egr[dot]uh[dot]edu).

For reference, bylaws for the previous College of Technology prior to the merger are listed below: