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The Promotion, Tenure and Continuing Status (P, T & CS – UWOFA)) committee and the Promotion and Continuing Appointment (P&CA) – UWOFA – LA)  are responsible for advising the Chief Librarian, Dean and/or unit chair/director/immediate supervisor when a Member should be advised to go forward for promotion (as applicable) and for evaluating the files of candidates for promotion, tenure and/or continuing status/appointment on behalf of the unit and the University and recommending for/against promotion and/or tenure or continuing status/appointment.

The Committee membership is determined in accordance with the Promotion, Tenure and Continuing Status Article in the UWOFA Collective Agreement and the Promotion and Continuing Appointment Article in the UWOFA-LA Collective Agreement.  Committees benefit by welcoming a broad representation of perspectives (related to discipline, culture, gender, etc.).  A strong pro-diversity department/faculty culture and a broad pool of nominees can assist in achieving the election of a broad representation of individuals on the committee.

• The P, T & CS/P&CA committees are chaired by the Dean of the Faculty or the Chief Librarian (or their designate).
• Wherever possible, ensure representation from designated groups and/or equity-deserving groups on the Committee.
• Each committee needs an equity representative. The chair of the committee should not be the equity representative.
• Where the file of an Indigenous Scholar is to be considered and evaluated for Promotion, Tenure and/or Continuing Status under the UWOFA Collective Agreement, the Member may request that the Dean add an Indigenous person as an advisor to the Committee and the Member may suggest to the Dean the name(s) of suitable advisors.

Employment equity involves ensuring that systemic barriers do not exist at any stage of the process. The University’s mandate is to make its processes as equitable and inclusive as possible to everyone.  Deans, the Chief Librarian, Chairs/ Directors/Heads, Supervisors and Committee members share the responsibility for ensuring sound and equitable practices are followed during the process. It is the responsibility of all parties to set the proper tone so that the employment equity climate prevails throughout the proceedings.

The Collective Agreements contain the appropriate governing conditions upon which decisions on promotion and tenure/continuing status and continuing appointment are based. It is important that committees and persons undertaking these processes familiarize themselves with the requirements of the relevant Article and ensure that any recommendation made by them will meet the test of fairness and equity.

Obligations of All Committee Members

• Committee members must take care to ensure that appropriate equity, diversity and inclusion-related considerations are applied in making determinations.
• Avoid situations where there could be a perception of bias. Committee members are encouraged to review the Articles on Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment in the relevant Collective Agreement (UWOFA) and (UWOFA-LA) as well as the Conflicts of Interest Policy under the Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures  on to better understand when and/or whether an actual or apparent conflict may need to be declared. 
• Ensure that appropriate culture, gender, and disability considerations are applied in making determinations and that an individual’s contributions are not devalued because they are in innovative or emerging fields.
• If you have concerns that the Committee is not providing an equitable process, raise your concerns immediately with the Committee Chair, Faculty Relations and/or the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.  

Obligations of the Committee Chair

• Ensure that the Committee has one (1) designated member (preferably with tenure/continuing appointment) who will serve as the Committee’s Equity Representative. This individual is required to have undertaken training as determined appropriate by the AVP of the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
• At the first meeting, review this online Employment Equity Guide and the Collective Agreement provisions. Ensure that Committee members understand that each member has the responsibility of ensuring an equitable process.
• Set the proper tone so that the Employment Equity climate prevails throughout the proceedings. The Chair may want to highlight points from this guide and invite the Committee members to hold them accountable to facilitate an equitable and respectful environment.
• Ensure that each Committee member’s opinion is welcomed, respected and considered.
• Where the file of an Indigenous Scholar is to be considered and evaluated for Promotion, Tenure and/or Continuing Status under the UWOFA Collective Agreement, ensure that the member has had the opportunity to request that the Dean add an Indigenous person as an advisor to the Committee.

Applications for promotion and tenure/continuing status/appointment must be considered on the basis of bona fide requirements or considerations and on no other grounds.  Committee members should be mindful of issues that may affect the ability of members of the designated groups and/or equity-deserving groups to meet discipline or profession-related requirements for promotion and tenure/continuing appointment.  

• Candidates who have taken an approved (full or partial) leave (e.g. parental, disability) should be assessed such that they are not penalized for having taken the leave.
• Candidates who have received approved medical accommodations should be assessed such that they are not penalized for having been accommodated.
• Under the Letter of Understanding – Indigenous Faculty Members , UWOFA Collective Agreement, the employer and UWOFA have jointly endorsed the goals outlined in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±Ô¤²â Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP) pertaining to faculty, which includes increasing the number of Indigenous faculty members working at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±Ô¤²â and, through promotion, tenure and continuing status processes, recognizing additional demands placed on time and workload of Indigenous faculty members through involvement in a number of activities that support Indigenous education and scholarship across the institution, including:
  • Guest lectures
  • Community based work
  • Planning and consulting on development of new courses and Indigenous content across the University
  • Academic advising and support for students
  • Ongoing expectations to consult on Indigenous-related committees and initiatives

The candidate for promotion provides a list of arms-length external reviewers from which the Dean/Chief Librarian will select.  Candidates are encouraged, if the demographics of the field allow, to provide a diverse list of external reviewers.  If the candidate works in more than one disciplinary area, they may categorize the reviewers in up to three fields and the Dean/Chief Librarian shall select reviewers to ensure representation from, and expert comment on, the relevant disciplinary areas.

The Dean/Chief Librarian may add to the list of names submitted by the candidate (though the candidate has the right to object to any addition made by the Dean/Chief Librarian.   Where possible, the number of external referees shall be at least three times the number of external referees to be chosen.  If the Dean/Chief Librarian adds to the list of names, they should ensure diversity of referees.

• The Dean/Chief Librarian should seek to ensure, as far as possible, that each file is reviewed by a diverse group of reviewers. Letters must be received from at least three referees, but the Dean/Chief Librarian may solicit more.
• When soliciting letters from peers or students, the Dean/Chief Librarian should be aware of the possible range of impacts the candidate for promotion might have on a variety of colleagues or students. Letters may be solicited to seek input from colleagues and students from diverse backgrounds, as well from a range of programs (e.g., community or industry partners; undergraduate, graduate, professional, and/or research students as relevant).

Judging the quality of a candidate’s curriculum vitae (cv) itself is subjective and may be impacted by unconscious bias.  The committee should carefully consider research/scholarship that is conducted in emerging fields, that may be less familiar to the committee and/or does not fall into the mainstream of the discipline. Keep in mind that this type of research may affect the candidate’s ability to publish widely, publish in prominent journals, present papers at conferences, or win research grants or awards.

• Be aware that subjective assessments of a journal, conference or award as ‘high quality’ can create systemic bias. Emerging or innovative work may not find as ready an audience with journals ranked in mainstream fields, which may disadvantage members of designated and/or equity-deserving groups engaged in interdisciplinary or emerging fields. Even if the forum does not, by definition, refuse research/scholarship on diverse topics, its referees may allow their unconscious biases to come into the decision-making process. Emerging topics may be considered to be of little interest to the readership; non-traditional approaches may be dismissed as inappropriate, unscientific or insufficiently rigorous.
• The same challenges may apply to the ability to obtain high-profile funding or research awards – innovative and/or emerging work may not be rewarded as easily, as often, nor as richly. If the market for the research/scholarship conducted by the designated and/or equity-deserving group member is smaller (a factor possibly attributable to the inequities in the system as a whole), the individual’s “numbers” can suffer.
• For Indigenous Scholars, Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity may include research carried out based on traditional/Indigenous knowledge, and the practical applications or dissemination of such research/scholarship generally or specifically through engagement with Indigenous communities. In all assessment processes mandated by the UWOFA Collective Agreement, there should be recognition of Indigenous traditional methods, data collection and dissemination protocols that are culturally appropriate.

The teaching dossier may be made up of a number of different components.  It may include peer reviews of teaching, teaching materials developed by the instructor, and it must include information about student experience in the classroom as reflected by data from Student Questionnaires on Courses and Teaching (SQCTs) for all courses taught by the candidate for promotion, where available. For each course, such data must consist of class size, response rates, and the distribution of ratings, and may include other factors on which the candidate for promotion provides comment, for example course characteristics such as elective or required status and mode of delivery. Such data must not contain arithmetic averages.  Candidates may include any other information which best demonstrates the effectiveness of their teaching philosophies and practices such as teaching award nominations or other recognition.

Committee members should be aware of the demonstrated limitations of SQCTs and consider their value accordingly, recognizing that the evaluation of teaching effectiveness often reflects the assumptions and biases of already empowered groups.

• Consider that language proficiency, accents and body language can influence student evaluations and may put designated and/or equity-deserving group members at a disadvantage.
• Student evaluations are entirely subjective and allow the biases of the students themselves to influence outcomes. For example, students may under-value women, non-binary or transgender faculty in fields of study that have been historically dominated by men; students may under-value a faculty member who is a member of a racialized group. Research has shown that male undergraduate students are more likely to challenge the authority of a young professor, a woman professor or a professor who is a member of a racialized group and to disrupt the class.
• Gender and culture may affect teaching style. Such factors may also play a role in evaluations, especially if the approach taken by the instructor does not meet the expectations of the dominant group in the classroom. The result may be an overall decrease in the perceived effectiveness of the instructor and unfavourable student evaluations.
• Diverse teaching and professional practices, such as Indigenous pedagogies, including the use of talking sticks, the assistance of elders and talking circles, Queer pedagogies, and pedagogies embraced by Black Studies, may not yet be fully appreciated by students and colleagues.
• For Indigenous Scholars, teaching may include advising, mentoring and supporting Indigenous students and prospective students from Indigenous communities. For those whose teaching is community focused, it also may include collaboration and/or engagement with Indigenous Communities.

A decision to deny Promotion and/or Tenure or Continuing Status shall not solely be based on data from Student Questionnaires on Courses and Teaching

Professional Practice may include a range of professional activities as outlined in the “Responsibilities of Members” Article in the UWOFA-LA Collective Agreement.  Criteria for evaluation processes must be considered on the basis of bona fide requirements or considerations and on no other grounds.  Committee members should be open to the value of diverse areas and approaches to professional practice.

Consider both the formal and informal service contributions that members of designated and/or equity-deserving groups are often called upon to make.  Demands on members of designated and/or equity-deserving groups both inside and outside the University must be recognized and taken into account by the Committee.   Membership in a designated and/or equity-deserving group may result in either no opportunity or an excessive demand on the person to serve on certain committees, both of which can have negative consequences.  It is important that the Committee members, Dean, Chief Librarian and Chair/Director/ Head, as applicable, guard carefully against members of designated and/or equity-deserving groups being disadvantaged. This can involve doing more than a fair share of service work to the detriment of their other responsibilities, having a negative impact upon their evaluation for promotion and tenure/continuing status.

• In units where there are inequities in representation, there is often a greater demand for the services of members of under-represented groups, both formally and informally. Members of the designated and/or equity-deserving groups who have reached the level of university faculty are often in demand both on campus and off, to serve on committees, sit on boards and conduct speaking engagements. This inordinate demand may unfairly take away from the time they have to focus on research, publishing or professional practice and professional development and, when it comes time to apply for promotion and tenure/continuing status, may have an adverse effect on the candidate.
• Conversely, members of equity-deserving groups may be excluded from traditional systems of power or representation and may be denied opportunities to serve.
• For Indigenous Scholars, service can include maintaining relationships, responsibilities and commitments to Indigenous Communities including communities of interest and/or their Nation.

If the Committee or the Dean/Chief Librarian has questions or concerns about the record of performance after having considered all the relevant equity issues, the Committee Chair must request, in writing, additional information from the candidate.  If, after having reviewed this information, the committee is considering a negative recommendation, the Committee must request, in writing, a consultation with the candidate.  Before the consultation the Committee must provide the candidate with a written statement of the matters of concern.  All such matters must relate to bona fide requirements for promotion.

The following contacts and resources may be useful for obtaining further information

on the issues discussed in the document:

Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

e-mail: edi@uwo.ca

phone: 519-661-3334

Faculty Relations

email: aaofr@uwo.ca

phone: 519-661-2111 extension 83113

Faculty Association

e-mail: uwofa@uwo.ca

phone: 519-661-3016

Faculty Recruitment and Retention

phone: (519) 661-2111 extension 84366

Centre for Teaching and Learning

email: ctl@uwo.ca

phone: (519) 661-2111 extension 80346

Human Rights Office

e-mail: humanrights@uwo.ca

phone: 519-661-3334

Ontario Human Rights Commission

Employment and Social Development Canada

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 15, Equality Rights

Resources

2024 Edition:     Christy Bressette, Denise Horoky, Margaret McGlynn, Lesley Oliver, Opiyo Oloya,

WG Pearson, Kamran Siddiqui, Terri Tomchick-Condon