4 Procedures in the Jacobs School of Music for Long-Term Contracts

(Professors of Practice)

• Appointment
• Reappointment and Long-Term Contract Decisions
• Preparation of the Dossier
• Letters for the Dossier
• Review by Committees
• Components of the Final Dossier
  • Evidence of Teaching
  • Evidence of Research/Creative Activity in Support of Teaching
  • Evidence of Service in Support of Teaching
• Overview of the Timetable for Dossier Preparation and Evaluation

Appointment

Professors of practice who are appointed on a probationary contract are eligible for consideration for a long-term contract at any time after three years as a full-time faculty member. Such consideration must occur during the sixth year of appointment. Promotion within this classification is not possible. Professors of practice are academic appointees whose primary responsibility is teaching. Thus, teaching is the main basis of evaluation. The candidate should demonstrate excellence in their assigned teaching responsibilities. If the letter of hire states additional requirements, those will also be evaluated. Although not required, research/creative activity and service in support of teaching may be considered as well. Recommendations to the dean for appointment to a long-term contract come from the department, the department chair, and the Jacobs School of Music Non-tenure Track Promotion and Policy Committee (NTT Promotion and Policy Committee).

Reappointment and Long-term Contract Decisions

In the first year of appointment professors of practice and their chair will be notified in writing by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity (ADFARCA) about policies and procedures for reappointment and long-term contracts. They also will be given a dossier checklist of items to assemble. In the case of a small department, a review committee will be appointed at the time of hire. This typically includes members of their department who are eligible to vote on NTT reappointment and long-term contract decisions. For faculty who are not members of a department, a review committee will be appointed by the ADFARCA. The review committee should solicit peer evaluations as part of each annual review. Reappointment and long-term contracts decisions will be final within the School and will not involve committees and administrators outside the Jacobs School of Music.  Non-reappointment and dismissal decisions, however, will be reviewed by the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs.

Preparation of the Dossier

Appointment of professors of practice to a long-term contract is based on excellence in teaching. Research/creative activity and service as they support teaching may be considered; however, they are not separate voting categories.

Professors of practice should submit materials to substantiate excellence in teaching and evidence of research/creative activity and service in support of teaching. Dossiers are in an electronic format.

Letters for the Dossier

Evaluative letters for the dossier may be drawn from expert evaluators within the School, or from the profession at large. Evaluators from within the School should not also be serving on the candidate’s review committee.

The candidate will supply a list of at least four people from outside the department to serve as expert evaluators. The candidate should include a short statement about his/her connection to each person.

After discussion with the appropriate members of the department, the review committee chair may compile a separate list of a maximum of four additional expert evaluators from outside the department, if desired. The connection of the candidate to these evaluators (if any) should also be explained.

The department chair should contact all potential evaluators to determine their willingness to write a letter evaluating the candidate. The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity will send the candidate’s dossier and a copy of the Jacobs School procedures for professor of practice appointments to all those correspondents willing to participate. The dossier should include the candidate’s personal statement and Curriculum Vitae and evidence that demonstrates excellence in teaching.

The final dossier should include a minimum of four letters from expert evaluators.

Candidates should also provide a list of six to eight former students to be solicited for letters. Current students may not be on this list, including anyone for whom the candidate has degree responsibility, such as students still finishing dissertations or final recitals.

After consultation with the candidate and the review committee chair, the ADFARCA will solicit letters from peer observers of the candidate’s work (teaching or other activities in support of teaching) including video recordings, student recital hearings and juries, or on other performances or activities of students or the faculty member.

Unsolicited letters from anyone, including present students, mentors outside or inside the Jacobs School of Music, professional colleagues, retired faculty, etc. may be submitted for inclusion in the dossier in a special section.

Review by Committees

After the dossier is complete, including the evaluative letters, it is submitted for several stages of review within the Jacobs School of Music.

At the department level, all tenured faculty and tenure-ineligible faculty on long-term contracts may vote on dossiers for appointment to long-term contracts of other non-tenure track faculty. A departmental committee needs to include a minimum of three faculty, and ideally will include at least five. If the department itself does not provide enough people to comprise a full review committee, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity will appoint additional members from departments with complementary interests.

A current faculty member within the department who has served as a mentor for the candidate may participate fully in the departmental discussion and voting. Retired/emeritus faculty and the spouse or partner of the candidate may not participate in the discussion or voting on reappointment cases at any level.

The letter from the departmental faculty should include an exact vote in teaching. The possible votes are: Excellent, Very Good, Effective, and Ineffective. The letter should also indicate an overall vote on the recommendation for long-term contract. The vote will indicate the number in each category:  Yes, No, Absent, and Abstention. An overall vote recommending appointment to a long-term contract necessitates that the candidate receive a majority vote of Excellent in Teaching. A committee member must vote Excellent in Teaching to vote Yes for a long-term contract.

Voting departmental faculty must have been involved in a discussion of the dossier and normally will be present when the vote is taken. If necessary, faculty may participate by various means of distance communication. Faculty members, however, may not give a proxy vote to another faculty member. The departmental letter will include a summary of comments both pro and con from all voting faculty.

The chairperson of the department also writes a letter evaluating the candidate and makes a recommendation for reappointment. The chair’s letter includes comments on the contribution of the faculty member to the mission of the department and to the School.

The next stage of assessment and voting is conducted at the school level by the NTT Promotion and Policy Committee, which is appointed by the Dean and includes two non-tenure track faculty on long-term contracts and three tenured associate or full professors. The voting categories and requirements are the same as those at the departmental level. Members of the School Committee must all be present for a vote. If necessary, faculty may participate by various means of distance communication. Faculty members, however, may not give a proxy vote to another faculty member.

Each member of both of the review committees will have access to all the materials in the dossier. Faculty members and administrators may make a recommendation or vote only once on any given case and cannot participate at more than one level. All deliberations are confidential and should not be communicated to anyone outside the process. At all levels of review, however, the recommendation and its rationale should be clearly communicated to both the candidate and to the subsequent levels of review.

The candidate will be notified by the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity if there is a negative vote for reappointment by a department chair and/or if there is a majority department or school committee vote against reappointment. The candidate may then write a letter of rebuttal or clarification, if desired, to be added to the dossier. The candidate may also write a letter clarifying remarks by anyone who has submitted material to the dossier. These letters should address matters of substance in the dossier rather than procedural matters. Questions about procedure should be directed to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity.

After the initial review of the dossier has begun, the contents of the dossier will be frozen.  No person (including mentors and departmental chairs) other than the candidate may add rebuttal letters or comments based on the confidential materials and letters in the dossier. In exceptional circumstances, the candidate may add important additional materials to the dossiers, provided that all previous review committees are aware of the added material and are given an opportunity to respond.

Jacobs School reviewers take several factors into consideration in arriving at a recommendation to be submitted to the Dean. The appointment a long-term contract is based on excellence in teaching with research/creative and service in support of teaching considered as appropriate. Long-term contracts will be granted to colleagues who have demonstrated a commitment to continued professional growth and currency with pedagogical developments in their fields. Materials to substantiate these criteria should be submitted for the dossier.

To be recommended for a long-term contract, the review committee, the NTT Promotion and Policy Committee, and the Dean must be satisfied that the faculty member has achieved or exceeded certain standards of the Jacobs School of Music. These standards relate to the major criteria of the University and to the mission of the School.

The Dean of the Jacobs School will notify the candidate in writing of the Dean’s decision.

Components of the Final Dossier

Administrative

• Vote record
• Internal review letters (review committee, chair, school, dean)
• External review letters (outside department)
• Any other solicited letters

General

• The candidate will provide a current CV including educational and employment history and achievements in the area of teaching, and research/creative activity and service in support of teaching.
• The candidate will provide a statement (4-5 pages), which should begin with a brief introduction outlining a professional mission statement. The remainder of the statement should focus on specific evidence demonstrating the quality of activities and achievements. The statement should contextualize the evidence provided and address its significance. Candidates should describe how their professional activities have evolved over the course of their appointment and discuss innovations in their work.
• Lists of External Evaluators, and their biographies (to be assembled by the candidate and the Review Committee as appropriate).
• The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity will include copies of department and/or school criteria.

Evidence of Teaching

Contributions in the teaching area may be substantiated by the following, as appropriate to the specific discipline:

• a list of specific courses taught (including ensemble direction, chamber music coaching, and independent study supervision) and the enrollments listed by semester and academic year including numbers and levels of applied students
• sample of course materials (syllabi, exercises, assignments, exams, student work)
• student evaluations over time (summaries of teaching evaluations, transcriptions of student comments)
• student awards, honors, achievements (undergraduate, graduate) (professional positions, competitions, etc.)
• undergraduate research experiences and mentoring
• reports of annual observations by peers (usually from within the review committee, as well as selected outside evaluators, where appropriate). Guidelines for peer evaluations will be provided by the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Creative Activity.
• other peer evaluations as available
• a list of independent study supervision, supervised minor field candidates, and doctoral committee work, if appropriate
• evidence of student achievement
• the ability to attract and retain qualified major students in a specific performance area
• evidence of course development: syllabi, descriptions of innovative approaches to instruction, special curriculum design, incorporation of new technologies
• performances related to pedagogy
• copies of pedagogical books, articles, educational recordings, and other materials authored by the candidate
• pedagogical presentations, both invited and competitive at regional, national, or international meetings or for a similar professional gathering
• workshops, festivals, and lectures, including peer evaluations of presentations and materials, if available
• guest teaching and presentations
• grants for curriculum development
• teaching awards and recognition

Evidence of Research/Creative Activity in Support of Teaching

Contributions in the research/creative activity area may be substantiated by the following:

• publications of any sort
• recitals on the Bloomington campus and elsewhere, including solo performances and performances with chamber groups, orchestras, or other ensembles
• performances and/or presentations related to scholarship
• creative activity such as choreography, stage direction, and stage design
• recordings and recording contracts
• development of new technologies
• digital scholarly projects
• interdisciplinary activities
• reviews of books, articles, compositions, performances, and other creative activity
• grants and contracts for research and/or creative activities
• awards and honors for research/creative activity

Evidence of Service in Support of Teaching

Contribution in service may be substantiated by the following:

• a list of the candidate’s service activities, including committee work
• contributions to auditions, hearings, rehearsals, student recitals, concerto competitions, and other similar activities
• reviews and publications (including pre-publication reviews) that are related to professional service
• social media on behalf of the School and/or the IU community
• program notes, pre-concert lectures and panels, and other service to the public
• mentoring students, which may include student advising, letters of recommendation for students, etc.
• recruitment
• program committees for festivals and conferences
• participation in professional organizations
• judging contests, administering exams, etc.
• community engagement activities
• performances and/or presentations in support of music service
• collaboration with stakeholders both within and beyond the Jacobs School

Overview of the Timetable for Dossier Preparation and Evaluation

November, Year 5: 

The candidate is notified of deadlines and advised of procedures for collection of material.

Late Spring, Year 5

The candidate submits to the office of the ADFARCA a curriculum vita and a list of names of possible evaluators for the dossier.  If the candidate desires, names of external evaluators may also be submitted. The review committee shall, if desired, submit names of possible evaluators.

Early Fall, Year 6

The candidate’s completed dossier must be ready for action by the review committee.  The dossier will be approved by the chair after discussion with the candidate.

The dossier is submitted to the review committee.

The dossier, including recommendations from the review committee and the chair, is submitted to the Jacobs School of Music Non-tenure Promotion and Policy Committee.

Mid-Fall, Year 6

The dossier, including recommendations from all previous evaluations, is submitted to Dean.