Appointments, Promotions, and Award of Tenure | School of Medicine | School of Medicine

The CWRU School of Medicine Faculty Affairs Office processes faculty appointments, promotions, and award of tenure. Below are the definitions of the various types of faculty appointments.

Part-Time and Full-Time Faculty

Part-time faculty are faculty members who devote less than 50 percent of their time to approved academic activities conducted at an approved site. There are several different types of part-time faculty, defined below:

Clinical appointments generally refer to part-time faculty members devoting their time to patient care and teaching. Clinical faculty are based in a clinical department (i.e. UH, VA, MHMC, CCLCM) and not on CWRU payroll.
Adjunct appointments generally refer to part-time faculty members who devote their time to research and/or teaching in the basic science departments or on CWRU payroll.

Full-time faculty are faculty members who devote 50 percent or more of their time to approved academic activities conducted at an approved site.

If a full-time faculty member has a start date that occurs prior to the review by the Board of Trustees, we will be able to arrange one of the two temporary appointments below for an interim period until consideration of the faculty member's full appointment by the Board of Trustees:

A temporary Clinical appointment will be issued to faculty members based in a clinical department (i.e. UH, VA, MHMC, CCLCM) and not on CWRU payroll, until the full-time appointment is approved by the Board of Trustees.
A temporary Visiting appointment will be issued to faculty members on CWRU payroll (either fully CWRU or dual paid), in both clinical and basic science departments, until the full-time appointment is approved by the Board of Trustees.

Junior-Level and Senior-Level Faculty

Junior-level faculty include Instructors, Senior Instructors, and Assistant Professors.

Senior-level faculty include Associate Professors and Professors.

Special Faculty: Visiting and Emeritus

Visiting faculty appointments refer to those who are faculty based at another institution but at CWRU School of Medicine for a specific term, up to one year.

Emeritus faculty appointments The Faculty of Medicine wishes to recognize the contributions of its members at the time of retirement by the granting of the title emeritus to all faculty who meet the criteria stated below as well as those described in the Faculty Handbook.

Consent of the faculty member
Meritorious contributions to the school and to the University
Service of at least ten years as a full-time faculty member
Minimum retirement age of 60
Retirement from full-time active service at Case Western Reserve University.

Please read the information below to learn more about each faculty appointment, promotion, and award of tenure process. You can view the qualifications and standards for appointment, promotion, and the award of tenure here.

If you have any questions, please email facaffrs@case.edu.

Appointments

Appointments to the faculty are initiated by department chairs. The School of Medicine uses the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior instructor, and instructor.

Appointment at the rank of professor or associate professor requires nomination by the chair, review and approval by the department's Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (department CAPT) (the department CAPT), the School of Medicine's CAPT, the Steering Committee of Faculty Council, the dean, the provost, the president, and the University's Board of Trustees. Senior faculty at these ranks must demonstrate, among other qualifications: a) national prominence in research or b) regional prominence (for associate professor) or national prominence (for professor) in teaching or clinical service.

Appointment at the rank of assistant professor, senior instructor, or instructor requires the same review and approval as above except for the School of Medicine's CAPT and the Steering Committee review which are not necessary for these ranks.

All new full-time faculty members receiving fifty percent or more of their professional salary thru CWRU compensation can be appointed only following the completion of affirmative action search requirements verified by the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity. Learn more about the faculty search process and the offer letter process.

No full-time faculty appointment is effective or official until approved by the Board of Trustees.

Full-time faculty may or may not receive a paycheck from CWRU, and if they do receive one, are Benelect eligible if that paycheck is fifty percent or more of their professional compensation.

All faculty appointments are for a one year period and are annually renewable. The faculty member is asked to sign and return a copy and keep a copy for their records.

All full-time faculty will be issued a CWRU User ID and are encouraged to obtain a CWRU ID card (by visiting Access Services); all part-time faculty are eligible for and encouraged to obtain a CWRU ID card and to request from our office a CWRU User ID and email/computer account.

Click on the faculty appointments below to learn more about each process.

Full-Time Senior Level Faculty Appointment

The department must fill out and gather the materials listed on the Full-Time Senior Level Initial (NEW) Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and solicit external referee letters.
Once the required minimum of six arm's length external referee letters are received, the materials will be assigned to the School of Medicine Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT). If the appointment involves the award of tenure, the Faculty Affairs Office will contact the department chair to be present at the CAPT review.
If the CAPT recommendation is positive, the appointment materials will move forward to the Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees. If the CAPT recommendation is negative, the Faculty Affairs Office will reach out to the department chair with next steps, including the information for the appeal process.
Once the appointment is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department will be notified and the full-time appointment is effective.

Forms

Full-Time Junior Level Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Full-Time Junior Level Initial (NEW) Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials to submit to the Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees for review.
Once the appointment is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department will be notified and the full-time appointment is effective.

Forms

Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Senior Level Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Senior Level Initial (NEW) Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the part-time appointment is effective.

Forms

Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Junior Level Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Junior Level Initial (NEW) Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the part-time appointment is effective.

Forms

Secondary Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Secondary Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the secondary appointment is effective.

Forms

Visiting Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Visiting Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the visiting appointment is effective.

Forms

Emeritus Faculty Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Emeritus Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials to submit to the Steering Committee, Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees for review.
Once the appointment is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department will be notified and the emeritus appointment is effective either January 1 (if submitted by September 30) or July 1 (if submitted by February 28).

Forms

Transfer of Primary Appointment

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Transfer of Primary Appointment Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the transfer is approved, the department will be notified and the transfer appointment is effective.

Forms

Promotions

Click on the faculty promotions below to learn more about each process and deadline.

Full-Time Senior Level Promotion (Non-Tenure Track) - For Basic Science Departments on Main Campus

The department submits the Declaration of Candidacy for Promotion Form to facaffrs@case.edu by January 31 for promotion effective January 1 of the following year and May 1 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
The Faculty Affairs Office will then create the case for the candidate in Interfolio and notify both the candidate and department administrator.
The candidate should upload and submit their required materials to Interfolio. Candidates should consult their department administrator to ensure that the candidate’s materials are submitted to the department administrator in a timely manner to give department’s ample time to submit their materials to the Faculty Affairs Office by the given deadline.
1. Materials to be submitted include:
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Professional Self-Description
  3. Teaching Portfolio (required for NTT with primary area of excellence in teaching, optional for all other candidates)
  4. Teaching Evaluations (from the last 3 years; if you do not have any evaluations, please include a brief statement explaining why there are no evaluations)
  5. COVID Impact Statement (optional)
  6. DEI Statement (optional)
  7. Up to 5 key reprints
The department must submit its materials and move the case forward to Interfolio Step 4 (Faculty Affairs) by March 31 for promotion effective January 1 of the following year. The department must submit its materials and move the case forward to Interfolio Step 4 (Faculty Affairs) by August 1 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
1. Materials to be submitted include:
  1. Chair’s nomination letter
  2. DCAPT vote letter
  3. Referee spreadsheet
  4. Summary of Teaching Evaluations (if the candidate did not submit teaching evaluations, please ensure that the candidate submitted a brief statement that explained the lack of teaching evaluations)
  5. Division Chief letter of recommendation (optional)
  6. Chair’s nomination letter for secondary appointment (optional; must include the vote from secondary department’s DCAPT supporting the promotion)
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and solicit external referee letters.
Once the required minimum of six arm's length external referee letters are received, the materials will be assigned to the School of Medicine Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT).
If the CAPT recommendation is positive, the promotion materials will move forward to the Dean, Steering Committee, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees. If the CAPT recommendation is negative, the Faculty Affairs Office will reach out to the department chair with next steps, including the information for the appeal process.
Once the promotion is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department and candidate will be notified, with promotion effective either January 1 or July 1.

Forms

Full-Time Senior Level Promotion (Non-Tenure Track) - For Clinical Departments at UH, VA, MHMC, CCLCM

Fill out the Declaration of Candidacy for Promotion Form by January 31, 2023 for promotion effective January 2024 and May 1, 2023 for promotion effective July 2024.
The candidate and department should coordinate materials listed on the checklist in the Promotion Guidelines document.
The department should submit the completed packet to facaffrs@case.edu by February 28, 2023 for promotion effective January 2024 and by June 2, 2023 for promotion effective July 2024.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and solicit external referee letters.
Once the required minimum of six arm's length external referee letters are received, the materials will be assigned to the School of Medicine Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT).
If the CAPT recommendation is positive, the promotion materials will move forward to the Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees. If the CAPT recommendation is negative, the Faculty Affairs Office will reach out to the department chair with next steps, including the information for the appeal process.
Once the promotion is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department and candidate will be notified, with promotion effective either January 1 or July 1.

Forms

Full-Time Senior Level Promotion (Tenure Track) - For Basic Science Departments on Main Campus

The department submits the Declaration of Candidacy for Promotion Form to facaffrs@case.edu by March 31 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
The Faculty Affairs Office will then create the case for the candidate in Interfolio and notify both the candidate and department administrator.
The candidate should upload and submit their required materials to Interfolio. Candidates should consult their department administrator to ensure that the candidate’s materials are submitted to the department administrator in a timely manner to give department’s ample time to submit their materials to the Faculty Affairs Office by the given deadline.
1. Materials to be submitted include:
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Professional Self-Description
  3. Teaching Portfolio (optional)
  4. Teaching Evaluations (from the last 3 years; if you do not have any evaluations, please include a brief statement explaining why there are no evaluations)
  5. COVID Impact Statement (optional)
  6. DEI Statement (optional)
  7. Up to 5 key reprints
The department must submit its materials and move the case forward to Interfolio Step 4 (Faculty Affairs) by May 26 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
1. Materials to be submitted include:
  1. Chair’s nomination letter
  2. DCAPT vote letter
  3. Referee spreadsheet
  4. Summary of Teaching Evaluations (if the candidate did not submit teaching evaluations, please ensure that the candidate submitted a brief statement that explained the lack of teaching evaluations)
  5. Division Chief letter of recommendation (optional)
  6. Chair’s nomination letter for secondary appointment (optional; must include the vote from secondary department’s DCAPT supporting the promotion)
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and solicit external referee letters.
Once the required minimum of six arm's length external referee letters are received, the materials will be assigned to the School of Medicine Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT). If the promotion involves the award of tenure, the Faculty Affairs Office will contact the department chair to be present at the CAPT review.
If the CAPT recommendation is positive, the promotion materials will move forward to the Dean, Steering Committee, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees. If the CAPT recommendation is negative, the Faculty Affairs Office will reach out to the department chair with next steps, including the information for the appeal process.
Once the promotion is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department and candidate will be notified, with promotion effective either January 1 or July 1.

Forms

Full-Time Senior Level Promotion (Tenure Track) - For Clinical Departments at UH, VA, MHMC

Fill out the Declaration of Candidacy for Promotion Form by March 31 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
The candidate and department should coordinate materials listed on the checklist in the Promotion Guidelines document.
The department should submit the completed packet to facaffrs@case.edu by April 28 for promotion effective July 1 of the following year.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and solicit external referee letters.
Once the required minimum of six arm's length external referee letters are received, the materials will be assigned to the School of Medicine Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT). If the promotion involves the award of tenure, the Faculty Affairs Office will contact the department chair to be present at the CAPT review.
If the CAPT recommendation is positive, the promotion materials will move forward to the Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees. If the CAPT recommendation is negative, the Faculty Affairs Office will reach out to the department chair with next steps, including the information for the appeal process.
Once the promotion is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department and candidate will be notified, with promotion effective July 1.

Forms

Full-Time Junior Level Promotion

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Full-Time Junior Level Promotion Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials to submit to the Dean, Provost, President, and Board of Trustees for review.
Once the promotion is approved by the Board of Trustees, the department will be notified and the full-time appointment is effective.

For promotions to be made effective July 1, the date for submission is February 28; for promotions to be made effective January 1, the date for submission is September 30.

Forms

Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Senior Level Promotion

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Senior Level Promotion Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the part-time appointment is effective.

Forms

Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Junior Level Promotion

Fill out and gather the materials listed on the Part-Time (Adjunct/Clinical) Junior Level Promotion Checklist.
Submit materials to somfacultyapptmaterials@case.edu.
The Faculty Affairs Office will process the materials and submit to the Dean for review.
Once the appointment is approved, the department will be notified and the part-time appointment is effective.