UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES RESOLUTION



PURPOSE: To approve a promotion policy for research faculty that will encourage

and reward achievement, create a supportive environment for scientific inquiry and

enhance the job satisfaction and retention of research faculty.



WHEREAS, one of the strategic goals of the University is to serve as a leading center for

research and education in the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean, and



WHEREAS, to achieve this goal faculty appointments must become more integrated

between teaching, research, service and extension/outreach, and



WHEREAS, such integration demands a policy for promotion for research faculty that

parallels the promotion policy for other faculty, and that will encourage and reward

achievement, create a supportive environment for scientific inquiry and enhance the job

satisfaction and retention of research faculty, and



WHEREAS, the University has not heretofore developed or implemented such a

promotion policy for research faculty, and



WHEREAS, this proposed policy was developed and approved within the Research and

Public Service unit of the University, and



WHEREAS, the Cabinet unanimously approved the Promotion Policy for Research

Faculty on December 14, 2004, and



WHEREAS, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee approved the Promotion

Policy for Research Faculty on February 7, 2005,



NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:



The Board of Trustees approve the Promotion Policy for Research Faculty at the

University of the Virgin Islands effective immediately.



CERTIFICATION

The undersigned does hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and exact copy of the



resolution of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Virgin Islands adopted at its

meeting onMarch 12, 2005 and recorded in the minutes of said meeting.



—Wareh 16, 2005

f Secretary of the Boetd Date

UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

PROMOTION POLICY FOR RESEARCH FACULTY



Purpose



An impartial, efficient and timely procedure for research faculty promotion is necessary

to encourage and reward achievement, create a supportive environment for scientific

inquiry and enhance the job satisfaction and retention of research faculty.



Rationale



Promotion decisions represent an evaluation on the part of the respective department of

the candidate’s total value to the University and of his or her potential for the future as

evidenced by his or her record of the past. Decisions require consideration of the



candidate’s performance in fulfillment of assigned duties in research, service and

extension. Administration, governance, and professional society activities are included



under service.



Background



As the University of the Virgin Islands matures as a leading center for research and



education in the Caribbean, faculty appointments may become more fully integrated

between teaching, research, service and extension/outreach and the potential for tenure



may be extended to faculty members primarily involved with research to attract and

retain highly qualified scientists.



Currently, the faculty is segmented with only minor overlap between teaching and

research and there is no tenure option for research faculty. Therefore, teaching

responsibilities and tenure will not be considered in the promotion criteria for research

faculty at the present time. However, most research faculty members devote substantial

time to service and extension/outreach areas that will be included in the evaluation for

promotion.



Policy Elements



a. Establishment of Faculty Rank



i Research Assistant Professor: The candidate should possess the appropriate

terminal degree and a good potential for productivity in areas of job description:

research, service, and, in some cases, extension .



ii Research Associate Professor: The candidate must demonstrate productivity, with

local regional or national prominence, in one or more areas of job description.

Faculty assignments will include research, service and extension but the ratios

may vary widely.



ili Research Professor: The candidate must demonstrate continued productivity and

national and international prominence in his or her area of competence. This may



! Extension and outreach in this policy are to be considered one and the same.

be through having an established program in some area of research, service or

extension.



b. Promotion Criteria



i Research Assistant Professor: Promotion requires same qualifications as for

appointment to this rank.

il Research Associate Professor: Promotion requires the same qualifications as for



appointment to this rank. In most cases, promotion will require substantial

productivity in at least two of the three categories (research, service, extension) of

the faculty assignment, research being the faculty member's primary

responsibility. Recommendations for promotion to this rank before a five-year

period (including time transferred from other institutions) will be rare and special.



ili Research Professor: Promotion requires same qualifications as for appointment to

this rank. Candidates should have demonstrated further significant productivity

and prominence in at least two of the three categories of the faculty assignment,

research being the faculty member's primary responsibility. Except for a rare or

special case, promotion to Professor will normally not be recommended until five

years following promotion or appointment to Associate Professor



c. Evaluation of Research Assignment



A faculty member's record of performance in research and scholarly activity is evaluated

from several aspects. The faculty member's publication record and research funding

provide independent verification of the quality of research as well as local, regional,

national or international recognition and responsiveness to stakeho Iders needs.



The records of publications, scientific presentations and funding are evaluated according

to the candidate’s job description. Faculty members with higher percentages of time

devoted to research and scholarly activity, those provided technical support for research,

and those provided significant equipment and laboratory space in support of research are

expected to have stronger research records. The publication and presentation record

should reflect the establishment of an independent research program. The term "program"

in this case usually reflects a consistent and common thread of emphasis of the research.



i First author publications are rated higher than co-authorships. First authorships

are important in documenting individual initiative, abilities and in developing

local/regional/national/international reputations.



il Refereed publications are rated higher than norrefereed ones.



(a) It is expected that several of a junior faculty members publications will be in

refereed journals. It is important that a faculty member’s performance be

documented by peer review.



(b) Asa local/regional/national/international reputation is established, a greater

percentage of a faculty member’s publications may naturally appear in book

chapters, review articles, etc.



ili Publications of all types are evaluated individually.

iv



vi



vii



(a) Highest ratings are given to papers published in the highest quality journals

appropriate for the area of study of the faculty member being evaluated.



(b) Papers published in proceedings whose contributions are not consistently or

uniformly refereed are rated lower.



(c) Papers that present important new information will be rated higher than those

which simply confirm the studies of others. Review articles are also evaluated

individually as to journal quality, significance and impact on the field, breadth

of the review, etc.



(d) Papers produced with major efforts will be rated higher than those with lesser

efforts. Major efforts may need to be expended in complex studies with

difficult and/or time-consuming techniques and in ones with large amounts of

data to be generated and analyzed.



(e) Reports and brief communication are not generally rated as highly as full

papers. A research paper where a hypothesis is tested is considered a higher

form of scholarship than a report describing observations made or a technique

developed.



University of the Virgin Islands Publications



All works of a faculty member are important in consideration for

local/regional/national/international reputation and promotion. Included in this

category are publications of applied research addressing community development.

For promotion consideration, however, publications of work originating from the

University of the Virgin Islands will be rated higher than those from work done at

previous institutions.



Numbers of Papers Expected



(a) Quality is prized over quantity.



(b) The appropriate number for promotion depends on both an individual's time

assignments and on the quality of the publications. It is expected that the

candidate will publish at least one refereed journal article or one publication

of similar stature for each research project conducted with substantial progress

since the beginning the candidate’s current position.



Scientific Presentations



Scientific presentations at regional, national and international conferences help to

establish a faculty member’s reputation within the scientific community and will

be ranked for value as follows: plenary speaker, keynote speaker, invited speaker,

oral presentation, poster presentation and co-author on poster for collaborative

research, including student research projects.



Funds for Research



Funds are required for research, but the amount required relates more to the type

of studies than their quality. Securing extramural support, particularly after peer

review, says a great deal about the quality of previous work. All funding should

be documented, as well as proposals that have been approved but not funded. It is

expected that extramural funds will be obtained from at least one source since the

beginning of the candidate’s current position.



d. Evaluation of Service Assignment



Service is defined as including, but not limited to, administrative duties and

responsibilities, service on unit, component and University committees and councils;

service in appropriate professional organizations; involvements in organization and

expedition of meetings, symposia, conferences, or workshops; participation in radio and

television; and participation on territorial and national governmental boards, agencies and

commissions. Only those activities related to a person's field of expertise or to the

mission of the University would be evaluated.



i Evaluation of quality of service



For service to be considered as an area of distinction, it is important that not only

the quantity of service but also the quality of service be documented. Document-

ation of distinction in service may be provided by letters of recommendation from

committee chairpersons, in written evaluations by people attending meetings or

symposia organized or run by the faculty member, etc.



il Areas considered being service



(a) Governance - academic committees, councils, task forces, etc., at the unit,

component or University level. As in other areas of activity, the quality and

degree of participation should be documented as much as possible



(b) Administration - director, assistant or associate director duties of research

units.



(c) Service (not simply membership) in local, regional, national and international

organizations. The positions held or service performed (e.g., organizer of

meetings, symposia, conferences) should be indicated.



(d) Participation in territorial, regional, national and international boards,

agencies, or commissions related to your area of expertise.



(e) Participation as journal editors, on editorial boards and as ad hoc referees for

journal publications and ad hoc referees for pres proposals from federal and

local governmental agencies and non federa organizations.



(f) Consultations and voluntary work in a person’s area of specialization where

no fee is charged are considered to be service. Paid consultancies may be

supportive of a national or international reputation, but are valued less than

service rendered.



(g) Mentoring students involved in research projects.



(h) Continuing education related to the mission of your department may be

considered to be service as outlined above.



(i) Presentations, in one’s area of specialization, to public schools, civic groups,

etc., by faculty without time assigned to extension/outreach.

e. Evaluation of Extension Assignment



Assignment of time to extension entails the development of a discrete and identifiable

program in the candidate's area of expertise. The activities included in extension

(extension publications, etc.) should be clearly identified with the candidate's extension



program.



If the candidate does not have a clearly defined extension program but is called on to

work with the local community on an ad hoc basis, the candidate should list the segment

of the local community (farmers, fishermen, developers, school children, Non-

governmental Organizations, resource managers, local and federal governmental

officials, public interest groups, etc.), describe the frequency and nature of the interaction

and the number of clients, estimate time devoted to outreach and if possible describe the

impacts of extension activities. The candidate also should list other extensionrelated

activities such as presenting seminars and workshops, teaching short courses and setting

up exhibits.



f. Preparation of the Promotion Packet



After the applicant’s Director or immediate supervisor is consulted to verify eligibility for

promotion, it is the responsibility of the applicant to submit a written request to the Vice

Provost for promotion along with a packet of supporting material no more than 3 months

prior to the applicant’s eligibility date, which is the 5-year anniversary date in the current



faculty position.



The promotion packet should contain copies of the first page of all relevant publications

attached to the title page of the journal, symposium proceedings, etc., in which they

appeared. The cover page of all grant proposals should be included along with a listing of

the amount requested, the funding agency and a statement indicating whether or not it

was funded. Service and extension activities should be verified by copies of memoranda,

letters, announcements, evaluations, lists of participants and the first page of committee

reports.



A Research Faculty Promotion Committee appointed by the Vice Provost for Research

and Public Service will review applications for promotion from the research units of the

University before submission to the President via the Provost. The committee will

consist of two Research and Public Service Directors and one senior member of the

teaching faculty with extensive research experience. The promotion evaluation process

and notification of the applicant of the promotion decision will occur within 90 days from

the date of submission ofthe promotional package.



The Research Faculty Promotion Committee will evaluate the candidate’s productivity

within the criteria listed. The make-up of productivity will differ widely between

disciplines and units within Research and Public Service. Greater weight should be

assigned to prestigious, outstanding, substantive, or difficult accomplishments. It will be

the Committee’s responsibility to assess the mix of accomplishments and determine if

overall productivity warrants promotion to the next faculty rank. If the Committee

determines that the candidate’s productivity warrants promotion, it should write a

memorandum summarizing the candidate’s accomplishments and give its

recommendation for promotion. Each member of the Committee is required to sign the

memorandum, which will be forwarded to the Vice Provost and the candidate’s Director.

If there are irreconcilable differences among the members, the Vice Provost will arbitrate



until a decision is reached.



If the Committee determines that overall productivity is insufficient to warrant promotion

at the current time, they should write a memorandum to the candidate describing areas

that require additional output. Copies of this memorandum should be filed with the

candidate’s Director and the Vice Provost. The candidate would be eligible to apply for

promotion again in one year from the date of this memorandum if productivity has

increased in the deficient areas.



When the Committee recommends approval of the promotion, the applicant’s Director or

immediate supervisor will submit a recommendation in the form of a memorandum to the

Vice Provost regarding the effective date of the promotion and proposed salary increase.



The level of compensation for promotion to the next faculty rank will increase at least

four steps and be no less than a 6% salary increase that is independent and separate from

annual step awards. A three- grade increase will be given as described in the policy

manual of Department of Human Recourses. The schedule is Grade 23 for Research

Assistant Professor, Grade 26 for Research Associate Professor and Grade 29 for

Research Professor. However, as the grade increases, the steps within the new grade will

be decreased to conform to the 4-step, 6% minimum salary increase.



If the Vice Provost is in agreement with the recommendation for promotion, the proposed

salary increase and the effective date of the salary increase, he/she will endorse the

Committee’s and the Director’s memoranda and forward them to the Provost for

endorsement, who in turn will forward them to the President for approval. If there is

disagreement at any stage in this process, the memoranda will be returned to the

Committee or the Director for modification. After the President approves the promotion,

the paperwork will be forwarded to the Human Resources Department for Processing.



Approved at March 12, 2005 Board of Trustees Meeting