HTML Preview Sample Letter Teaching Prof page number 1.
Communication No. 26, Attachment 4
Sample Letter to External Evaluator for Promotion to Teaching Professor
[date]
Re: Request for evaluation of non-tenure track faculty promotion
Dear [evaluator’s name],
We are considering [specialized faculty member’s name] for possible promotion to the rank of
Teaching Professor in the [department name]. Letters of evaluation from at least three scholars or
professional specialists outside the university are required for each nominee. Therefore, it would be most
helpful to have your independent evaluation of [specialized faculty member’s name].
At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, non-tenure system faculty position (referred to as
“specialized faculty” at Illinois) included Teaching, Clinical and Research Professors (Assistant,
Associate and Full). We do not require that specialized faculty members have national reputations, rather
we evaluate whether they have satisfied the campus, college and unit promotion criteria and performance
expectations. Specialized faculty members make substantial contributions to our research, teaching and
service missions, but their scope of work is more specific than their tenure-system peers and the
performance expectations are different. At the campus level, the expectation is that Teaching Professors
will be making contributions to teaching and pedagogy at the college and campus levels, including
making advancements in teaching and learning in the discipline that leads to innovative strategies and
marked course improvement. At the level of Teaching Professor, the expectation is that the individual is
making broader contributions to pedagogy, for example, by sharing creative and scholarly work at
conferences and in publications, publishing textbooks in reputable presses, securing competitive internal
or external grants to develop curriculum or pedagogy, and effective mentoring of instructors, lecturers,
and graduate assistants. Specific performance expectations and promotion criteria are set forth in the
[insert specialized faculty member’s name’s] job description (attached) [alternatively:”in the statement of
the individual’s job duties (attached)”]. The [departmental and college or departmental, school and
college or school/college] promotion criteria are:
• [insert bulleted list of criteria from each applicable level]
Samples of [faculty member’s name] publications and Biodata form are attached. Our policy
states that the criteria for promotion of specialized faculty at Illinois are the same regardless of length of
service.
The policy of the University of Illinois is to hold in confidence all letters of evaluation from persons
outside the institution. Only the committees and administrative officers directly responsible for the
decision of concern here will have access to your letter. It will not be provided to the person on whom
you comment unless we are required specifically and legally to do so.
Because your evaluation will provide essential input in our review and because the entire review
process is a lengthy one, I would appreciate receiving your comments at your earliest convenience and by
[date]. If you will be unable to complete your evaluation by this date, please let me know immediately.
Please email your letter to [name] at [email] and follow up with a hard copy to the following address;
[name and mailing address]