Deadlines for Academic Personnel Actions

This list of deadlines was compiled to provide guidance about the timing of this year’s personnel actions. Please direct any questions to your Dean’s office or as needed, the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Success at academicpersonnel@pdx.edu. We welcome your comments and feedback.

• 2024-25 PDF of the Academic Personnel Deadlines & Timelines.

Tenure-Track (TTF) and Non-Tenure Track (NTTF) Faculty

Emeritus Process (TTF and NTTF):

Tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty are eligible to apply for emeritus status (Faculty Senate Final Report, May 10, 2016) and should follow the regular promotion and tenure cycle or the November-December cycle, which immediately follows the regular cycle (strictly for emeritus applications).

All applications for emeritus/a review are due to the review committee the cycle BEFORE the faculty member’s retirement effective date.

Sabbatical Leave Requests (TTF and NTT):

The guidelines and applications for Sabbatical Leaves can be found on the:

• OAA website at: https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/sabbatical-leave
• AAUP CBA, Article 32, Section 7
• PSU Standards: 580-021-0220 -- 580-021-0245

Schools and colleges may post deadlines for sabbatical applications, but fully approved applications should be received by HR no later than one term prior to the start of the sabbatical. Following review of sabbatical applications, Deans are responsible for notifying faculty applicants, department chairs, and OAA of their decisions no later than one term prior to the start of the sabbatical. Faculty members must submit 'Sabbatical Leave Reports of Accomplishments' to their Department Chair and Dean midway through the term of return from sabbatical.

Tenure Clock Adjustments (TTF-Probationary):

The guidelines and process for when to offer and/or request a Tenure clock Adjustment can be found:

• OAA website at: https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/academic-employee-actions
• AAUP CBA: 2020 April 22 - MOA TTF to Delay Promotion and Tenure Review due to the COVID-19 and the 2021 April 1 - Tenure Track Faculty members hired in the 2020-21 Academic Year access to tenure clock adjustment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Promotion and Tenure (TTF) and Promotion (NTTF) Review Process:

For further clarification, please see the "2020 April 22 - MOA TTF to Delay Promotion and Tenure Review due to the COVID-19" and the "2021 April 1 - MOA Tenure Track Faculty members hired in the 2020-21 Academic Year access to tenure clock adjustment due to the COVID-19 pandemic".

Note: Schools and Colleges may post deadlines that are earlier than those in this schedule. If so, please follow the schedule established by your Dean's office and in accordance with the University Promotion and Tenure Guidelines (Revised and reapproved, June 2018).

Promotion Non-Tenure Track Research Faculty: (NTTF-R) Review Process:

Per the University Promotion and Tenure Guidelines, requests for non-tenure track research faculty promotions may be forwarded to the Provost typically twice yearly. Academic units may choose to set their own timelines for request for promotion to be submitted to the Dean. For those NTTF-R hired prior to September 16, 2014, follow the guidelines included as Appendix IV in the University P&T guidelines.

Annual Performance Reviews of Faculty by Appointment Type:

Faculty appointments are defined as (a) non-tenure track or (b) tenure track. Non-tenure track appointments are (a) fixed-term appointments, (b) probationary appointments, or (c) continuous appointments. Tenure track appointments are (a) annual tenure appointments or (b) indefinite tenure appointments. General information and forms for all faculty performance reviews may be found at: https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/academic-personnel-policies-and-development#pt.

Tenure-Track Faculty:

Annual reviews must be completed according to the cycle posted at the end of this document and as stated in the faculty member's supplemental letter.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty:

Annual reviews must be completed according to the type of appointment using the appropriate cycle posted at the end of this document.

NTTF-Fixed Term Instructional:

Departments are required to provide an annual evaluation of the performance of fixed term faculty after the first year consistent with the practices specified in their promotion and tenure guidelines (University P&T Guidelines, Section C. Definition, Use and Conditions of Faculty Appointments, 1. Non-Tenure Track Appointments) and (Article 18, Section 3 of the PSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement).

NTTF-CA Probationary:

Non-tenure track instructional faculty members are to be evaluated annually during years 1 through 5 of the probationary period (Article 18, Section 2 of the PSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement).

NTTF-Fixed Term Research:

Departments are required to provide an annual evaluation of the performance of fixed-term faculty after the first year consistent with the practices specified in their promotion and tenure guidelines (Article 18, Section 5 of the PSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement).

Please note: for those NTTF hired prior to September 16, 2014 who are seeking promotion; follow the guidelines in Appendix IV of the University P&T guidelines.

Notice of Intent Not to Reappoint for NTTF: See Article 18, Section 2, of the PSU-AAUP CBA.

NTTF Research Faculty: 

Non Tenure Track research faculty members may be employed for a fixed term, a period of time that runs the length of a particular grant, or an ongoing appointment, without a fixed date, that is contingent on the continued availability of external funding. In all such cases, the appointment must provide the member with at least thirty (30) days' notice of early termination of employment.

NTTF Continuous Appointment Related Contracts:

Annual reviews are based on departmental processes developed per Article 18 of the PSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement and follow the same cycle as tenure related faculty (except they are reviewed in year 1 and the third-year review is a regular annual review that counts toward the 1-5 annual reviews). See cycle posted at the end of this document.

Probationary Period for NTTF: 

The university will employ non-tenure track instructional faculty members on annual contracts during the first six (6) years of employment as an NTTF. The University will automatically renew NTTF annual contracts during the probationary period unless the University provides timely notice to the NTTF. The University must provide notice of non-renewal of an annual contract during this six-year period to the faculty member according to the timelines in the AAUP CBA Article 18, Section 2(b), by April 1 of the first year of the probationary period and by January 1 for the second through fifth years of the probationary period. The non-renewal is effective at the end of that academic year.

The University will evaluate NTTFs annually during years 1 through 5 of the probationary period pursuant to the University and Department Promotion and Tenure Guidelines.

Milestone Review for Continuous Appointment:

During the sixth year of the probationary period, the University will evaluate NTTFs for a continuous appointment pursuant to the University and Department Promotion and Tenure Guidelines. The evaluation will result in either an award of continuous appointment or 12-months’ notice of termination of employment. Awards of continuous appointment are effective at the beginning of the following academic year (9-month appointments) or fiscal year (12-month appointments).

NTTF Post-Continuous Appointment Review (PCAR):

Evaluation following Continuous Appointment. Faculty on a Continuous appointment are to be evaluated in the fifth (5th) year of continuous appointment and then every 5 years following the last evaluation or promotion. The effective date for the award of Continuous Appointment will be September 16th for 9-month employees and July 1 for 12-month employees following a successful Milestone Review. The effective date is the start of academic year 1 of the Post-Continuous Appointment.

Post-Continuous appointment review dossiers are due first Friday in October.

If a faculty member on Continuous Appointment undergoes a successful promotional review prior to year 5 of the post-continuous appointment, their next post-continuous appointment review will occur in the fifth year after their successful promotional review. the first year of the next 5-year post-continuous appointment review count will start the academic year following the successful review; September 16 for 9-month employees and July 1 for 12-month employees. For those hired on or before 9/16/2021 please also see PSU-AAUP LOA RE: transition into PCAR 2021-2024.

2024-2025 PCAR Review Cycle:

PCAR Notification for 2025-26 Cycle (Next AY):

Notifications: A list of deadlines for post-continuous appointment review (PCAR) can be found in Article 18, Section 2, g, of the AAUP CBA.

TTF Post-Tenure Review (PTR):

Tenured faculty members shall undergo post-tenure review every five years after the award of tenure. Successful reviews for promotions in rank of tenured faculty shall be considered as reviews in lieu of post-tenure review and shall recommence the countdown to the next post-tenure review according to Article IV, page 8 of the University PTR Procedures.

2024-2025 PTR Review Cycle:

PTR Notification for 2025-26 Cycle (next AY):

Notifications: A list of deadlines for post-tenure review for faculty may be found in Article IV, in the University PTR Procedures (Revised Spring 2017).

Adjunct Faculty Appointment, Assignments, and Review Cycles

Initial Appointments:

Initial appointment for newly-hired Adjuncts may be granted on a term-by-term basis. Adjunct applicants may apply for adjunct teaching pools via the People Admin portal.

Nine-Month Appointments:

Adjunct faculty will be offered 9-month academic year appointments with assignment rights for all future appointments once they have been employed by a particular department for two years or have taught eight credits (whichever occurs first). This appointment will be offered, at the beginning of the academic year following their becoming eligible. For example, if an Adjunct’s first term with the University is Fall, 2020 and they teach eight credits in that term, they will be offered a nine-month appointment in Fall, 2021.

Two-Year Appointments:

Adjunct faculty will be offered two-year appointments with assignment rights after being employed for a total of three years in a particular department or 20 credits (whichever occurs first) and successfully completing the professional evaluation process described in PSUFA CBA, Article 8, Section 4. 

This appointment will be offered at the beginning of the academic year following eligibility. For example, if an Adjunct meets these requirements by Winter 2020, they will be offered a two-year appointment in Fall, 2021.

Professional Evaluation Notifications and Cycles:

A faculty member will be notified of their eligibility for a professional evaluation before the end of the term in which they complete the requirements (3 years or 20 credits). This notification will be accompanied by instructions for submission and a template for assessing evaluation materials. Evaluations should be offered and completed during the term immediately following the one in which the faculty member has met the requirements.

Evaluations should be offered and completed during the term immediately following the one in which the faculty member has met the requirements or no later than the next term in which the faculty member teaches.

If an Adjunct faculty member elects not to have an evaluation at that time, they will be offered another opportunity after they have been employed for an additional (1) year. See Article 8, Section 4 of the PSUFA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Once an adjunct faculty member has received a successful evaluation, further appointments will be offered for a term of two academic years, subject to the provisions of Article 8, Section 3.4. Further evaluations may be conducted every four years if initiated by the Chair. EXCEPTION: Current Adjuncts who have been employed by PSU since prior to September 16, 2014, are automatically eligible for a two-year appointment and are not required to complete the professional evaluation process. They may be evaluated every four years if initiated by the Chair.

Deadlines for Appointments and Assignments, please also consult the PSUFA Collective Bargaining Agreement:

For more information on the following topics, please consult the PSUFA Collective Bargaining Agreement:

• Academic Year and Two-Year Appointment Eligibility Benchmarks: (Article 8, Section 3)
• Determination of Academic Rank: (Article 8, Section 2)
• Letter of Appointment: (Article 8, Section 1)
• Course Cancellations (Article 12, Section 8)
• Position Posting Process (Article 8, Section 3)
• Professional Evaluation Eligibility (Article 8, Section 4)

Academic Professionals (AP) Annual Reviews

Academic Professional performance reviews are outlined in Article 17 of the PSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement. Units may use one of the two Unclassified Evaluation form options found on the HR website.

• All Academic Professionals shall have annual performance reviews (evaluations).
• The performance review year will be the preceding 12 months. The Performance Evaluation Form for Academic Professionals must be completed.
• Employees with alternative work arrangements will be evaluated on their performance and output of work regardless of where they perform their work.
• Academic Professionals who have worked at Portland State University in an Academic Professional position for at least four years at the time of their annual evaluation will be eligible for a salary increase as stated in Article 30, Section 7B.
• Academic Professionals will be eligible for recurring salary increases every four years so long as evaluations are rated satisfactory or above for the four-year period, they will receive the salary increase every 4 years until the maximum salary for job grouping/level is reached.
• Academic Professional Advancement increases will be effective July 1 (for those employed on a 12-month basis) and September 16 (for those employed on a 9-month basis).

Notice of Appointment Termination for Academic Professional Staff:

See Article 17, Section 5, of the PSU-AUUP 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Academic Administrators (Ranked/Excluded Personnel) Appointments and Reviews

Department Chair/Director Selection:

The guidelines for chairperson selection may be found in Section 4 of the Faculty Governance Guide. The chair/director appointment form and process are located here.

Reviews:

With the exception of members of the Academic Leadership Team (ALT) reviews of all ranked, excluded personnel, are conducted using the process found under Personnel at: https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/academic-employee-review-resources. This includes Assistant and Associate Deans, Academic Chairs and Directors.

Annual reviews of unclassified/unrepresented/excluded academic personnel may be conducted using the template found on the HR website https://www.pdx.edu/human-resources/policies-contracts-forms#PERMAN or a process adopted by their units. These reviews are due annually on April 30.

Members of the Academic Leadership Team:

Submit Self-evaluations by April 1, 2024.

The fifth-year (5) review process is currently being updated and will be available October 1, 2026.