Tenure Stream Faculty Appointment, Promotion & Tenure

Tenure Track Assistant Professors

One formal reappointment review will take place in the academic year prior to the end date of the initial 4-year term. If a faculty member holding a pre-tenure appointment is not reappointed, they will be given at least 12 months written notice as of the date of decision not to renew the appointment.

The guidelines for reappointment are outlined in the SAC Guide (pdf)

Guidelines for individuals with joint appointments between departments can be found in Section 11 of the SAC Guide (pdf)

Reappointment Process

General Timeline and Process

JUNE: Pre-review with Department Head

The Department Head meets with faculty members before June 30 of each year to discuss criteria and expectations for upcoming reviews. The Administration Office coordinates the meeting date and time each year. The faculty member will be asked to provide a current CV prior to the meeting.

Preparing your Reappointment Review File

The following materials are required for the reappointment review:

A complete and updated UBC-Format CV & Publication List (doc), dated and initialled.

A complete and updated Teaching Dossier (pdf).

SEPTEMBER: Submission Deadline

The faculty member must submit their CV and Teaching Dossier to Vicky Yau, Director, Administration, by September 15.

Once materials have been submitted, new information may be added to the CV, up to the stage of the President’s decision, through submission of an Addendum (doc).

OCTOBER – DECEMBER: Departmental APT Committee Review

In a formal review process, eligible members of the department APT Committee will provide consultation to the Head (or an Acting Chair), and a vote will take place. If serious concerns arise at any stage, the candidate will again be given an opportunity to respond in writing prior to a vote.

The Head will then provide a letter of recommendation on reappointment, along with the candidate’s file, to the Dean.

JANUARY – MARCH: Review and Recommendation by the Dean

The Dean, in consultation with the Dean’s Faculty Appointments, Reappointments, Promotion and Tenure (ARPT) Committee, will submit a recommendation on reappointment to the President.

The candidate and the Department will be informed of the Dean’s recommendation in writing. If the Dean’s recommendation is negative, the candidate will be invited to respond in writing.

APRIL – JUNE: Decision of the President

Upon making a decision on reappointment, the President will inform the candidate and the Department on the decision in writing. (For guidelines on Appeals of the President’s Decision, see section 12.2 of the SAC Guide).

Thereafter, the candidate’s reappointment will be entered into the electronic HR system.

Promotion and Tenure

Assistant Professors (tenure track) can be reviewed for promotion to Associate Professor, and a successful promotion will be accompanied by the granting of tenure.

Prior to Year 7, promotion reviews may be conducted in any year upon request by the candidate and with the agreement of the Head, or at the recommendation of the Head with the candidate’s consent.

In the penultimate year of an Assistant Professor’s second pre-tenure term (Year 7), they must undergo a mandatory Promotion (and Tenure) review. If the review is unsuccessful, they will enter a one-year terminal appointment.

Associate Professors (tenure) can be reviewed for promotion to Professor (tenure).

The guidelines for promotion and tenure are outlined in the UBC relevant policies.

Guidelines for individuals with joint appointments between departments can be found in Section 11 of the SAC Guide (pdf).

General Timeline & Process

JUNE: Pre-Review Meeting with Department Head

The Department Head meets with faculty members before June 30 of each year to discuss criteria and expectations and confirm a promotion review for the upcoming year. The Administration Office coordinates the meeting date and time each year. The faculty member will be asked to provide a current CV prior to the meeting.

Preparing your Review File

The Administration Office will contact the faculty member in early summer regarding the following materials and information required for the promotion and/or tenure review:

SEPTEMBER: Submission Deadline

The faculty member must submit their materials to Vicky Yau, Director, Administration by September 15.

Once materials have been submitted, new information may be added to the CV, up to the stage of the President’s decision, through submission of an Addendum (doc).

OCTOBER – DECEMBER: Review by the Departmental Appointments Promotions and Tenure Committee

Once four (4) letters of reference are obtained (two from candidate list / two from Department list), a formal review process will take place. If serious concerns arise at any stage, the candidate will be given an opportunity to respond in writing. Eligible members of the departmental Appointments Promotions and Tenure (APT) Committee will provide consultation to the Head (or an Acting Chair), and a vote will take place.

The Head will then provide a letter of recommendation on promotion and/or tenure, along with the candidate’s file, to the Dean.

JANUARY – MARCH: Review and Recommendation by the Dean

The Dean, in consultation with the Faculty Appointments, Reappointments, Promotion and Tenure (ARPT) Committee, will submit a recommendation on promotion and/or tenure to the President.

The candidate and the Department will be informed of the Dean’s recommendation in writing. If the Dean’s recommendation is negative, the candidate will be invited to respond in writing.

APRIL – JUNE: Decision of the President

The President will inform the candidate and the Department in writing of their decision. Thereafter, the candidate’s promotion and/or tenure will be entered into the electronic HR system. Applicants can appeal decisions as per section 12.2 of the SAC Guide (pdf).

Mentorship

All junior academic faculty in the UBC Department of Psychiatry will have a faculty mentor assigned to them upon their initial appointment, and the assigned mentor would be also identified in the Letter of Offer. Mentoring relationships will support collegiality, effective communication, self-evaluation, and cultural sensitivity, all of which enhance a stimulating and supportive university environment. Junior faculty mentees and their mentors are encouraged to connect on a regular basis in order to build a supportive and mutually beneficial relationship.

Role of the Mentor

ACT AS A ROLE MODEL
Mentors should demonstrate the behaviours that have made them successful.

LISTEN ACTIVELY
Mentors should allow their mentees to lead the process, giving time and space to ask their questions and convey their desired outcomes. A mentor may also ask questions to find out information.

BE A SOUNDING BOARD
Mentees should be encouraged to make their own decisions. Mentors provide a place where mentees can bounce off ideas and try out solutions. Advice is not always needed or desired.

PROVIDE COACHING AND GUIDANCE
Mentors can provide suggestions when a mentee seeks advice. To advise effectively, mentors need to understand the qualities, skills, and experience of their mentees.

ASSIST WITH SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Mentors may suggest that mentees observe their teaching. Mentors may assist mentees with practicing for important meetings and/or invite them to some of theirs to share good practices.

CREATE A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT  
Mentors assure their mentees of confidentiality in all communications.

UNDERSTAND THE MENTEE’S OBJECTIVES
Mentors usually need to ask a lot of questions to ensure they understand what mentees hope to achieve.

ENCOURAGE AND INSPIRE
Mentors are selected because they are successful and admired. Their role is to encourage and support their mentees to achieve.

MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY
Mentors are required to maintain confidentiality regarding shared information. Given the confidential relationship between a mentor and mentee, a mentor may wish to avoid being placed in an evaluating role, e.g., by opting out as a member of a department promotions and tenure committee when the mentee is being discussed.

CONSIDER DIVERSITY IN MENTORSHIP
Careful consideration of issues that may arise with mentorship across boundaries of gender/race/ethnicity/sexual orientation/religion.

Role of the Mentee

MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP  
Mentees take equal responsibility to build rapport with their mentors and ensure that times and locations are booked for meetings. Mentees are encouraged to prepare an agenda for their meetings with their mentor.

SET CLEAR GOALS
Mentees are encouraged to create SMART goals (pdf). The process involves identifying barriers to goal achievement, providing potential solutions, undertaking honest self-assessment regularly, and sharing mistakes and perceived areas for improvement.

Recommended topics

  • Yearly professional development goals
  • Teaching
  • Research/scholarship/professional activities
  • Student advisement
  • Grant writing
  • Service/committee
  • Tenure and promotion process/guidance
  • University policies/navigating the institution
  • Health authorities partnerships
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

BE CLEAR ABOUT OBJECTIVES
Mentees are encouraged to consider what they want from their mentors such as advice about a particular career path, advice about a particular skill set, or some other goal or objective. Mentees are encouraged to communicate these objectives to their mentors, recognizing that these may change over time, set goals and timetables for the completion of projects, and invite reflections on progress towards them.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE MENTOR
Mentors may be able to introduce their mentees to others in related fields of study or provide opportunities for social and professional engagement in a variety of communities.

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT
Mentees must make their own decisions; mentors can, if requested, provide advice and feedback, but mentees are responsible for their careers.

SEEK INFORMATION
Mentees should come to meetings prepared with questions so that meetings are focused and useful. Be open to suggestions, advice, feedback. Listen and ask questions. Be open about thoughts and feelings, provide feedback on what works and what does not.

MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY
Mentees are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information shared in mentorship meetings.

CONSIDER DIVERSITY IN MENTORSHIP
Careful consideration of issues that may arise with mentorship across boundaries of gender/race/ethnicity/sexual orientation/religion.

Appointment, Promotion & Tenure (APT) Committee

The departmental APT Committee fulfills its mandate to review objectively and without bias all appointment, reappointment, promotion and tenure considerations for academic faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. Guided by the criteria set out in Part IV of the Collective Agreement and, when applicable, the UBC FoM Policy on Partner Appointments, the Committee provides consultation and recommendations concerning faculty appointments, reappointments, promotion and tenure to the Department Head, who chairs the committee.

ELECTED MEMBERSHIP OF THE APT COMMITTEE

Departmental APT Committee Terms of Reference (updated June 2019)
Effective as of September 1, 2019

Chair

Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, Professor and Department Head

Voting Members

Dr. Trisha Chakrabarty, Assistant Professor
Dr. David Kealy, Assistant Professor
Dr. Tamara Vanderwal, Assistant Professor (Partner)
Dr. Daniel Vigo, Assistant Professor
Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor
Dr. Clare Beasley, Associate Professor
Dr. Will Panenka, Associate Professor (Partner)

Dr. Jehannine Austin, Professor
Dr. Michael Krausz, Professor
Dr. Erin Michalak, Professor
Dr. Tim Murphy, Professor
Dr. Jeremy Seamans, Professor
Dr. Steven Taylor, Professor

Ex-Officio Members

Dr. Raymond Lam, Associate Head, Graduate & Undergraduate Education
Dr. Sophia Frangou, Associate Head, Research & International Affairs