Term Faculty Reappointment

Overview

Term faculty (teaching professors, research professors, and Professors of Practice) undergo a reappointment review toward the end of their current appointment if they are being considered for appointment renewal. 

The reappointment review involves input from members of the candidate’s department, the Department Chair, and the college Dean.

This page provides information about how the reappointment process works for term faculty. See also Faculty Review at Lehigh and Term Faculty Review for information about review portfolios and other general information.

Who Undergoes a Reappointment Review, and When?

Per R&P §2.12.1, 2.13.1, and 2.14.1, reappointments of term faculty are based on performance and a continuing need. 

Teaching/Research Assistant Professors and Professors of Practice are typically reviewed for reappointment (i.e., appointment renewal) in the final academic year of their appointment. For example, a Teaching Assistant Professor whose appointment ends on June 30, 2026 will be reviewed in AY2025–6.

Teaching/Research Associate and Full Professors and Senior Professors of Practice are typically reviewed for reappointment the year before the final academic year of their appointment. For example, a Teaching Full Professor whose appointment ends on June 30, 2026 will be reviewed in AY2024–5.

See Reappointment Review Schedule below for details of promotion review schedules. 

How Does the Reappointment Review Process Work?

The reappointment review process begins in the early Fall semester. Early in the semester, the Department Chair should notify each term faculty member who will have a reappointment review. The Chair and the faculty member should discuss the materials to be included as part of the reappointment review file. 

The faculty member uploads their reappointment review materials to Interfolio. The deadline for doing so is typically around October 1. 

Next, the Department Chair shares (via Interfolio) the reappointment review file with the faculty involved in the review process. The faculty involved in the review process are as follows:

• Teaching Assistant Professor: all tenured and tenure-track Associate and Full Professors and all Teaching Associate and Full Professors
• Teaching Associate Professor: all tenured Full Professors and all Teaching Full Professors
• Teaching Full Professor: none
• Research Assistant Professor: all tenured and tenure-track Associate and Full Professors and all Research Associate and Full Professors
• Research Associate Professor: all tenured Full Professors and all Research Full Professors
• Research Full Professor: none
• Professor of Practice or Senior Professor of Practice who has been at Lehigh for no more than ten cumulative regular semesters: all tenured and tenure-track Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors, all Teaching and Research Associate and Full Professors, and all Professors of Practice who have spent six or more cumulative semesters at Lehigh
• Professor of Practice or Senior Professor of Practice who has been at Lehigh for more than ten cumulative regular semesters: all tenured and tenure-track Associate and Full Professors and all Teaching and Research Associate and Full Professors

Note: R&P is somewhat vague about some of the bullets above. The bullets above represent the Provost’s office interpretation of R&P as it is currently written. Discussions are currently underway to clarify this issue in R&P.

The Department Chair meets with the faculty involved in the review to discuss the candidate’s dossier, their suitability for reappointment, and the needs of the department. 

Each faculty member involved in the review process votes on the candidate’s reappointment in Interfolio. (Individual letters are not required, as they are for tenure-track reappointment.) 

The Chair then writes a letter to the Dean summarizing the department’s evaluation and recommendation. The Chair shares this letter with the candidate via Interfolio, and the candidate submits a written response (or declination to respond). The Chair then forwards the dossier to the Dean. The deadline for doing so is typically around January 1 for Teaching/Research Assistant/Associate Professors and Professors of Practice, and December 1 for Teaching/Research Full Professors and Senior Professors of Practice.

The Dean reviews the dossier and the departmental needs and makes a decision regarding reappointment. The Dean sends a letter of reappointment or non-reappointment to the candidate, with copies to the Department Chair and Provost.

Note: R&P 2.12.1 currently says that the Provost makes the decision regarding reappointment for Professors of Practice. The Faculty Senate is currently discussing a proposed modification that would change this to the Dean.

Materials to Be Submitted

The Office of the Provost requires certain elements to be included in the faculty dossier for reappointment review. Individual colleges may require additional materials; candidates and Department Chairs should consult with their Dean’s office regarding any additional requirements.

Faculty Candidate Materials

CV and Statements

• Curriculum vitae (CV), using the Lehigh CV template.
• Statements on teaching, research, and/or service, as appropriate to the candidate’s responsibilities, including the significance and impact of the candidate’s own contributions in each of these areas. See the Dossier Materials page for further guidance. Maximum 3 pages combined.

Teaching

(Only for faculty with teaching responsibilities.)

• Student course evaluation tabular listing. This is provided upon request by the Office of Institutional Data. The listing should include summary reports for all courses the candidate has taught since the year prior to the date of their last appointment. 
• Student course evaluations. These are available for download at https://go.lehigh.edu/evalkit. Include evaluations from all courses taught since the year prior to the date of their last appointment.
• Sample course materials (syllabi, tests, assignments, etc.) and any other supporting materials (commendations, student letters, etc.). Maximum 30 pages.

COVID Impact Statement

• COVID impact statement. Optional. Maximum 2 pages.

Department Chair Materials

Department Summary

• Department summary letter. Department Chair’s summary of department review, addressed to Dean, shared with candidate.
• Candidate’s response to department summary letter, or declination to respond.

Effort Allocation

• Percentage effort breakdown (e.g., 50% teaching/50% service) and summary of responsibilities for the upcoming appointment

Joint Appointment Information

(Only for faculty with joint appointments.)

• Program director letter.
• Candidate’s response to program or special committee summary letter, or declination to respond.

College Dean Materials

• Dean’s recommendation letter. Addressed to the candidate, shared with the Provost.

Reappointment Review Schedule 

The Provost’s office publishes the schedules below each year for each step in the reappointment review process, in order to provide faculty members ample notice regarding their reappointment or non-reappointment. In particular:

• Teaching/Research Assistant Professors, and Professors of Practice in their initial appointment or with less than 5 years of service: 4 months’ notice
• Teaching/Research Associate Professors, and Professors of Practice with 5 or more years of service: 12 months’ notice
• Teaching/Research Full Professors, and Senior Professors of Practice: 18 months’ notice

The Department Chair and/or Dean’s office should inform the candidate and the Provost’s Office about any concerns in meeting the deadline.

The schedules listed below are for the current academic year. Schedules may change from year to year, but the dates are likely to be similar to the current year. 

Confirming Candidates for Review

 

The Review Process

The following term faculty members begin their reappointment review in Fall 2024:

• Teaching/Research Assistant Professors whose appointment ends in 2025
• Teaching/Research Associate and Full Professors whose appointment ends in 2026
• Professors of Practice in their initial term or with less than 5 years of service whose appointment ends in 2025
• Professors of Practice with more than 5 years of service whose appointment ends in 2026
• Senior Professors of Practice whose appointment ends in 2026

The Provost expects quality checks at each level to ensure that all documents are included in Interfolio to avoid having to send the dossier back for corrections. College-Level Administrators (CLADs) are responsible for completing a full review of the online dossier to ensure that all letters and other materials are uploaded to Interfolio before submitting the dossier to the Dean.

Relevant Sections of R&P

• 2.12.1 Professor of Practice Contract Terms, Titles, and Responsibilities
• 2.13.1 Appointments and Re-appointments [of teaching faculty]
• 2.14.1 Appointments and Re-appointments [of research faculty]

Additional Resources

• Interfolio login page
• Interfolio at Lehigh

Notes

• This overview is intended to supplement the information contained in Lehigh’s Rules and Procedures of the Faculty (R&P). If there is a discrepancy between the guidance on this page and R&P, the provisions of R&P govern.
• Feel free to contact your Department Chair, Associate Dean for Faculty, the Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs, or the Director of Faculty Affairs with any questions or concerns.