Practice of professional skills remains a troublesome category for members in many units, particularly the professional colleges. When the university standards for tenure and promotion were last revised, there was a wish to distinguish recognize practice of professional skills, but still require practitioners to show ability in research, consistent with the teacher/scholar model.
Unfortunately, the wording and interpretation of the standards is sometimes such that practitioners are required to maintain a strong research program, in addition to their professional practice. It is difficult to operationally distinguish Section 4 of the University Standards (Research) from Section 5.2 (Scholarly Work expected from a candidates being considered for practice of professional skills), and this distinction may be less clear in the College or Departmental Standards. This can make the standard for practice of professional skills very difficult to attain.
If the standards governing your unit are vague in this respect, work to change them. As this can be a slow process, you should consider requesting specific guidance from your Dean or Department head as to how the standards have been applied in the past, and how you can best prioritize your duties to meet them. As well, the Faculty Association has had observers present at all promotion and tenure cases, and can provide advice.
If you have questions or comments about promotion or tenure, you can simply reply to this email and someone will get in touch with you.