Virtually all new faculty are hired initially into a probationary appointment. During your probationary period your most important objectives should be to establish your research career and to develop as an effective teacher. These are the key aspects that will be evaluated during tenure and promotion. While it is important at this stage to begin to play an administrative role in your department, it is not advisable to become deeply involved in administration.
The Collective Agreement recognizes service to the USFA as part of the equitable assignment of duties and can be included as contributions to the administrative responsibilities of the University for consideration in collegial processes.
For appointments at the rank of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Extension Specialist II, III or IV and Librarian the initial probationary period is for three years. Under some circumstances, prior service may be counted as service towards tenure if the faculty member so elects. Associate Professors, Extension Specialist IV’s and Librarian IV’s may be appointed with tenure if they have had tenure, or if they have completed probationary service equivalent to the minimum at U. of S., at a comparable institution.
If you are appointed at the rank of Professor (often called ‘full Professor’), you will be appointed with tenure or you may be appointed with a probationary period that will only be two years in duration.
In the third, or final, year of your initial probationary period, you are considered either for renewal of probation for an additional two or three years, depending on rank, or for tenure.
Faculty hired as Lecturers, Assistant Professors, Extension Specialists II or III or Librarians I, II or III that choose to renew their probationary period will extend it for an additional three years. Those hired as Associate Professors, Extension Specialist IV’s or Librarian IV’s that choose to renew their probation will renew it for an additional two years. In very exceptional circumstances you may request to extend your probationary period for one more year.
It is rare that renewal of probation is not granted, but it may occur, especially if a condition that was made at the time of appointment has not been fulfilled. For example, if completion of a Ph. D. degree was a condition made at the time of appointment and you have not completed the Ph.D., renewal may not take place. The Renewals and Tenure Committee consider renewal of probation and to avoid repetition, the structure and function of this committee is discussed under Tenure below.
During the probationary period your Department head (or Dean in an non-departmentalized College) will provide you with written comments once a year on your performance on a “Progress Towards Tenure” form. It is very important to fully discuss any comments made on these forms with your Department Head.
Faculty who have prior service in non-tenurable faculty appointments, may choose to use it as service towards tenure in the tenure consideration process.