Article 15 of the Collective Agreement states:
Tenure means the appointment of an employee to a permanent position on the academic staff of the University.
Equivalent to tenure for some members is Continuing Status.
Probationary faculty should get to know what is in the tenure standards for their Department, their College and for the University. The standards that were in place at the time of appointment apply, unless the candidate declares in writing to the Chair of the Renewals and Tenure Committee by August 1 (15.12.10(iii)) that he or she elects to be assessed under standards approved subsequent to the date of appointment. The University Standards for Promotion and Tenure as well as information about preparing your case file for the various collegial processes can be found on the website for the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations.
Probationary faculty should also understand how the standards are interpreted. This information comes from talking to colleagues and recently tenured faculty. Department Heads (or Deans in the case of non-departmentalized colleges) also play a key role in monitoring your progress to tenure. Probationary faculty should also understand the progress reports they receive and, if deficiencies in progress have been identified, take steps to remedy them.
The USFA Executive members and staff are an excellent source of information about the process. If you are unsure or have questions about Tenure, contact the USFA office.