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Research Scientists

Guidelines for Making Promotion Recommendations for Research Scientists

Office of the Vice President for Research
Effective September, 1999; Updated August 7, 2007

This material was initially distributed via a July 6, 2007 memo from the Vice President for Research to Deans, Directors and Department Heads.

This memorandum summarizes the procedures that need to be followed for promotion recommendations for individuals appointed to the Research Scientist (RS) track. The RS track includes individuals holding the following ranks:

• Research Investigator (Note 1)
• Assistant Research Scientist
• Associate Research Scientist
• Research Scientist.

The Office of the Vice President for Research is responsible for oversight and administration of promotions for the RS track. All promotions to the ranks of Associate Research Scientist and Research Scientist must be reviewed and approved by the Vice President for Research. As a reminder, schools/colleges/units that do not report directly to the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) have the authority delegated to them by the Vice President for Research to make promotions to the Assistant Research Scientist rank. Units that do report to OVPR must submit their recommendations to the Vice President for Research.

OVPR asks for your cooperation to ensure that the promotion review process for our Research Scientists is thorough, equitable, and timely. The specific dossier requirements are published below and we encourage you to pay very close attention to all of the required elements which include but are not limited to: 1) copies of all correspondence to potential reviewers (including those individuals who are unable to provide a letter); 2) a current and complete curriculum vitae that must include a listing of all current sponsored research and an accurate and updated publications listing; and 3) a thorough and comprehensive report from the Promotion Review Committee that accurately summarizes the outcome of the committee’s deliberations. Please note that we are unable to accept incomplete dossiers so please be very thorough as you assemble the dossier.

Furthermore, every unit that is approved to appoint research faculty must have guidelines for the appointment and promotion of research faculty that have been reviewed and approved by OVPR and by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. As a general guideline, please keep in mind that putting the proper effort into preparing the promotions casebook is crucial to this process. This includes establishing a Promotions Review Committee to review each candidate. The Committee membership should include peers at an equal or higher rank than the proposed rank for the candidate, and should have at least one member from outside the department or unit. Also, please take care in selecting arms length non-UM reviewers of the candidate’s work to get the most objective view.

Note 1: Entry level position appointed directly by the individual school/college or unit. There is no promotional path to this rank.

Note 2: Units that report to OVPR must submit recommendations to the Vice President for Research for promotions to the ranks of Assistant Research Scientist or higher.

Recommendations for Research Scientist Promotions to Associate Research Scientist and Research Scientist

OVPR considers RS promotions just once a year (as is true for all faculty appointments). This ensures that a common frame of reference is used in making these decisions and enables OVPR to review the total research faculty promotional pattern within the University. Accordingly, recommendations for all RS promotions, the effective date of which would be September 1, 2008, are due:

Deadline: Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Please note that the schedule for the RS promotion review process is the same as that of all faculty promotions. Also, consistent with the process for all other faculty promotions, casebooks are to be submitted electronically as of the 2007-2008 academic year.

Promotions of Research Faculty Holding Multiple Appointments

If a research faculty member holds appointments in more than one unit (whether as research, clinical or instructional faculty), the units involved are strongly urged to collaboratively and simultaneously conduct the promotion review process. Use the same letters of recommendation for both instructional, clinical and research faculty promotion processes, and be certain to include a statement in your letter of solicitation indicating that the letter of recommendation will be shared with the Promotions Committee, Dean/Director, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Research. Please note that separate casebooks are not necessary, but if the research and instructional faculty appointments do not report to the same Dean/Director, then both Dean(s)/Director(s) should sign the appropriate forms and submit their respective letters addressed to both the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research.

Affirmative Action Responsibilities

In reviewing Research Scientists for promotion, units are reminded of their affirmative action responsibilities and are encouraged to consider carefully the promotion of minorities and women to assure that rank is not affected by sex or racial considerations. This review is necessary to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly and so we can collect statistical information about Research Scientist promotion decisions. Please see the instructions for using the appropriate form for the Affirmative Action Review of Promotion Decisions.

Notification

The Office of the Vice President for Research will complete the review of all Research Scientist promotion dossiers and notify deans, departments, and candidates of the decisions no later than June 1, 2008.

Please contact the Office of the Vice President for Research at 763-6048 with any questions about the RS promotion process.

Office of the Vice President for Research
Research Scientist Promotion Recommendations

Instructions for Assembly of the Promotion Dossier

Oversight and administration of the Research Scientist Track is the responsibility of the Office of the Vice President for Research. The Vice President for Research has delegated to units the authority to make promotions to the rank of Assistant Research Scientist without review or approval by OVPR.* Promotion recommendations to ranks of Associate Research Scientist and Research Scientist must be submitted to the Office of the Vice President for Research according to instructions below. (Promotion recommendations to the Research Professor Track must be submitted to both the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research.)

The deadline for submission of promotion recommendations to be effective September 1, 2008 is:

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Process

Consistent with the process for all other faculty promotions, casebooks are to be submitted electronically as of the 2007-2008 academic year. Please upload a PDF file for each casebook to the Ctools website. The size of a casebook dowloaded to Ctools cannot be more than 20MB. Casebooks larger than 20MB will be turned back to the school/college/unit. For further information, contact Coyote Windsong in OVPR, godsdog@umich.edu or 763-6048.

Form RS-1 is the cover page/signature form for recommending RS promotions to the Vice President for Research. Form RS-2 is used to acknowledge Bridging Support commitments associated with the RS appointment. RS-3 is reviewed in OVPR and then sent to the Affirmative Action Office. These forms can be downloaded as PDF [RS-1.pdf] [RS-2.pdf] [RS-3.pdf] or Rich Text Format files [RS-1.rtf] [RS-2.rtf] [RS-3.rtf]. They are also available as an email attachment. To obtain forms or if you have any questions or problems, contact OVPR at 763-6048.

PLEASE NOTE: The approval and signature of the Dean or Director of the appropriate school or unit is required on RS-1, which signifies that the Dean or Director has reviewed and approved the promotion dossier being forwarded for consideration. If the research faculty member under consideration holds appointments in multiple units, please contact all of the units to determine whether the promotion process can be consolidated. No promotion requests from an “additional” unit will be considered after the February 20 deadline.

Documents Required for all promotions submitted to OVPR. (Promotion packets will not be acted on until all required documents are present.)

1. Form RS-1 (Cover Page/Signature Form).



2. Form RS-2 (Statement of Understanding Regarding Responsibility for Bridging Support). See table for bridging support eligibility from OVPR.



3. Form RS-3 (Record of Review for Research Scientist Promotion). This form is forwarded by OVPR to the Affirmative Action Office. If you have questions regarding affirmative action procedures, please contact Susan Rasmussen, Affirmative Action Office (763-0236).



4. A current curriculum vitae (please be sure to include all current sponsored project funding and a current publications list).



5. A copy of the letter used to solicit candid assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate for promotion in light of his/her role and functions.



6. A brief explanation of the choice and qualifications of peer reviewers. For promotions to Associate Research Scientist and Research Scientist at least 5 external evaluations are expected; reviewers must be from above the rank of the candidate being considered.



7. All evaluation letters received must be submitted regardless of whether or not a letter is supportive of the candidate's promotion.



8. A transmittal letter from the Dean or Director to the Vice President for Research in support of the nomination.



9. A letter from the Review Committee summarizing its rationale for recommending the promotion, signed by all of the committee members.



10. (Optional) Individual letters from members of the Review Committee.

Completed promotion packets are to be uploaded to the Ctools website.