TO: All MUNFA Members
FROM: MUNFA Executive Committee
DATE: August 28, 2023
SUBJECT: Changes to Applying for Early Promotion & Tenure
Faculty Members holding the rank of assistant professor considering an application for early tenure or promotion in the 2023-24 Academic Year are advised that recent changes to the Collective Agreement may impact your decision to apply.
In the last round of bargaining, MUNFA negotiated changes to Clauses 10.23 and 10.24 to remove a contentious requirement for “superior performance” in early tenure applications. These applications are now considered on their merits, with the same criteria as any other tenure file. In exchange for removing this language, the consequences of an early tenure application are also now the same as any other application: Faculty Members holding the rank of assistant professor who do not achieve early tenure are offered a one (1) year terminal appointment.
Faculty Members considering early tenure may wish to consider applying for early promotion. The process for early promotion remains unchanged: successful applicants receive increased pay and a new title, and unsuccessful applicants continue on in their promotion and tenure cycle.
The deadline to apply for early tenure or promotion is September 1, 2023.
If you have any questions about the early tenure or promotion process, please contact MUNFA at munfa@mun.ca.
Full Text of Clauses 10.23 and 10.24
10.23 An Assistant Professor in their fifth year of a tenure-track appointment, or an Associate Professor in the second year of their tenure-track appointment, may apply to be considered for tenure using the criteria stated in Clause 10.30. The provisions of Clause 10.10 shall apply and letters of appraisal shall be sought using the procedures specified in Clauses 10.10 through 10.17.
10.24 When candidates are considered for tenure under the provisions of Clause 10.23, one of the following actions shall be taken by the University:
(a) if the performance of the Faculty Member satisfies the criteria as stated in Clause 10.30, tenure shall be granted and a Faculty Member holding the rank of Assistant Professor shall be automatically promoted to Associate Professor.
(b) if the performance of the Faculty Member does not satisfy the criteria as stated in Clause 10.30, their tenure-track appointment shall not be extended, but they shall be offered a further one (1) year terminal appointment.
