Letters of evaluation from individuals both on and off campus are received
after sending them the standard request for
evaluation form letter. Note that the draft of this letter provides
for the sending of copies of publications for specific evaluations. Departures
from this letter to fit individual circumstances are permissible, though
statements which direct a response, such as "We are trying to get Professor
X promoted," are completely inappropriate and severely jeopardize a file.
Non-standard letters should be reviewed by the Provost's Office prior
to being sent. Copies of all non-standard letters must be included
in the file, as well as a sample copy of the standard letter, as used.
Please indicate clearly in the letter or in a separate list exactly which
publications or other materials were sent to each referee. We recommend
including the Candidate's Statement in the packet sent to referees. Your
soliciting letter to referees must include information about whether or
not the candidate has waived access to the file, and so is to be confidential
or not.
The standard letter should include two questions, the first of which
asks reviewers to compare the candidate with other scholars at comparable
stages in their academic careers, and the second of which asks the reviewers
to indicate whether, in their opinion, assuming satisfactory teaching and
service, the candidate would achieve tenure and/or promotion at their institutions.
Please indicate which outside referees (usually a maximum of 6-7) have
been proposed by the candidate and which have been chosen independently
by the Department or College. Be sure that a clear majority of referees
is selected by the department. Furthermore, the Faculty Personnel Committee
wishes to know which referees have any special relationship to the candidate,
e.g., as dissertation supervisor, research collaborator, co-author, etc.
Include a brief biographical sketch of each referee that establishes his/her
credentials and significance in the field. If lengthy vitae are submitted,
the brief biographical summaries should be included in the primary file
and the complete vitae should be included with the supplememtary materials.
As a rule, it is most useful to solicit letters from referees at institutions
comparable to UO, that is AAU-level institutions. A predominance of letters
from significantly weaker research institutions or from referees at a rank
below the promotional rank of the candidate will jeopardize a file.
All letters received must be included in the file, including those which
are negative, neutral or simply indicate unwillingness (or inability) to
offer a judgment.
Summary of materials in this section:
Sample letter sent to referees
List of materials sent to referees
Biographical sketch of each referee with indication of relationship
to candidate and who suggested referee
Outside letters of evaluation
Inside letters of evaluation
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