The Department’s policies and guidelines for tenure and promotion conform to those set forth in the Florida Administrative Code, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the University Constitution, and at the college level, the Tenure and Promotion Guidelines for Department Chairs.
Candidates for tenure and/or promotion are judged upon their contributions to the department, college, university, and profession in three areas: research, teaching and service. Many of the activities that are considered meritorious in these areas are listed below under the following categories: “most meritorious,” “very meritorious,” and “meritorious.” The listing does not exclude other evidence as may be deemed appropriate.

Merit Criteria for Research
The following items shall stand as evidence of research activity. Under the research category, determinations of quality will be made by the eligible faculty on the basis of (1) comments by internal and external referees, (2) the eligible faculty’s reading of the candidate’s research, and (3) the nature and relative quality of the press, journal or the conference through which contribution was made. Additionally, judgments as to the relevance of each contribution to the fields that comprise Romance Languages and Literatures will be made.
Certain other honors and activities which are not in themselves publications, but which may lead to publications, also represent meritorious performance in the area of research.

A. Most meritorious
1. A sole-authored book, book-length monograph, major critical edition, or other comparable published project that makes a significant contribution to one’s field.
2. A book prize or other professional award or distinction
3. Receipt of a major outside research grant or fellowship

B. Very meritorious
1. Co-authored book-length monograph or major critical edition
2. A brief monograph or book-length edition or annotated translation
3. Substantial articles in refereed and/or highly selective outlets: journals, edited books or proceedings
4. Editor of collections, anthologies, acts
5. Review articles
6. Plenary or keynote addresses

C. Meritorious
1. Co-editor of collections, anthologies, acts, including journals
2. Receipt of a college or university research grant
3. Reprints or translations of articles previously published
4. Conference papers and non-published invited lectures
5. Other published items, including notes, reviews, and translations
6. Public recognition of scholarly achievement, as shown by Humanities Citation Index; nomination for book or other scholarly prize; other printed mentions in a scholarly context; interviews in media, etc.
7. Non-refereed publications
8. Active leadership roles in professional organizations
9. Organization of meetings/symposia/workshops/sessions at local, national or international conferences
10. Active participation in local, national or international meetings, symposia, conferences, workshops (other than giving a prepared paper)
11. Active membership on advisory or editorial boards
12. Assistance to public schools, government, or other state/national agencies or boards
13. Receipt of a departmental research grant

Merit Criteria for Teaching and Advising

A. Most Meritorious
1. College, University or other award for excellence in teaching
2. Distinguished teaching as determined by student evaluation scores consistently above department norm
3. A College/University/professional award for advising
4. Excellence as undergraduate coordinator or graduate coordinator (French, Spanish) or as program coordinator (Italian, Portuguese)
5. Excellence as language program coordinator or director

B. Very Meritorious
1. Direction of graduate theses and dissertations
2. Very positive peer evaluations forwarded by departmental or affiliated groups/committees, or individuals
3. Direction or coordination of study abroad programs.
4. Chairing committees such as adjunct faculty evaluation, TIP, PEP, graduate awards and placement, curriculum revision, language-learning center, etc.
5. Serving as committee member for MA, PhD thesis or non-thesis; study abroad advisor; FLAC coordinator; member of committees as in 5 above
6. Direction of honors theses and undergraduate research projects

C. Meritorious
1. Nominations for College, University or other award for excellence in teaching
2. Nomination for a CLAS or other award for advising
3. Pre-professional development activities (workshops, mock interviews, etc.)
4. Organization of lectures, exhibits, and other teaching or culturally related events

Merit Criteria for Service
Merit is recognized in this category for particular efficacy and productivity; mere service on a committee is deemed the norm

1. Significant contribution to organizing and directing a major conference
2. Chairship of an active standing or ad-hoc departmental, center, college or university committee
3. Membership on a departmental, center, college or university committee
4. Promotion of student extra-curricular activities (clubs, organizations, events, etc.)
5. Any other activity, not specified here, judged to be worthy by the Merit Pay Committee and/or the Chair

DEPARTMENT OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES
TENURE AND PROMOTION PROCEDURES

As part of the mandatory annual evaluation, the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee (T & P) assists the Department Chair in the assessment of all tenure-track faculty members. Normally during the spring semester of each academic year, two members of T & P will each visit a class taught by each of the tenure-track faculty and prepare a peer-evaluation of his/her teaching. On the basis of these evaluations, of student evaluation scores, and of the Annual Activities Report and the over-all CV (the tenure-track faculty member is requested to provide the latter two documents), the T & P Chair will draw up a review of the tenure-track faculty member’s performance in teaching, research, and service. This review, discussed, modified, and voted upon by T & P as a whole, becomes a letter to the Department Chair and is included in the tenure track faculty member’s permanent file. The Department Chair takes it into account in writing the annual letter of evaluation and while discussing that year’s performance with the faculty member. The Chair’s letter indicates, in general terms, the progress made towards tenure and/or promotion. One copy of the annual letter of evaluation is placed in the faculty member’s file, another is sent to the Dean’s office. At the time when a faculty member is being considered for tenure and promotion, all annual letters of evaluation, together with the annual Tenure and Promotion assessments, will be part of the file examined by the tenured members of the Department, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences T & P Committee, the Dean of the College, and the University Personnel Board.
In the case of Assistant Professors coming up for tenure and promotion, the Department Chair is responsible for initiating the actual decision process, although the individual faculty member may request consideration for tenure and/or promotion on his/her own. Assistant Professors will normally be considered for tenure and promotion during their sixth year. This process should be begun during the Spring semester before the Fall of the academic year in which the candidate’s case is to be decided. The Department Chair will solicit names of appropriate external referees from the candidate and from other sources, and will then request letters from a number (generally, three to six) of the suggested referees, half from the faculty member’s list, half from other sources. Internal referees (usually three) will generally be chosen by the candidate. When the candidate’s entire packet is complete, early in the Fall semester, it is reviewed by T & P, which reports on the facts of the case to the tenured faculty in a meeting called by the Chair for this purpose. Faculty, who will have perused the file before the meeting, then indicate their recommendations by secret ballot. The Chair does not participate in this vote but makes an individual determination. This recommendation, positive or negative, is forwarded to the College for further consideration. The packet includes the Chair’s letter of transmission to the College, justifying and discussing the candidate’s achievements and the department recommendation. This letter serves as the Chair’s “vote.”
In the case of promotion from Associate Professor to Professor the same guidelines generally apply. In the Spring semester the Department Chair consults with the Full Professors to decide whether or not the case ought to proceed the following Fall. If the recommendation is positive, the case proceeds as stated above. If not, the Associate Professor will be advised to withdraw his or her candidacy. The candidate may elect to proceed no matter the recommendation. In the subsequent Fall semester, when the candidate’s packet is complete, T & P will review it and present the facts of the case to the Chair and the Full Professors. Once again, if a straw vote is negative, the candidate will be advised to withdraw his or her candidacy. Whether the straw vote be positive or negative, the candidate has the right to proceed, and, at a meeting called by the Chair for this purpose, the Full Professors and the Chair will discuss the facts on the candidate presented by T & P and in the candidate’s file. The faculty will then vote as stated above.