Faculty Tenure Guide

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  • Overview and Purpose of the Tenure Process

The tenure review process is designed to assure tenure is only granted to faculty who are of such high quality that the college can justifiably offer them employment for the remainder of their academic careers. Tenure is a powerful institution and directly impacts the quality of the entire college. Under Washington State law (RCW 28B.50.850 through 28B.50.870), only the Board of Trustees has authority to grant tenure. The work of the Tenure Review Committee is vital to the Board of Trustees. The Trustees rely on the Committee's reports to gain a full understanding of the probationer's knowledge, skills and abilities as a faculty member and member of the college community.

Due to the Board's reliance on a comprehensive assessment of the Probationer, this Tenure Handbook was designed to help create consistency across committees. This manual is provided as a guide for Committee members to use throughout the tenure review process. Article 17 of the Lake Washington Federation of Teachers Collective Bargaining Agreement (LWFT-CBA) sets out basic policies for the tenure review process. The LWFT-CBA notes “The Tenure Guidebook will be reviewed and approved by the Instructional Council annually.”

The tenure process supports the college's mission and is grounded in equity and the need for resilience. It provides extensive professional development and evaluation processes for faculty members who will hopefully become the instructional leaders of the college and will prepare our students for today's careers and tomorrow's opportunities. In alignment with this mission, the tenure process follows the college's core values and highlights inclusion, innovation, collaboration, and respect, as the core tenants of a LWTech tenured professor. Probationers are invited to use the tenure process as a time of self-reflection, learning and professional and personal development, to refine their personal and professional qualities and skills and to extend their focus on equity and inclusion. The tenure process lasts three years.

The Tenure Committee

Tenure is a faculty-driven process with student and administrative input. The tenure committee's goal is to support the probationer throughout the tenure process, to provide guidance and advice, and to review and evaluate their teaching. The Tenure Committee will guide and evaluate the Probationer's work according to the following criteria areas:

  • Teaching and working with students
  • Working with faculty/ staff
  • Service (College, community, industry if applicable)
  • Program management/advancement
  • Professional development

Tenure Review Committee Members

The Tenure Review Committee is composed of the following members:

  • Three Tenured Faculty Members (including the Chair)
  • Tenure Chair
  • Administrative Representative
  • Student Representative

Tenure Report

Each tenure report reflects the individual Probationer, and as such will contain documents unique to that individual. However, because these reports play such a major role in the Board of Trustees' decision-making, many details of format and content are standardized. Such standardization will assist the Board of Trustees in its task of reading, digesting, and evaluating the work of the committees and aid the committees by providing guidelines for describing their activities and editing their reports. The tenure guide (add attachment) provides information about the expectations and components of the tenure report.

Please review the tenure guide for more information about the tenure process and reporting.

Please Contact your Dean for the most recent Tenure Guide.