• Introduction
• Teaching
• Creative Endeavor and Research
• Service

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The following departmental policy statement on promotion and tenure is intended to agree with the guidelines of Indiana University as expressed in the academic handbook and with the guidelines of the COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS, Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne, as expressed in its policy documents. In most areas, however, the departmental statements only elaborate on and extend the other guidelines in order to safeguard and emphasize the academic characteristics that are unique to the Department of Visual Arts. This document is meant to serve as a comprehensive guide for assessing a candidate's qualifications for promotion or tenure. Because a given promotion or tenure case may have characteristics that could not have been predicted, it is recognized that interpretive adjustments of the rules may have to be made in assessing those cases.

Although tenure and promotion decisions are based on many of the same criteria, there is a significant difference in the import of the two decisions. A recommendation for tenure entails the trust of the department in the continuing competence of the candidate and a belief in his or her potential for future development. Thus, a candidate for tenure must demonstrate effectiveness in three areas: teaching, research and/or creative endeavor, and service. On the other hand, a recommendation for promotion acknowledges the particular excellence as well as general competence of the candidate. Thus, a candidate for promotion must excel in at least one of the three areas, while still maintaining effectiveness in the others.

For cases concerning promotion or tenure, a committee shall consist of all faculty of the department, except the department chairman and faculty member concerned. When such cases are brought before it, the committee may consult with both the faculty member concerned and the chairman, either in person or by means of written documents. The committee shall then make a recommendation and shall transmit the recommendation in writing to the faculty member and the chairman, including reasons for its recommendation.

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Teaching is admittedly difficult to evaluate. Hence, it is important that the candidate's teaching be assessed by several different methods which may include:

1. Student evaluations (administered either in class or subsequently)
2. Peer reviews
3. Class material including syllabi, examinations, and project descriptions
4. The record of new course curriculum development
5. Evidence of student accomplishments
6. Evidence of the use of creative, innovative, and unusual teaching methods in the classroom, seminars, and other learning settings
7. Awards, citations, and other tangible evidence of broadly recognized and meritorious teaching

Within the Department of Visual Arts, there are three equally important professional areas:

I. Visual Arts Studio
II. Art History
III. Commercial Arts Technology

FURTHERMORE, ANY REASONABLE COMBINATION OF PARTIALLY FULFILLED CRITERIA IS LIKEWISE CONSIDERED SUFFICIENT.

I. Visual Arts Studio

1. Acceptance in one national or international and five regional juried exhibitions
2. Acceptance in eight regional or area juried exhibitions
3. Two one-person shows in a reputable gallery, public place, university, or museum
4. Three group shows in which the body of work exhibited by the candidate is sizable
5. Three significant commissions

1. At least two substantial articles suitable for publication
2. One book length manuscript of an original nature (a text book counting one-half)
3. Two critical catalogues
4. Editorial work or reviews to be evaluated according to the nature of the particular projects

1. Six commissioned brochures, catalogues, or manuals through production for major companies or corporations
2. Fifteen illustrations reproduced in brochures, books, magazines, or technical manuals
3. Six significant commissions for graphic designs, logos, interior designs, wall graphics, signage, etc.
4. Three commissioned industrial project designs
5. Three major commissioned slide presentations for advertising a product or company for training purposes
6. Four commissioned trade show designs or in-house displays
7. Five written works or articles published in trade journals

• Advertising design work for newspapers, magazines, television, trade journals, or other publications
• Papers accepted for reading at conferences
• Speaking engagements at other universities, research institutions, or professional organizations
• Scholarly work sufficiently near completion to allow evaluation
• Use of work by the candidate in publications
• Reception of research grants
• Works in public or private collections
• Awards received in significant exhibitions
• Consultant service for appropriate projects

Service to the department and university includes participation in committee and other non-teaching functions such as student advising or program administration. Service to the community refers to activities in which the candidate is serving in a manner directly related to his/her profession. Service to the profession includes holding office in professional bodies, organizing conferences, sessions, exhibitions, writing short reviews, refereeing books or articles, exhibition jurist, editing journals, and engaging in comparable activities. It is unlikely that promotion would be based on excellence in this area alone.

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