Dear Colleagues:
UUP has negotiated an automatic COVID 19 tenure and promotion extension clock stop. The MOA between SUNY and UUP applies only to faculty on a tenure track as of May 6, 2020. This provides the tenure track faculty an additional year due to COVID 19.
https://uupinfo.org/resources/covid19/pdf/TenureClockMOA.pdf
There is also a provision to opt out of the automatic clock stop. If the tenure track faculty member wishes to bring their dossier forward and not partake of the additional year they can opt out of the automatic COVID 19 tenure and promotion extension clock stop. The decision on whether to opt out is to be made in the year the faculty member would have come up for tenure if not for the automatic extension. They would need to notify the department, with enough time in advance, so that the review procedure has the required time for completion.
As per the message from A. Scott Weber, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, faculty wishing to opt out of the COVID-19 tenure extension must notify, in writing, their Department Chair, Dean, and the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs in the year they plan to be reviewed. The following is the recommended template language:
In compliance with the April 20, 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between New York State and UUP regarding the COVID-19 tenure extension timelines, I hereby elect to opt out of the one-year automatic tenure extension. I understand that my election to opt out is irrevocable and that I will proceed with consideration of my promotion in accordance with the UUP collective bargaining agreement and the Policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees.
http://www.buffalo.edu/provost/messages/covid19-clock-stop.html
As per Robert Granfield, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs asks that the candidate’s “opt out” notification also be included in the dossier behind the Chair’s letter.
Included in this notification are two links. One is to the MOA between SUNY and UUP and the other link is to the message from A. Scott Weber, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Also included as an attachment is the email from Robert Granfield, PhD, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
Faculty with questions regarding the COVID-19 tenure extension should contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
Shirley Bennett
UUP Buffalo Center VPA