• Promotion and Tenure Rules
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• Clinical Track Professors
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• Writing Track Professors

Retention and Promotion Rules for Writing Track Professors

Introduction

This statement is to inform legal writing track faculty members of the procedures and practices governing decisions on retention and promotion. Such procedures and practices are subject to any applicable regulations of the University of Missouri.

The term "legal writing track faculty member" means an assistant legal writing professor, associate legal writing professor or legal writing professor of law who has been placed on a legal writing track pursuant to a vote of the law faculty (including all tenured, tenure track, clinical track and legal writing track faculty).

Promotion and Tenure Committee

The faculty's role is to make recommendations to the dean regarding the retention and promotion of legal writing track faculty members. That role shall be carried out by the Tenure and Promotion Committee, which is composed of all tenured faculty members (including the dean) in the School of Law. In addition, the dean may appoint a Tenure and Promotion Subcommittee to aid in the administration of these rules.

Only tenured full professors shall be eligible to vote on recommendations for promotion to legal writing professor of law.

Categories of Legal Writing Track Faculty Members

There are three categories on the legal writing track: assistant legal writing professor of law, associate legal writing professor of law, and legal writing professor of law.

The initial appointment of a faculty member to a legal writing track position will ordinarily be at the rank of associate legal writing professor of law. Persons who have less than three years of law practice or teaching experience may be appointed at the rank of assistant legal writing professor of law, and persons who have extensive previous legal writing law teaching experience may be appointed at the rank of legal writing professor of law.

The initial appointment to any category on the legal writing track shall be a term appointment for one year. A person hired as an assistant legal writing professor of law shall be eligible for two additional one-year terms, followed by successive three-year terms. A person hired as an associate legal writing professor of law shall be eligible for one additional one-year term, followed by successive three-year terms. A person hired as a legal writing professor of law shall be eligible for a three-year term followed by successive three-year terms.

Retention at the expiration of any term described in this section is subject to the criteria for retention set forth in Paragraph 5, infra.

Nature of Appointment

1. Appointments to the legal writing track are for nine months.
2. Legal writing track faculty members have no expectation of or eligibility for continuous appointment (tenure).
3. Legal writing track faculty members are eligible and are expected to participate in all faculty governance activities. Legal writing track faculty members shall be eligible for summer research grants funded by the School of Law, but priority shall be given to tenure-track faculty members.
4. A legal writing track faculty member shall be notified by June 1 if her or his contract is not to be renewed for the next academic year.
5. Legal writing track faculty members may be dismissed for cause, subject to any applicable university regulations.

Criteria for Retention and Promotion

The two factors that are to be considered in retention and promotion decisions are quality of teaching and participation in activities designed to promote professional growth.

1. Teaching. The primary criterion for retention or promotion of legal writing track faculty members shall be demonstrated teaching ability. In making this qualitative judgment the faculty may consider, among other factors, the extent to which the candidate has effectively:
   1. taught focused and well-organized classes, using a variety of teaching methods to provide students with an understanding of the legal research, analysis, and writing process,
   2. used and developed supplemental teaching materials,
   3. designed challenging writing assignments that require the integration of research, analytical, and writing skills,
   4. provided insightful, detailed critiques of student papers with written comments identifying the most significant writing and analytical problems and prescribing solutions,
   5. conducted student conferences that help students understand their past mistakes and develop strategies for improving their future performance,
   6. improved, through refinement, development or new application, legal writing teaching methodology,
   7. fostered a successful learning environment, including being accessible to students, showing an interest and involvement in their development and welfare, and stimulating and inspiring students in their studies,
   8. conducted classroom courses other than legal writing courses (where appointed to do so by the dean).

   The faculty shall also consider: (1) student evaluations and (2) evaluations by colleagues, with particular weight given to evaluations by those who have significant experience teaching legal writing courses.

2. Participation in Activities Designed to Promote Professional Growth. Legal writing track faculty members are expected to participate in activities designed to promote their growth as professionals. Such activities may include research and publication, but unlike tenure track faculty members there is no publication requirement. Further, legal writing track faculty members who choose to publish need not do so in the traditional law review format. They may satisfy the requirements of this section by publishing, for example, bar journal articles or other significant writings.

In addition to publication, legal writing track faculty members may satisfy the requirements of this section through activities connected to their teaching or to renewing their knowledge in order to enrich their teaching. Such activities might include, for example, participation in workshops designed to improve their knowledge of current trends in the teaching of legal writing or the practice of law; researching and evaluating new methods of legal writing teaching; pro bono, legal aid or other advocacy work; participation as a speaker at continuing legal education programs or programs for legal educators; and active participation on national, state or local bar committees or national organizations of legal writing teachers.

A legal writing track faculty member who is uncertain whether certain activities will satisfy the requirements of this section may obtain a determination from the dean or from a Tenure and Promotion Subcommittee appointed by the dean. Such request and any approval shall be in writing.

Retention and Promotion Decisions

1. To justify the renewal in rank of the contract of an assistant or associate legal writing professor of law, such person must have demonstrated a high degree of competence with respect to the criteria for retention and promotion (Paragraph 5, supra) and must have demonstrated a high likelihood of achieving promotion to legal writing professor of law.
2. To justify the renewal in rank of the contract of a legal writing professor of law, such person must have demonstrated excellence with respect to the criteria for retention and promotion.
3. To justify a promotion from assistant to associate legal writing professor of law, the candidate must demonstrate a high degree of competence with respect to the criteria for retention and promotion.
4. To justify a promotion from associate legal writing professor to legal writing professor of law, the candidate must demonstrate excellence with respect to the criteria for retention and promotion.

Schedules for Promotion

A person appointed as an assistant legal writing professor of law ordinarily will be considered for promotion to associate legal writing professor of law during the third year of employment, with the promotion to be effective at the beginning of the following academic year. Such a person ordinarily will be considered for promotion to legal writing professor of law during the fifth year of employment as an associate legal writing professor of law, with the promotion to be effective at the beginning of the following academic year.

A person appointed as an associate legal writing professor of law ordinarily will be considered for promotion to legal writing professor of law during their seventh year of employment, with the promotion to be effective at the beginning of the following academic year.

The promotion decisions described above may be made earlier or later.

Process

1. At least once each year, the dean shall meet with each legal writing track faculty member regarding her or his progress toward retention and/or promotion.
2. The Tenure and Promotion Committee shall make recommendations regarding retention at a meeting to be convened during the winter (second) semester of any year in which a legal writing track faculty member's contract will expire. After such meeting, the dean shall convey to the candidate concerned the general content of the Committee's discussion and shall in particular inform the candidate of any matters that were perceived as weaknesses.

The Tenure and Promotion Committee shall make recommendations regarding promotion at a meeting to be convened during the fall semester of the year preceding the year in which the promotion would be effective. After such meeting, the dean shall convey to the candidate concerned the general content of the Committee's discussion and shall in particular inform the candidate of any matters that were perceived as weaknesses.

In exceptional circumstances, the Tenure and Promotion Committee may meet at other times to discuss retention and/or promotion and make such recommendations as it deems appropriate. For example, the Committee may determine to consider an early recommendation for promotion or for appointment to a longer term contract. The candidate shall be given 30-days advance notice of such a meeting.

With regard to any meeting of the Tenure and Promotion Committee, the candidate shall be given the opportunity to present his or her views and to provide any further relevant information either in writing or by appearing personally.

Committee Recommendations on Promotion

The Tenure and Promotion Committee shall make its recommendations regarding retention and promotion to the dean. The dean shall then forward the recommendation and the dean's recommendation to the Provost, who shall make the final decision.