2,525: Tenure Upon Hire for Academic Faculty

Revised: June 2016

The Nevada System of Higher Education Code, Title 2, Section 3.3.1 (b1)-(b2) authorizes the President or President's designee to recommend the award of tenure upon hire to an academic faculty member. The final award requires the approval of the President and may or may not require the approval of the NSHE Board of Regents. Upon prior approval, candidates for positions may be offered an academic faculty position with the commitment of the University to seek tenure upon acceptance of the position.

The following steps must be taken to complete the process:

1. Should the dean wish to request that the position be offered with a commitment to seek tenure upon hire after acceptance, the Provost's Office should be contacted to receive approval to proceed.

2. NSHE Code requires the President to seek a recommendation from the appropriate faculty on whether an academic faculty member may be exempt from the requirement of serving a probationary period and be awarded tenure upon hire. Once authorized by the Executive Vice President & Provost to proceed, the tenured faculty of the department should review the application file and vote on the matter of tenure. The department chair shall create a memo addressed to the Executive Vice President & Provost, and sent to the dean stating the vote and recommendation of the faculty. The dean can indicate his/her approval on the memo or create a separate memo with a recommendation regarding the award of tenure upon hire.

3. A Request to Offer must be routed through e-search for approval noting that the request includes offering the position with a commitment to seek tenure upon hire. The department's request memo should accompany the request to offer, and be uploaded as an "other document" in the e-search record.

4. Once the Request to Offer has been approved, the verbal offer may take place, followed up by an official offer letter. In addition to other required paragraphs in the offer letter template available on the HR website, the letter should contain the appropriate paragraph making a commitment to seek tenure upon hire.

5. If the applicant accepts the position, the college must notify the Provost's Office. The Executive Vice President & Provost will then prepare a memo to the President requesting tenure upon hire.

6. Once the President has approved the request, the new hire will be notified by formal letter, with a copy to the dean, chair and HR.