The Pratt Faculty Union » Getting Promoted

ARPT Forum a rousing success

Suzanne — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:05:55 +0000

The first ever Union-sponsored forum on the Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure process at Pratt was well attended, by about 50 faculty from every department at Pratt. The event was historic in bringing together faculty from across the Institute to discuss Pratt's unique ARPT process, memorialized in Article XVI of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The discussion helped to clarify the faculty's role and rights in a process that is often greatly misunderstood, and uneven in its functioning across the Institute. This will be the first of many such necessary events.

Cheers!

Suzanne

ARPT FORUM AUGUST 28

Suzanne — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:36:05 +0000

Please come discuss issues relevant to Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure at Pratt with fellow faculty and Union members.

Friday August 28, 2009

Engineering 371

10:00-2:00

PLEASE RSVP: kyecarbone@gmail.com, 718-636-3614

Food & drink will be served

ARPT FORUM FOR FACULTY, AUGUST 28 (FIRST EVER!)

Suzanne — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:02:46 +0000

The UFCT Executive Committee would like to invite you to a discussion/meeting/conference on matters pertaining to: Appointments, Reappointments, Promotions and Tenure (i.e. ARPT, see: article XVI of the CBA). This will take place on Friday, August 28^th, from 10:00 to 2:00 on Pratt's Brooklyn campus (actual room TBA as dependent on how many members will be attending). Lunch will be served.

If you have served or are presently serving your department/area’s Peer Review, CART or PART Committee(s), are currently preparing to apply for, or have applied for a faculty action (reappointment, status change, promotion or tenure) in years past, or, are simply interested in knowing more about how the ‘process’ works; what the differences are between ‘procedures’ and ‘standards', or are just curious about how other department/area’s address these ARPT matters, we welcome your attendance as this forum is open to any and all UFCT members.

Therefore, please RSVP ASAP (by email: kyecarbone@gmail.com or phone: 718-636-3614) as we'll need to know how many will be attending so we may make the necessary accommodations regarding food, drink and space.

In Solidarity,

The UFCT Executive Committee:

Kye Carbone

Adjunct Professor w/CCE (Foundation Art)

President UFCT Local 1460

Suzanne Verderber

Associate Professor (tenured, English & Humanities)

VP UFCT Local 1460

Holly Wilson

Assistant Professor (tenure-track, Libraries)

Secretary UFCT Local 1460

Anne Turyn

Adjunct Professor w/CCE (Media/Photo)

Treasurer, UFCT Local 1460

The Question of Collegiality

Suzanne — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:03:53 +0000

Is "collegiality" a valid category in assessing whether a faculty member merits promotion? This statement from the American Association of University Professors explains in the plainest terms the dangers of separating collegiality out from those criteria traditionally taken into account at most institutions of higher learning: teaching, research, and service. The statement argues that by necessity, collegiality is a component of all of these areas, indeed, for one's overall performance as a faculty member. Separating collegiality as its own category could, the AAUP argues, have a chilling effect on a faculty member's expressions of dissent in various areas where such dissent is constructive and important (such as curriculum committees or job searches), and thus threaten academic freedom, and it could tend to enforce homogeneity. The UFCT 1460 stands by, as always, the procedures laid out in Article XVI of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when questions of reappointment, promotion, and tenure are raised.

–Suzanne Verderber

Getting Evaluated and Promoted: The Basics

Suzanne — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:42:46 +0000

The process of evaluating faculty at Pratt for retention and promotion is called the "ARPT" process. ARPT stands for Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure. Article XVI of the CBA enumerates the procedures for ARPT. Each department has an ARPT or so-called: "PART", "CART" or [Faculty] ‘Peer Review Committee.' When a faculty member applies for any "action", i.e. reappointment, status change, promotion and/or tenure, their application package is first submitted to their department's faculty/ARPT committee. Those faculty colleagues serving the committee make either a "recommendation" or a "non-recommendation" to the department's Chair or the area's ‘Head', the faculty serving as they do in a strict advisory capacity only; which is to say that, such recommendations are not ‘actionable' decisions as faculty peers are not empowered nor have the ‘authority' to ‘confer' or ‘deny'. Likewise, starting at the Chair's level [tier 2 of this 5-tiered process], three administrative tiers: Chair, Dean and Provost determine the fate of the said faculty action request, the Board of Trustees ‘final approval' [tier 5] sanctioning such determinations by the end of the spring semester [or academic year].

The ARPT issue is of critical importance to the entire faculty as it is crucial that we all do as thorough a job as is possible; in keeping with the letter, sprit and intent of Article XVI. Absent this necessary consciousness and the faculty's collective determined dedication to this matter (to do it ‘right'!) we are mere fodder for those administrative whims – should they exist – that wish to keep us all running in place. [Headline: ‘Academia Aint' Pretty!]

This process takes place in the early Fall of each academic year. The due date for the submission of materials to the ARPT committee, as well as the kinds of materials that need to be submitted, is determined by the ARPT committee. The deadline for the submission of the ARPT committee's recommendations to the Chair is established by the official academic calendar. To get more information about this process, ask to speak to a member of the ARPT committee within your department.

ARPT and Faculty Actions

The 2006-2007 ARPT (Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure) faculty action cycle was a banner year for Pratt's faculty. This is due in small measure to the Union's enforcement of article XVI of the CBA. Note the following conferred faculty actions:

FT Tenure: 7 (of seven applications)

CCE: 12 (an historic high for a single year)

Promotions: 43 (FT & PT combined)

Status change (from visiting to adjunct): 30