Case Documentation

Handbook Table of Contents | Constitution | Faculty Policies | Degree Policies

Description of Case Documentation

The sections in the following sample Table of Contents must be included in the case documentation for an appointment or tenure decision.

Table of Contents

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Department Report
  3. Department Signature Sheet
  4. Curriculum Vitae
    1. Personal Data
    2. Publication list
    3. Information reflecting the candidate's external reputation
    4. Service and committee work within the University
    5. Contributions to Education
  5. Educational and Service Activities Statement
  6. Research Activities Statement
  7. Internal Letters of Recommnedation
    1. Sample Request Letter to Internal Referees
    2. List of Internal Referees
    3. Recommendations
  8. External Letters of Recommendation
    1. Sample Request Letter to External Referees
    2. List of External Referees
    3. Recommendations
  9. Student Letters of Recommendation
    1. Sample Request Letter to Student Referees
    2. List of Student Referees
    3. Recommendations
  10. Faculty Course Evaluations
Appendix. (optional, use for any additional material)

I. Table of Contents

All sections should be included, but sections which are not applicable should consist of a single page containing the section number, title, and the words "Not Applicable."

II. Departmental Report

Include:
  1. A descriptive synopsis of the candidate's teaching and other educational activities; research and other scholarly activities; and service;
  2. An assessment of the quality of the candidate's achievements in each of these categories;
  3. A description and evaluation of the role that the candidate is expected to fill in the department; and
  4. Report on the departmental deliberation and vote on the case.

III. Departmental Signature Sheet

The departmental signature sheet should contain the following statement:

"The undersigned faculty members participated in the deliberation on the departmental recommendation regarding the [appointment/reappointment/promotion/tenure] decision concerning [name], and certify that the report of the department head truly reflects the decision made at the departmental meeting. These signatures do not indicate the approval or disapproval of the recommendation."

The signature sheet should contain the names of all members of the department who are eligible to vote. Any missing signature should be labeled as "not present", "not available", or "declined" to signify that a member of the department was not at the meeting, was at the meeting but is nota available to sign the signature sheet, or has declined to certify that the report reflects the decision made at the departmental meeting.

IV. Curriculum Vitae

  1. Personal data
    2.
    Include educational record an all previous professional appointments.
  2. Publication list
    3.
    Include items such as
    1. Books;
    2. Papers published or accepted for publication in recognized journals or conference proceedings that employ the review process;
    3. (Optional) Papers submitted for publication but not yet accepted;
    4. (Optional) Un-referenced reports (with Government abstract number).
  3. Information reflecting the candidate's external reputation
    4.
    Include items such as:
    1. Citations and awards;
    2. Invited talks at professional meetings and conferences; seminars and colloquia;
    3. Journal editorships;
    4. Membership in and offices held in professional societies;
    5. Committee work outside the University;
    6. Consulting:
    7. Contract and grant support; including the funding that the candidate has had in the past, current funding, and currently submitted proposals;
    8. Reviews of publications and research proposals.
  4. Service and committee work within the University
    5.
  5. Contributions to Education
    6.
    List items such as:
    1. Courses and seminars taught by the candidate;
    2. Advising and mentoring of undergraduate students including a list of the students;
    3. Graduate degree candidates and the postdoctoral collaborators
      Include information on the candidate's current and past Ph.D. students whould be listed with the titles and dates (or expected dates) of their theses and (for past students) their present locations. Similar lists of M.S. students may also be appropriate in certain cases.

V. **# Educational and Service Activities Statement

Candidates should outline their educational and service activities and career goals. This may include discussion of the candidate's contributions to: 1) the creation of teaching materials, e.g., textbooks, lecture notes, examinations, original laboratory exercises, examples of student projects; 2)course, curriculum, and degree program development, 3) deeper insights into the teaching and learning process, and effective responses to Carnegie Mellon's permanent concern with quality education; and 4) the creation of sound, imaginative, and challenging teaching materials; design and implementation of educational technology. They may also include a discussion of other activities which serve the university community.

VI. **# Research Activities Statement

Candidates should outline their research activities and career goals.

VII. Internal Letters of Recommendation

This section includes letters from current members of Carnegie Mellon faculty. Subsection A includes a sample letter of request and Subsection B includes a list of all those from whom letters were requested.
  1. Sample Request Letter to Internal Referees
    2.
  2. List of Internal Referees
    3.
  3. Recommendations
    4.

VIII. _+_ External Letters of Recommendation

This section includes letters from people outside Carnegie Mellon who are qualified to speak on the candidate's work. Information about both teaching and research should be requested. The letters requesting letters of recommendation and all related outgoing correspondence must have the prior approval of the Dean; copies of these letters of request, etc., should be included as subsection A. Subsection B should be a list of all those from whom letters were requested with very brief statements on each, and an indication of which of these were proposed by the candidate and which by the department.
  1. Sample Request Letter to External Referees
    2.
  2. List of External Referees
    3.
  3. Recommendations
    4.

IX. _#_ Student Letters of Recommendation

This section includes letters from students, past and present, undergraduate and graduate. The letters requesting these letters from students and all outgoing correspondence must have the prior approval of the Dean. Subsection A should include copies of these letters of request. Subsection B should contain a summary account of the criteria for selecting the students to be addressed, the number of requests made, and a list of the responding addressees. The letters of request to the student should contain the following paragraph:

"Your comments are very important to us in considering the case. They will become an important part of the written documentation that is reviewed by members of the department and by the college and university promotion committees for their recommendations. No one other than the participants in the promotion process will have access to your comments."

  1. Sample Request Letters to Student Referees
    2.
  2. List of Student Referees
    3.
  3. Recommendations
    4.

X. _#_ Faculty Course Evaluations

Appendix. (optional)

Any additional evidence bearing on the quality of the candidate's teaching or research performance.

A collection of supporting materials may also be put together that is not part of the case proper, but which could be used by committees. This includes reprints and preprints of articles, copies of books, lecture notes, etc. These will be returned to the candidate.


Footnotes

* Indicates UP and MCS Criteria
** Indicates an item which should be prepared by the candidate or by the department head in consultation with the candidate.
# Indicates an item which may not be appropriate for initial appointments or candidates who are not already at the University
+ Indicates an item which is not required for reappointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, nor for reappointment at the rank of Instructor or promotion from that rant to that of Assistant Professor.