The goal of UMBC’s Faculty Development Plans is to create a set of clearly defined expectations for tenure and promotion for all newly hired faculty at UMBC, and to establish a relationship with the Chair of the department during the earliest stages of the faculty member’s career. This practice was introduced by ADVANCE as a required activity for the STEM women who received an ADVANCE RA as part of their start-up package.
The Provost drafted a policy and presented it to the Chairs of all of the departments in the fall semester. The policy states that by the end of the first semester all newly hired faculty members will have worked with their Chair to develop a plan that identifies major milestones that must be met in order to have a successful 3rd year review and tenure decision.
The policy for the Faculty Development plans has been incorporated into the written tenure and promotion guidelines required by the Provost from ALL departments.