Frequently asked questions
Q. How do I know if I have an academic appointment?
A. To determine the nature of your appointment, contact extension human resources.
Q. What is the difference between a resume and a CV?
A. The CV, or curriculum vitae, is an expanded version of the resume. For additional information, see: MU Career Center Guide to Curriculum Vitaes (PDF)
Q. What if I don’t have contributions to eXtension? Is that a deal breaker for promotion
A. Dossiers are evaluated on all seven criteria. Some areas may be stronger than others.
Q. To what degree is revenue generation a deal-breaker for those of us who have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars locally for program support, but none of that was handled by extension on campus? Is local revenue generation applicable?
A. All revenue generation activities should be included in the Summary of Accomplishments (Tab V).
Q. What is the first step in the promotion process?
A. The first step is to discuss your intention to seek promotion with your supervisor, typically during your annual performance appraisal.
Q. Is there a maximum number of people that can be promoted to each level in a given year?
A. There is no limit to the number of qualified candidates who can be promoted each year.
Q. If there are gaps in service due to family illness or local budget constraints that affected one's ability to conduct programs, how will that be viewed?
A. Candidates for promotion should explain service gaps and other information related to appointment in Appendix C: History and Recommendation Summary (PDF).
Q. Are the criteria for promotion the same every year?
A. Generally the criteria are the same each year; however, the provost’s annual call for promotion may contain some changes. Be sure to read the current call letter and thoroughly review the Guidelines for Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion of Non-Tenure Track (NTT) Faculty — Division of Extension (PDF) before preparing your dossier.
Q. Do I need to explain everything I have accomplished?
A. Never assume your work is obvious to others. The promotion committee may not be familiar with your work. The provost makes the final decision on promotion, and he will not be familiar with your work.
Q. How do I know whether my participation in a grant should be included?
A. While you may have worked on a grant, include only those grants in which you were the writer or principle investigator.
Q. Does experience with other extension systems count?
A. All relevant experience counts, including other extension systems and educational institutions where your primary appointment was academic in nature.
Q. How far back do we need to go in sharing accomplishments? Should we just include everything we have accomplished while at MU?
A. Your dossier should document what you have accomplished throughout your career.
Q. Should the 25-page Summary of Accomplishments (Tab V) include an overview of programs and impacts?
A. A brief narrative overview of no more than a page at the beginning of this section is an excellent way to summarize the breadth, depth and impact of your programming.
Q. I have been a new employee mentor. Where should that be included?
A. You should include that under professional service and leadership in the Summary of Accomplishments (Tab V).
Q. Could you please clarify which letters may be included in the dossier as an applicant applies for promotion within the non-tenure track promotion system?
A. Specific information about letters to be placed in the application for promotion appears in the Guidelines for Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion of Non-Tenure Track (NTT) Academic Faculty (PDF).
Letters are required by the supervisor and program director, if the candidate has a program director. These letters should be placed in Tab II.
In addition, two external reviewers should be selected to review the candidate’s performance. These official reviewers should be selected by the supervisor, with input from the candidate. Reviewers should be in a position to comment on the body of work of the candidate. Reviewers may be internal to the University of Missouri System or external. Characteristics of these reviewers appear in the guidelines under the section titled, “External reviews.” Reviewers need not be ranked faculty, tenured or on the tenure track. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to send a letter requesting the review of the work. Along with the letter of request, he or she should send the dossier to the reviewer. The supervisor should also include promotion guidelines so the reviewer may determine which level of promotion is appropriate. A template of these letters appears in the guidelines. If the reviewer is someone within the University of Missouri System, the supervisor should inform the chair of the promotion committee so the person may be provided with access to the SharePoint site and to the candidate’s dossier. After a thorough review of the dossier, the reviewer should send a confidential letter to the supervisor. The supervisor will place the two letters in the dossier under Tab VI.
Finally, there is an opportunity for colleague/peer evaluation. This opportunity is described in the Guidelines under the section titled “Colleague/Peer Evaluations.” It is preferred that faculty members be ranked as NTT, tenured or on the tenure track to provide written and signed comments regarding the candidate’s promotion. However, it is understood that during this first five years of the NTT process some colleague/peer evaluators may not yet be ranked. Comments must be related to the promotion criteria. Although it is not the responsibility of the supervisor to request letters or provide materials to the candidate’s colleagues, any letters intended for the dossier must be received by the supervisor. The supervisor will include these letters in the candidate’s dossier under Tab V, after the 25-page Summary of Accomplishments. No more than four letters from this faculty group will be accepted. If applicants wish to request their colleagues submit such letters, they should first determine if they are ranked. The Office of Administrative Management (Melinda Adams) will make this information available upon request.
Q. I am afraid that one of my two official reviewers will not submit my letter of review by the deadline. Would it be OK for me to ask a third reviewer so have the two required letters?
A. If you are concerned that one reviewer will not submit a letter of review prior to the deadline, you and your supervisor should identify another potential reviewer so you may be sure to have the two required letters by the deadline. Supervisors will move forward with additional requests as they deem appropriate.
Q. For purposes of determining which faculty may write a letter or comment about promotion as a colleague/peer, how will I know if a person is a ranked faculty member?
A. Generally speaking, if a person holds an official title that includes “professor” or “professional,” he or she is ranked faculty. One may refer to the University of Missouri or Extension faculty directory for titles held by employees. Alternatively, one may call the MU Extension Human Resources office (Melinda Adams) to inquire as to the rank of a colleague. Another idea is to ask the colleague if they are ranked. Those wishing to write a letter to appear in the Colleague/Peer section, could be ranked extension faculty or ranked faculty in another department within the University of Missouri System.
Q: What is the correct rank that should be entered on the History and Recommendation Summary form where it asks for Current Rank and Initial Appointment Date and Rank?
A: Since this is a new process, the current rank would be none with no initial appointment date or rank.