Faculty Handbook
The Faculty Handbook contains information and language that comes from a variety of sources. The University Bylaws are drafted and approved solely by the Board of Trustees. University policies are written and approved by administrative officers, usually after consultation with faculty committees and other members of the university community. Those policies must conform to applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Policy statements about tenure and promotion, faculty governance, and academic regulation of students are the responsibility of the faculty. In the spirit of shared governance, changes to the handbook are ordinarily developed by consensus of the faculty and administrators responsible for the policies and practices that are prescribed.
For matters other than tenure and promotion, all faculty are governed by the most recent version of the Faculty Handbook. For the purposes of tenure, promotion, and evaluation, undergraduate faculty will normally use the most recent Faculty Handbook, but some undergraduate faculty members may opt into earlier versions of the handbook depending on the date of their hire and/or tenure and/or promotion. All law school tenure, promotion, and evaluation processes will be guided by the most recent Faculty Handbook.
Eligibility and the basic differences between the various handbooks are explained below.
2020 Faculty Handbook
(Revised 2021, 2024, and 2025; including revisions to University Library faculty promotion procedures)
The revised 2020 Faculty Handbook includes the most up-to-date statement on academic freedom, current policy regarding faculty sabbaticals and pre-tenure leaves, and other minor changes made during the 2024 and 2025 Academic Years. With regard to undergraduate tenure, promotion, and evaluation, the 2020 handbook clarifies the role of Interdisciplinary Programs in tenure, promotion, and evaluation processes, spells out policies regarding the evaluation of non-tenure track faculty, lays out the most recent processes for the promotion of library faculty, and includes language on the undergraduate promotion process.
All faculty hired or promoted after June 30, 2020 will use the most recent version of the 2020 Faculty Handbook to guide their tenure and/or promotion process. Any faculty member hired or promoted and/or tenured before June 30, 2020 may opt into this Handbook for the purposes of tenure and promotion.
2017 Faculty Handbook
The 2017 Faculty Handbook makes two significant changes to the undergraduate tenure and promotion process. First, it introduces Departmental Faculty Development Documents (DFDDs) and requires all tenure candidates to include confidential letters from experts in the field (outside of W&L) as part of the file. The 2017 Handbook also includes guidance with regard to the role of Interdisciplinary Programs in undergraduate tenure, promotion, and evaluation.
Normally, faculty use the most recent version of the 2020 Faculty Handbook to guide their tenure and/or promotion process. However, those faculty hired before June 30, 2020 but after June 30, 2017 may opt into the 2017 Faculty Handbook for the purposes of tenure; faculty promoted to Associate Professor before June 30, 2020 but after June 30, 2017 may opt into the 2017 Faculty Handbook for the purposes of promotion.
2015 Faculty Handbook
The 2015 Faculty Handbook is appropriate for only a limited number of colleagues.
Normally, faculty use the most recent version of the 2020 Faculty Handbook to guide their tenure and/or promotion process. However, those faculty hired before June 30, 2017 but after June 30, 2015 may opt into the 2015 Faculty Handbook for the purposes of tenure; faculty promoted to Associate Professor before June 30, 2017 but after June 30, 2015 may opt into the 2015 Faculty Handbook for the purposes of promotion.