Office of the Provost

Updated Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure

May 6, 2026

Dear Stony Brook Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty,

Over the last three years, the Office of the Provost in collaboration with the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences has engaged in a process to review and revise our Promotion and Tenure Guidelines. 

Most recently, we have updated the guidelines to address two substantive changes: the establishment of a University-Wide Advisory Committee and an articulation of the process for expedited tenure.

Through several engagements over the course of this academic year led by Amy Cook, vice provost for academic affairs, we have sought feedback on these changes from a wide range of stakeholders, including the University Senate Executive Committee, Deans, School and College Senates, Promotion and Tenure Committees, and Academic Department Chairs and Administrators. 

We have incorporated edits, clarifications, and changes based on community feedback, such as clarifying the process for tenure clock stoppage–particularly for birth of child, adoption, or foster placement; adding guideline review expectations; and more explicit inclusion of language relevant to the processes for Health Sciences faculty. 

These changes build upon previous revisions we announced in January 2024 to enhance the promotion and tenure process, with four areas of particular focus:

  • Creating a single deadline for cases for promotion to associate with tenure and another for promotion to full professor;
  • Clarifying the selection criteria for external letters of evaluation and omitting the consideration of internal letters except as specifically solicited by the Chair/Area Head;
  • Mandating documentation of a midpoint review for pre-tenure faculty;
  • Establishing an annual workshop for new faculty and an annual celebration of newly promoted faculty each fall.

Updated Guidelines

We are sharing with you the updated version of Stony Brook’s Guidelines on Promotion and Tenure, which incorporates the revisions listed above. We also shared these guidelines in our May Senate report.

Opportunity for Feedback

We are providing an additional 10 days for feedback from the community. If you have feedback or questions to share, you may do so by the end of day May 15. I am also offering the opportunity to meet with me directly to share your feedback; you may sign up for a time slot in the form above. We expect to finalize these guidelines by the end of the month and will be in effect for cases due to the Provost’s Office and EVPHSC in 2027.

Your ongoing engagement and feedback ensures we maintain a high level of standards for excellence among our faculty that is in line with our standing as one of the nation's leading flagships.

Sincerely,

Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President