The awarding of continuous appointment marks a long-term commitment on the part of the University. The basis for granting it is the determination that the achievements of an individual have demonstrated the individual's potential to continue to contribute significantly to the mission of the University and to enhance its programs of teaching, research, and service/outreach over the course of the academic professional staff member's career. A mandatory decision on continuous appointment is required for probationary academic professionals in their sixth year of probationary service. During the six-year probationary period, the individual should establish a consistent record of achievements and show evidence of continued professional development and growth. Sustained accomplishments over a period of time constitute evidence that the individual is likely to continue to make significant contributions in the future. While recommendations prior to the sixth year of probationary service are permissible, a case for a sustained record of accomplishment must be made.

Please forward the names of any probationary academic professional staff who will be recommended for continuous appointment to Karen Linquist, Human Resources, 120 Morrill Hall, 100 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, or contact her at 612-624-9817. For assistance in preparing dossiers, please review the checklist of suggested documentation.

In order to provide a systematic central review of units' recommendations, the following deadlines have been established. You will need to establish earlier deadlines for your respective units to accomplish your reviews of department/division recommendations in advance of these deadlines. Recommendations for continuous appointment will be presented by Tom Sullivan, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, to the Board of Regents for approval at the May 2007 meeting. Steps in the Process for Review of Probationary Academic Professionals Considered for Continuous Appointment and Process for Promotions illustrates the flow of events in the continuous appointment review and/or promotion review process.

A Form 26 – Appraisals of Probationary Academic Professionals must be prepared for every probationary academic professional staff member in the unit and must be submitted according to the following schedule.

Recommendation Deadlines

Send files and annual appraisals (Form 26) to Karen Linquist, Office of Human Resources, 120 Morrill Hall.

Academic Professional and Administrative Staff Notice Dates for Nonreappointment, Nonrenewal, or Termination of Appointment (93XX, 96XX, and 97XX Classes)

Notice of nonreappointment for academic professionals holding probationary appointments must be given by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

Nonrenewal of academic professional and administrative staff who hold date-specific appointments (K, J) should follow formal procedures and official notice of nonrenewal must be provided in a timely fashion by the appropriate administrator as stipulated in the Performance Reviews for Academic Professional and Administrative Employees.