The Longer Service criteria are intended to reward clinical faculty for significant and sustained contributions to the teaching mission of HMS, HSDM, and their affiliated institutions. Ordinarily, eligible faculty are Full-time or Part-time Instructors, hold a qualifying doctoral degree in the clinical discipline for which they are being considered for promotion, and fulfill other current eligibility policies for ladder appointments. Faculty must have dedicated at least ten (10) years as significant, sustained contributors to the teaching mission of HMS/HSDM learners at HMS, HSDM, and its affiliates and have demonstrated continuing growth in their roles as teachers.
As long as the total years of contribution are ten (10), faculty may have a break in their appointment to be considered for promotion by the Longer Service criteria. Ordinarily, the break would be expected to have been for a maximum of two years, and the candidate will have returned to Harvard for at least three (3) consecutive years before consideration for Longer Service promotion. Reasonable exceptions to the break in time can be requested for extenuating circumstances, such as military service.
Candidates for Longer Service promotion should clearly document a minimum of 50 hours of teaching of Harvard learners per year for at least 10 years of their service; those who do not meet the 50 hours for at least 10 years are not eligible for Longer Service promotion.
Longer Service candidates are evaluated in two domains:
- Significant, sustained contribution to the teaching mission of HMS/HSDM learners can be demonstrated by an extended history of teaching activities well beyond the teaching requirement of 50 hours, mentorship, and evidence of teaching impact (e.g., number of learners taught, mentee accomplishments).
- Growth as teachers can be demonstrated by an increase in teaching hours over time, new teaching programs, new educational leadership roles, new clinical leadership roles that directly benefit learners, and engagement in education beyond the local setting (e.g., national committees, presentations). Teaching of learners outside Harvard and its affiliates will not be counted towards the teaching contribution at Harvard but can be included as evidence of the candidate’s body of work.
There is no requirement for written scholarship. As with all promotions, consideration will be given to the sum total of the individual’s achievements. The evaluation will also consider contributions in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion; investigation; clinical expertise; education of patients and service to the community; and administration and institutional service.
Promotion by Longer Service criteria is only to the rank of Assistant Professor. Promotion by these criteria does not preclude promotion to Associate Professor, but evaluation for subsequent promotions would require scholarship and would be based on the criteria for Associate Professor described elsewhere.
Process:
Step 1: Department Head assesses candidate’s qualifications for promotion
- Candidate prepares CV in the Faculty of Medicine format. Care should be taken to report in detail teaching and clinical contributions
- The process begins with a meeting of the Department Head (or designee such as a mentor or Division Chief) and the candidate to review the candidate’s Faculty of Medicine CV in consideration of the academic criteria for promotion to Assistant Professor by Longer Service criteria
- Academic Department Heads are the only individuals who can propose candidates for promotion
- Department Head determines whether or not the candidate’s contributions to clinical care and teaching meet Longer Service criteria
- Candidate and Department Head gather and summarize available teaching evaluations across the continuum in which the candidate teaches
- Department Head prepares a letter of nomination recommending the candidate for promotion. The letter of nomination must include mention of available teaching evaluations
- The candidate may be asked to provide a list of potential letter writers to the Department Head Department Head (not the candidate) solicits letters of evaluation (see step 3 below for dossier requirements)
Step 2: Department Head proposes candidate to Department Executive Committee
- The Department Head reviews the candidate’s qualifications with members of the Departmental Executive Committee and, in the absence of an Executive Committee, senior faculty in the department, or both. The faculty provide feedback to the Department Head on the proposed candidate and may recommend that the promotion move forward, that the Department Head obtain additional information, or that the department delay consideration pending service eligibility by the candidate
- The Executive Committee may alternatively determine that the candidate should be promoted based upon academic achievements through the Promotions, Reappointments and Appointments Committee (P&R) mechanism with a specific Area of Excellence
- The Executive Committee makes a formal recommendation in writing to the Dean supporting the candidate’s promotion. If there is any dissent or abstention, the letter to the Dean includes the reasons for either dissents or abstentions. If there is none, signature of the chair of the Executive Committee on the Assistant and Associate Term Appointment Promotion Cover Sheet will suffice
Step 3: Department prepares and submits dossier to the OFA
Authorized departmental administrators should submit the following materials electronically via the designated HMS Dropbox folder that has been shared with them, and send a corresponding email to:PnR@hms.harvard.edu
- Form for Assistant and Associate Term Appointment Promotion Cover Sheet, signed by the Department Head and the Executive Committee chair. The cover sheet should note the use of Longer Service criteria and should not include selection of Area of Excellence or Significant Supporting Activities
- Medical Area Reporting System (MARS) Job summary, which should be consistent with information on the Faculty of Medicine CV
- The Department Head nominating letter
- Candidate’s CV in the Faculty of Medicine format
- All letters of evaluation solicited by the Department Head. There should be a minimum of three (3) letters, all of which should be written by faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor and above. All letters may be from HMS/HSDM faculty. Additional letters from others may be included if the writers have a unique and valued perspective on the candidate
- Candidates should not contact letter writers or potential letter writers directly; inquiries from letter writers should be directed to the Department
Step 4: OFA initiates promotion process & provides candidate access to a website to track the major milestones; OFA conducts detailed review of dossier
Upon receipt of the candidate dossier, the staff of the OFA will:
- Provide access to a confidential website for tracking the status of the promotion available only to candidates with Harvard University IDs, the Department Head and the department promotions administrators: (https://profpromotions.hms.harvard.edu/)
- Send an email to the candidate to alert them that the dossier has been received, the HMS evaluation process has started, and the website is available
- Request modifications or additions as needed from the department
- Once the materials are complete, schedule the dossier for review by the Longer Service Subcommittee of the Promotions, Reappointments and Appointments Committee (P&R / LS)
Step 5: Longer Service Committee (LS) reviews dossier and makes recommendation
- Before each meeting one member of the Committee, not based in the candidate’s department or institution, is assigned to review each candidate’s dossier
- Members of the committee provide individual, confidential feedback and vote on the nomination
Step 6: Dean makes a recommendation to the University
- The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine reviews all recommendations from the Longer Service Committee (LS)
- The OFA submits the Dean’s recommendation to the University
- No decision is final until the University review is complete
Step 7: University renders a decision
- The University reviews the proposed appointment
- A final decision is communicated to the Dean’s office and the OFA
Step 8: Notification of approval
- OFA informs the Department Head of the outcome via email
- The Department Head is responsible for notifying the candidate
- Formal letter is sent from the University directly to candidate (the OFA is not involved in this communication)
Last updated June 2023