Faculty Professional Development Toolkit by FPDC: NTT Review & Promotion Resources

Preparing for your first 3-year review

During your first year as FTNTT faculty:

• Create a folder on your computer where you keep your workload statements and annual supervisor evaluations.
• Start keeping track of any major accomplishments or projects you work on during the year.
• Review and update your CV at least once every 6-12 months.
• Meet regularly with your NTT faculty mentor(s). Your mentor(s) can help answer questions about writing your first annual narrative, keeping your CV up to date, and what to keep track of for your 3-year review file.

At any point before your first 3-year review:

• Attend one of the Kent State University Faculty Association's (KSUFA) annual File Preparation workshops! These are typically held in November and are open to all dues-paying members of KSUFA.

After your first successful review

• Celebrate! You've reached a major milestone.
• Don't delete your files from your first-year review! Save them somewhere that will be easy for you to re-find in a few years: You may wish to reuse or adapt some of these materials for your promotion file, which is cumulative (covering all years as an NTT faculty member). If your first-year review file documents were generated from raw data files (such as tables of traffic statistics), you'll want to save these as well.
• Continue saving your workload statements and annual supervisor evaluations. Do not delete any of your old workload statements or evaluations.
• Start a new file to keep track of major accomplishments or projects you've worked on during the current review period.
• Consider what type of professional development you might like to pursue if you had funding -- and then apply for the Winebrenner Non-Tenure Track Faculty Professional Development Excellence Award (NPDEA)! You are eligible to apply after the successful completion of your first three-year review. Funds can go towards things like conference attendance or presentation (including travel expenses), workshops, software, and more.
• Continue to review and update your CV at least once every 6-12 months.
• Continue to meet with your faculty mentor(s).

Past presentations on NTT review file prep

Your promotion file is cumulative, covering all years in which you have been FTNTT. Like your review file, you will also include workload statements, your CV, and a narrative. However, the narrative for the promotion file should demonstrate how you have exceeded the expectations of your role, and should also demonstrate consistent, ongoing professional development.

For Non-Tenure Track faculty at Kent State, the Winebrenner Non-Tenure Track Faculty Professional Development Excellence Award (NPDEA) is a competitive award for non-tenure track faculty professional development activities or projects. This can include attending conferences, workshops, trainings, research projects, and your proposals can request funding for things like travel expenses, conference/workshop fees, software, and equipment (to name a few). Full-time NTT faculty who have completed at least one full review are eligible to apply for funding.

Winebrenner NPDEA applications are reviewed by the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Provost Advisory Committee (NPAC), which consists of non-tenure track faculty representatives from each college, including University Libraries.

How to apply

Instructions

Template for Drafting your Application

Application Form

Tips

• Plan to submit well in advance of when your professional development activity will begin: The committee cannot approve funding for a professional development activity that has already started/is already in progress (i.e., your activity's start date must be after the review/approval date). There, it's best to submit your proposal well in advance of when your activity would begin (at least 1-2 review cycles before your professional development activity would begin).
• You can ask the University Libraries NPAC representative for feedback on your application prior to submission. The current University Libraries NPAC representative is Jasmine Jefferson.

Examples

Many University Libraries faculty have successfully applied for Winebrenner NPDEA award funding. Examples of professional development activities funded by NPDEA awards include:

• Jasmine Jefferson received an award of $3,855 to attend the ARL IDEAL Conference in Toronto, July 15-19, 2024
• Kristin Yeager received an award of $3,589 to attend two days of data science workshops and conference talks at posit::conf(2023) in Chicago
• Kate Medicus received awards in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022 that covered seminar tuition ($1,400 each year), enabling her to earn a certificate from the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia