Questions? Email watermark@etsu.edu or meet with the ETSU Watermark Faculty Success Implementation Coordinator during the following Zoom Office Hours.
Fall 2023 Office Hours: Thursdays from 1:00-2:00.
There will be NO Office Hours during the week of October 9-13.
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Faculty: Submitting Application(s)
On August 15, candidates for tenure and/or promotion will receive an email with a link to submit their materials in Watermark Faculty Success. If candidates are applying for tenure and promotion, they will receive one email/form for tenure and one email/form for promotion. In the application, candidates can save their progress by clicking Save Draft. Once clicking Submit, they cannot make changes to the application (with limited exceptions allowed in university policies).
Candidates should be prepared to submit the following documents by the September 15 deadline. Although some fields allow for more than one file to be uploaded, it is highly encouraged to upload the fewest number of files needed to make your case. It is best practice to combine many files into one PDF document to reduce the amount of time reviewers must spend opening files. Name files as [First and Last Name of Candidate] [Name of Form]. File size is limited to one gigabyte per file.- Activity Report for Evaluation Period [required, one file limit]: To generate the Activity Report for Evaluation Period, click on Activities then Rapid Reports. For Report, select Faculty Activity Report – [Candidate’s College]. For Start Date and End Date, select the dates of your evaluation period for tenure or promotion. For File Format, select PDF. All edits to the report should be done through the Activities screens. Instructions on how to add and edit information in Activities are available on the Resources page.
- Narrative Statement [required, one file limit]
- Supporting Document [required, one file limit]
- Curriculum Vita [required, one file limit]
- Student Assessment of Instruction Reports [required, unlimited files permitted]
- Peer Reviews of Teaching Evaluation Forms [required, unlimited files permitted]
- Faculty Activity Reports (FARs) [required, unlimited files permitted]: Faculty Activity Reports may include annual plans, reports, and/or evaluations. For FARs completed outside of Watermark, upload a single PDF that compiles all past FARs. For FARs in Watermark, access your FARs in Workflow Tasks. For each FAR, click the download icon and then Download submission for online viewing. Upload the resulting HTML file to the tenure/promotion form(s).
- Addendum [optional, unlimited files permitted]
- Comments [optional text field]
Additional Notes
- In previous years, chairs uploaded Course Load and Peer Reviews of Teaching Evaluation Forms. This is now the responsibility of the candidate. Course Load is entered as Scheduled Teaching in Activities, which is included in the Activity Report for Evaluation Period.
- Since we are still improving the Faculty Activity Reports and Activities screens, you can download your Activity Report as a Microsoft Word document and make minor changes within the document rather than through the Activities screens. If you make changes in the Word document rather than Activities, please email watermark@etsu.edu the changes you were unable to achieve by editing the Activities screens. This ensures that the Watermark administrator can customize the system for future candidates.
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Faculty: Withdrawing Application(s)
Faculty candidates can withdraw their applications during the following specific times within Watermark Faculty Success by choosing “Withdraw” under Actions.
- Faculty Submission Form
- Faculty Response (when deciding to appeal a dean’s decision)
- Faculty Response (when deciding to appeal the Provost’s decision)
- Faculty Response (when deciding to appeal the President’s decision)
At any other point in the process, faculty can email watermark@etsu.eduto request to withdraw their application.
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Department and College Committees: Submitting Review(s)
While committee members have access to all candidate's materials through Watermark Faculty Success, they do not complete any form in the system. Only the committee chair submits a form in Watermark Faculty Success. The form asks for the number of votes (votes for, votes against, abstaining, not present, and not eligible), a PDF version of the committee review, and an optional text field to write any additional comments. In the committee review, chairs should include the names of the committee members.
For departments with external reviews only: The department chair will provide the department committee with electronic copies of the external reviews. The committee chair is responsible for uploading the external review(s) along with the committee's review. -
Department Chair: Submitting Review(s)
The form for department chairs has a required choice of Recommend or Not Recommend, a required field to upload a PDF version of their review, and an optional textbox to write any additional comments.
Department chairs can select Save Draft under Actions to save their progress without submitting their reviews. Once they choose Submit to Next Step, they cannot make changes to the review (with limited exceptions allowed in university policies).
At any time, chairs can view the submissions of their department and their progress by clicking on Workflow then Submissions.
There are a few changes to the process with the move to Watermark Faculty Success:
Faculty are now responsible for adding Course Load (in the Scheduled Teaching section of Activities) and Peer Reviews of Teaching.- The department chair provides the department committee with electronic copies of the external reviews outside of Watermark Faculty Success. The committee chair is responsible for uploading the external review(s) along with the committee's review.
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Deans, Provost, and President: Submitting Review(s)
The form for administrators has a required choice of Recommend or Not Recommend, a required field to upload their review, and an optional textbox to write any additional comments.
Administrators can select Save Draft under Actions to save their progress without submitting their reviews. Once they choose a Submit option, they cannot make changes to the review (with limited exceptions allowed in university policies).
- If an administrator selects Recommend, they should select Submit to Next Step (Provost, President, or Board of Trustees) under Actions.
- If an administrator selects Not Recommend, they should select Submit to Next Step (Appeals) under Actions.
At any time, administrators can view the submissions under their purview by clicking on Workflow then Submissions.
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Faculty, Committees, & Administrators: Sending Back Submissions or Reviews
Under limited circumstances, the ETSU policies for tenure and promotion allow for revisions to submissions and reviews.
- No additional documentation may be added after September 15 except at the request of the reviewers and with the permission of the candidate, or vice versa. In these cases, committees and administrators can Send Back to Previous Step, which will allow faculty to upload additional files or type additional information. It is important for committees and administrators to write a message regarding the request and set a due date. Candidates will submit additional materials in forms labeled as Faculty Notice in Watermark Faculty Success.
- Each reviewing official or committee has the responsibility to remand an application to any preceding level if that level's review is found to be incomplete or otherwise unacceptable. In these cases, contact watermark@etsu.edu to assist in sending back the process to a previous step.
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Faculty: Viewing Reviews
Faculty can view the reviews of committees (department, college) and administrators (chair, dean, provost, president, board of trustees) approximately five days after each review deadline in Watermark Faculty Success. Reviews can be accessed by clicking on Workflow then Tasks. Faculty do not receive a notification when these reviews are available unless they received a negative recommendation at the dean, provost, or president level.
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Faculty: Appealing Decisions
In Watermark, opportunities for appeal of negative recommendations on applications exist at the dean's or Provost’s level and again at the President's level prior to a review of the latter's decision by the Board of Trustees.
IMPORTANT: The forms received for appeals are not required to be submitted by the deadline listed in the system. Follow the timeline outlined below and within the promotion and tenure policies.
Appeal Opportunity #1: Dean’s Recommendation
- If a dean selects to Not Recommend a candidate for tenure and/or promotion, the candidate will receive an email and Faculty Response Form from Watermark Faculty Success. Once receiving this email and form, the candidate has seven days to email the Provost (provost@etsu.edu) requesting a pre-appeal conference. If candidates choose to appeal the dean's recommendation, then they will be ineligible to appeal the Provost’s recommendation.
- For candidates who choose to meet with the Provost for the pre-appeal conference: Seven days after the pre-appeal conference, candidate’s must select an Action in Watermark Faculty Success to indicate how they want to proceed with their application.
- Withdraw: Removes the application from consideration for tenure or promotion.
- Submit to Next Step (Provost): Continues the application process for tenure or promotion by sending the application to the Provost for review.
- *Appeal: Files an appeal to the Promotion and Tenure Appeals Committee.
*Candidates choosing Submit to Next Step (Provost) and Appeal must select Yes to the question Did you choose to meet with the Provost? and provide the following information: Date of Meeting with Provost, Attendees of Meeting with Provost, Summary of Meeting with Provost.
- For candidates who choose NOT to meet with the Provost for the pre-appeal conference:
Within seven days of receiving the email and form, you must choose from the following
Actions.
- Withdraw: Removes the application from consideration for tenure or promotion.
- Submit to Next Step (Provost): Continues the application process for tenure or promotion. The candidate will still have the option to appeal the Provost’s decision. Candidates will need to select No on the form to the question Did you choose to meet with the Provost?
Appeal Opportunity #2: Provost's Recommendation
- If the Provost selects to Not Recommend a candidate for tenure and/or promotion, the candidate will receive an email and Faculty Response Form from Watermark Faculty Success. Once receiving this email and form, the candidate has seven days to email the President (president@etsu.edu) requesting a pre-appeal conference. If the candidate chose to appeal the dean's recommendation, then they will be ineligible to appeal the Provost’s recommendation.
- For candidates who choose to meet with the President for the pre-appeal conference: Seven days after the pre-appeal conference, candidates must select an Action in
Watermark Faculty Success to indicate how they want to proceed with their application.
- Withdraw: Removes the application from consideration for tenure or promotion.
- *Submit to Next Step (President): Continues the application process for tenure or promotion by sending the application to the President for review.
- *Appeal: Files an appeal to the Promotion and Tenure Appeals Committee.
*Choosing Submit to Next Step (President) and Appeal must select Yes to the question Did you choose to meet with the President? and provide the following information: Date of Meeting with President, Attendees of Meeting with President, Summary of Meeting with President.
- For candidates who choose NOT to meet with the President for the pre-appeal conference: Within seven days of receiving the email and form, candidates must choose from the
following Actions.
- Withdraw: Removes the application from consideration for tenure or promotion.
- Submit to Next Step (Board of Trustees): Continues the application process for tenure or promotion. Candidates will need to select No on the form to the question Did you choose to meet with the President?
Appeal Opportunity #3: President’s Recommendation
- If the President selects to Not Recommend a candidate for tenure and/or promotion, the candidate will receive an email and Faculty Response form from Watermark Faculty Success.
- Candidates must choose from the following Actions:
- Withdraw: Removes the application from consideration for tenure or promotion.
- Submit to Next Step (Board of Trustees): Continues the application process for tenure or promotion by sending the application to the Board of Trustees for review.
- Appeal: Files an appeal to the Ad Hoc Appeals Committee.
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Appeal Committees: Submitting Report(s)
Once a candidate has chosen to appeal a recommendation, the appropriate appeals committee will receive the candidate's application and all available recommendations and reviews by committees and administrators.
While committee members have access to all candidate's materials through Watermark Faculty Success, they do not complete any form in the system. Only the committee chair submits a form in Watermark Faculty Success. The form asks for the committee report and an optional text field to write any additional comments. In the committee report, chairs should include the names of the committee members.
IMPORTANT: The forms received for appeals are not required to be submitted by the deadline listed in the system.
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Promotion of Lecturers: Differences in Procedures
Although the timeline is different with the promotion of lecturers (as outlined below), the relevant forms within Watermark Faculty Success remain the same.
September 15: Faculty Submission Form Due
October 7: Department Promotion Committee’s Review Due
October 30: Department chair’s Review Due
February 1: Dean’s Review Due -
Forms
Forms are not required.
Faculty Candidates
Department Committees
Department Chairs
College Committees
Deans
Appeals Committee
- University Appeals Committee Decision of Tenure Recommendation at Dean Level
- University Appeals Committee Decision of Tenure Recommendation at Vice President Level
- University Appeals Committee Decision of Promotion Recommendation at Dean Level
- University Appeals Committee Decision of Promotion Recommendation at Vice President Level
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University Policies and Departmental Criteria
The procedures in Watermark Faculty Success are guided by the following policies and criteria.
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Tenure and Promotion Timeline and Deadlines