At Koç University, Assistant Professors have employment contracts up to for four years for the initial appointment period and up to a three-year term for the following appointment period; Associate Professors’ employment contracts are set for up to five-year terms for at most 2 appointment periods for both titles. Hence, it is essential that Assistant Professors complete the process of promotion and appointment to Koç University Associate Professorship and that Associate Professors complete the process of promotion and appointment to Professorship at Koç University within the specified contract periods. The contracts of faculty members who have not completed the promotion process within the specified periods may be extended in exceptional cases and when necessary by increasing their course obligations. In this evaluation, exceptional cases such as the establishment of a new College, the making of extensive changes in the curriculum, and the fact that the faculty member is an expert in the field for a required course for the relevant program from the perspective of Higher Education Council (YÖK), can be taken into consideration. Professors in the School of Nursing and Professors in the School of Medicine excluding Basic Sciences faculty members have employment contracts for up to five-year terms. For all other Professors, the tenure system is described in more detail in section II.5.3.

Procedure

Faculty members whose contracts will expire in one year and/or will enter the process of reappointment are required to submit the required evaluation documents as of the announced date, including any supplementary materials, by using the Faculty Member Information System, a web-based tool specific to Koç University.

Dean sends a letter prior to the first week of the academic year to faculty members whose contract is to expire by the end of the academic year, requesting the evaluation documents, consisting of:

A current CV, a cumulative version of the annual activities reports, reprints or preprints of articles and books, and teaching and research statement.

The material submitted by the faculty member should cover the current contract period.

Research statement should summarize previous research activities and achievements and discuss research plans and agenda for the coming years.

Teaching statement should summarize the personal views of the faculty member on teaching and teaching approaches used.

In addition, Deans can ask faculty members to submit a teaching dossier that contains relevant material such as lecture notes, resources, syllabus, sample exams, and various term projects for courses taught within the current contract period.

Each individual contract renewal case is discussed and evaluated extensively by the relevant Dean (respective Deans for joint appointments), with the President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), and the Vice President for Research and Development (VPRD).

If a unanimous positive decision is reached at the meeting, the recommendation of the President to renew the contract is presented to the Board of Trustees together with the report(s) of the Dean(s) and the CV of the faculty member.

In cases where a unanimous positive decision cannot be reached at the meeting, President requests Vice Presidents and the Dean(s) to separately submit to him/her their individual written evaluations and recommendations. Additionally, recommendation letters may also be requested from reviewers. President subsequently makes a final evaluation based on the material submitted by the faculty member and in consideration of all the reports. The final recommendation is then presented to the Board of Trustees for their approval, together with the reports of Vice Presidents, Dean(s) and the CV of the faculty member.

In case of a reappointment decision, Dean/Deans provides/provide feedback to the Faculty member summarizing the discussions with the President and Vice Presidents regarding the current performance and expectations for the next contract period.

Principles of the Evaluation

The reappointment evaluation is a general and comprehensive assessment. While annual evaluations pertain to the activities of the report period, reappointment and contract renewal evaluations pertain to the assessment of the faculty member, his/her contribution to the mission of the University and his/her promise for high quality future research output to the University.

The quality and impact of research scholarship becomes more prominent in the renewal decisions. For example, although it is possible for a faculty member to receive “Meets Expectations Successfully” performance with a research performance that is “Below Expectations” complemented with teaching and service performances that are “Above Expectations”, the fact that the research performance is evaluated as “Below expectations” over several years is likely to not lead to a favorable evaluation in the contract renewal process.

Furthermore, faculty members are expected to rigorously improve Koç University standards, and it should be a priority for faculty members to contribute significantly to the research mission of the University with their research outputs. In the evaluation of reappointments, rather than the impact of recent years’ annual evaluations, what is essential is the impact, quality and number of the research outputs produced during entirety of his/her term at the University, and especially the fact that the faculty member’s academic development achieved is compatible with the duration of the appointment period. The fact that, despite the appointment term of the faculty member is extended for multiple terms, he/she does not fully meet the criteria for Associate Professorship or Professorship at Koç University is considered negatively in the reappointment process.

Similarly, the reappointment evaluation is forward-looking and is not limited to achievements during the contract period, as stated. If renewal is to be recommended, special attention is given to evaluating the possibilities of Assistant Professors’ and Associate Professors’ further promotions at the end of the contract period, in accordance with Koç University standards. In this respect, after being appointed, assistant professors should prepare for obtaining the title of Associate Professor from the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK) without delay. The fact that the title of Associate Professor was obtained during the appointment periods specified above (see Contract Renewal Procedures) is a positive indicator in the evaluation of the candidate regarding the renewal of appointment.