December 12, 2016
[Insert Name Field]
[Insert Address 1 Field]
[Insert Address 2 Field]
[Insert City, State, ZIP Field]
Re: [Insert Action Field (appointment/promotion)] of [Insert Candidate Field] to [Insert Rank/Title Field]
Dear [Insert Name Field]:
You have been recommended as a highly qualified individual to evaluate the credentials of [candidate name], who is being considered for [appointment/promotion] to the rank of [rank and track] in the Department of ______. We rely heavily on evaluations from distinguished individuals like yourself in the promotion process and hope you will be able to respond to this request. Although you may not be able to evaluate all aspects of Dr. _____’s credentials, you may restrict your comments to those areas with which you are most familiar.
Clinical Track Insert: Since Dr. ______is on the clinical track, we are including relevant sections of our appointment and promotion guidelines for that track. Briefly, for promotion, a faculty member must be outstanding in teaching and/or service and at least very good in the remaining mission(s). Outstanding is defined as national recognition; excellent and very good refer to a lower level of achievement. A detailed discussion of criteria and benchmarks for each mission is attached.
Research Track Insert: Since Dr. ______is on the research track, we are including relevant section of our appointment and promotion guidelines for that track. Briefly, for promotion, a faculty member must be outstanding in scholarship. Outstanding is defined as national recognition; excellent and very good refer to a lower level of achievement. There is no absolute requirement for teaching and service on this track, although many faculty participate in both. A detailed discussion of the criteria and benchmarks for each mission is attached.
MEST, Associate Professor Insert: Since Dr. ______is on the medical educator and service track (MEST), we are including relevant sections of our appointment and promotion guidelines for that track. Briefly, for promotion to Associate Professor, a faculty member must be excellent in teaching and/or service and participate in scholarship. Excellent is defined as local/regional recognition in addition to institutional recognition; very good refers to a lower level of achievement. Major scholarly accomplishments and research are not required for promotion. Rather, participation in scholarship implies a scholarly approach to work such as providing support for the research of others. A detailed discussion of criteria and benchmarks for each mission is attached.
MEST, Professor Insert: Since Dr. _____ is on the medical educator and service track (MEST), we are including relevant sections of our appointment and promotion guidelines for that track. Briefly, for promotion to Professor, a faculty member must be outstanding in teaching and/or service and at least excellent in the other (unless both are outstanding) and must have “substantially participated” in scholarship. Outstanding is defined as national recognition, and excellent as local/regional recognition. A detailed discussion of criteria and benchmarks for each mission is attached.
As you draft your letter of evaluation, please address the following:
1. Your relationship, if any, to the candidate or how you are familiar with [his/her] work. Previous mentors and collaborators are not eligible to write evaluations.
2. Candidate’s accomplishments and impact in scholarship, teaching, and service.
3. Stature in the field relative to [his/her] cohorts.
4. Likelihood of [appointment/promotion] to this rank at your institution.
5. Whether you recommend this [appointment/promotion] based on our guidelines.
As part of our effort to expedite this process, please email [name] to let us know now whether you can provide an evaluation letter by [date]. You may also call [him/her] at [phone] if you have any questions. Your response will be treated confidentially and will not be shared with the candidate. To return your letter, you may:
1. Send your scanned evaluation letter as an email attachment to [email address]; or
2. Send a hardcopy to the attention of [name, title, department, address].
Your response is very important to us, and we are deeply grateful for your participation in this process.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Department Chair]
[Department]