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Procedures for Tenure-Track Faculty Counting Years of Service at Another Institution and Non-Tenure-Track Service Toward Reappointment and Tenure

The Skidmore College Faculty Handbook states that faculty members with previous full-time teaching experience at other colleges or universities may be eligible to count those years towards reappointment and tenure.

• Those appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor “may become candidates for tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor as early as the beginning of the fall term of their fourth year of full-time service as faculty members at Skidmore” (Part One, Section VIII. E. 3. b). Similarly, faculty members who move from non-tenure-track to tenure-track status may choose “whether to have up to two years of the non-tenure-track years of service count toward tenure” (Part One, Section VIII. E. 3. c).
• Those initially appointed to the ranks of Associate Professor or Professor without prior tenure “may choose to become candidates for tenure at the beginning of the fall term of their fourth year of service as faculty members” (Part One, Section VIII. E. 3. d).
• “Those with tenure at a previous institution may choose to become candidates for tenure as early as the beginning of the fall term of their second year of service as faculty members” (Part One, Section VIII. E. 3. d).

The Office of the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs (DOF/VPAA) provides the following guidance and recommends best practices to support a faculty member eligible to count years of service at another institution or non-tenure-track service at Skidmore College toward reappointment and tenure (“the candidate” hereafter) and help them navigate the tenure-track timeline at Skidmore College effectively.

1. The credited years of service will be included in the candidate’s written contract, as negotiated at the time of appointment, and can be utilized at the candidate’s discretion.
2. As established in the Faculty Handbook, the candidate must notify their Department Chair or Program Director and the DOF/VPAA in writing of their option to utilize credited years of service at another institution or non-tenure-track service at Skidmore College (“the written notification” hereafter) before April 1 of the year they elect to be considered for tenure. This written notification can be made at any point before this date.
3. Candidates with the option to count more than one year of previous service must specify in their written notification the number of years they wish to count.
4. It is recommended that the written notification be sent as an email to DOF/VPAA with a copy to their Department Chair or Program Director, Academic Affairs Coordinator Debbie Peterson (dpeters1@skidmore.edu), and Associate Dean of the Faculty (Faculty Affairs).
5. Unless specified otherwise, it is standard to reassign candidates to the corresponding year of service (tenure-track tier) during the same semester the Office of the DOF/VPAA receives their written notification. Candidates who wish to follow a different timeline (for example, they send a written notification before reappointment to count years after reappointment) must specify the timeline they want to follow in their written notification. Candidates should carefully consider the timeline expressed in their written notification and its implications for third-year reappointment, tenure review, service cycle (Part Two, Section II. F. 1 of the Faculty Handbook), and pre-tenure leave (see Appendix A). Candidates are strongly encouraged to consult with the Department Chair or Program Director and the DOF/VPAA (or designee Associate Dean of the Faculty) before submitting their written notification to ensure a plan is in place for the tenure-track timeline.
6. Candidates should consider that the most common tenure-track timeline includes an initial three-year contract that starts with a one-year probationary period and a second three contract if the third-year reappointment is successful (Part One, Sections VII. A and VIII. D of the Faculty Handbook). As noted in (3), the written notification can be made at any point during the tenure-track timeline until April 1 of the year they elect to be considered for tenure, starting on year 1 (see Appendix A). As a result of this flexibility, the timeline expressed in the written notification will necessarily impact how these contracts are issued.
7. A candidate can change the decision expressed in their written notification up until April 1 of the year the faculty member elects to be considered for tenure. Postponement of the tenure review after this deadline will be granted based on the reasons for an extension of the tenure clock described in Part One, Section VIII. E. 4. d of the Faculty Handbook.
8. Candidates are encouraged to proactively seek guidance and mentorship throughout the decision-making process and communicate with their Department Chair or Program Director and the DOF/VPAA (or designee Associate Dean of the Faculty) as early as possible.

Last update: 2-23-2026