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The review process

[Shortly after you join the faculty, the administrative assistant will begin the six-year process of assembling your ``tenure dossier,'' a series of notebooks that include your resume, a list of your publications, talks, professional activities, teaching record, service record, and copies of the letters of reference. Toward the end of your fifth year] of service the senior faculty in the department will examine your record. Letters of reference will be solicited from outstanding people in your specific area of research. Based on these letters and the faculty's evaluation of your overall academic record, they will vote on whether to recommend you for tenure and promotion. [Your tenure dossier, along with the recommendation of the senior faculty and the chairman, is forwarded to the College of Arts & Sciences tenure committee. This committee (which does not necessarily include representatives of our own department) reviews the dossier and makes a recommendation to the dean.] Assuming that the recommendation is strongly positive, the dean adds his letter of endorsement and passes the dossier to the [Dean of Faculties tenure committee. Acting on the advice of this committee and the Dean of Faculties, the vice-president then makes a recommendation to the president of the university] and signs a letter advising the faculty member of his promotion. The entire process takes [nearly a year. At IU, the tenure dossier is reviewed by the senior faculty in April of the fifth year, sent to the College in September of the sixth year, and forwarded to the Dean of Faculties in early December. Generally, the faculty member may expect informal notification of the result by February, and official notification by April of the sixth year.]

The above description summarizes the process. More details can be found in your copy of the [Academic Handbook]. Unfortunately, this rather cold summary does not really tell you what is expected of you, what the criteria are, and how to allocate your time and energy in order to succeed.