Service is often a significant part of faculty members’ contributions to the institution and overall workload. Yet, it remains hard to define both what counts as service and how to measure it as part of personnel reviews (e.g., promotion and tenure, post-tenure reviews, merit reviews, term faculty reviews, etc.), and promotion and tenure progress, and reviews. Research has shown that certain faculty, including women and BIPOC faculty, face an additional service burden that can delay their career progression and negatively impact their earning potential.

Despite what seem like more challenges than solutions, many institutions are beginning to think about service differently and are actively seeking to implement changes. The central questions—how to reward service, and how to ensure that the faculty performing service are valued and rewarded—are driving new thinking and approaches to service in promotion and tenure.

This podcast series will bring together examples of innovative and evolving thinking and practices around service as it relates to promotion and tenure, both at the unit and central levels, with the aim of helping to transform existing structures and policies. We’ll center the discussion on practical ways to address:

• Defining service and what counts as service.
• Effectively measuring service as part of major personnel reviews.
• Addressing both inequities and inequities in service loads and making service more transparent.
• Impacts of service on career progression and advancement, especially for faculty from historically marginalized groups.