Beginning in 2018 the candidate’s contribution to the Credentials File for promotion or tenure and promotion is to be submitted to the dean’s office as a single PDF file containing all of the information specified in the Faculty Handbook, I.5. This file must be submitted on a flash drive labeled with the candidate’s name.
Except for the letters of recommendation, the candidate’s credential file for promotion is to be submitted to the dean’s office as two PDF files:
• A main file containing in proper order the information specified in the Faculty Handbook, I.5. This main file cannot exceed 50 MB.
• A second file that compiles any student evaluations of teaching that the candidate is submitting.
Letters of recommendation solicited by the candidate’s department chair are to be forwarded to the dean separately in hard copy. The dean’s office will convert these letters into a third PDF file and will transmit all three PDF files to the P&T Committee as the complete credential file.
The credentials file must contain no hyperlinks.
Contents of the File
The file must contain:
- Table of Contents
- Letter of Application to Chair/Dean
- Personnel Data Sheet
- Curriculum Vitae
- All applicable Annual Performance Reviews (APRs) and Faculty Annual Activity Reports (FAARs) in chronological order
- Rationale
- Appendices
Pages should be numbered in an organized fashion, and the file should be organized into sections. All components of the file listed above shall be converted to two PDF files and be delivered to the Dean’s office by the deadline. The main file containing all materials excepting only teaching evaluations must not contain any hyperlinks and shall not exceed 40 MB.
Options for Preparing the Credentials File
I. Assemble the file yourself
Some of the information you gather will come to you as a PDF, such as student evaluations or the title page of an article manuscript. Others may need conversion, such as pictures, symposium covers, Annual Activities Reports, etc. You can control only part of how you get the information and may be faced with multiple PDF files. If you are starting with multiple PDFs, Adobe Pro will easily allow you to merge multiple files into one master file and also allow for the creation of tabs, which makes it easier for you and members of the Committee to navigate your file. Mac users will also find that Preview is a helpful PDF editor.
If the information is not already in PDF format, open the document and save to PDF, or use the departmental copier to scan it and/or other items as a PDF.
• Scan 50-70 pages at a time if PDF black & white (this is important only if you are emailing file to self)
• Scan 25 pages at a time if PDF color (this is important only if you are emailing file to self)
• Pages that are not 8 ½ x 11 must be scanned as single page files
• Some copiers have a Job Build function that will assemble the various scans into one document (for a flash drive). Be sure you scan the documents in the proper order using this function.
There are computers with Adobe Pro installed in the Convergence Center (ground floor) that are accessible to faculty 24/7 with your EagleOne card.
Recall that Adobe Pro will allow you to merge all separate file parts into one file. Be certain that the various components you have assembled are in the correct order as you merge them into the final file. Further instruction on how to use Adobe Pro is included below.
II Have the UMW Copy Center assemble your file
The Copy Center will scan all documents and put them on a flash drive (which you provide). Planning ahead is essential. The Copy Center must receive any and all documents from you by Monday, August 14, 2023. Depending on the Center’s workload getting ready for the start of the semester, this process may take up to one week to complete. Note that the candidate’s credential file on the flash drive is due in the Dean’s office by August 28, 2023. The Copy Center will not charge for scanning documents to PDF, so you do not need to fill out a Copy Center Work Order with an identified FOAP string.
Bookmarks
Adobe Pro allows users to create bookmarks in a document that act as tabs for sections of the credential files and make navigation of the file much easier. Bookmarks embedded in the candidate’s credentials file are not required, but are strongly encouraged.
• Select new bookmark icon
• Highlight the section in the text to be bookmarked (section title perhaps?)
• Enter a name for the bookmark (perhaps the section title again?)
Trial File
After CAS governance approved the request for digital tenure files, we undertook a test run on the digital file scanning process.
Specifically, we scanned in 2.25 inches of documentation (from a previous candidate’s credentials file submitted in a 3-ring binder) to one 50 Mb PDF. The total scanning time was 2 hours and included multiple trips to copier, back to office to check result, tearing down and reassembling existing 3-ring folder. It took an additional 30 minutes to merge all of the individual PDF parts into one file and create bookmarks to tab sections within.