COVID-19 Tenure Clock Extensions
In March of 2020, in response to the unprecedented disruption to higher education caused by the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, 乐鱼体育 provided an automatic one-year extension to the probationary period (the “tenure clock”) of any current tenure-track faculty whose tenure review had not yet begun. Additionally, any faculty who were currently within their initial contract, and had not yet undergone the customary third-year review, had their review delayed by one year as well. In addition, in April of 2021, Northwestern granted an automatic one-year extension to the probationary period for any current tenure-eligible faculty who had not already received an extension to the probationary period [i.e., those faculty whose appointments began during the 2020-21 academic year]. Faculty retain the option to request to be reviewed for tenure prior to the final year of their probationary period if they so choose. Any such request must receive approval from the Dean and the process described in the Policy on Tenure and Promotion Standards and Procedures should be followed.
This one-time, automatic extension does not count toward the maximum of two clock extensions allowed by the Office of the Provost’s Policy on Extending the Probationary Period for Tenure-Track Faculty. This extension is in addition to any extensions a faculty member may have already received, and does not preclude faculty from receiving future tenure clock extensions for other customary reasons, such as childbirth, adoption, or childrearing. Faculty members may request an additional extension to their tenure clock for reasons related to COVID-19 in the future should it be necessary and warranted. Any such requests should be made through the University’s standard processes following the Policy on Extending the Probationary Period for Tenure-Track Faculty.