View CV examples and recommended checklist from the Offices of Career Connections.
Process
Start early! (We know you know this.)
Then start even earlier than that. Consider keeping a copy of the Faculty Checklist List on your computer desktop from the beginning of your appointment. As you participate in projects, committees, scholarship, etc., add a quick bullet under the sub-section to which it most applies. Although you don’t want to list year to year accomplishments, it will jog your memory and help you identify trends in your work. Plus, having the checklist always visually present is a good reminder of the different qualities and activities for which you will be assessed.
Start the actual writing even earlier, too, and not just the collection of supporting documents. “Get it written, then get it right” can be a helpful mantra. Take your bullet points and start expanding on them, possibly in a “stream of consciousness” style. Once you get on paper what you want to say, it can be easier to go back and edit (and edit … and edit).
It’s part of your job, so you owe it to yourself to set aside time for it. (We know you know this too, but it bears repeating.) Block specific times in your calendar for focused work sessions to maximize productivity and minimize distractions.
Have your mentor and selected colleagues review your CV early in the third-year review process. The goal is to identify your gaps (performance, service, and/or scholarship) and gain different perspectives.
Your mentor, supervisor, and colleagues will be happy to answer your questions, read your drafts, and/or share their own dossiers with you. Please ask!
Formatting
The Faculty Review Checklist (https://policies.uark.edu/academic/facultyreviewchecklist.6.12.23.docx) is used for third year, MBRR, comprehensive, and promotion/tenure reviews. As a starting point, you might find it useful to copy and paste what you wrote for your annual reviews into the appropriate sections of the FRC. Thinking about what those appropriate sections are can help you begin to frame your narrative.
Complete Section I, Section IIB, Section III, and Section IV of the Faculty Review Checklist. Additionally, if you have taught official university courses, record these in Section IIA.
Your checklist must indicate your performance, service, and scholarship percentages. If these vary, list percentages for each year.
As you prepare your review, be attentive to spelling and grammar. Refer to colleagues the first time by full name and title. Spell out acronyms the first time.
Content
The review should not be a listing of accomplishments year by year, but rather a synthesis of accomplishments and their significance. Requesting colleagues share their third-year review document can help you better understand the expectations and format.
If this is your first time drafting a personal statement, it can inform the narrative in your checklist, and vice versa. But it should reflect the philosophy or guiding principles underpinning your professional practice, service, and scholarship achievements, not serve merely as an executive summary of the FRC.
Because there are many specialties within the field of librarianship, don’t take for granted that all your colleagues will understand your day-to-day job. Feel free to explain things to us! This is especially important for your future tenure/promotion dossier, which will be reviewed by people outside of the Libraries. Don’t list your duties, but rather explain how what you are doing connects to the duties.
You may find that some of your accomplishments fit into more than one section of the FRC. That’s to be expected. Choose one section for your primary discussion of its significance, and then refer to it from other sections. This avoids the appearance of “double counting.”
When you refer from one section of the document to another, as a final step in editing, make certain that the references are still all pointing to the right places. These can change as your document evolves.
When discussing your service accomplishments, don’t include activities that are more properly described as professional performance. (If you serve on a committee or working group by virtue of your position, that's a good indication it is performance-related.)
When writing about your scholarship, distinguish between works that are peer-reviewed and those that are not. If the work is co-authored, indicate the nature and percentage of your contributions.
You can and should submit attachments to your third year/MBRR/comprehensive review, unlike your annual review. Choose supporting documents that are representative of your work in all three areas. The usual format is a PDF attachment for each section. You can include links within the FRC. Keep those thank you cards and “kudos” emails to use here, along with any other positive feedback supporting your initiatives and accomplishments.
Your complete packet will also include your past statements of duties and goals, annual reviews, and CV. Don’t underestimate the time it will take to assemble everything!
The third year/MBRR/comprehensive review does not require external evaluations.
Procedures
Third Year Review for Tenure-Track Faculty
Refer to the Library Faculty Calendar for deadlines.
Your third year review dossier must be uploaded to the university’s P & T SharePoint site (https://uark.sharepoint.com/teams/Faculty-PT-ULIB/ULIB). The FRC must be broken up into sections, so plan on some extra time to format it.
Here’s the link to the campus third year review standardized letter template, so you will know what type of feedback you can anticipate: https://policies.uark.edu/academic/140510g.docx. Note that the UPC is expected to comment on the format of your third year review as a dry run for tenure/promotion, so please don’t be offended if you receive suggestions.
The Unit Personnel Committee will prepare its report in consultation with the Unit Tenured Faculty. The final document will be sent to you and the Dean.
Merit-Based Reappointment Review (MBRR) for Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Refer to the Library Faculty Calendar for deadlines.
The MBRR is due after 3 years of service. Subsequent MBRRs may be scheduled for 3 years or 5 years.
While the MBRR follows the Faculty Review Checklist, SharePoint is not used. The chair of UPC will notify you of the procedures for submitting your FRC and attachments. Do use the official Faculty Review Checklist form (https://policies.uark.edu/academic/facultyreviewchecklist.6.12.23.docx).
The Unit Personnel Committee will prepare its report and the required campus form (Academic Policy Series 1405.111a, https://policies.uark.edu/academic/1405111.php). These will be sent to you and the Dean.
Comprehensive Review for Non-Tenure Track Faculty
If you are planning to apply for promotion, you are encouraged to request (but are not required to have) a comprehensive review akin to the traditional third year review.
The deadline for comprehensive reviews is spring of the year prior to the one in which you plan seek promotion, or earlier. Exception: If you plan to go up for promotion during the same year as your first MBRR, you may request to have your MBRR serve as the basis for your comprehensive review. (Subsequent MBRRs cannot be used in this way because they cover the appointment period only, and comprehensive reviews address the entire period in the current rank.)
While the comprehensive review follows the Faculty Review Checklist, SharePoint is not used. The chair of UPC will notify you of the procedures for submitting your FRC and attachments. Do use the official Faculty Review Checklist form (https://policies.uark.edu/academic/facultyreviewchecklist.6.12.23.docx).
For comprehensive reviews, the Unit Personnel Committee will prepare a report in consultation with the Unit Promoted Faculty. The final document will be sent to you and the Dean.
For NTT faculty, promotion is optional and separate from reappointment. If you choose to apply for promotion and are not successful, this does not mean discontinuation of your job.
