Promotion & Tenure Articles

Davis College Revises Promotion & Tenure Policy to Include Outreach & Engagement

October 2025

Over the past year, the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has taken a significant step toward formally recognizing Outreach & Engagement in faculty promotion and tenure at Texas Tech University. Vice Provosts Rod Williams and Genevieve Durham DeCesaro invited the College to serve as a pilot for revising its P&T policy in alignment with Texas Tech’s new strategic plan, which positions Outreach & Engagement as one of its three core pillars.

A committee was created, led by Dr. Erica Irlbeck and composed of representatives from nearly every department in the College. They began meeting in Summer 2024, initially, holding one-hour meetings but quickly recognized the need for a more efficient format. They opted for a single four-hour working session where committee members were then assigned sections to draft collaboratively. This was followed by three online meetings to finalize the language and allowed them to accomplish the bulk of the revisions. 

As committee chair, Dr. Irlbeck regularly attended monthly department chair meetings with Davis College Dean Dr. Clint Krehbiel to share updates, gather feedback, and keep leadership informed throughout the process. The revised draft was reviewed sequentially by the dean and associate deans, department chairs, and the Davis College Promotion and Tenure Committee before being distributed to the entire College. The final policy was submitted in March 2025.

While many of the revisions focused on structure and formatting, the most significant change is the addition of a fourth mission area, aligning the College’s framework with that of the University:

“The mission of Texas Tech University and of the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources encompasses four primary areas: 1) teaching, 2) research and discovery, 3) outreach and engagement, and 4) professional service.”

The revised policy also strengthens language regarding faculty appointments, stating that departments may “include outreach & engagement in a tenure-track faculty member’s letter of appointment. A faculty member who has such an appointment should be fully cognizant of this fourfold mission and most importantly of the fact that acceptable levels of performance in all areas indicated in the faculty letter of appointment (with modifications approved by the department chair and Dean) will be required for tenure and promotion.”

The committee, along with the P&T committee, added a sentence:

Outreach & engagement activities will be recognized for tenure and promotion if indicated in the faculty appointment or approved modifications. Outreach and engagement shall not be used to make up for low productivity in other areas.

They also included information for non-tenure-acquiring faculty members, such as professors of practice, which allows them to include outreach and engagement as part of their dossiers for continuing appointment.

As the College begins implementing and socializing the revised policy, Dean Krehbiel noted that the changes are now reflected in annual review processes and P&T templates. The Dean’s team is meeting individually with departments, and Dr. Irlbeck is helping faculty understand the new opportunities for reporting engagement activities.

To further support faculty, Drs. Irlbeck and Baliga will launch the Davis College Engaged Scholars Program in January 2026. This initiative is designed to help faculty integrate engagement into their teaching and research as a core programmatic approach, rather than as additional activities.

“We will continue to build the culture of Outreach and Engaged Scholarship by reinforcing the opportunity for faculty to report what they are already doing, while keeping additional opportunities for growth in this space in front of them if it fits their interest and appointment,” said Dean Krehbiel.