Facilitating Career Development through Promotion Accountability Groups

The promotion and tenure process is complicated and fraught with complicated criteria and guidance, secrecy in evaluations, and at times questionable outcomes. Moreover, higher education is experiencing a reduction and elimination of tenure tracks. Faculty members have numerous competing demands and struggle to find time to organize daunting materials for review. Inspired by communities of practice, promotion accountability groups were created to help faculty members navigate the process. The PAG demonstrates a 100% success rate, but most importantly demystifies information, reaffirms faculty contributions, and acknowledges the realities of navigating academia for minoritized faculty while confessing the complexity of the system.