General Form of Letter to Faculty Referee

Version of 7 May 2010

Template for Letter to Internal Referee (General) for Promotion Review of Lecturer

Dear ______:

Dr. ______, currently Lecturer in ______, is being considered for possible promotion to Senior Lecturer in ______and is thus undergoing a comprehensive review of professional performance. You have been suggested as especially well qualified to serve as a referee in this review, and we hope you will provide an assessment of her [his] performance. We are enclosing copies of Dr. ______'s vita, examples of her [his] scholarship, and her [his] personal statement prepared for this review.

As you review Dr. ______'s performance, please keep in mind that our expectations in this review differ from those for a tenure review. According to the guidelines than govern this review,

A candidate for promotion to Senior Lecturer should have accumulated a record of excellent teaching, success in advising students, substantial contributions to academic program development, satisfactory service, and (if applicable) effective administration. While positive professional impact beyond Vanderbilt University is not a prerequisite for promotion to Senior Lecturer, indications of such impact are regarded as further evidence of eligibility for promotion.

We would appreciate your assessment of the achievements of Dr. ______in areas about which you have direct knowledge. Given the nature of our review process, specific illustrations are invaluable. In your letter, please describe your relationship to Dr. ______. Do you know her [him] well? In what context?

As usual, this review is subject to University schedules. Your review will be of the greatest assistance to us if it is received by ______. Under current policies and practices at Vanderbilt University, peer evaluations are, within the limitations imposed by law, regarded as confidential. In that spirit, such evaluations are intended only for the use of, and only will be seen by, University members (excluding Dr. ______, the reviewee) directly involved in the actual review process.

We understand that serving as a referee is time consuming, and we are grateful to you for your generosity in helping us with this important matter.

Sincerely,

(Department Chair)