The SOM revised the requirement for a minimum of four external letters in support of all promotions in the last revision of our PAT document.  For promotions on the term track from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor for faculty demonstrating excellence in clinical service or teaching,  internal letters may now be substituted for external letters.  Please note the substitution of internal letters for external letters is only for the categories described above.  Faculty being promoted with tenure, faculty being promoted with excellence in research, and all faculty being promoted to full Professor still need at least four external letters.

The School of Medicine PAT Committee developed the following set of guidelines regarding internal letters in an effort to reduce confusion and add clarity to the process:

• Internal letters should come from faculty at the Associate Professor level or higher
• Letter writer should specifically speak to how the candidate meets criteria for promotion.
• The nature of the relationship with the candidate should be fully disclosed
• Letters from within the faculty member’s department should be limited to two. In departments with divisions/sections, only one letter may come from within the faculty member’s division/section
• At least two letters should come from outside of the department