The Faculty Handbook states the following regarding promotions: “Promotions will be based on professional preparation, performance of duties, and fidelity to the Christian purposes of the university.”
I am submitting this application for promotion to full professor as stated in the Faculty Handbook guideline under Appendix E. I have discussed this intent with many people, specifically the Chair of the Management Sciences Department, who has confirmed his support of this submission. In this introduction, I have included letters of recommendation from past and present chairs of the Management, Spirituality and Religion Interest Group of the Academy of Management, who have worked with me to redefine an academic community to support researchers interested in advancing the influence of spirituality and religion in the Academy. I have also included recommendation letters from colleagues at ACU whom I have collaborated with in the areas of curriculum development, innovation and service. You can view their recommendation by clicking the link associated with their name:
Dr. Mary Finney, Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Ohio University, Worthington, OH 43085-346, 2017-2018 MSR Chair
Dr. Lee Robbins, retired professor, Harvard University; founding member of the Management, Spirituality and Religion (MSR) interest group, Academy of Management (AOM)
Dr. Kathryn Pavlovich, Professor of Strategy and HCM, University of Waikato, New Zealand, 2015-2016 MSR Chair
Richard Major, Exemplarity, Professor of Strategy and Transformation, Institut de Gestion Sociale, Paris, France, International Rep at Large, MSR
Dr. John Weaver, Dean of Library Services, ACU
Dr. Don Pope, Associate Professor of Management, COBA, ACU
Dr. Doug Foster, Professor of Biblical Studies, CBS, ACU
I submit this application to bring attention to the details of my years after receiving tenure and to recognize my contributions in three areas of consideration to support the committee’s decision to grant this request for promotion:
1) I have supported the increasing need for practical experience in preparing students for service in professional careers.
2) I have met the need to support research requirements that extend to other domains of interest in spreading the presence of God to other disciplines in academe.
3) I have engaged in special areas of research and service that require faculty to make personal sacrifices beyond academic or professional requirements.
Prior requirements for tenure establish a basis for qualifying as a full professor that rest on the assumptions that the applying faculty is, 1) tenured, 2) an active member of a congregation of the Churches of Christ, and 3) respects the need for a faculty member to balance professional, spiritual, family, and private life. Based on my compliance with these assumptions, I submit this application for promotion to full professor in the Department of Management Sciences.
An application for promotion also requires documented proof of the achievement of goals and related outcomes in the four areas of teaching, scholarship, service and collegiality. In the area of teaching, T&P guidelines state that,
“A minimum of six years of university teaching experience, at least four of which are tenure-track at ACU, is required. (See tenure procedure on III. B. for application dates.)”
At the time of application for tenure and promotion in the fall of 2012, I had taught five and one-half years plus one summer semester at the undergraduate and graduate levels since beginning tenure track at ACU in spring 2007, and six years at the undergraduate level at Arizona State University. Since receiving tenure, I have taught six more years at the undergraduate and graduate level, including six online summer undergraduate sessions and eight additional online graduate sessions for ACU Dallas.
In the area of scholarship, T&P guidelines particularly state:
“For a university community, scholarship is important. Abilene Christian University expects that each faculty member will provide evidence (i.e., product) of his/her professional competence through scholarship and/or other creative activities appropriate to the discipline.”
In addition to the above University Guidelines, the College of Business Administration has added the following addendum related to scholarly activity:
“Peer-reviewed intellectual contributions, including articles, books, cases, proceedings, and conference presentations are emphasized. Basic applied, pedagogical and ethics/faith-based scholarship is acceptable, with the general expectation being five high quality peer-reviewed contributions in the previous five years, including one peer-reviewed publication.”
In the disciplines of management sciences and information systems, upon receiving tenure, I had completed 10 peer-reviewed contributions: 4 peer-reviewed journal and book chapter publications and 6 peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Since that time, I have completed 16 additional peer-reviewed contributions with one being an invited special issue journal on research methods in management, spirituality and religion. The COBA Faculty Research Committee has evaluated my intellectual contributions and again confirmed that I am qualified as a Scholarly Academic (SA), per AACSB’s requirements for research and scholarship.
The remainder of this portfolio will demonstrate that I have continued to meet ACU’s general requirements and specific departmental (COBA) supplemental requirements for promotion. It is through an evaluation of my performance in each of the areas of teaching, scholarship, service, and – although not specifically identified as required at the full professor level – collegiality, that I submit this electronic portfolio to support the compliance of requirements to submit this application.
To navigate this ePortfolio, review the horizonal tabs along the top of this screen to read personal reflections and narratives that summarize my views of the areas to be evaluated. For supporting documentation and detailed descriptions regarding work conducted in each of these areas, expanded sub-links have been provided under each header tab. In addition, reference links have been included throughout this site for additional support.
I appreciate the time and commitment given by COBA faculty, administration and the T&P Review committee in considering this application for promotion.