Promotion Criteria Guidelines Memo

The New Hiring and Promotion Guidelines are now available on the web at http://www.extension.psu.edu/CEDhandbook/personnel.html . These guidelines are the outcome of the Promotion Review Committee's recommendations to Dr. Daney Jackson. These new guidelines will go into effect on July 1, 2006. Therefore, individuals seeking promotion in 2007 will be evaluated using the new guidelines.

The new promotion guidelines are the result of Dr. Daney Jackson appointing a Promotion Review Committee (Bill Kleiner - Chair, Deb Dietrich, Chris Orrson, Jack Watson, Craig Altemose, Michelle Rogers, and Dennis Calvin) to design a promotion system that prepares Penn State Cooperative Extension for the Future (2014 or 100th anniversary) and brings the promotion requirements into line with the Faculty's Promotion and Tenure Guidelines.

To accomplish this task, the committee evaluated how the Land-grant system has changed since originally established and how it will need to adapt to meet our clientele's future needs. As part of the process, the committee compared Penn State Cooperative Extension's current education and program requirements with other comparable institutions. The committee also reviewed the College of Agricultural Sciences ' Strategic Plan and developed the New Promotion Guidelines to conform to the four Strategic Goals: 1) enhance student recruitment, 2) enhance knowledge discovery and translation, 3) assess and communicate leadership and impact, and 4) lead and manage the College as a system.

In developing the new Promotion Grid, the eleven core competency areas defined by ECOP were incorporated. The expectations under the eleven core competencies were defined for four ranks: 1) Assistant Extension Educator, 2) Associate Extension Educator, 3) Extension Educator, and 4) Senior Extension Educator. Although it is not included on the Promotion Grid, the Extension Program Assistant is still an option for individuals that do not meet the minimum requirement for hiring at the Assistant Extension Educator rank.

The major change in promotion requirements is the requirement of a Masters degree or higher at the Associate Extension Educator ranks and above. Beginning July 1, 2006 all new educators hired at the Associate Extension Educator rank and above must have a Masters degree or higher. Assistant Educators that are already in the system will still be allowed to apply for promotion in 2006, 2007, and 2008 without a Masters degree, but by 2009 all educators will need to meet the Masters degree requirement to apply for promotion to Associate Extension Educator in 2010. Beginning on July 1, 2006 no one can apply for the Extension Educator rank without a Masters degree. When applying for promotion to the Associate Educator rank, all Masters degree requirements must be completed by December 31 of the year before promotion would be granted. Evidence of working towards a Masters degree will no long be accepted for promotion. A letter from the Department Head of the academic unit where the candidate will receive the degree, stating that all degree requirements have been met for graduation, must be submitted to the Regional Director and Associate Director of Cooperative Extension to be eligible for promotion.

Time in rank has not changed from the old system, with the exception of the four year minimum at the Extension Educator rank being lowered to three years to match the Human Resources job description job grade requirements. The eleven ECOP competency areas on the Promotion Grid are community and social action, civil rights and diversity, engagement, education program, education delivery, leadership, organization and management, knowledge of and service to the organization, scholarship, interpersonal relations and professionalism. The specific expectation for each rank for each competency area is described on the grid.

Our value as an institution will depend on the quality of programming we can bring to our clientele. These guidelines were developed to lead us to our centennial celebration with field staff who reflect the values of our first century while preparing for our second century. The goal is to help educators grow in their position through professional development and enhance the system's ability to provide state-of-the-art programming to our clientele. As we all know, new knowledge and technology is being generated at an ever increasing rate, so no one will be able to function in the future extension system without continuing their education through the pursue of advanced degrees or professional development.