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Applications Open for 2026–2027 BTAA Leadership Development Programs

The University of Washington is now accepting nominations for the 2026–2027 Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program (ALP) and Department Executive Officer (DEO) programs. These flagship leadership development opportunities help faculty strengthen the skills needed to navigate complex academic environments and support their units more effectively. Administrators are encouraged to share these opportunities with faculty who may be strong candidates.

Building Leadership Capacity Across Research Universities

The BTAA Academic Leadership Program offers a cohort-based, yearlong experience designed to help faculty refine leadership skills, understand institutional decision-making, and address the challenges facing major research universities. Participants engage with academic leaders across BTAA institutions, take part in facilitated development sessions, and return to their home units with new tools and practices that enhance their leadership effectiveness.

The BTAA Department Executive Officer Program provides structured support for current department chairs through peer coaching, collaborative problem solving, and targeted leadership training. Its hybrid format allows chairs to learn from colleagues across institutions while applying new approaches directly within their departments. Fellows from both programs also participate in UW-based sessions that reinforce key learning and foster leadership capacity across the university.

Faculty who take part in these programs consistently report increased confidence in their leadership roles, stronger cross-campus connections, and a deeper understanding of institutional systems. Their participation strengthens UW’s academic leadership pipeline and supports a more resilient academic enterprise.

Nomination Details

Deadline: Friday, April 24, 2026
Submission: Email nominations to vpap@uw.edu

Required Documents:

  • A cover letter from the dean or chancellor supporting the nominee’s leadership
  • A letter of interest from the candidate describing their motivation for participating
  • A list of previous leadership programs attended, with dates
  • A biographical sketch

Incomplete nominations will not be considered. Candidates should be nominated only if they can commit to attending all program events.

Eligibility Criteria

The Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty requests that each college, school, or campus submit no more than three nominations for each program.

Nominees should:

  • Be faculty in one of the UW’s five professorial tracks: tenured, WOT, teaching, research, or professor of clinical practice
  • Hold the rank of professor or be an associate professor near promotion
  • Demonstrate leadership experience and an interest in further leadership development
  • Currently serve or previously serve in a leadership or administrative role, such as Senate chair-elect, department chair, center director, associate chair, or associate dean

For the DEO program specifically, nominees should ideally be department chairs or directors who are two to three years into their roles.

Program Costs

Food and lodging for in-person seminars are supported by the BTAA through UW’s membership dues. Units are asked to cover travel expenses for their Fellows. Selection will be based on a candidate’s potential to apply new knowledge, engage meaningfully in program activities, and contribute to a diverse cohort of Fellows across disciplines and backgrounds.

Program Schedule

Academic Leadership Program (ALP)

  • Welcome Session: September 18, 2026, 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. PT (Zoom)
  • Seminar I: October 22–24, 2026 at Michigan State University (In Person)
  • Seminar II: February 11–13, 2027 at Northwestern University (In Person)
  • Seminar III: April 8–10, 2027 at the University of Michigan (In Person)

Department Executive Officer Program (DEO)

  • Welcome Session: October 8, 2026, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. PT (Zoom)
  • Critical Friends Session A: October 15, 2026, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. PT (Zoom)
  • Critical Friends Session B: October 29, 2026, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. PT (Zoom)
  • Critical Friends Session C: November 5, 2026, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. PT (Zoom)
  • Leadership Workshop: November 11–13, 2026, at the Big Ten Conference Center in Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois

Faculty and administrators are encouraged to share these opportunities broadly within their units. These programs support the continued development of academic leaders who help advance UW’s mission and strengthen the university community.

2026–2027 Promotion & Tenure Refresh

This guide consolidates essential administrative guidance from the March 4, 2026 Promotion & Tenure Cycle Refresh Training.

Important Reminders

  • New standing committees may be required. If a standing committee’s membership is changing from the 2025–26 cycle, you must create a new committee. Any changes to an existing committee will update all associated cases, including 2025–26 cases. Update your template to ensure all cases are created with the correct committees.
  • Use the Replace functionality for committees to retain step instructions and requirements.
  • SCCs should coordinate with their department administrators to ensure template updates are complete prior to initiating cases.
  • Notify the candidate when their case is ready.
  • Assign a Committee Manager to steps with required forms.
  • Follow the instructions for putting student and peer reviews in reverse chronological order.
  • Do not move the case to the APF Check step until the 5/7 days have passed for sharing documents. Everyone in the unit loses access when it moves to the first APF step and they will not be able to view or respond to the documents shared unless you wait.
  • Download the case materials prior to sending to APF, if you desire.

Template Updates

  • Removing the External Reviewer Nominee form for candidates (remove from required candidate documents).
  • Replacing your standing committees for 2026–2027.

Case Management

  • How to notify candidates of their case.
  • Case navigation.
  • Case Materials vs. Case Details tabs.
  • Internal Sections.
  • Step instructions and requirements.
  • Fulfilling the data sheet requirement from a case document.
  • Creating a standing committee.
  • Replacing a committee.
  • Designating a Committee Manager on a step.

Website Navigation

  • Promotion and Tenure landing page: Links to Getting Started and Annual Template content.
  • Getting Started: Step-by-step instructions with link to template update information and case initiation. Changed the format of links on this page to accordion style at the bottom.
  • Templates & Forms: Clarifies RPT templates vs APF templates. New information about updating templates annually.
  • FAQ page: Frequently asked questions about process, set up and case management.
  • Unit Materials page: Updated to include information from the P&T Guidelines page, consolidating resources.
  • Interfolio’s candidate view: Preview the faculty‑facing, candidate view of Interfolio.

Updates for 2026–2027

RPT Updates (only minor changes):

  • The External Reviewer Nominee form can be removed from the candidate’s required documents.
  • External Reviewer Grid has had minor tweaks to make it easier to use and so it will display better as a PDF for reviewers.
  • The external reviewer letter templates will be updated in March.
  • Close cases using only the Error or Candidate Withdrew options so we can report on closed cases.

Promotion & Tenure Policy/Guidance Updates

2026–27 Promotion and Tenure Clock Waiver: One Year Extension

  • Automatic Eligibility for Promotion/Tenure Clock Waiver – 2026–27 through 2030–31 Faculty Cohorts.
  • We continue to receive feedback that faculty are concerned about the impact of federal policy changes on career progression. In response, new provisions are being implemented for the 2026–27 academic year.
  • Meritorious clock managed cohorts with a hire date on or before September 16, 2025 (mandatory reviews taking place between AY 2026–27 through AY 2030–31), who have no more than three previously approved clock waivers, are automatically eligible for a waiver of the 2026–27 academic year.
  • Mandatory review deferred for one year unless they choose to opt out. Those faculty who choose to opt out will keep their current end date in effect and go up for mandatory promotion in the last year of their appointment as currently held.
  • We are working on the update to our clock waiver pages but please start gathering opt out information for those in your clock managed cohorts hired on or before January 1, 2026.

External Reviewer Request Guidance

Updated templates will include this context language:

Beginning in January 2025, faculty across the University of Washington experienced significant disruption to their federally funded research activities. Although the impacts of these disruptions are still evolving – and new disruptions to research are emerging – we ask that you consider this unprecedented time when evaluating research contributions since 2025, including the written components of this promotion packet.

Student Teaching Evaluation Guidance

New language regarding interpretation of student evaluations of teaching is in progress. The committee hopes to reach its goal of April 1, 2026 for guidance to be posted.

P&T Due Dates

  • Dec 15, 2026 — Submit Mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Records.
  • Jan 15, 2027 — Submit Early Non-mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Records.
  • Feb 1, 2027 — Submit Non-mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Records.
  • Apr 9, 2027 — Submit Librarian Promotion Records.

P&T Notification Dates

  • Faculty who went through a review for promotion and/or tenure can expect to be notified of a successful outcome by the Office of Academic Personnel.
  • March 31, 2027 — Mandatory.
  • April 30, 2027 — Early Non-Mandatory.
  • June 1, 2027 — Non-Mandatory and Librarians.

Resources

2025 UW Faculty Demographic Baseline Report Now Available

The Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty has released the 2025 UW Faculty Demographic Baseline Report, a comprehensive institutional resource detailing the composition, recruitment patterns, and professional trajectories of the University of Washington’s professorial faculty. Drawing on October 2025 census data alongside annual information on hiring, separations, promotion, retention, and faculty development, the report provides a clear, data‑driven view of the faculty workforce across the Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses.

Several long‑term trends stand out. Over the past decade, UW has seen a gradual decline in the proportion of white male faculty, accompanied by steady increases among women and faculty who identify as Asian or from underrepresented groups. Age‑distribution data reflect a predominantly mid‑career faculty, while the demographic profile of new hires continues to mirror that of the assistant professor cohort, suggesting incremental but consistent evolution rather than rapid change.

The report also offers a detailed look at the mechanics of faculty hiring at UW, outlining the multi‑stage recruitment process that spans internal planning, national search activity, and extensive evaluation of finalists. The annual hiring cycle is now aligned with broader institutional planning timelines, providing a more cohesive structure for understanding and anticipating faculty workforce needs.

Additional sections examine the University’s international scholar population, promotion and tenure patterns, and the outcomes of competitive and preemptive retention efforts. Promotion rates remain strong, and most faculty who receive retention counteroffers choose to remain at UW.

For academic leaders, department chairs, shared‑governance partners, and faculty members across all campuses, the 2025 UW Faculty Demographic Baseline Report provides an essential reference point for understanding the composition and experiences of UW’s faculty. It also offers a foundation for future planning as the University continues to strengthen the structures that support recruitment, advancement, engagement, and long‑term faculty success.

The full 2025 UW Faculty Demographic Baseline Report is now available on the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty website.