In response to recent federal policy changes, the University of Washington will automatically extend the promotion and/or tenure clock by one year for eligible faculty with a mandatory review in academic year 2025–26.
Overview
The unprecedented changes in federal funding and policy experienced beginning in January 2025 have created “extraordinary circumstances” that may seriously impact productivity for faculty at the University of Washington. This problem is particularly critical for early career faculty working toward promotion and/or tenure in a mandatory and specified timeframe, as outlined in the Faculty Code. This probationary period is otherwise known as a faculty member’s “promotion
and/or tenure clock”.
As a result of the extraordinary circumstances associated with changes in federal funding and other federal policies, the University of Washington will automatically extend the promotion and/or tenure clock by one year for eligible faculty.
Due to the urgency with which these circumstances impact faculty with a mandatory review scheduled for the 2025-26 academic year, during June 2025 waivers will only be processed for faculty with a 2025-26 mandatory review. For this cohort, the Federal Policy Changes waiver is an “opt out” policy: appointing units will process a waiver for all faculty who meet the eligibility requirements below unless the faculty member chooses not to accept this waiver.
A further announcement will be made in July 2025 detailing the process to waive the 2025- 26 academic year for faculty with a mandatory review year of 2026-27 or later.
Implications of Opting Out
Eligible faculty who opt out of the waiver will undergo mandatory review in the normal fashion this coming year, with review at all levels and a final decision made by the provost in Spring 2026 to approve, postpone, or deny. Faculty with a waiver may choose to be reviewed as a non-mandatory consideration in AY 2025-26 or to wait and undergo a mandatory consideration in AY 2026-27. For non-mandatory consideration in AY 2025-26, a positive review by the dean/chancellor forwards the case to the provost for a final decision to approve or deny, while a denial by the dean is final and is not considered by the provost. If either the dean or provost denies a non-mandatory case, the faculty member would remain in rank and undergo mandatory review in AY 2026-27.
Eligibility Details
• Eligible faculty titles are: Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor without tenure by reason of funding (WOT), Research Assistant Professor, Associate Professor Tenure Track, and Professor Tenure Track.
• During June 2025, only faculty with a mandatory review year of AY 2025-26 are eligible.
• Eligible faculty must have been deemed meritorious in all years of service prior to this period.
• Eligible faculty must not have previously received more than 3 clock waivers. There is a maximum total limit of 4 clock waivers for any allowable reason, including COVID-19, parental, medical, federal policy changes, and/or other extraordinary circumstances.
Process
• Appointing unit leaders (chair/director/campus dean/dean) or their designee should contact all eligible clock-managed faculty with a AY2025-26 mandatory year to let them know their appointment will be extended and their mandatory year will be postponed to AY2026-27 unless the faculty member responds to request a 2025-26 non-mandatory review.
• No later than June 30, 2025, appointing unit administrators should enter a waiver request into Workday for each eligible faculty member who does not opt out using: Update Academic Appointment>Mandatory Promotion Clock Adjustments>Waiver: Federal Policy Changes
• Please provide the following in the Notes Field of the clock-waiver request:
a. Waiver Year: AY 2025-26
b. Waiver Reason: Federal Policy Changes
c. Previously Approved Waivers: [number between 0 and 3] {list the waived years and their reasons (e.g., AY 2020-21: COVID; AY 2023-24: becoming a parent) – see Workday Report R0713}
d. Faculty member is meritorious: Confirmed
• Administrators will also need to update the end date on the faculty member’s job for the approved clock waiver in Workday using: Transfer, Promote, Change Job>Data Change>Change End Date>Clock Adjustment (Academic Only) Request(s) June 16, 2025
• These requests then route for Workday approval through the faculty member’s chair/ director/campus dean and dean/chancellor’s office to UW Human Resources.
• When completed, please send the following notification in writing to the faculty member and upload a copy to Workday>Maintain Worker Documents: “Your request to waive the 2025-26 academic year from your [promotion and/or tenure] clock due to the recent federal policy changes has been approved. This waiver moves your mandatory promotion review year from AY 2025-26 to AY 2026-27. If you still wish to be considered for non-mandatory promotion in AY 2025-26, you should notify [chair/director/dean] no later than [date]. Your waiver has been entered into Workday, the University of Washington HR/Payroll System, and the end date of your appointment has been extended from June [15 or 30], 2026 to June [15 or 30], 2027.”
• If the promotion case has already been initiated in Interfolio and the faculty member is postponing review to AY 2026-27, please close the case in Interfolio and notify Susan Monusko (slmwhite@uw.edu). If an initiated case needs to be converted from Mandatory to Non-Mandatory, do not close the case; please contact Susan Monusko to effect this change. Where to Direct Questions
• Faculty who have questions about their eligibility or whether to request their review in AY2025-26 or AY2026-27 are encouraged to consult with their chair/director/ campus dean/dean.
• Administrators who have questions about this process should direct questions to acadpers@uw.edu. Questions about case management in Interfolio should be directed to Susan Monusko (slmwhite@uw.edu).