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, particularly for those scheduled for mandatory promotion and tenure review. In response—and as a follow-up to the automatic clock waivers offered to the 2025–26 and 2026-27 cohorts —new provisions are being implemented for the remaining cohorts who were on campus during AY 2024-2025.
Automatic Eligibility
Effective immediately, all meritorious faculty cohorts scheduled for mandatory promotion and tenure review in 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. If faculty already have a waiver for the 2025-26 year (e.g., birth of a child, etc.), the federal funding waiver may be applied to the 2026-27 year. Faculty may only have one federal funding waiver applied (either 2025-26 OR 2026-27; not both) again, if all other eligibility requirements are met.
Faculty who accept this waiver will have their mandatory review deferred for one year unless they choose to opt out. Those faculty who chose 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.
Waivers should be initiated at the appointing unit level by June 30, 2026. Once initiated, waiver requests will follow the standard approval process in Workday, consistent with other automatic clock waivers (e.g., COVID-19 or becoming a parent).
Options for Faculty
Unit leaders are responsible for contacting each faculty member in a clock-managed appointment to confirm their preference:
- No change in date to be considered for mandatory promotion (remain 2026-27 through 2030-31, depending on initial appointment).
- Waive AY 2026–27 and defer mandatory promotion review to 2027–28 through 2031-32 (varies by current appointment end date) (default option).
- This is an opt-out policy; if no preference is communicated, the default for department processing is a one- year change to their appointment end date.
Important Notes
- This mandatory-clock extension does not defer Academic Review for those in their first 3-year term as assistant professor; rather, it defers their mandatory review by one year, adding one year to their second term as assistant professor.
- If a unit has already initiated the mandatory review process for a faculty member who chooses to defer, all related actions must stop immediately.
- External reviewers should be notified that their letters are not required at this time.
- Any completed steps in the review process will need to be repeated when the candidate is reviewed for promotion in the future.
For questions, please contact the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty Affairs and Operations at acadpers@uw.edu.