One-hundred-forty-three UCF faculty members, including two from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, recently achieved significant career milestones in earning promotions and tenure for the 2022-23 cycle.
Heather Keathley and Adan Vela were promoted to associate professor with tenure.
The approved faculty underwent a rigorous evaluation of their work and performance by peers, college and university leaders that took nearly an academic year.
Tenure is a key factor in UCF’s drive to fulfill its strategic vision of becoming a preeminent state university, a national top 25 public institution and the world’s leading public metropolitan research university. Aside from helping recruit and retain elite faculty, tenure helps safeguard academic freedom and encourage faculty to tackle challenging and important problems to benefit society.
Tenure must be approved by the UCF Board of Trustees. Of the 50 candidates approved by the board on June 29, 49 received a promotion to associate professor. The president and provost make final decisions on promotions following reviews and recommendations from individual colleges and units.
“The faculty members approved this year for promotion and tenure distinguish themselves through excellence and high productivity in teaching, research and service. I am very happy to have such colleagues at UCF,” says Michael D. Johnson, UCF’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “They have met a lofty and demanding standard, and I am confident they will contribute significantly to advancing UCF as the University for the Future.”
The new promotion and tenure approvals take effect Aug. 8.
See the full list of university promotions in the UCF Today story by Joe Adams