Climate Conscious Promotion & Tenure

This initiative proposes to revise Promotion and Tenure (P&T) guidelines to incentivize carbon-conscious decision-making by faculty. By recognizing the environmental impact of academic travel and other carbon-intensive research practices, the university aims to promote sustainability without hindering academic progress. Adjusting P&T criteria will support the university’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and position the institution as a leader in sustainable academic practices. Actionable items include:

• Evaluate current university and unit (college) level Annual Performance and P&T guidelines to identify how carbon-intensive research activities are incentivized.
• Adjust unit-level AP and P&T criteria to remove biases favoring carbon-intensive research practices, ensuring fair and sustainable standards for academic achievement.
• Introduce an optional climate impact statement in P&T materials for faculty to highlight how they have reduced their research-related carbon footprint.
• Encourage alternatives to traditional research activities, such as virtual conferences and open-access publishing, to minimize environmental impact.
• Offer university-level guidance from the Office of the Provost and Faculty Affairs to assist units in implementing and adhering to the revised P&T guidelines.