June 2026: VPFAL Action Guide

This post highlights upcoming academic HR deadlines and important administrative tasks for the month ahead. Please feel free to share it with faculty or staff who may find it helpful.

To be added to the distribution list or if you have any questions, feel free to contact vpfal.prof.dev@utoronto.ca.

PTR

  • PTR Process for the 2025-26 Academic Year
  • PTR Process for the 2026-27 Academic Year
    • “At the beginning of the academic year (i.e., July 1)”, unit heads “shall communicate, in writing, to each faculty member of their unit”:
      • Internal policies and procedures for assessment of PTR
      • The format to be used for activity reports
      • The relative weight of teaching, research and service (PDAD&C #53).
    • A separate weighting of teaching, pedagogical/professional development and service should be made for teaching-stream faculty. Teaching stream faculty members shall be evaluated on their pedagogical and/or discipline-based scholarship in relation to the field in which they teach and/or creative/professional activity[1] that allows the faculty member to maintain a mastery of their subject area and this evaluation will be appropriately weighted in the PTR assessment. (PDAD&C #53).

Unit Workload Policies

  • All units should review the date of their most recent unit Workload Policy. The University’s Workload Policy and Procedures states that “Unit Workload Policies shall be reviewed at least every three years by the unit.” (WLPP, 2.16)
  • If your unit workload policy was last reviewed three or more years ago, it is time to review it again to ensure it continues to serve the unit well. Policies require approval: in a Multi-Department Faculty, please reach out to your Dean’s Office; Single Department Faculties should contact VPFAL.
  • The process of considering your unit workload policy is meant to be a collegial one: your workload policy committee “should be reasonably reflective of the membership of the Unit, including reflecting the types of appointments that faculty members in the unit hold.” (WLPP, 2.2))

Reminder: Unit Head’s Responsibilities Relative to Workload

Unit heads should be aware that no later than June 30th, they are responsible for:

  1. Providing a written assignment of workload.
  2. Making workload letters available via a secure site.
  3. Preparing a Unit Workload Document annually setting out information regarding the assigned teaching and assigned service workload for each member in the unit and providing access to all members of the unit and to UTFA by June 30th each year. The Unit Workload Document is due by June 30, 2026.

Important Travel Information for Faculty, Staff, and Students

Hosting International Academics

  • If you plan to invite non Canadian academics or researchers to campus, including those who will not be receiving payment, you must work with your Dean’s Office or HR Office to obtain current template letters and confirm your Faculty’s protocol for submission to Faculty Immigration (faculty.immigration@utoronto.ca).
  • Due to the volume of requests received, we triage processing based on urgency (e.g., posted immigration processing times, citizenship requirements, and start dates). Once urgent requests are addressed, submissions are processed on a first in, first out basis.
  • Current government work permit processing times are unusually long. We recommend initiating the process at least six months before the anticipated start date, or discussing an adjusted start date with your Dean’s Office to accommodate processing timelines.
  • You are encouraged to review the University of Toronto’s safeguarding research resources and to consult the VPRI Research Security Team (RST) (researchsecurity@utoronto.ca) when considering visiting faculty appointments. The RST can provide guidance on research security considerations and applicable Canadian and Ontario funding requirements.

Completion of Offers

  • Please complete the Completion of Offer (COO) form for Academic Appointments available on the AAPM Templates page as soon as possible after a search has concluded and return to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life (academic.hr@utoronto.ca). The form should be submitted in cases of acceptances and declines. For acceptances, please also submit the signed letter of offer.
    • Please note: To begin the immigration support process, VPFAL must receive the COO including the passport details for the new hire.
  • Please also complete the workflow in SuccessFactors Recruiting (SFR) by moving candidates through the appropriate steps in the recruiting system, depending on the outcome of the search. Please reference the SFR job aids about offering a position, hiring a candidate, and closing a search available on the ASA resources page. Questions about the SFR workflow can be sent to academic.jobs@utoronto.ca.

Interim Review (Tenure Stream)

  • Tenure stream faculty members should have their performance “reviewed no earlier than May 1 of the third year of [their] contract … Normally no later than 30th June, the appointee should be asked to submit an account of research or creative professional activity which has been completed or undertaken since the time of initial appointment … The appointee will not normally be required to complete the submission prior to August 31” (PPAA, II.8).
  • See the AAPM Section on Interim Review.

Tenure Review

  • In units with faculty members coming forward for tenure review, “Each division head or chair of the department in the multi-departmental divisions shall have the responsibility … to notify the candidate, normally no later than June 30th, that he or she will be considered for tenure in the following spring and when the process of review, including assembling of documentation, is about to begin and when it will be completed. Candidates should normally be provided with a period of at least 6 weeks in which to assemble and prepare the documentation required from them as set out below and will not normally be asked to submit their research dossier prior to July 1” (PPAA, III.14.ii, emphasis added).
  • See the AAPM Section on Tenure Review.

Probationary Review (Continuing Stream Teaching Stream)

  • Continuing stream teaching stream faculty members coming forward for their probationary review should be notified of their upcoming review “normally no later than May 1” and given a deadline for submission of their dossier (they “will not normally be required to complete the submission prior to June 30”) (PPAA, VII.30.vii).
  • See the AAPM Section on Probationary Review.

Continuing Status Review

  • In units with faculty members coming forward for continuing status review, “The division head or chair shall … notify the candidate of the final composition of the continuing status committee and when the process of review, including assembling of documentation, is about to begin and when it will be completed. The candidate, with appropriate assistance and advice from the division or department head, will prepare a dossier in accordance with Divisional Guidelines for submission to the continuing status committee by June 30th” (PPAA, VII.30.x.b, emphasis added).
  • See the AAPM Section on Continuing Status Review.

Planning for 2026-27 Promotions

  • This is the time of year for preliminary consideration of all faculty members eligible for promotion.
  • This includes: Associate Professors (tenure stream), Associate Professors, Teaching Stream (continuing stream teaching stream), part-time non-tenure stream Assistant and Associate Professors, part-time teaching stream Assistant and Associate Professors, Teaching Stream, non-tenure stream Contractually Limited Term Appointment (CLTA) Assistant and Associate Professors, and status-only (and affiliated scientist) Assistant and Associate Professors.
  • Here is the relevant policy language for tenure/non-tenure stream and teaching stream faculty:
    • “Each year the Department Chairman will place before the Promotions Committee for preliminary consideration the names of all Associate Professors in the Department, together with their curricula vitae. The Committee will advise the Chairman as to which staff members should receive more detailed consideration for promotion.” (PPP, 20)
    • “Each year the Department Chair will place before the Promotions Committee for preliminary consideration the names of all part-time Assistant Professors, Teaching Stream with continuing appointments and all Associate Professors, Teaching Stream in the Department, together with their curricula vitae. The Committee will advise the Chair as to which faculty members should receive more detailed consideration for promotion.” (PPPTS, 18)
  • Follow up with individual faculty members regarding a timeline for when they may be ready to come forward for promotion consideration.
  • “The successful candidate for promotion will be expected to have established a wide reputation in his or her field of interest, to be deeply engaged in scholarly work, and to have shown himself or herself to be an effective teacher.” (PPP, 7)
    • “The greatest weight will be given to scholarly achievement or, where appropriate, creative professional work, and to high quality in teaching.” (PPP, 7)
  • “Promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream will be granted on the basis of excellent teaching, educational leadership and/or achievement, and ongoing pedagogical/professional development, sustained over many years …” (PPPTS, 6)

    Retirement Notice

    Please share this information with your faculty

    Save the Date: Retreat for Academic Administrators

    • The Retreat for Academic Administrators takes place on June 22-24, 2026, at the Faculty Club on St George campus.
    • The VPFAL Office will extend invitations to newly appointed Chairs, Graduate Chairs, Directors, Deans, and Vice and Associate Deans.
    • Continuing academic administrators will also receive and invitation and we strongly encourage them to attend sessions that are relevant to their roles.

    Save the Date: New Faculty & Librarian Orientation

    • The New Faculty & Librarian Orientation takes place on August 10 & 11, 2026, at the Faculty Club on St George campus.
    • Faculty members who are appointed to the tenure stream, faculty members appointed to the continuing stream teaching stream, and librarians, with start dates between September 2, 2025 and September 1, 2026 will be sent an invitation in July.

    NCFDD Programming (online)

    NCFDD offers on-demand access to programs and resources designed to help faculty members “achieve extraordinary writing and research productivity while maintaining a full and healthy life off campus”

    Activate your NCFDD membership to access webinars