Sample personal statement for promotion to associate professor

Below are links to PDFs of several promotion and/or tenure narratives prepared by members of the TWU faculty.  They have graciously agreed to share their narrative with faculty colleagues.  These documents serve as samples that illustrate how a faculty member can document achievements or accomplishments in relationship to the criteria established by the university and their academic component.

• Dr. Agatha Beins P&T Narrative, promotion to Associate Professor of Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies
• Dr. Jacob Blosser P&T Narrative, promotion to Professor of History
• Dr. Rosemarry Candelario P&T Narrative,  promotion to Associate Professor of Dance
• Dr. Graham (Gray) Scott, award of Tenure in the Department of English, Speech & Foreign Languages
• Dr. Lisa Rosen P&T Narrative, promotion to Associate Professor of Psychology

Page last updated 1:11 PM, June 20, 2018 

Hopefully you found some helpful tips for updating your CV after the last few posts, whether for promotion or just for general updating. For those faculty currently working on promotion materials, let’s take a look at the personal statement.

Peter Snyder, MD, associate dean for faculty affairs and development, advises that “the personal statement is the most important part of the promotion dossier. It should not just be a re-listing of items on your CV, but it should bring to life the things you are doing. Tell a story that indicates the importance and impact of your work.”

If you struggle to find the right words or need help just getting started, you can find examples of personal statements for promotion in the health care and bioresearch fields online. The Office of Faculty Affairs also provides de-identified statement samples for research and clinical faculty (both assistant to associate and associate to professor).

If you do gather ideas from examples, be careful to rewrite your statement in your own words and voice. Use phrases and language that are familiar to you and sound like you. Do not copy and paste from another personal statement—it’s easier to recognize this than you might think.

My best advice for getting started is to first create an outline. Jot down the main areas that are required and specifics that you want to cover. You don’t even have to write full sentences at this point.

Once the outline is done and the structure of your statement is set, filling in details should be a little easier. Start with an introduction that discusses the foundation of your career, work, and interests, and how you have built upon that foundation. 

Emphasize your activities and accomplishments in terms of how they have benefited your growth as a clinician and/or researcher, as well as what your work has contributed to your greater area of expertise and our own institutions.

Be sure to include recognitions of your work. Recognitions could include letters from your division or department executive, media coverage, or work that was highlighted at a conference.

Finish your statement with a summary of your accomplishments and your goals for the next few years. You’re not only highlighting what you have done, but what you plan to do next.

Finally, don’t forget the small details: spell out abbreviations and acronyms that are common in your field but may not be recognized by others; make sure your statement looks neat and clean, with consistent font, line spacing, and indentations; double-check that any names and titles are correct; and most importantly, have someone else read it over. A fresh pair of eyes may catch areas that need a bit of refining.

As always, if you would like assistance with your personal statement, please feel free to contact me at .

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The Narrative Statement

Candidates for promotion are strongly encouraged to include an optional Narrative Statement in their Basic File. The purpose of the Narrative Statement is to give candidates the opportunity to place their work and activities in the context of their overall goals as a faculty member at UMass Chan Medical School.

Because reviewers may not be in the candidate’s field, the statement should be written so that the issues, approach, and impact or outcome of the candidate’s work will be understandable to a general academic medicine audience.

A Narrative Statement should be 2–3 pages (single-spaced)—no longer—and include the following sections:

• Introduction.  An overview of the candidate as a faculty member, including their goals and expectations.
• Areas of Distinction.  Description of the candidate’s achievements in each of their Areas of Distinction, including Education.
• Academic Service.  Description of the candidate’s service activities.
• Conclusion.  Summary of the candidate’s major achievements and future directions.

For more detailed guidance, download Guidelines on Preparation of a Narrative Statement as a PDF file.

See here for examples of narrative statements and guidance for promotion to Associate Professor in the Non-Tenure Track.

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