Impact of Federal Policy Changes on Faculty Work and the Promotion and Tenure Process

Created by a committee appointed by the Provost, this document offers guidance to UVA faculty members on how to best position themselves to succeed in a future tenure or promotion review, considering recent federal policy changes that impact academic research. It is neither a policy nor a mandate.

Challenges include restricted data access that limits project scope; decreased federal grant funding, with some agencies fully closing and ending all associated support; and heightened competition for foundation grants. Faculty may also be affected by changes to international travel and visa regulations that hinder collaboration and scholarly exchange. Additional pressures reported by faculty include declining graduate student enrollment, which can increase workload and limit productivity due to reduced teaching and research assistance; immigration and workforce constraints; and fewer opportunities to publish or present scholarly and creative work, making it harder to maintain a national presence. Discipline-specific obstacles add further complexity.

As universities navigate this shifting landscape, we must ensure that our promotion and tenure processes remain fair, equitable, and aligned with institutional values. Differential impacts across faculty members and across departments are likely to shape promotion reviews in both direct and indirect ways.

Faculty members who are concerned because of an upcoming promotion or tenure review are encouraged to consider the following recommendations to increase research and scholarly success:

• Utilize Institutional Resources
  • Take full advantage of resources available through the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), such as UVA’s institutional license for www.grantforward.com, a platform that aggregates funding opportunities from federal agencies, foundations, military programs, and other sources. Faculty can access it through https://researchdev.research.virginia.edu/resources/grantforward.
  • Explore similar resources made available by schools or departments for supporting research.
• Request an Extension to the Tenure Probationary Period
  • Extensions to the tenure clock can be requested in the event of significant, sustained disruptions to research caused by the loss of funding or other external factors beyond the faculty member’s control. Details can be found in the policy on Employment of Tenure-line Faculty, Procedure 1.
  • Requests should be sent to the department chair or dean for provost approval.
• Seek Expert Guidance
  • Unit leaders and both formal and informal mentors can provide junior faculty members with specific guidance appropriate to their discipline.
  • Make full use of the support offered through:
    • Department chairs and senior colleagues
    • The Dean’s or Associate Dean’s office
    • The Provost’s Office and the OVPR.
• Provide Context through Impact Statements
  • Include statements that explain how the candidate’s work has been affected by structural or field-specific challenges—such as reduced federal funding or travel restrictions—which may affect visibility and reputation development.
  • Additional guidance on developing impact statements and their use in the P&T process is available in the Impact Statements section below.

To support fair and context-sensitive evaluation, the University permits faculty candidates to include an optional impact statement as part of their review materials. An impact statement is a brief narrative used to explain how external circumstances beyond the candidate’s control have demonstrably affected their ability to conduct their teaching, research, scholarly or artistic activities, patient care, or service work. 

Impact statements were originally introduced at UVA to document the professional effects of COVID-19-related disruptions. While those impacts are now largely in the past, the University now uses a similar tool to help faculty contextualize how current federal and state policy changes may affect their work. These disruptions may include grant cancellations or delays, travel disruptions, data access issues, policy changes, or other changes that hinder academic or creative activity. 

The purpose of the impact statement is to help reviewers understand the professional consequences of these events on the candidate’s trajectory and productivity. Impact statements do not include personal or medical information. A short, standalone document (½ to 1 page) added to the review dossier is the recommended format.   

This FAQ provides guidance and information to consider, whether the impact statement is included in an annual review, promotion, tenure, or renewal request, or for any other purpose. It includes guidance for when and how impact statements may be used and what they should include. The goal is to support consistent and fair evaluation practices across the University, ensuring that candidates are assessed in light of their individual circumstances without altering academic standards.