In 2001, Michigan State University significant revised its faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) policy and form to embed opportunities for reporting outreach and engagement throughout the dossier. This revision reflected MSU’s definition of outreach and engagement as a form of scholarship that cuts across institutional missions of teaching, research and creative activities, and service; emphasized multiple forms of evidence to document quality; and encouraged reporting of integrated scholarship.

Researchers with the National Collaborative for the Study of University Engagement analyzed 244 RPT forms from faculty who were successfully underwent reappointment, promotion, and tenure review between 2002 and 2006. Results are reported in multiple journal articles, institutional reports, and an issue of the Engagement Exchange.

The Community Engagement Success Stories in RPT study extends the original 2002-2006 study with an additional 10 years of data analysis of RPT documents through 2015. Results of this expanded study are expected in 2018.