External letter writers play an essential role in the U.S. #tenure process. They provide an outside assessment of a candidate for promotion's record, contribution, & relative performance in the field.
This straightforward task is more nuanced than it might look.
It's a service that academe does not do a good job of preparing faculty to perform.
As far as I know, my professional organizations & adjacent organizations do not offer guidance on how to write a letter.
Nor, for that matter, have the universities that I've been affiliated with in the United States.
I recall the first request that I received to write a letter & not knowing what to do.
I went to a trusted senior faculty member who advised me not to accept the request, unless I could write a positive letter.
This didn't help.
I went to my then department chair who convinced me that I must sometimes write a negative letter.
Both told me write an honest letter.
Why the two views?
The socially apt senior was concerned about my reputation. He viewed writing negative letters as having a negative halo effect.
The administratively apt senior was concerned about broader academe. He viewed writing negative letters as essential to academe.
In the end, I have also found both were correct.
External letter writing affects your reputation & is essential to the health of academe.
So how can you juggle this tension? and write a fair external letter?
First, review the request.
The request should include the candidate's CV & the school's standards.
If the request is out of discipline or on an unrelated topic, consider declining.
Second, evaluate the record vis a vis the school.
Some schools ask would the person tenure at your place? Some ask for how does this person compare with the discipline?
At this point, you will know if the letter will be positive or negative.
If you are not comfortable with writing that letter, consider declining.
Third, calibrate your expectations to the request.
This does not mean setting aside your beliefs about tenure. It means recognizing that your school's standards do not apply everywhere.
So if your schools ask for N+1 and the requestor asks for N-1, roll with it.
Fourth, be honest.
I will catch some flak for saying this, but many candidates do not merit tenure vis a vis their school's espoused standards.
I've heard senior faculty express disappointment in positive letter writers. The same for negative.
You do yourself no favors by upselling or down-selling a candidate - both have negative halo effects for you & the school.
Finally, have tact.
Never forget your letter will affect a family's life.
Even if the letter is negative, be balanced in tone, the school & candidate will appreciate it.
I write positive and negative letters. It's necessary. It’s not always fun.
But, we have to write honest letters, if we are to build a stronger #academe.
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