The Companion Project will simplify processes and enable more efficient and informed decision-making in faculty recruiting, appointments, reappointments, and promotions.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Promote consistency and transparency in faculty affairs processes
• Leverage technology to make hiring, appointment, post-hire promotion, and tenure processes more efficient
• Establish and maintain a single system of record for all academic worker data
• Reduce the need for “shadow” systems in schools
• Implement a strategic technology platform while retiring dated systems

Interfolio is a faculty information system that provides a full suite of faculty-focused technology to support every stage of the faculty lifecycle, from hiring through tenure.

Modules being implemented for Phase 1 of the Penn FA Companion Project include:

• Faculty Search - supports posting creation, job application submission, committee review, and applicant selection
• Reviews, Promotions, and Tenure - supports the collection of review materials and approval workflows for appointments, reappointments, promotion, and tenure cases
• Dossier - provides an online platform for faculty to collect and curate scholarly materials, as well as for requesting and receiving confidential letters of recommendation. 

Future Implementation:

• Faculty180 is an online platform for faculty activity reporting which enables faculty to collect materials and actively curate scholarship, research, teaching, service, and professional activity over the lifetime of their scholarly career. Implementation planning for this module will begin in late 2019.

More Information about Interfolio Products:

• To learn more about Interfolio products being implemented at Penn, we encourage you to view the webinars at: https://www.interfolio.com/resources/webinars

For Frequently Asked Questions about the project, please visit: https://upenn.box.com/s/nqnovb850o317cgs1tfrnswc060lomuo

For recent communications about the project, please visit: https://upenn.box.com/s/6xumdrc5lm3qyciyjgju7qcwqvcijnbz

If you have questions or comments - or would like to be added to the Faculty Affairs Companion Project listserv to receive email updates - contact the Faculty Affairs Project Team at: FA-Project-Help@pobox.upenn.edu

Members of the project team are available for forums that provide an overview of the project and answer the questions of individual schools or departments. Contact the Faculty Affairs Project Team at: FA-Project-Help@pobox.upenn.edu.