Letter of recommendation for university faculty position

A faculty recommendation letter can be for the purpose of any number of things including a position on the faculty at a different institution of higher learning, a promotion at the existing college or university, an award for a particular achievement or any other job advancement opportunity that comes along.

Sample:

This sample faculty recommendation letter is for a college professor who is being considered for a department head position. The letter is written by the current department head who is retiring soon to the university president and board of directors that will be meeting to select a new department head.

Dear President Howard and Board of Directors:

We all know that the most gifted professors are those who unveil the joy of learning for the students and introduce them to a world in which anything is possible. There is not a professor that I know who displays this particular gift more than Dr. Andrew Stiltonin the School of Archeological Studies. He has a remarkable ability to stimulate students with his dynamic teaching style. They are enthralled during his lectures and save every possible dollar to follow him to archeological digs in his study abroad programs. It is my belief that Dr. Stilton is the best and most obvious choice to take over the position of Department Chair upon my retirement this spring.

Dr. Stilton is passionate about archeology and his passion is contagious as year after year he mentors students who turn in award winning research. There are few archeological schools in the U.S. that have more published graduate students than ours here at XYZ University, and this distinction is largely due to Dr. Stilton’s guidance and expertise in the field of archeology. His energy and the tremendous effort he puts forth to clearly communicate scientific methods, discoveries, theories and concepts to his students has made all the difference in their levels of achievement in his courses and in their overall studies.

The students praise Dr. Stilton for his superbly effective organizational skills. Following lectures, his notes are always available online for students to study or print for review. Following exams he carefully explains common mistakes to his classes and schedules appointments with individual students who are struggling to keep up with the fast pace of his courses. Dr. Stilton is very accessible to his students, returning phone calls and emails the same day. There is not a more caring, dedicated professor on this campus, and the stellar evaluations his students return as well as their high grades and continued academic achievement are all the evidence needed to prove his qualifications for the position of Chair.

It is with great pleasure that I highly recommend my esteemed colleague, Dr. Andrew Stilton, for the position of Chair of the School of Archeological Studies at XYZ University. I am available to discuss his prospective promotion at your convenience. Please contact me should you wish to schedule an appointment.

Warm Regards,

Marilyn Stewart

Marilyn Stewart, Ph.D.

Department Chair

School of Archeological Studies

XYZ University

Sample may be adapted.

Dear [Name of Employer]:

This reference letter is provided at the written request of [name of student], who has asked me to serve as a reference on [his/her] behalf. It is my understanding that [name of student] is being considered by your organization for the position of [job title]. Please be advised that the information contained in this letter is confidential and should be treated as such. The information should not be disclosed to [name of student, if student has waived access] or anyone in your organization who would not be involved in the hiring decision regarding this individual. Additionally, the information should not be disclosed to anyone outside of your organization without the consent of the student.

I have known [name of student] for the past [number of months, semesters, years] as [he/she] has taken the following courses which I teach: [list courses, give brief description of content of course]. As [his/her] professor, I have had an opportunity to observe the student's participation and interaction in class and to evaluate the student's knowledge of the subject matter. I would rate the student's overall performance in these subjects as [below average, average, above average]. This is evidenced by [his/her] grades—[state the grades].

[One or two specific examples of the student's performance may be appropriate.] As part of [his/her] grade in [name of course], the student was required to prepare a paper. The paper was designed to measure the student's ability to research, to analyze the results of the research, and to write. [Discuss how the paper submitted by the student indicated to you the student's skills in these areas.] Based upon this, I rate the student's skills [indicate rating].

[It may be appropriate to give specific examples about the student's area of expertise.]

Based upon the student's academic performance and my understanding of the position for which the student is applying, I believe the student would perform [place overall evaluation here].

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

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