How do we practice our academic promotion exercise?

For the Associate Professors the assessment in many good universities are based on
1) external reviewers—several nationally or internationally prominent academics in the candidate's field will be asked to review the candidate's application for promotion and submit a confidential report;
2) based on this report and evidence of the candidate's accomplishments in his or her curriculum vitae, a committee of members from the candidate's department will make a recommendation for tenure/promotion or denial of such;
3) the department will vote, the peers group assessment are important;
4) the department decision is communicated to a university panel of individuals from outside of the department who evaluate the application and decide whether they agree or disagree with the departmental recommendation;
5) the dean will discuss at the faculty level;
6) the board of governors/president or other upper level governing body endorse the assessment and application.

In fact over 10 years a go universities in Malaysia also followed those procedures. Meaning the old Associate Professors (those are promoted before 2000) are well assessed and refereed. Therefore with new procedures and recognition, those old one should be given some respect and recognition in term of privilege, salary, allowances, supporting, facilities, promotion etc.

After the promotion the individual should maintain an active research program, and excellent teaching, in addition to taking a leadership role in important departmental and extra-departmental administrative tasks and extension services. Full professor is the highest rank that a professor can achieve (other than in a named position) and is seldom achieved before a person reaches their mid-40s. The rank of full professor carries additional administrative responsibilities associated with membership on committees that are restricted to full professors. Therefore the Professors should be treated as a special position.

The question now many of the appointments were missed direct. Many just depending on the self development which is publications and other indexes. Some thought public money cannot be given to promote individuals but to serve the public. Perhaps the old way of assessment was right.