(1) First off, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that regarding the qualifications for such promotion, the Faculty Handbook does not specify the number of peer-reviewed publications required (Section 2.6.2: “Promotion Policies and Standards,” Sub-section 2.6.2.1: “Minimum Standards for Promotion to Specific Academic Ranks”). This sub-section is as follows:

Professor: For promotion from the rank of associate professor to the rank of professor, the highest academic rank, the candidate's academic achievements and professional reputation should be superior. This rank can be earned only by the faculty member who has a cumulative record of teaching effectiveness, substantial peer-reviewed publications and/or peer-reviewed creative achievement, professional contributions and service, and who has ten (10) years of teaching experience in an institution accredited by one of the accrediting agencies recognized by the US Dept. of Education (or its equivalent as determined by the academic unit/division and the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs).

The area to focus in the above policy is “a cumulative record of teaching effectiveness, substantial peer-reviewed publications and/or peer-reviewed creative achievement, professional contributions and service...” which, in fact, the University T&P Committee did acknowledge and recognize, and I appreciate that.

Throughout my career, I have always kept myself busy, involved, and engaged in activities related to all three areas of review (teaching, scholarship, and service). Thus, my CV has continued to grow even since I turned in my T&P dossier on January 6, 2021. Since then, I have had one more paper in review that has gone through three prior submissions and reviews (for the sake of brevity, I did not document my journal article 'submissions' on my CV), one more in preparation on top of the three the committee noted, and a series of papers that I am assigned to review for a conference in the summer of 2021. I present these new additions with blue highlighter below (the sections highlighted in yellow below and on my CV represent work done since joining Kentucky State University).

In all, apart from the 20 full-length peer-reviewed publications in my discipline, I have published 4 other articles only in the last year and a half (as on Page 5 of my CV), made at least 92 research presentations (domestic and abroad, selected and invited), and have had numerous (~100) published abstracts and Proceedings publications, which I also did not report on my CV, again for the sake of brevity.

Most Recent Research Presentations (Economics- or Agricultural/Applied Economics-related): 2021 Swagata “Ban” Banerjee and Gary R. Stratton. “The Future of International Exchange and Such Programs Post-COVID: A Case Study.” Abstract of Paper submitted (on January 27, 2021) for peer-reviewed presentation at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) and Western Agricultural Economics Association (WAEA) Joint