Interfolio Sabbatical Quick Guide for Committee Managers

This quick guide provides step-by-step instructions for NIU department chairs, department / college personnel committee chairs and deans reviewing sabbatical cases in Interfolio Review, Promotion & Tenure (RPT). It highlights what you need to know to fulfill your role effectively and in alignment with NIU policies.

Your Role as a Committee Manager

As a committee manager (committee chair, department chair / school director, or dean), you are expected to:

• Access and oversee cases assigned to your unit in Interfolio.
• Work closely with your college case manager to ensure committee membership and roles are set appropriately in the system.
• Monitor progress to ensure reviews are completed on time.
• Review the candidate’s submitted materials.
• Provide your evaluative statement and/or recommendation at the appropriate stage.
• Record or certify committee recommendations (if serving as a committee chair).
• Maintain confidentiality at all times.

Case Review Requirements

The minimum required review requirements for individuals with committee manager access within the sabbatical case review steps are as follows:

Logging into Interfolio

1. Go to niu.edu/interfolio.
2. Click LOG IN TO INTERFOLIO.
3. Enter your NIU credentials (same you use to login to access your email) and follow the prompts to authenticate.
4. You will be taken to your Interfolio Dashboard.

Accessing and Managing Cases

1. From your Dashboard, click the Cases tab.
2. Locate cases under My Tasks.
3. Click the candidate's name to open the case.

• As a chair or dean, you may see options
  • View the case history and reviewer activity.
  • Advance the case to the next review step.
  • Return the case for revisions if necessary.
  Ensure the recommendation and ranking is recorded in the system once deliberations are complete.

Managing Committees (Commitee Chairs Only)

• Confirm committee membership is accurate.
• Add or remove members if necessary (in consultation with your college/unit).
• Assign the committee chair role in Interfolio.
• Ensure the vote tally is recorded in the system once deliberations are complete. 

Reviewing Case Materials

• Navigate to the Case Materials tab.
• Review materials organized by sections (e.g., CV, Teaching, Research, Service).
• Use the Search bar or Filter to find specific documents.
• Use Read Case to open within Interfolio.
• Keep private notes in Private Notes (visible only to you).

Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest

• Do not discuss case materials outside of official committee or administrative deliberations.
• If you believe you have a conflict of interest, notify the next-level administrator immediately.
• If recused, you will not participate in discussions, voting, or decision-making for that case.

Recording Decisions and Advancing Cases

• Committee Chairs: Record the committee’s recommendation and ranking in Interfolio after deliberations.
• Department Chairs and Deans: Upload your explanation of ranking and notification to candidate.
• Use the Case Details page to review deadlines and workflow progress.
• Click Send Forward to move the case to the next review step once your role is complete.

Deadlines

• Deadlines, if entered into the system by the Case Administrator, appear on the Case Details page.
• Chairs and deans are responsible for ensuring reviews at their level are completed on schedule.

Troubleshooting and Support

• Technical Help: Contact Interfolio Scholar Services at 833-844-2118 or email interfolio-support@elsevier.com
• Procedural Help: Contact your college office or the Office of the Provost
• Resources:
  • Committee Manager's Guide to Interfolio RPT
  • Sabbatical Case Review Steps at NIU
  • Add Annotations Using the Document Reader
  • Download Case Materials
  • Complete and Submit Committee Forms

Committee Manager Frequently Asked Questions