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[smithr8089tt]

One of my students is asked to write a letter for my tenure promotion file.  Because he has never written this letter, he would like me to send him a sample letter.

Could anybody here give me a sample letter so that I can send it to him.

Thanks in advance.

[scampster]

I was asked to do this for an undergrad prof of mine (who I consider my mentor and who really is the reason I am doing a PhD). I don't have a copy of the letter anymore and I probably wouldn't share it anyway, as it was pretty personal.

But it was also the easiest letter I ever wrote - I had zero guidance but I was easily able to spew forth a couple of paragraphs about the impact he had on me, with examples of things he had done.

It's really not much different than any other letter one might write, although I imagine the standards are much lower since the committee is probably not expecting the perfectly structured glowing missive that I am sure faculty write :-) If he needs guidance, you might just tell him to think of a few specific things that you have done for him or ways that you have guided him or how much he likes your mentoring style.

[jacaranda_]

Instead of a sample letter, you could send the student a list of possible topics he could address:

* which classes the student has taken with you / how long he has known you (that's very basic information he should offer at the beginning of the letter)
* how your classes prepared him well for more advanced courses in the major
* what sort of impact your classes may have had on him in more personal terms
* how your teaching compares with others in the department or on the campus more broadly, what makes your classes distinctive, exciting, stimulating
* how accessible you are during office hours, supportive of students
* if there is a particular memorable experience he had in one of your classes that he might describe in detail to demonstrate the impact you have had on him as a student

You could no doubt add to that list.  You might also suggest a friendly senior colleague in your department as someone he could bring a draft of this letter to for further advice once he's drafted something. 

[snowbound]

Do NOT send him a sample letter.  He will reproduce it virtually unaltered. Think how embarrassing it would be if it got out that you wrote your own reference letter and got your student to sign it.  Ethically fishy too.  Even fishier if you consider that your student will be claiming authorship for something he did not write.

Suggestions of topics, like Jacaranda's list, would be OK.

[zainab]

How is such a student chosen? He/she is asked by whom?

[notaprof]

At our place, the person being reviewed suggests a few students and then the faculty member in charge of the review might pick someone from that list and/or from a list of students majoring in the faculty member's field who have had the faculty member in a class.