Many scholars that study the professoriate and faculty careers have found a lack of clarity regarding policies for promotion to full professor at American colleges and universities. This issue is significant and needs further investigation because various studies have reported evidence of faculty career stagnation as a growing number of associate professors are not being promoted to the rank of full professor. This stagnation particularly affects women and people of color. Full professorship is often viewed as an important prerequisite for future opportunities and professional growth in academic leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify best practices in presenting clear promotion guidelines for the rank of full professor at U.S. research universities. Utilizing content and rhetorical analysis as research methodologies, the authors analyze the promotion to full professor policies at institutions classified by as R2: Doctoral universities with high research activity.