9.6 Faculty Self-Assessment and Post-Tenure Review
The purpose of Post-Tenure Review through faculty self-assessment and collegial review by peers is to assist the tenured faculty in their on-going professional development. It is intended to be a formative evaluation to identify strengths and areas for improvement in a faculty member’s performance, to provide recognition of excellent performance and to provide assistance where needed. The process should lead to personal growth and progress through planning and judicious use of institutional resources. The review must take into account where faculty members are in their career, and identify how we, as colleagues, can best assist them in their continued professional development.
Individual tenured faculty are required to assess their professional activities every five years, beginning five years after their grant of tenure becomes effective. (For example, a faculty member who was granted tenure effective September 2010 is first eligible for completing the self-assessment in 2015-2016). If a faculty member seeks promotion in the same year he/she is scheduled for post-tenure review, promotion procedures take precedence.
Faculty members scheduled for Self-Assessment and Post-Tenure Review will complete the Self-Assessment of Tenured Faculty Form in 5 to 10 pages (see Appendix J). Please submit an electronic copy of the self-assessment by March 1st to the Post-Tenure Review Committee Chair. This will be the Chair of the academic department, who, along with two tenured colleagues chosen by the faculty member and Department Chair in consultation with the Provost/Dean of Faculty, will constitute the Committee. If the Chair is being assessed, a tenured colleague in the same department designated by the Provost/Dean of Faculty in consultation with the Chair will be selected for the committee and serve as Chair. In departments in which there is no other tenured member, the Provost/Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the Department Chair, will select a tenured faculty member from another department.
The members of the committee shall review the content of the self-assessment and discuss the self-assessment with the tenured faculty member. The discussion with the committee should be in a spirit of collaboration with peers, to recognize areas of excellence and discuss any areas for improvement in a supportive manner. After consultation with the applicant, the committee will write a summary report that 1) addresses the feasibility of the professional development plan and 2) prioritizes the resources requested by the applicant. A copy of the Self-Assessment Form and Summary Report shall be placed in the tenured faculty member’s confidential faculty file. Faculty members who wish to dispute or respond to the summary report and development plan shall have the opportunity to do so in writing and a copy will be included in the faculty member’s confidential faculty file.
The post-tenure review is not to be used by the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee, the Rank & Tenure Committee, or the College Administration to evaluate faculty for promotion nor to be used for Termination of Service (Faculty Handbook, Section 7.4).
The review is to be used for on-going professional development and to serve as a guide to provide institutional resources to support faculty development. Each year additional professional development funds will be provided from the Post-Tenure Review Development Fund to assist continued growth of faculty accomplishments when they have been identified in the review. Also, new professional development funds will be provided to encourage faculty development in cases where areas for improvement have been identified and plans to improve have been created. The Provost/Dean of Faculty will consider all professional-development plan recommendations made by Post-Tenure Review Committees each year and decide how to allocate funds. Professional-development plans may include requests for Travel Funds, College Grants to address any area of faculty development, or Three-Day Schedules. The Provost/Dean of Faculty may circulate statistical compilations of these requests for planning and funding purposes.
The Rank and Tenure Committee will assess and review the Post-Tenure Review process with the Provost/Dean of Faculty and the review committees each year. Any proposed changes to the Post-Tenure Review process would follow in accordance with College governance by-laws.
Please complete your self-assessment by limiting it to 5-10 pages, and submit an electronic copy to the Chair of your department by March 1.
Approved August 15, 2018