PAc-35 Faculty Evaluation Plans

CREATION AND CONTENT:

Each department shall create a Faculty Evaluation Plan (FEP) that describes the expectations of the department in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service and the criteria for evaluating its faculty for the purposes of reappointment, tenure, promotion, and annual performance- based evaluations. The department FEP must be consistent with university and college policies. Before implementation, the FEP must be approved by 51% or more of the tenured faculty of the department and by the Associate Dean/ Department Chair, the Dean of the College, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Although the FEP must be approved by the tenured faculty in a department, both tenured and tenure-track faculty shall contribute to the creation of the FEP.

The FEP shall include:

• a description of the criteria to be used to determine whether a faculty member’s teaching is above, at, or below departmental expectations. Such criteria shall include the use of a university-approved student evaluation instrument as well as other methods. Teaching evaluation shall include (a) student review and (b) peer and/or chair/associate dean review. Student evaluations of teaching shall account for no more than 50% of the evaluation of a faculty member’s teaching.
• a description of the criteria to be used to determine whether a tenure-track or tenured faculty member’s scholarship is above, at, or below departmental expectations. Such criteria shall not merely count activities but must also address the quality of the faculty member’s contributions as defined within each academic discipline. Activities considered to be scholarly in nature must be consistent with the definition of scholarship in PAc-11.
• a description of the criteria to be used to determine whether a tenure-track or tenured faculty member’s service is above, at, or below departmental expectations. Such criteria shall not merely count activities but must also address the quality of the faculty member’s contributions to the discipline as well as the affairs and mission of the University.
• a description of other requirements (if any) of the department not already stated in University, college, or school policy for faculty seeking reappointment, tenure, or promotion and for performance- based compensation increases.
• an indication of the relative weights that each of the areas and requirements carry in the overall assessment of the faculty member.
• additional restrictions (if any), not stated in PAc-29, on the creation of Flexible Workload Agreements (FWAs).
• a rubric or formula with specific criteria for determining whether faculty performances are above, at, or below expectations.

A university-wide appeal process that articulates the faculty member’s right to appeal annual faculty evaluations at the department/school level shall be provided.

If a faculty member is involved in regional engagement, evidence should be provided of how knowledge and resources of the University are being connected to the community, service region, and beyond. This is not a separate category of the FEP, but should be reflected in the faculty member’s teaching, scholarship and service as appropriate.

The FEP shall require an annual report of activity from each faculty member to assist the Associate Dean/Department Chair in developing the member’s progress report. The annual report of activity must come from the approved faculty activity reporting system. The annual report may also include a report of activities that cannot be accommodated by the approved faculty activity reporting system.

USE IN EVALUATIONS:

Department FEPs shall be used by the appropriate department, college, and university committees to evaluate faculty for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, and for performance based compensation increases.

At the beginning of each calendar year, if a faculty member had a FWA for the prior year, that faculty member's immediate supervisor will

review the faculty member's performance in accordance with the criteria specified in the FWA and the guidelines outlined in PAc-29. This review will be forwarded to the appropriate department committee to be considered as part of the standard review process. If a faculty member disagrees with his or her progress report, he or she may appeal, following the appeal procedure identified in PAc-29. 

The procedures for using the FEP in decisions of reappointment, tenure, and promotion are described in PAcs 2 and 27, and shall not be quoted or reworded by a departmental FEP. 

EVALUATION IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF FEP MODIFICATION:

Once implemented, the FEP shall remain in effect until a replacement FEP is approved and implemented. If a department does not have an approved FEP in effect, the College Dean shall specify the criteria that will hold until the FEP is approved. 

When the FEP is modified, a tenure-track faculty member shall have the option of (1) being evaluated under the new FEP, or (2) being evaluated under the FEP which he/she is currently being evaluated under. The faculty member must choose option (1) or (2) shortly after the new FEP is approved by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. This option shall exist for reappointment and tenure decisions only and the faculty member’s choice must be documented in writing. When the FEP is modified, a tenured associate

professor shall for a limited period have the option of (1) applying for promotion to professor under the new FEP, or (2) being evaluated under the previous FEP; once the new FEP has been in effect for three years, a tenured associate professor must apply for promotion under the new FEP. For annual performance reviews (for merit compensation increases) the most current FEP shall apply to all faculty within the department. The FEP may be modified if 51% or more of the tenured faculty in a department agree to modification.