UNIVERSITY MANUAL, SECTION 305.14

305.14 Periodic Evaluation of First Year Probationary Faculty Members with Initial Two-Year Appointments

This policy intends to place the University in compliance with the Unit 3 CBA (Sec. 15.29), which mandates annual evaluation of probationary faculty members. It applies to probationary faculty members with initial appointments of two years or longer. All other probationary faculty members are evaluated under the normal RTP process (see Section 305.11).

The following procedures shall apply:

The department or equivalent unit must provide the probationary faculty member with copies of this policy and the department RTP criteria no later than September 30 of the initial year of the faculty member's appointment.
On or before the first Monday in February of the faculty member's initial year of appointment, the probationary faculty member shall submit to the department/center/library RTP committee in the form of a memorandum or using the Faculty Performance Review form, a statement consisting of three parts:
- A self-evaluation of teaching (or equivalent activity for librarians); and
- A self-evaluation of professional accomplishments and service responsibilities performed since arrival on campus; and
- A plan toward satisfying the RTP criteria for reappointment.
The department/center/library RTP committee or a sub-committee thereof selected by the RTP committee, shall evaluate the performance of the probationary faculty member. In the context of other appropriate RTP criteria, the evaluation shall consider at least the following:
- Teaching performance (or equivalent activity for librarians):
  - Evaluations must consider student evaluations of one or more courses taught. Such student evaluations shall be mandatory for these faculty members.
  - Evaluation must consider other indicators of performance such as classroom peer observations, course materials, or examinations.
- Professional activities other than teaching.
- Service responsibilities performed.
- The faculty member's plan for progress.
- Written comments solicited from the department chair or equivalent if he/she is tenured and not a member of the evaluation committee.
A copy of the evaluation, prepared in a memorandum signed by all members of the evaluation committee or using the Faculty Performance Review form, shall be given to the probationary faculty member on or before the third Monday in February. The faculty member shall have ten (10) calendar days in which to submit any desired written response to the evaluation. On or before the first Monday in March, the department shall forward the evaluation and any written response to the dean/director.
On or before the third Monday in March, the dean/director shall meet with the probationary faculty member to review the department evaluation. The dean/director shall prepare a separate written evaluation or other statement, a signed copy of which must be presented to the probationary faculty member within seven days of the meeting. The faculty member may respond in writing to the dean/director's evaluation/statement within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the dean/director's evaluation/statement. As a minimum, the probationary faculty member must sign the statement indicating he/she has read the statement even if he/she determines not to make a written response.
All evaluation documents, including any written responses, shall become part of the faculty member's Personnel Action File.

On or before September 25 of each year, the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs shall prepare for campus distribution a calendar of the specific dates described in the procedures above.