UNIVERSITY MANUAL, SECTION 305

305 Performance Evaluations

305.10 Faculty Evaluations

The ultimate purpose of evaluation is to provide guidance and assistance to faculty members that will maximize their performance in ways contributing to the mission and goals of the university, its colleges and its departments. Techniques and criteria developed for the purpose of evaluating performance of a faculty member in any particular discipline must be appropriate to the personnel and discipline involved and approved by the university.

All faculty members are expected to make contributions through teaching excellence, professional growth and services to the university and community. This is not intended to indicate that each area is equally important for all disciplines and all people at all times, but only to indicate that these areas identify elements which must be present to be compatible with the goals of the university. The primary goal of the university is student learning and teaching excellence.

305.11 Definitions and General Provisions

The term “evaluation” refers to both Performance Review (RTP evaluations) and Periodic Evaluation of faculty members. All faculty evaluations shall be subject to the following general provisions.

All faculty evaluations shall include a consideration of student evaluations of teaching in accordance with the provisions of Appendix 10 and the Unit 3 collective bargaining agreement.

Performance reviews are evaluations for the purpose of retention of a probationary faculty member, tenure, and promotion. RTP evaluations shall follow all applicable provisions of Appendix 16, the collective bargaining agreement, and Appendix 10, as well as those stated here under general provisions and in section 305.12.

Periodic evaluations of faculty performance are conducted for the following purposes:

Evaluating the performance of temporary faculty members (full-time and part-time lecturers)
Evaluating the performance of probationary faculty members in the first year of a two-year initial contract
Evaluating the performance of tenured faculty members who are not subject to performance review for promotion (post-tenure review)

The probationary and tenured faculty members of each department or equivalent unit shall develop specific criteria for each type of evaluation, appropriate to their discipline . These approved criteria shall be the sole basis of faculty evaluations at all levels of review.

Evaluation criteria, procedures, and timelines for conducting the evaluation shall be made available to the faculty member being evaluated no later than fourteen days after the start of the first quarter of his/her initial appointment. The faculty member shall be advised of any changes to criteria and procedures prior to the commencement of the evaluation process. There shall be no change to the criteria and the procedures during the evaluation process.

Only tenured full-time faculty unit employees and academic administrators may engage in deliberations and make recommendations regarding the evaluation of the faculty members.

A separate evaluation file (Working Personnel Action File) shall be prepared for use in each evaluation cycle. The file shall include as a minimum the following:

The applicable departmental evaluation criteria used for evaluating the performance of the faculty member.
All necessary forms and documents.
All information provided by the faculty member being evaluated, subject to other applicable provisions described in this section.
All information provided by other faculty members and students and the response or rebuttal statements of the faculty member being evaluated, if any.
All peer committee and administrative evaluations and recommendations and the response or rebuttal statements of the faculty member being evaluated, if any.

At all levels of review, before recommendations are forwarded to a subsequent review level, the faculty member being evaluated shall be given a copy of the recommendations which shall state in writing the reasons for the recommendations. The faculty member shall have the right to respond or submit a rebuttal statement in writing no later than ten (10) calendar days following receipt of the recommendation. A copy of the response or rebuttal statement shall be included in the evaluation file and shall be sent to all previous levels of review. Upon request, the faculty member being evaluated shall be entitled to a meeting to discuss the recommendations with the recommending party. The evaluation timeline must include provisions for the meeting between the faculty member and the recommending party at each level of review.

Materials submitted by the faculty member being evaluated shall be deemed incorporated by reference in the evaluation file, but need not be physically placed in the file. An index of those materials shall be prepared by the faculty member at the beginning of the evaluation cycle and submitted with the materials to the first level of review. The index shall remain in the evaluation file and be updated to reflect any material added to the file during the course of evaluation. The materials shall be returned to the faculty member being evaluated after completion of the first level of review. The faculty member shall provide the materials to any other level of review upon request by the chair of the appropriate evaluation committee or the appropriate administrator who will then be responsible for returning the materials to the faculty member being evaluated after completion of their review.

Before the evaluation file is forwarded to another level of review, all documents and materials shall be signed on every page by the faculty member being evaluated.

305.12 Performance Review (RTP Evaluation)

RTP evaluations shall follow the provisions of Appendix 16 and shall be reported on the faculty performance review form (RTP package) which comprises Appendix 27 of this manual.

The RTP committee elected by the probationary and tenured faculty members of each department has the principal responsibility for performance review of faculty members in its department.

The university shall develop and specify a timeline for conducting performance reviews (RTP evaluations). At each level of evaluation, the appropriate committee or administrator may develop their own timeline for conducting the evaluation. Evaluation at all levels shall be completed within the time period specified by the university.

The criteria and procedure for performance review of faculty members must provide the opportunity for the Department RTP Committee to actively solicit and obtain statements from other faculty unit employees, students, and administrators regarding qualifications and work of the faculty member being evaluated. All information provided by these sources should be in writing and identify the contributor by name. A copy of all statements must be provided to the faculty member being evaluated. The faculty member being evaluated shall have the right to respond or submit a rebuttal statement in writing no later than ten (10) calendar days following the receipt of the statements. All statements obtained and the faculty member’s response or rebuttal statements shall become part of the evaluation file.

At the completion of the first level of evaluation, the performance review evaluation file shall be declared complete with respect to the documentation of performance. Insertion of additional material after this declaration must have the approval of the University RTP Committee.

305.13 Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Members

Periodic evaluation of tenured faculty members not under consideration for promotion shall be conducted by a department committee of full-time tenured faculty members elected by the probationary and tenured members of the department. This committee may be the RTP committee, a subcommittee of the RTP committee, or a separate committee. Each department shall develop criteria and procedures to be used for periodic evaluation of tenured faculty members, which shall be submitted to the dean or director for approval no later than March 15.

Tenured faculty members and tenured faculty members on early retirement (FERP) shall be evaluated at intervals of no greater than five years. Evaluations shall be conducted during the spring quarter and reported on the appropriate pages of the university faculty performance review form (Appendix 27A). For those with teaching responsibilities, consideration shall include student evaluations of teaching performance. The evaluation of the tenured faculty member shall terminate at the college dean/director’s level.

The faculty member being evaluated shall receive a copy of the reports of the department committee and the dean/director and shall meet with both parties to discuss his/her strengths and weaknesses along with suggestions, if any, for improvement.

A copy of the reports of the peer committee and the appropriate administrator shall be placed in the faculty member’s Personnel Action File in conformance with standard procedure for introducing material to a Personnel Action File.

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.

305.15 Periodic Evaluation of Temporary Faculty Members

Full time temporary faculty members appointed for three or more quarters, regardless of a break in service, shall be evaluated once in each academic year. More frequent evaluations may be required by the department or requested by the temporary faculty member.

Part-time faculty members appointed for three or more quarters, regardless of a break in service, shall be evaluated each year. More frequent evaluations may be required by the department or requested by the temporary faculty member.

Part-time faculty members appointed for two quarters or less shall be evaluated at the discretion of the department chair, the appropriate administrator, or the department or equivalent unit. The part-time faculty member may request that an evaluation be performed.

The evaluation committee may be elected by the department, appointed by the chair or chosen by some other means. The choice of how to select the committee must be approved by majority vote of the probationary and tenured faculty members in each department or equivalent unit. Membership on the committee shall be restricted to the full-time tenured faculty members of the department and there shall be a minimum of two members.

Evaluation of temporary faculty members shall only include an assessment of teaching performance and/or other assigned duties specifically defined and described in the letter of appointment or contract. The evaluation criteria and procedure shall include as a minimum the following:

Summaries and interpretation of the student evaluations of the faculty member being evaluated.
Evaluation of teaching performance based on syllabi, outlines, handouts and other course material.
A statement prepared by the department chair which shall also include an assessment of the faculty member's performance with regard to the assigned and related duties, if any, in addition to an assessment of the teaching performance.
In the case of full-time temporary faculty members (full-time teaching load for three quarters during the academic year) a statement prepared by the dean/director.

Periodic evaluation of temporary faculty members shall be reported on the university standard form in Appendix 27B or an equivalent form approved by the department or the equivalent unit. If a different form or document is used, it shall include all applicable elements as specified above, including signatures of all evaluators.

The Department or equivalent unit in consultation with the Dean/Director shall develop and specify a timeline for conducting periodic evaluation of lecturers. At each level of evaluation, the appropriate committee or administrator may develop their own timeline for conducting the evaluation. Evaluation at all levels shall be completed within the specified time period.

The evaluation of temporary faculty members shall terminate at the dean/director’s level.

A copy of the evaluation results as well as all responses and rebuttal statements as described in Section 305.11 shall be placed in the temporary faculty member’s Personnel Action File.