Senate Document Number 0198F

Date of Senate Approval 8/27/98

Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

Introduction: All faculty members at UNCA are periodically reviewed and evaluated to assure continuing quality of performance and professional growth.

1. Annual review of faculty members for merit salary increases.

2. Assessing qualifications for reappointment, promotion, or tenure.

3. Assuring continued excellence of faculty members who have received tenure.

ADD:

3.12 Post-Tenure Review

Post-Tenure Review is conducted within the context of the institutional and program mission(s) of The University of North Carolina Asheville; and seeks to foster and recognize complementarity between individual faculty's professional work and goals and those missions(s)."

3.12.1 Objectives of Post-Tenure Review

Entirely separate from reviews for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, PTR is a formative process that focuses on identifying specific areas of strength among senior faculty and, when appropriate, areas requiring more concentrated development efforts. PTR recognizes and respects disciplinary differences in pedagogy and in the focus of faculty professional activities. This procedure recognizes that each faculty member is reviewed annually by the department chair and that this review is a comprehensive evaluation of teaching, scholarship, and service." The PTR creates a summary of several years of professional activity that may address trends not immediately obvious in an annual comprehensive review and annual faculty record. As professionals, faculty will welcome opportunities for and are committed to professional growth. The faculty assume primary responsibility for the implementation of activities which foster professional growth in ways that support the missions of their programs and the University as well as their own professional career(s). Professional development plans (see section 3.12.3 below) will identify resource support necessary to accomplish specified goals. The VCAA is responsible for approval of these plans and allocation of any special resource support required to accomplish the objectives of the plan(s).

3.12.2 Procedure for Evaluation

2. After an initial phase in period, tenured faculty members shall be evaluated no less frequently than every five years. Post-Tenure Review does not replace a review for purposes of promotion. Successful evaluations for the purpose of promotion satisfy this requirement of post-tenure review. Faculty who have gone the longest without review will be evaluated first. The VCAA may approve postponement in the case of leaves of absence or in other extenuating circumstances.

3. In the Spring before the academic year in which a tenured faculty member is to be evaluated, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs begins the evaluation process by notifying the selected tenured faculty members and requesting them to begin assembling materials for the review committee. In this process, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs serves as facilitator and convener.

4. The evaluation will be performed by a University-wide committee called the Post-Tenure Review Committee (PTRC).

5. Evaluation of tenured faculty members is peer evaluation. The committee will consider a variety of materials. Peer observation of teaching will always be one of the procedures employed in the evaluation.

6. The Post Tenure Review Committee (PTRC) will review a dossier containing documents from several sources. The evaluee will submit the items noted (see A 1-4, below) to the Chair⁽¹⁾ of his or her department. The Chair will provide items 5 and 6. For evaluation of Chairs, the most senior tenured member of the department will assume the duties of the Chair, as described below.

A. Completed Dossier

The evaluee's dossier is assembled by the Chair (or, for evaluation of Chairs, by the most senior tenured member of the department) and submitted to the PTRC. The complete dossier will include, in order:

1) The Evaluee's Statement (submitted by Evaluee to Chair)

2) The Professional Curriculum Vitae (submitted by Evaluee to Chair)

3) Chair's Evaluation (prepared by the Chair, or for the review of Chairs, by the most senior tenured member of the department)

4) Results from Peer Observation of Classroom Teaching (prepared by the Chair)

5) Annual Faculty Records (past five years, collected by VCAA and submitted to the Chair)

6) Merit Evaluations (past five years, collected by VCAA and submitted to the Chair)

7) Summary of numbers from course evaluations over the past five years (provided by Office of Institutional Research to the Chair). Written student comments may be requested by the PTRC and will be made available.

1) Purpose: The Evaluee's Statement should be a reflective, self-assessment that comments on the evaluee's past, present and future contributions to the department, the university and their missions. This statement may also be used to discuss factors and extenuating circumstances affecting the evaluee's performance, which are not usually covered in the listing of activities by category. The evaluee should refer to categories outlined in Section 3.5.4.4. of the Faculty Handbook.

2) Format: The Evaluee's Statement should be written as a cover letter to the Chair of the PTRC. The statement is written in narrative form; possible issues to address, along with categories and guidelines for evaluating performance, are discussed in Section 3.5.4.4. The evaluee should also outline briefly, his or her professional plans for the next five years, again, in the context of the department and university mission, which may also include a discussion of resources required.

C. The Professional Curriculum Vitae

1) Purpose: The complete curriculum vitae puts the evaluee's professional work at UNCA into perspective relative to the individual's career in general. This allows the PTRC to evaluate the individual's recent activities or changing emphases at UNCA in light of his or her previous levels of activity and responsibilities.

2) Format: The vita should be written in a format appropriate to apply for an academic position in the discipline. It should include information about the evaluee's education, degrees, awards, honors, professional employment and most important, papers/publications/artistic activities, grant activities, professional consultancies and major service activities.

D. Materials supporting professional activity (submitted by evaluee to Department Chair, if requested)

1) Purpose: Materials selected by the evaluee are meant to emphasize or augment the vita regarding teaching, scholarly and service activities. Materials provided should be chosen to illuminate the quality of the evaluee's activities rather than duplicate those reported in the vita.

2) Format: Materials provided by the evaluee should be representative and only a sampling, supporting:

a) Teaching: Representative syllabi, assignments, student work or other materials illustrating teaching practices and student learning.

b) Scholarship: Representative scholarly papers, letters of commendation, awards, reviews of scholarly or performance activities, etc.

c) Service: Representative professional service activities to local or greater community, letters of commendation, awards, etc.

E. Results of Peer Observation of Teaching (provided by the Chair of the department and assembled in the dossier submitted to the PTRC)

1) Purpose: Evaluations of teaching by peer observation supplement other measures of effective teaching

2) Format: Each peer observer should submit a one to two page written summary of his or her observations to the faculty member, and the Chair of the evaluee's department. Reports must include specific comments on the dimensions cited above.

F. Chair's Evaluation (provided by the Chair of the department and assembled in the dossier submitted to the PTRC)

1) Purpose: The Chair's Evaluation has always been central to decisions concerning reappointment, tenure and promotion. It is a summary evaluation that, when viewed together with the evaluations appended to the Faculty record, provides an historical account of the evaluee's overall performance as viewed by the Chair.

2) Format: The Chair's Evaluation should be written in simple narrative form, to the Chair of the PTRC, addressing the evaluee's past, present and future contributions to the department, the university and their missions. This statement may also be used to address factors and extenuating circumstances affecting the evaluee's performance, which are not usually covered in the listing of activities by category (Section 3.5.4.4 of Faculty Handbook). The Chair must consult with faculty colleagues, as prescribed in the Faculty Handbook, Section 3.5.4.1: (8) Evaluation by faculty colleagues. For purposes of faculty development, the Chair should discuss the evaluation with the faculty member, prior to submission of the evaluation to the PTRC.

7. The faculty member and his or her chair will provide all materials to the committee by November 1.

3.12.3 Results of Post-Tenure Review

1. The PTRC will write a report which will go to the faculty member, the department chair, and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The report will be submitted by March 1.

2. The evaluee has the right to challenge any of the contents of the PTRC's report by submitting, to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, any further evidence, mitigating or complicating circumstances, etc. This must be in a letter received in the Vice Chancellor's office within fourteen calendar days of the submission of the PTRC's report.

3. The PTRC is advisory to the VCAA and like the committee for tenure review makes recommendations directly to the VCAA. During initial review of an evaluee, the PTRC makes one of two recommendations:

A. The evaluee "passes" review, performing at an adequate or superior level. When a faculty member is judged to have performed at a superior level he or she will receive a letter of commendation from the VCAA and be considered for an appropriate award as determined by the VCAA and existing institutional policies.

B. The evaluee has some areas requiring more concentrated development efforts.

In the latter case, the evaluee is referred to the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for assistance with addressing problem areas. The PTRC identifies an area or areas in which improvement is warranted. The evaluee constructs a development plan in consultation with his/her Department Chair (or senior tenured department member) and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs which in turn must be approved by the VCAA. The plan includes a time at which the evaluee will again be reviewed by the PTRC (no less than 1 year later, up to 3 years later depending on the plan). The Faculty Member's chair and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will review the plan to determine resource implications.

4. At the conclusion of that term, the evaluee is reviewed a second time by the PTRC. The committee has access to the original file, the development plan, and the new file documenting development progress. The PTRC now can make one of three recommendations to the VCAA:

A. The evaluee "passes" review, performing at an adequate or superior level. When the evaluee "passes" at a superior level he or she will receive a letter of commendation from the VCAA and be considered for an appropriate award as determined by the VCAA and existing institutional policies.

B. The evaluee has made some progress toward remediating problem areas but should continue his/her efforts,

C. The evaluee has failed to make any progress toward improvement and warrants sanctions.

In a case that warrants sanctions the VCAA will decide the nature of these sanctions. Before implementing these the VCAA should consult with the PTRC, much as the VCAA now consults with the Committee of Tenured Faculty before issuing a denial of tenure, but the final decision, as with tenure, is up to the VCAA.

If the PTRC recommends continued development work, the evaluee revises the plan (in consultation with his/her Chair and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs) and comes before the PTRC one final time in 1-2 years.

5. If a final review is warranted, the PTRC now can make only one of two recommendations:

B. The evaluee has failed to make sufficient progress toward improvement and warrants sanctions.

6. Any sanctions including discharge or other disciplinary action imposed on faculty members for continuing deficiency in performance shall be in compliance with the criteria and procedures for due process as established in Chapter VI, Sections 602, 603, and 605 of The Code of the University of North Carolina.

Following

"The Current Section 3.12 of the Handbook, "Forms for Section 3.0," becomes Section 3.13."

DELETE ALL AND REPLACE WITH:

10.2.6 Post-Tenure Review Committee

10.2.6.1 Definition.

The Post-Tenure Review Committee (PTRC) is an elected faculty committee charged with the responsibility of carrying out the intent and purpose of Post-Tenure Review as articulated in Sections 3.12 and 3.12.1. The functions of the PTRC are to ensure continuing quality of performance and professional growth of senior faculty (defined as tenured faculty at any rank who teach at least one-half time); to provide constructive feedback to senior faculty regarding professional growth; to serve in an advisory capacity to the VCAA in matters pertaining to actions taken as specified in the policy on Post Tenure Review.

10.2.6.2 Method of Selection

The PTRC will consist of four eligible faculty members (see Section 10.2.6.3 for eligibility criteria), one selected from each of the university's three divisions, and a fourth member who holds the highest number of votes after the first three members are selected. Members will serve two-year terms. Members may not succeed themselves. No more than one member may come from any one academic department. New members formally replace outgoing members on the date of the first faculty meeting of the academic year.

Each year the Faculty Senate will conduct an election by which the voting faculty shall elect two new members to replace outgoing committee members. Members will first be elected from any division lacking a representative. If an opening remains after all divisions are represented, the remaining highest vote-getter will be elected.

In the first year of the election to the PTRC, the two members with the lowest number of votes will serve a one year term. The remaining members will serve two year terms.

The Post-Tenure Review Committee elects its own Chair. The Chair is responsible for maintaining committee records and passing those records to the next duly elected Chair of the PTRC. The permanent file for PTRC records is maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs.

10.2.6.3 Eligibility

To be eligible to serve on the PTRC a person must:

1) be a current, tenured full-time member of the UNCA faculty,

2) have served as a full-time member of the UNCA faculty for at least five (5) years,

3) not be a member of either the Committee of the Tenured Faculty, the Faculty Committee on Hearings, or the Faculty Grievance Committee.

A person coming up for Post Tenure Review may not be reviewed by a member of his or her own department. When a member of the PTRC is from the same department as a person under review, that member will be excused from discussions and not participate in the review of a departmental colleague.

10.2.6.4 Challenge

If a person scheduled for Post Tenure review feels there is a conflict of interest between themselves and a member of the PTRC, he or she may submit a written petition to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for a ruling on the challenge. The VCAA is to respond to the petition within three weeks from the date of receipt of the petition. The VCAA's decision is binding.

1. Throughout this document, the term "Chair" also includes the Director of Environmental Studies.