Probationary Review
Annual reviews have two interrelated purposes, which exist in some tension with each other, both of which are important to varying degrees in different years of a faculty member’s career path. The first and generally more important purpose is developmental: to provide faculty with substantial feedback—both positive and negative—regarding their progress toward meeting departmental and collegiate expectations for reappointment, tenure, and/or promotion in the areas of teaching, research, and service with the goal of increasing the likelihood of future success. The second is evaluative: to provide an evaluation of faculty members' status in teaching, research, and service for administrative decision making. The evaluative component is most prominent in reappointment reviews and when important administrative decisions (e.g., a tenure-clock extension) are being considered. However, given that the need to make such decisions may arise unexpectedly at any time, it is important that all annual reviews function, at least in part, as evaluations.
This document addresses written reviews only. A great deal of related information also is given to faculty orally, both in more formal review feedback sessions and more informally on an ongoing basis, and that written reviews are no substitute for this important socialization process. It also may be that the mix of developmental and evaluative purposes differs across written and oral methods of providing feedback with, for example, written reviews emphasizing the evaluative purpose and being "on the record," and oral feedback emphasizing the developmental purpose, which thrives in an open environment characterized by candor and mutual trust. These differences notwithstanding, many similar principles apply when giving both formal written and more informal conversational feedback.
Requirements:
- The annual review of probationary faculty should be as complete and detailed as possible in order to provide sufficient feedback and guidance to the faculty member being reviewed.
- Upon completion of the annual evaluation process, the probationary faculty member should be informed of the results of the evaluation in one or both of the following ways:
- Receive a copy of any written statement provided by the Dean to the Provost, or have a scheduled meeting with the Dean.
- If a review committee is involved, receive a copy of the written statement from the committee or have a meeting with the committee.
- Every probationary faculty member should be provided, upon request, with some form of written evaluation by the peer group and/or the unit executive officer.
- Probationary faculty members should be informed of their right to reply in writing to their annual evaluation, and all replies should automatically become a part of the official records maintained for them.
