Unit Policy
Title
School of Government: Post-Tenure Review Policy and Procedures
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of post-tenure review is to promote faculty development, ensure faculty productivity, and provide accountability for continued performance past the tenure stage. A strong interest in supporting faculty professional development underlies this policy. The post-tenure review process will respect the basic principles of academic freedom. It does not abrogate the due process criteria or other procedures for dismissal or other disciplinary action established under the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure.
Scope
This policy applies to all School of Government faculty members who hold permanent tenure and whose primary duties are teaching, research, and service.
Policy
I. Schedule for Review
A. General
Each faculty member with permanent tenure whose primary duties are teaching, research, and service will be reviewed at least every five years following the conferral of tenure. If a faculty member is reassigned so that the faculty member assumes administrative duties for .50 FTE or more, or so that the faculty member occupies a leave-earning position such as certain Senior Academic Affairs Officer (SAAO) positions, that faculty member shall not be required to undergo post-tenure review until having completed a five-year cycle following the reassignment. If compelling reasons are present, the Dean may seek approval from the Provost for delay of post-tenure reviews.
B. Scheduling and Order of the Reviews
Each January the Dean will develop a post-tenure review schedule for the upcoming fiscal year. An effort will be made to review first those faculty members with the longest accrued time since the last formal review for tenure or promotion. In establishing a review schedule, however, the Dean will also consider the following factors: scheduled reviews for promotion to full professor, scheduled research and writing leaves, and other institutional or individual factors that might affect the timing of a review.
C. Relationship to Other Evaluations
A review for promotion to full professor or a review that leads to appointment as a chaired professor will satisfy the post-tenure review requirement under this policy. Other internal reviews may meet the requirements of a post-tenure review if they are similarly comprehensive and rigorous.
D. Advance Notification
A faculty member will be notified at least six months before an upcoming post-tenure review, but a person voluntarily may agree to be reviewed on shorter notice. For purposes of the notice requirement, a review starts when the Dean appoints a review committee.
E. Requests For a Delay of Review
A faculty member may request that the Dean delay post tenure review. Requests for delay must be submitted to the Dean in writing, and must specify the compelling reasons(s) for the request. If approved by the Dean, delay requests must be submitted to the Provost for review and approval.
II. Expectations for Faculty
The School's Policies and Procedures on Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure provides the clearest and most comprehensive statement of expectations for School faculty members. While the policy was written to guide reappointment, promotion, and tenure decisions at the School, the expectations in the APT policy apply to post-tenure review.
III. Review Process
A. Composition of Post-Tenure Review Committee
The Dean will appoint a separate three-person committee to conduct each post-tenure review under this policy and the Dean will designate one of its members to serve as chair. All tenured School of Government faculty members are eligible to serve on post-tenure review committees. The Dean may appoint tenured faculty members from outside the School to serve on a committee if needed to provide expertise in the faculty member's subject matter. Any such outside faculty member shall be from a UNC constituent institution, if available. The faculty member under review shall play no role in the selection of committee members. The UNC System and UNC-Chapel Hill have online training modules available for committee members who desire additional guidance in conducting a review.
B. Written Materials for the Post-Tenure Review
Each faculty member under review must provide the committee with a concise written summary of past activities, plans for the future, a self-evaluation, and thoughts about ways in which the School could assist in his or her professional development. The faculty member should provide 1) the comprehensive annual faculty activity reports and summary assessments for the past five years; 2) available data from the faculty advising log; 3) summary data on teaching evaluations; and 4) the faculty member's work goals or plans for the next five years. A faculty member may supplement these materials with current curriculum vitae, teaching portfolios, research and writing, and other materials that document his or her contributions and accomplishments.
C. Nature of the Post-Tenure Review
Post-tenure review is an examination of a faculty member's professional performance over at least the previous five years. The purpose of the review is to determine whether a person is exceeding, meeting, or not meeting overall expectations for School faculty members and to identify areas for possible improvement.
The review committee will consider the criteria for faculty work set forth in the APT policy. The committee will consider the faculty member's self-assessment as well as any annual evaluations of the faculty member and any faculty success plans that were required in the time period under review.
D. Findings and Written Committee Report
The post-tenure review committee shall consult with the faculty member during the committee's review. The committee must prepare a written report, which must indicate, with respect to the three main areas of work – teaching, consulting and advising, and writing and publishing – whether the faculty member's performance exceeds, meets, or does not meet expectations. The report must evaluate the faculty member's service efforts in the same way. Finally, the report must indicate whether the faculty member's overall performance exceeds, meets, or does not meet expectations. The report must provide a brief explanation of each rating. If the report concludes that the faculty member does not meet expectations in any respect, the report shall include a statement of the faculty member's primary responsibilities and specific descriptions of shortcomings.
The post-tenure review committee should recognize outstanding performance by the faculty member under review and it should identify innovative practices or activities that might be shared with other faculty colleagues. The committee should also identify areas in which the faculty member can improve and, in consultation with that person, it may make specific recommendations for professional development, including ways in which the School could assist in his or her professional development.
E. Opportunity for Faculty Response
Before the Dean considers the review, the faculty member under review shall have 14 days to provide a written response to the report of the post-tenure review committee. The faculty member should also provide a brief long-term work plan for the next five-year period. The Dean will maintain the committee's report and any written response by the faculty member as a part of the person's confidential personnel file.
F. Conclusion of Review and Final Decision
The Dean will conduct an evaluative review of the committee's report and any written response by the faculty member, and will consult with the committee before rendering a final written decision that the faculty member exceeds, meets, or does not meet expectations. The Dean will notify the faculty member of the Dean's determination. The Dean's review, along with the committee's report, are maintained as part of the faculty member's confidential personnel file within the unit. The Dean will provide appropriate recognition of faculty members who are exceeding expectations.
IV. Faculty Success Plans
If the Dean determines that a faculty member is not meeting expectations, the Dean shall develop a faculty success plan in consultation with the faculty member. The plan shall last at least one year and shall include clear steps and timelines as described in section III.I of UNC System Regulation 400.3.3.1[R]. If a faculty member fails to successfully complete a faculty success plan and the faculty member's performance continues not to meet expectations, the Dean will consider whether grounds for dismissal or other disciplinary action exist under the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure.
V. Records
A. File Policy with the Office of the Provost
The Dean will file a copy of the School's post-tenure review policy with the Office of Faculty Affairs.
B. Internal Record of Reviews
The Dean will maintain a list of faculty members reviewed each year, a record of completed reviews and responses to the reviews, and any materials pertaining to faculty success plans.
C. Annual Report to the Office of the Provost
The Dean will file annual reports with the Office of Faculty Affairs that contain the information required by that office.
VI. Process for Amending This Policy
This policy may be amended by the Dean after consulting with the tenured faculty. It may be amended by the Dean without faculty consultation as needed to comply with system or campus policy changes or changes in law.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Aimee Wall, Dean
Telephone: 919-966-4107
Email: wall@sog.unc.edu