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Faculty Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure
Evaluation - Faculty evaluation at the Texas
Woman's University is designed to improve teaching, to enhance
professional competencies, to provide a planning mechanism for faculty
development, and/or delineate areas for faculty improvement that may lead
to merit increases in salaries. In all, these goals are focused on
improving the educational experience of students.
To these ends and toward the improvement of the
instructional process, all faculty members at Texas Woman's University
shall participate in an annual faculty evaluation. The faculty evaluation
should include student, self, peer, and administrative evaluations in the
areas of teaching, scholarly activities, and service to the University,
the community, and the professions.
The first purpose of faculty evaluation is to
provide a basis for professional growth and development. Professional
growth plans serve as the framework for this evaluation of past endeavors
and for the refocusing on future goals and objectives.
A second purpose of faculty evaluation is to
recognize professional performance and to reward those endeavors with
appropriate merit increases in salaries provided funds are available.
A third purpose of faculty evaluation is to provide
a structure for systematically measuring progress toward change in
academic rank and to substantiate consideration for tenure.
The faculty in each department or similar administrative
unit (hereafter referred to as "component") at Texas Woman's
University shall adopt a performance evaluation plan reflecting the
distinctive missions of the component within the larger mission of the
total University. These plans should also include the unique
qualifications and competencies of faculties in each component. The plans
should be forwarded to the Faculty Evaluation and Development Committee
of the University for review and approval.
Further, the criteria used by the departments for
faculty evaluations should relate to merit salary increases, faculty
professional growth plans, and promotion and tenure recommendations.
These criteria are delineated in the following subsections. Specific
criteria for evaluation of faculty performance will be established in
each individual component.
Promotion - Promotion to a higher professional
rank is the expression of achievement and expectation of continued
excellence in performance. Promotion shall be recommended on the basis of
proven professional ability and demonstrated potential according to
component criteria of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
Initiation of Promotion - Each
component will prepare a description of the criteria for promotion and
this description must be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Evaluation
and Development Committee of the University.
The Peer Review Committee (PRC) shall review and
recommend candidates for promotion. The request for promotion may be initiated
by the academic component head or by the individual faculty member. To
initiate the request for promotion, the candidate shall prepare a file
for the component's Peer Review Committee according to the guidelines
established by each component. The guidelines should include suggestions
of the kinds of documentation that the candidate must provide.
The faculty member should provide appropriate
materials to demonstrate that she/he has met the criteria established by
her/his component and the University.
Timing - Promotion recommendations shall be
considered annually in the spring semester. Schedules will be prepared
and announced by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Evaluation Procedures - Each academic
component shall establish a Peer Review Committee (PRC). Each academic
component shall make available for faculty members, and have on file with
the Faculty Evaluation and Development Committee of the University,
criteria used in making recommendations for promotion.
Promotion from Instructor to Assistant Professor - The candidate
must have a terminal degree or its equivalent appropriate to the
discipline, preferably the doctorate, as determined by the component,
together with other professional qualifications and accomplishments,
including teaching competence in the candidate's field of academic
endeavor.
The quality of the candidate's activities should
evidence enough professional growth and contributions to the stature of
the University to warrant promotion to Assistant Professor.
Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate
Professor - Normally, the candidate shall possess the appropriate
terminal degrees for the profession. In special cases, the appropriate
terminal degree requirement will be waived for a candidate of sufficient
stature in the field as attested to by regional and national recognition.
Normally, the candidate will have served full-time a
minimum of six years at the rank of Assistant Professor and have
completed two years at Texas Woman's University.
The candidate's professional activities should be
significant enough to warrant promotion to Associate Professor.
Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor - The
candidate's professional accomplishments shall be of such high quality as
to deserve the awarding of this highest rank.
Normally, the candidate will possess the appropriate
terminal degrees in the field. In special cases, the appropriate terminal
degree requirement will be waived for a candidate of sufficient stature
in the field as attested to by regional and national recognition.
Normally, the candidate will have served full-time
at least four years at Texas Woman's University at the rank of Associate
Professor and completed six years in the profession at the college or
university level as Associate Professor.
There must be evidence of continuing high-quality
professional performance with emphasis upon teaching, scholarship, and
service as mutually supportive activities. It is also understood that
when promotion is awarded, there is an expectation for continued
high-quality performance.
Normally, time spent on paid or unpaid leave of
absence shall not be counted toward time in rank period for promotion. A
copy of the letter authorizing a leave shall be included in the faculty
member's personnel file.
Tenure
Policies - ASCU Statement on Tenure & AAUP Statement on Tenure
Academic tenure is defined as the employment
condition under which faculty appointments, after successful completion
of a probationary period, are continued, subject to dismissal for
adequate cause with due process, until retirement or physical disability.
Tenure shall be held in the University with appointment in an academic
component.
The Board of Regents of the Texas Woman's
University, upon the recommendation of the President, will grant tenure
to eligible full-time faculty members who have been reviewed and
recommended according to the policies set out below.
Eligibility - A full-time faculty member is a person
employed full-time for teaching and/or academic administration who holds
the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor.
An academic administrator who holds rank in an
academic component will be evaluated as a candidate for tenure by
the component. If a candidate for administrative appointment is approved
by the academic component reviewing for tenure, immediate tenure may be
granted.
Persons holding adjunct, interim, emeritus,
visiting, and/or part-time appointments; lecturers; artists-in-residence;
writers-in-residence; designers-in-residence; or other
professionals-in-residence do not earn credit toward tenure.
A contract must indicate whether an
appointment is on a tenure track or a non-tenure track position.
The policies concerning the granting of tenure, as
well as all other aspects of policies regarding non-reappointment and
resignation, apply only to full-time faculty members in service of
the University.
The probationary appointment (tenure track)
is that period of professional service during which a faculty member does
not hold tenure and is subject to evaluation of her/his professional
qualifications.
Recommendations for non-reappointment of tenure
track faculty during the probationary period are governed by the
following policy: notice of termination of the appointment for the
following academic year must be given in writing not later than March 1
of the first full year of the probationary service and not later than
December 15 of the second consecutive academic year of probationary
service. For the tenure track faculty member with two or more academic
years of employment at Texas Woman's University, notice of intention to
give a terminal contract must occur by August 1 preceding the faculty
member's last academic year of service.
The probationary period at Texas Woman's University
may not exceed seven years. By the end of the six-year period, the
faculty member is awarded tenure or a one-year terminal contract.
The probationary period may be reduced to four years
when a faculty member is employed by TWU after probationary service on
faculties of other institutions of higher learning provided this
agreement is made at the time of the initial appointment.
Time spent on a paid or unpaid leave of absence
shall not be counted toward the probationary period of service unless the
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the faculty member
agree at the time the leave is granted that the purpose of the leave is
such that it shall count in the probationary period. A copy of the letter
granting the leave shall be included in the faculty member's personnel
file.
The probationary period may be waived when a
distinguished faculty member, who is tenured at another university, is
employed by Texas Woman's University subject to the approval of the Peer
Review Committee of the academic component.
Criteria for Tenure - The granting
of tenure status is a major decision and should not be considered as
automatic once the faculty member enters the probationary period. A
decision not to award tenure does not necessarily reflect on the
competencies or service of probationary faculty members. The statements
below are the primary criteria considered important at Texas Woman's
University in making a tenure recommendation. Exceptions to these
criteria, while possible, will be rare.
The Peer Review Committee of the academic component
is responsible for tenure recommendations. Specific qualifications, such
as a terminal degree or an equivalent qualification in the discipline,
are to be determined by the appropriate academic component and will be
considered together with other professional qualifications and
accomplishments, including teaching competence, in the candidate's field
of academic endeavor.
There must be evidence of continuing high-quality
professional performance during the probationary period with emphasis
upon teaching, scholarship, and service as mutually supportive
activities. It is also understood that when tenure is awarded, there is
an expectation for continued high-quality performance.
Limitations to Continued Tenure - When tenure
has been granted a faculty member, that person shall remain in the
continuing employment of the University unless the faculty member meets
one of the following conditions: termination for cause with due process;
voluntary retirement or an appointment on a modified retirement plan;
resignation; termination as a result of bona fide financial exigency or
program termination; inability to fulfill the terms and conditions of the
appointment due to physical or mental incapacity.
Termination of a Tenured Faculty Member as a Result
of Bona Fide Financial Exigency or Program Termination - A tenured
faculty member affected by one of the aforementioned conditions
necessitating a reduction in staff shall be given the opportunity for
reappointment in a related area under the following conditions: the
faculty member must be qualified professionally to serve in such area and
such position must be available; or, any tenured faculty member appointed
to a related area under these circumstances has the right of
reappointment to the previous position if it is subsequently
reestablished within five years.
FACULTY ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW CALENDAR
The following calendars are
established for promotion and tenure and for annual faculty performance
review. The same dates apply each
year. If the specific date falls on a weekend or holiday, the
applicable date will be the next day the University is open following the
specified date.
Faculty in second year of employment
October 20 Faculty submits materials
for evaluation to first level of review
(either Peer Review Committee,
Department Chair/Associate Dean)
November 5 Peer Review Committee submits
evaluation to Department
Chair/Associate Dean (if
applicable)
November 15 Department Chair/Associate Dean
submits evaluation to Dean
December 1 Dean submits evaluation to
Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Faculty in first year of employment
December 1 Faculty submits materials for
evaluation to first level of review
(either Peer Review Committee,
Department Chair/Associate Dean)
December 15 Peer Review Committee submits
evaluation to Department Chair/
Associate Dean (if applicable)
January 22 Department Chair/Associate
Dean submits evaluation to Dean
February 15 Dean
submits evaluation to Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs
All other faculty (full time and part time)
February 20 Faculty submits materials for
evaluation to first level of review
(either Peer Review Committee,
Department Chair/Associate
Dean)
Date to be Peer Review Committee submits
evaluation to Department Chair/
determined by Associate Dean (if
applicable)
component
Date to be Department Chair/Associate
Dean submits evaluation to Dean
determined by
component
May 7 Dean forwards his/her recommendations and
the annual
performance review documents to
the Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs
FACULTY REVIEW POLICY AND
PROCEDURES
It is the objective of Texas
Woman’s University (TWU) to assure fair and equitable treatment of
all faculty members and professional librarians and to provide for
resolution of grievances through review and appeal proceedings as set out
in these policies and procedures. It is the policy of TWU that any
faculty member or professional librarian who believes that she or he has
not received fair treatment under the terms of this policy has a right to
a review of her or his grievance within a reasonable time.
Issues Subject to Review - Issues that
are subject to review under this policy may include, but are not limited
to, one of the following categories: salary, working conditions,
workload allocation, teaching assignments, academic freedom not related
to non-reappointment or termination, performance review, grants
administration, student-faculty relations, professional treatment,
promotion, and tenure. Non-reappointment and termination of
employment are not subject to review. This policy does not apply to
Title IX Disability/Handicap, Title VI Racial Discrimination, Sexual
Harassment or other Federal or State Regulations or Statutes, which are
under the purview of other policies and procedures.
Faculty Review Committee - The Faculty
Review Committee (FRC) is advisory to the Chancellor. The purpose
of the FRC is to hear any faculty member or professional librarian who
believes that she/he has not received equitable treatment under the terms
of this policy, to hear the appropriate respondent or respondent’s
designee, determine findings, and make recommendations to the Chancellor.
Membership - The FRC is a
standing committee of the University and consists of elected, full-time
faculty members and professional librarians, excluding those faculty
members or professional librarians holding “line”
administrative appointments. Each group of components shall have
one FRC member for each 15 FTE faculty members or professional librarians
or major fraction thereof.
Members from each college or
group of components shall be elected at-large within the
components. Those eligible to vote in the elections for members of
the FRC are the same as those outlined in Article IV, Section 1:
Membership, of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate as voters in
Faculty Senate elections. For the purpose of nominating and
electing members of the FRC, the voting faculty shall consist of all
faculty holding appointment of at least one-half time in the tenure or
non-tenure track (lecturer, clinical, research); full-time professional
librarians; and department chairs who hold the rank of professor,
associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, or lecturer.
Faculty who are not eligible to vote in FRC elections include:
visiting professors, adjunct faculty, persons on leaves of absence, and
administrators above the level of department chair.
The term of office of each member
of FRC is two years, corresponding with the academic year. Members
may be re-elected. The Faculty Senate Elections Committee conducts
elections for membership on the FRC in the fall of each academic
year. Terms will be staggered to provide for continuity on the
committee.
In the event of a vacancy on the
committee, the position shall remain open until the next regular election
for that position or until the beginning of the following academic year,
whichever comes first.
Officers - The committee
elects its own chairperson and vice chairperson for a term of two
years. These individuals may be elected for additional terms.
Elections for chairperson and vice chairperson should be held within 30
days of election of the FRC. The Faculty Senate Elections Committee
will designate one elected member to serve as a temporary chairperson to
oversee the election of the chairperson and vice chairperson.
Should there be an appeal before
the election of the committee or the chairperson and vice chairperson,
the previous year’s chairperson will handle initiating the appeal
process.
The vice chairperson will serve
as chairperson in the absence of the chairperson.
Levels of Review - If a faculty
member or professional librarian believes that she/he has not received
equitable treatment under the terms of this policy, there are two levels
of review to deal with the concern. The first level is an
administrative review and the second is an appeal to the Faculty Review
Committee.
In the event of an appeal on faculty
promotion or tenure following administrative review and notice of
decision from the Chancellor, the faculty member may file an appeal with
the FRC without further administrative review. The appellant in a
promotion or tenure grievance must file a written request for hearing
with the chairperson of the FRC within ten (10) working days of the
decision from the Chancellor.
All other issues besides faculty
promotion and tenure review must be considered first through
administrative review and then by the FRC if the matter is unresolved.
Administrative Review - If a faculty
member or professional librarian believes there is cause for a review
under this policy, she/he will write a statement citing the issue/s to be
reviewed; the reason/s she/he believes she/he has not received equitable
treatment under the terms of this policy; and the resolution
sought. Any supporting materials are submitted with the written
statement. If a University policy is in question, the appellant
must include a copy of the policy and document how the policy was
violated. If the issue of the appeal relates to promotion or
tenure decisions, the faculty member may submit copies of annual review
materials for the period in question and copies of previous
reviews. The faculty member or professional librarian should take
care to include only materials germane to the specific appeal. The
completed dossier must contain the Transmittal of Grievance form
(Attachment A). The faculty member’s statement, transmittal
of grievance form, and supporting materials presented to the
administrator shall constitute the “dossier.” Once the
dossier is submitted for review, the contents must remain the same
throughout the review and appeal process.
The request for review must be
submitted to the first administrative level within one calendar month of
the action which is the basis of the review. The faculty
member or professional librarian will seek resolution through all
appropriate administrative channels: department chair/associate
dean/program director, director, dean, and Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs. The administrative review will be handled
expeditiously at each level of administration, and a written response to
the faculty member or professional librarian is expected within ten (10)
working days at each level. The faculty member or professional
librarian must respond in writing following the receipt of response from
each level of review through the administrative channels. It is the
responsibility of the faculty member or professional librarian to submit
the written request and dossier to each administrative level within ten
(10) working days of receiving a response from one administrative level.
If, after an appeal to the
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the issue remains
unresolved to the satisfaction of the faculty member or professional
librarian, she/he may file an appeal with the FRC.
Appeal to Faculty Review
Committee
Initiation of Appeal - If, after
completing the administrative review process, a faculty member or
professional librarian feels the issue/s is/are unresolved, she/he may
file an appeal with the FRC. The written appeal must be submitted
to the chairperson of the FRC within ten (10) working days of receipt of
the decision of the Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs. The written appeal must include the complete dossier
submitted through the administrative review process and the Transmittal
of Grievance form. The faculty member or professional librarian
filing the appeal must provide a list of all witnesses who will be called
and a brief statement defining how the witness is important to the
issue/s under review prior to the hearing.
When the chairperson of the FRC receives
the written request for hearing and accompanying dossier, she/he
initiates the hearing process within ten (10) working days. The
chairperson of the FRC informs the Chancellor of the request for the
hearing and requests identification of the respondent for the University,
if applicable. If the University or general administrative official
of the University is named as a respondent, the Chancellor may appoint an
appropriate designee to appear before the subcommittee. The
respondent must provide the chairperson of the FRC with a list of all
witnesses to be called and a brief statement defining how the witness is
important to the issue/s under review within five (5) working days of
receiving such lists for the appellant.
Selection of Appeal Subcommittee - Five members
of the elected FRC will be drawn by lot to serve as a subcommittee for
the appeal hearing. Members of the appellant’s component
(department) may not serve on the appeal subcommittee. If an appeal
is filed against a member of the FRC or that person will serve as a
witness, that member shall not participate in the hearing. When
tenure is an issue under this policy, the appeal subcommittee shall
consist only of tenured faculty members.
The names of the five members
will be provided to the appellant and respondent prior to the hearing,
and each has the right to strike one member of the subcommittee without
specifying cause. In the event that a member is struck from the
subcommittee, another member of the FRC drawn by lot will serve as a replacement.
The members of the appeal subcommittee will elect one of its members to
serve as the chairperson for the appeal.
Appeal Hearings - The appeal
subcommittee will review the written appeal and dossier. The
subcommittee may deny a hearing where there is no showing of probable
cause that a bona fide basis for review exists.
If a hearing is warranted, the
appeal subcommittee will schedule a hearing in which the appellant and
respondent will have an opportunity to meet with the subcommittee.
At the time the hearing is scheduled, the appellant must submit to the
chairperson of the appeal subcommittee six copies of the dossier.
The respondent will be provided the opportunity to submit six copies of
written information supporting the recommendation or action that is the
issue of the appeal.
Attachment B includes the
procedures to be followed during the hearing. Each side to the
appeal may bring a peer or representative to the hearing. The peer
or representative is not permitted to address the FRC but may confer with
the appellant or respondent during the hearing.
The subcommittee may request
additional information from any faculty member, librarian, student, the
appellant, any component review committee, any component administrator,
dean, or the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at anytime
during the review proceedings. If requested to appear in person,
the Chancellor or a Vice President may appoint an appropriate designee to
appear before the subcommittee for such individual.
A majority of the members of the
subcommittee shall constitute a quorum. Decisions of the
subcommittee must be reached with a majority vote of the members present,
with the number of yes, no, and abstention votes recorded without
designating the names of the persons who cast the votes.
Confidentiality - The only
individuals present during the subcommittee hearings shall be the
subcommittee members, the parties to review, their representatives,
and a witness while giving testimony. There will be no recording,
electronic transmission, or telephone or video communication during an
appeal hearing to encourage confidentiality. All members of the
subcommittee, the appellant, the respondent or the respondent’s
designee where applicable, the representative of each party, and all
witnesses, while providing information, will be the only persons present
for the hearing.
No persons other than
subcommittee members may be present during the deliberations of the
subcommittee concerning an appeal.
It is anticipated that all
parties to an appeal will respect the confidential nature of information
and proceedings and respect the right of faculty and professional
librarians to participate in the appeal process.
Findings and Recommendations - When the
appeal has been thoroughly heard and investigated, the appeal
subcommittee shall determine its findings and recommendations. The
subcommittee shall, as expeditiously as possible, report the written
recommendations to the chairperson of the FRC who shall, as expeditiously
as possible, report the recommendations by certified mail or in person to
the faculty member or professional librarian and to the Chancellor, who
will make the final determination. In those reviews regarding
tenure decisions and faculty promotions, the written report of the appeal
subcommittee is transmitted to the Chancellor and the Chair/Presiding
Officer of the Board of Regents through the Chancellor for consideration
under existing policies.
The report of the Faculty Review
Committee shall be included in materials presented to the Board of
Regents.
Effective Date - The above
portion entitled Faculty Review Policy and Procedures was approved
by the Board of Regents on June 18, 2004, became effective on August 1, 2004,
and applies to issues that occur on or after August 1, 2004
Final
Appeal - The faculty member may seek an
appeal of the Board's decision to the Board of Regents pursuant to any
procedures established by the Board.
To seek an
appeal for reconsideration of the Board of Regents' decision concerning
tenure or promotion, the faculty member shall submit a written request
for reconsideration, which must be received by the Office of the
Secretary of the Board within ten (10) days after the faculty member is notified
of the Board's original decision. Whether to reconsider is within the
discretion of the Board.
If a
request for reconsideration is declined, the prior decision is
final. If a request for reconsideration is granted, the Board or a
subcommittee of the Board designated for this purpose will consider
written material submitted to the Board or subcommittee by the faculty
member and by the respondents and will communicate its decision in
writing to the parties.
(The above Final
Appeal provision was added by the Board of Regents on December 11,
1998, and it amended the Texas Woman's University faculty Evaluation,
Promotion, and Tenure Policy which was approved by the Board of
Regents on March 6, 1991 and became effective at the beginning of the
1992-93 academic year.)
ATTACHMENT A- Transmittal of Grievance
ATTACHMENT B - Procedure for Hearing
Return to Section B:
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