SP 09-02 - Policy on Evaluation of Chairs

Policy 
Chairs shall be evaluated during the final year of her/his appointed term. The evaluation shall consist of two levels: Level 1: Chair Evaluation Committee; Level 2: Dean of Faculty. 

Level 1: Chair Evaluation Committee 

During the final year of a Chair’s appointed term, the program faculty shall meet to elect a Chair Evaluation Committee (CEC). The CEC shall consist of at least three tenure-track faculty members from the program(s) for which the Chair is responsible. In the case of programs with fewer than three tenure-track faculty members, the Dean of Faculty will work in tandem with the tenure-track members of the program to identify an additional member or members, if necessary, to complete the committee. The CEC will solicit information and recommendations from all program faculty, staff, the Chair, and others as deemed appropriate by the Committee. The data shall include evaluations by individual faculty and staff and any other pertinent information collected during the evaluation. An approved Evaluation of Chair Form developed by the Faculty Affairs Committee shall be used for collecting information upon which the CEC will develop their Summary Report (SR). The CEC will give the Chair and the program faculty a copy of the SR, and subsequently may call a program meeting to discuss the SR and its recommendations with the Chair and the program faculty prior to submitting the report to the Dean. The Chair may respond in writing to the SR within one week of receiving it from the CEC. The SR and any response from the Chair shall be submitted to the Dean no later than the ninth week of the spring 
semester.

The following 15 items shall be considered by the CEC. 

Academic Programs 
1. Leads the development of quality academic programs 
2. Works with faculty in program planning and review; curriculum development, maintenance, and revision. 

Students 
3. Mediates grievances between students and faculty and is available to receive student input about courses and instructors. 
4. Supervises, advises, provides information, signs documents and petitions, and otherwise facilitates resolution of administrative difficulties students may encounter. 
5. Promotes program activities (competitions, awards, professional organizations, clubs). 

Faculty 
6. Encourages collegial and full participation of all members of the program in recognition that governance of the program is a joint and cooperative endeavor. 
7. Promotes scholarship and professional development of the faculty. 
8. Promotes a culture of mentorship for untenured faculty. 
9. Participates in the recruitment and evaluation of temporary faculty. 
10. Provides leadership at the program level in the university’s endeavor to hire a diverse faculty. 

Administrative & Other Responsibilities 
11. Represents the program within the college, university, community, and profession. 
12. Works well with and oversees program support staff. 
13. Keeps faculty informed and works on management of resources, including the establishment of enrollment targets, allocation of faculty positions, budget matters, and class schedule. 
14. Monitors program compliance with university regulations and meets deadlines. 
15. Relates well with other Chairs.

Level 2: Dean of Faculty 

The Dean shall take the SR into consideration and make her/his own evaluation report of the performance of the program Chair based strictly on the same areas of performance delineated above in the Level 1 review. 

The Dean shall submit a copy of his/her evaluation report to the CEC and the Chair by the eleventh week of the Spring Semester. The Dean shall submit his/her evaluation report to the Chair’s PAF. The Chair has the option to include the SR in the PAF at his/her discretion. 

At the conclusion of the CEC work, all remaining items used in the evaluation process shall be retained for 60 days following the submission of the Dean’s evaluation report to the PAF and then subsequently destroyed, including any Evaluation of Chair Forms collected.