Confidentiality of Personnel Deliberations
Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees (Probationary and Temporary Appointment, Retention, Tenure, and Promotion, and Evaluation of Temporary, Probationary and Tenured Faculty)
Composition of Departmental Personnel Committees
The department annually elects four personnel committees.
The probationary and tenured faculty members of the department or equivalent unit shall elect a peer review committee(s) of tenured faculty members. When there are insufficient eligible members to serve on the peer committee, the department shall elect members from a related academic discipline(s).
(The Committees, as a whole, must take responsibility for the following tasks: Probationary Appointment; Temporary Appointment; Retention, Tenure and Promotion; Range Elevation; Evaluation of Temporary Faculty; Evaluation of Probationary Faculty; Evaluation of Tenured Faculty (Post-Tenure review); Evaluation for Request to Emeritus status; and Collaboration on the Development of Individual Professional Plans. It is required that each unit indicate below which Committee is responsible for each of these tasks.)
| Committee Titles and Responsibilities |
Number of Members (at least 3; all tenured full-time) * |
Number of Alternates (1 or more; all tenured full-time) * |
|---|---|---|
|
Committee A Evaluates and makes recommendations on all candidates for promotion to full professor and post-tenure review. Collaborates with associates or full professors on the development of IPPs. |
Three full professors | One alternate (full professor) |
|
Committee B Evaluates and makes recommendations on assistant professors for retention and tenure/promotion to associate professor. Collaborates with assistant professors on the development of IPPs. |
Three tenured professors |
One alternate (tenured professor) |
|
Committee C (Lecturer Evaluations) Evaluates and makes recommendations on all temporary faculty members (lecturers). Consideration of faculty range elevation for lecturers. |
Three tenured professors | One alternate (tenured professor) |
|
Tenure-Track Faculty Search Committee Elected when a tenure-track job search is approved. Handles all issues associated with the search and appointment. The committee will forward its recommendation of one or more candidates to the college dean. |
Three tenured professors | One alternate (tenured professor) |
*For Tenure-Track Appointments (Search) Committees, one probationary faculty may serve
Eligibility for Committee Service and Balloting
Additional:
The Department Chair is an ex-officio member of all Department personnel committees.
The Department votes annually on whether the Department Chair is a voting member of all Department Personnel Committees except the ad hoc Search Committee.
Recruitment of Probationary Faculty
Appointment of Probationary Faculty
Personnel Action Files
Additional:
- It is the responsibility of the individual faculty member to have appropriate information in the personnel file prior to its closure. The maintenance of an up-to-date personnel file is an important part of being a professional political scientist; the Department believes that the personnel file should speak for itself. New faculty members are encouraged to consult with their faculty mentor to construct the Working Personnel Action File.
- Department retention and tenure recommendations shall reflect an individual faculty member's overall performance. In particular, Departmental committees should strive to clarify developments in educational performance, professional achievement, and university service activities that may extend over several years, as documented in the personnel file. Department retention recommendations shall be based on the faculty member's performance during the period of review. In situations where the previous recommendation was negative, these previous recommendations may be addressed in the current recommendation.
- In the Committee report, areas of both weakness and strength should be pointed out. The Department committees should not write solely affirmative reports on persons unless the performance fully meets departmental expectations.
Individualized Professional Plans
Eligibility for Tenure and Promotion
| Area of Specialization | Terminal Degree |
|---|---|
|
Political Science or Public Administration |
Ph.D. or Doctor of Public Administration |
Additional:
- The Department's recommendation shall include an evaluation of educational performance, professional achievement, and service contributions (see 2, 3, 4 below). A statement of evaluative procedures must be included. Committees are encouraged to demonstrate the relative difficulties of publishing in their subfields if this is an issue in their retention, tenure, and promotion recommendations.
- Category A, Educational performance, is defined as classroom and related instructional activities. Among the factors that the committee will consider are:
- Results of student opinion surveys, as required in conformity with University policy. Standardized University survey forms must be used. Results are placed in the faculty member's personnel file.
- A classroom peer observation report, based on the approved college or university template.
- The faculty member's grading practices (Department committees shall report on a candidate's grading practices).
- Research and publication that strengthens educational performance.
- Syllabi, exams and other course materials.
- Category B, Professional Achievement, covers a wide variety of activities. Among the factors that the committee will consider are:
- Publication of articles refereed in professional journals, scholarly books, book chapters, monographs, and articles in other books and journals.
- Holding scholarly awards, grants, contracts, and fellowships, visiting lectureships, and visiting research positions.
- Reading of papers at meetings of professional disciplinary associations, serving as chair of panels at professional meetings, and serving as a commentator on panels at professional meetings.
- Reading papers or lecturing before academic audiences other than those of professional societies on topics relevant to his/her profession or field.
- Holding office in professional societies or serving on committees of such societies.
- Serving as editor, member of a board of editors, or editorial consultant of a professional journal or serving as editor of editorial consultant to a publishing house on books relevant to his/her discipline.
- Serving as consultant to governmental agencies of other organizations relevant to his/her discipline.
- Contributing book reviews in professional journals.
- Category C, All other contributions to the University, covers a wide variety of activities. Among the factors that the committee will consider are:
- Contributions to academic governance such as membership and participation in the activities of Department, School, University and System-wide committees, and service in administrative capacities.
- Extraordinary service to students such as serving as active advisor to student organizations or activities.
- Participation in non-university activities which draw favorable attention to the faculty member and the University where such activities clearly relate to or are the result of his/her professional competence.
Evaluation of Permanent Instructional Faculty
Additional:
Category B: Activities considered appropriate as "scholarly and creative activities" for the discipline are:
-
Publication of articles refereed in professional journals, scholarly books, book chapters, monographs, and articles in other books and journals
-
Holding scholarly awards, grants, contracts, and fellowships, visiting lectureships, and visiting research positions.
-
Reading of papers at meetings of professional disciplinary associations, serving as chair of panels at professional meetings, and serving as a commentator on panels at professional meetings.
-
Reading papers or lecturing before academic audiences other than those of professional societies on topics relevant to his/her profession or field.
-
Holding office in professional societies or serving on committees of such societies.
-
Serving as editor, member of a board of editors, or editorial consultant of a professional journal or serving as editor of editorial consultant to a publishing house on books relevant to his/her discipline.
-
Serving as consultant to governmental agencies of other organizations relevant to his/her discipline.
-
Contributing book reviews in professional journals.
Committee Procedures
Review of Faculty Holding Joint Appointments and of Faculty Active in Interdisciplinary Programs
Student Consultation in Academic Personnel Processes
Oral Testimony
Role of Department/Division/School Chair or Director
Appointment of Temporary Faculty
Evaluation of Temporary Faculty
Additional:
Temporary faculty with multi-year appointments will be evaluated once during the term of their appointment, but may be evaluated more frequently upon their own request. In determining whether a temporary faculty member is current in their field, several types of evidence may be considered. As a starting point, currency will be assessed with respect to the faculty member's syllabus and teaching materials. In addition, currency in the field can be assessed with respect to the following:
- Publication of articles refereed in professional journals, scholarly books, book chapters, monographs, and articles in other books and journals.
- Holding scholarly awards, grants, contracts, and fellowships, visiting lectureships, and visiting research positions.
- Reading of papers at meetings of professional disciplinary associations, serving as chair of panels at professional meetings, and serving as a commentator on panels at professional meetings.
- Reading papers or lecturing before academic audiences other than those of professional societies on topics relevant to his/her profession or field.
- Holding office in professional societies or serving on committees of such societies.
- Serving as editor, member of a board of editors, or editorial consultant of a professional journal or serving as editor of editorial consultant to a publishing house on books relevant to his/her discipline.
- Serving as a consultant to governmental agencies of other books relevant to his/her discipline.
- Contributing book reviews in professional journals.