04.01.50 Merit & Evaluation for Faculty

01. GERNERAL POLICY

01.01             It is the policy of this University and the College of Health Professions that all faculty will be evaluated annually. The evaluation period covers the preceding calendar year and must be completed by March 1.

01.02             Annual faculty evaluations are to promote self-development; identify, reinforce, and share the strengths of faculty; extend opportunities for continuous professional development; and identify and strengthen the role of faculty members within their academic units.

01.03             This annual evaluation of continuing faculty is the responsibility of faculty governance, a duty shared by the chairs/directors and personnel committees.

01.04             In order to receive an award for merit, a faculty member must meet the minimal criteria in all three areas of teaching, scholarly/creative, and service, and exceed the criteria in at least one area, as outlined in the individual's academic unit evaluation policy. Academic unit evaluation policies and expectations may differ but must meet the minimal levels of expectations.

01.05             Each academic unit is responsible for developing a policy and procedure statement that identifies the criteria and procedures for recommending merit adjustments. The academic unit PPS must be approved by the dean and the Provost.

02. PURPOSE

02.01             The purpose of this policy and procedure statement is to define the College of Health Professions' minimal expectations of faculty for annual evaluation and the criteria for eligibility for merit raises and identify the process by which eligibility for merit raises will be determined.

02.02             This policy is consistent with and supportive of Academic Affairs Policy and Procedure Statement (AAPPS) 04.01.50 Procedures for Awarding Faculty Merit Raises.

03. DEFINITIONS

03.01             Merit raise: additional salary to be awarded to faculty whose performance was clearly exceptional during the designated merit evaluation period.

03.02             Eligible faculty: All continuing percentage-contract faculty are eligible for merit raises awarded through this process, with the exception of doctoral and graduate assistants, chairs/directors, deans, and a few specially assigned faculty members identified annually by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

03.03             Time period: from January 1 of each year through December 31 of the same year. All materials and documentation submitted for consideration must have been completed in this time period.

03.04             Faculty Qualifications: the electronic system primarily used for faculty annual evaluation and tenure and promotion review.

04. PROCEDURES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

04.01             The deadline for submission is established by the dean. The chair/director will inform all eligible faculty of the academic unit's deadline for submission of materials. Each individual faculty member is responsible for completing and submitting all required materials through Faculty Qualifications by the established deadline.

04.02             The chair/director will ensure that each eligible faculty member has a copy of the College and academic unit's criteria.

04.03             The personnel committee will review materials submitted by each eligible faculty member related to teaching, scholarly/creative, and service, as appropriate to the faculty’s assigned duties. The personnel committee will make recommendations for merit awards in Faculty Qualifications based on unit policy.

04.04             Merit awards should be based on meritorious performance for the identified evaluation period, normally three years. The rolling multi-year period allows faculty who have stellar accomplishments in one or two years, but fewer in the other(s), to qualify for an averaged degree of merit.

04.05             Before making final merit recommendations in Faculty Qualifications, the chair/director shall be required to indicate to each faculty member, without necessarily mentioning a specific amount or percentage of increase, whether the chair/director intends to recommend that faculty member for merit and the approximate level of merit determined for that faculty member (e.g., high, medium, low).

04.06             After receiving the chair/director's preliminary recommendations, faculty who believe their accomplishments have been overlooked or undervalued may, within five working days, request a meeting with the chair/director. At this meeting, the chair/director shall explain the reasons for the level of merit or for denying merit, and the faculty member may ask the chair/director to reconsider the preliminary decision on the basis of accomplishments or achievements that may have been initially overlooked or undervalued. After considering the accomplishments of all faculty who requested a review of their activities, the chair/director will proceed to make final merit recommendations in Faculty Qualifications.

04.07             Chairs/directors may, but are not required to, inform their faculty of the final merit award for all faculty members in the department/school.

04.08             After the dean has reviewed all materials and recommendations in Faculty Qualifications, the dean will confer with the chair/director on merit recommendations to be allocated. The dean may accept, reject or modify the recommendations of the chair/director.

04.09             The dean may reserve a maximum of 10% of the available funds to award at the dean's discretion.

04.10             The dean will make a recommendation in Faculty Qualifications to the Provost.

04.11             Faculty are required to acknowledge receipt of their evaluation and may add their own comments prior to acknowledging receipt in Faculty Qualifications.

05. APPEALS

05.01             Faculty who are dissatisfied with the chair/director's final merit recommendation may appeal to the college dean and shall be afforded an opportunity to meet with the dean to offer information in support of their appeal. If the dean upholds the chair/director's recommendation, he or she shall be required to provide rationale to the appealing faculty member. The college dean's decision is final.

05.02             All merit recommendations, including those resulting from an appeal, must be finalized and merit awards made during the current merit cycle. No merit increase resulting from an appeal shall be withheld until the next merit cycle.

05.03             A summary of all appeals submitted to the dean (Attachment A), regardless of the disposition, must be maintained on file in the dean's office. Subsequent appeals regarding performance evaluation and merit recommendations may be made through the faculty grievance process, AAPPS 04.02.32 Faculty Grievance Policy.