Guidelines for the Review of School or Department Directors and Chairs
The dean, who incorporates in his or her review input from all that contribute relevant information, evaluates a school or department director or chair’s performance. Annual reviews are intended to be formative—part of a continuous assessment process that provides feedback about performance as it relates to the achievement of objectives. Comprehensive reviews are summative—conducted for the purpose of making decisions about future leadership of the school or department. Faculty and professional staff satisfaction with a director or chair’s performance is an important element in the review.
Timing of Review
Reviews will be conducted and completed during fall semester. These reviews are annual except for a comprehensive review scheduled for each fifth year of service or when specially called for by an absolute majority of Group I faculty (excluding school or department director/chair) in the school or department.
Exemption of New Directors or Chairs from First-Year Review
New directors/chairs will not be formally reviewed until their second year of service. Informal formative discussions between the director/chair and dean will take place throughout the first year.
Annual Reviews
The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA) will establish the key dates each year for the director/chair review process and send to unit directors/chairs and unit P&T committees. A representative time line can be found at the end of this document.
As part of the annual review process, the director/chair will provide the dean, the faculty (all groups) and full time professional staff of the school or department with a set of objectives that includes:
1. a list of the previous year’s school or department objectives that have been developed by the director/chair and the faculty and professional staff prior to the review, and
2. other professionally relevant objectives for the director/chair that extend beyond those of the school or department.
The director/chair will also provide an assessment of progress made toward meeting these objectives and his/her contribution to that progress. If necessary to evaluate the director/chair’s performance, the dean will seek relevant information from individuals outside the school or department, but within the university.
After due consideration of the report and all additional information, the dean will provide a written review of the director/chair’s performance to the committee and the director/chair.
Comprehensive Review
Upon completion of four years of service, the director/chair will meet with the dean to determine whether he or she wishes to seek reappointment. This discussion will occur in the spring semester of the fourth year of service. If reappointment is not desired, there will be neither an annual nor comprehensive review in the fifth year. If reappointment is to be considered, a comprehensive review will be conducted in the spring of the fifth year.
The comprehensive review is based on information about the director/chair’s progress toward meeting objectives throughout his or her entire term of office and on an assessment of the potential of this individual to respond effectively to anticipated challenges and opportunities in the future. Thus, this review should consider the overall performance and accomplishments of the director/chair.
As part of the comprehensive review process, the director/chair will provide the dean, the faculty and full time professional staff of the school or department with a set of objectives that includes:
1. a list of the school or department objectives since the last comprehensive review that have been developed by the director/chair and the faculty and professional staff prior to the review, and
2. other professionally relevant objectives for the director/chair that extend beyond those of the school or department.
The director/chair will also provide an assessment of progress made toward meeting these objectives and his/her contribution to that progress. In addition, the committee will develop a list of anticipated challenges and opportunities for the school or department in the future and ask the director/chair to provide an assessment of his or her qualifications for responding effectively to them. In responding, the director/chair may wish to address additional challenges and opportunities for the school or department, not specified by the committee but which he or she deems important. The dean will provide the committee with all the written final reports since the last comprehensive review, including the last comprehensive report.
The key dates and deadlines will be similar to the annual review. If necessary to evaluate the director/chair’s performance, the dean will seek relevant information from individuals and groups outside the school or department, but within the university.
After due consideration of the report and all additional information, the dean will provide a written review of the director/chair’s performance to the committee and the director/chair. This review will include a decision regarding reappointment of the director/chair. Should this decision differ from the recommendation of the committee, the dean will meet with them before completing the final version of the review in order to give the committee an opportunity to respond. The dean will also distribute a report to the faculty and professional staff of the school or department, which will include a summary of the dean’s actions to be taken as a result of the review and the committee’s summary of their findings and recommendations.
KEY DATES/DEADLINES FOR DIRECTOR/CHAIR REVIEW
| To be completed by: | |
| Mid-to-late September (e.g., Sep 23) |
Director/Chair provides Dean’s Office with: -Previous year’s school or department objectives -Assessment of progress toward meeting goals and director/chair’s contribution to that progress -Professionally-relevant objectives for self |
| Late September (e.g., Sep 23) |
Dean’s Office provides School or Department P&T Committees with: -Above materials submitted by directors/chairs -Previous annual reviews (1 previous year for annual reviews, 5 previous years for the 5th year review) |
| Early October (e.g., Oct 5) |
P&T Chair electronically distributes to faculty and staff: -Above materials -Web address for director/chair review questionnaire |
| Early to mid-October (e.g., Oct 5-19) |
-Faculty and professional staff respond to online director/chair review Questionnaire (via Qualtrics) -Electronic responses are tabulated by Dean’s office |
| Late October (e.g., Oct 24) |
-Electronic responses to online director/chair review questionnaire are sent by Dean to chairs of school or department P&T committees |
| Mid-November (e.g., Nov 16) |
-School or department P&T committees distribute all written comments from online questionnaire response (no edits) to directors/chairs -Committees meet with director/chairs to discuss faculty/staff input |
| Late November (e.g., Nov 22) |
-Directors/chairs provide written responses to their school or department P&T committee based on the meeting held the previous week |
| Early December (e.g., Dec 5) |
-School or department P&T committees prepare preliminary report (include director/chair’s written responses if submitted) School or department P&T committee or chair meets with Dean |
| Mid-December (e.g., Dec 12) |
-School or department P&T committees submit final report to Dean |
Note: The example dates are from Fall, 2016-17.
Approved by majority of votes cast, 3/31/00
Updated/revised 2012
Updated September, 2017