CRITERIA FOR REVIEWS

Introduction

The State Board of Higher Education has determined that criteria for faculty evaluation shall be established for each institution as a "guide in evaluating faculty in connection with decisions as to reappointment, promotion, and tenure," and "as a basis for assessing those aspects of the faculty member's performance in which improvement is desirable, whether the faculty member is tenured or non-tenured, with a view to stimulating and assisting the faculty member toward improvement available under the institution's staff career support plan."

In addition, the State Board of Higher Education has indicated that the "criteria shall reflect the primary functions for which the State System was established." Further, four general primary functions were identified as instruction, research accomplishments and other scholarly achievements, professionally related public service, and institutional service.

The State Board of Higher Education further requires the following: "sources of such input shall include, but not need be limited to, solicitation of student comments, student evaluations of instructors, and opportunities for participation by students in personnel committee deliberations."

The usual procedure in faculty evaluation has been to pose the negative questions and ask why an individual should not receive a promotion, a salary increase, or indefinite tenure. Eastern should assume basic competency by a person having the necessary credentials to be appointed in the first place and then pose the question of what special qualities over and above basic competency does this person possess which so distinguishes him or her that consideration should be given for salary increase, promotion, or indefinite tenure or reappointment? This represents a fundamental belief that in faculty development more is required in faculty performance than just basic competency.

The Administrative Rules of the Board of Higher Education describe major criteria for faculty evaluation. In addition, specific Eastern criteria for the evaluation of faculty is developed by the Assembly Personnel Committee in cooperation with the Provost.



Major Categories for Review

Review in all categories shall be based upon the faculty development plan. This plan will be on file in the Personnel Office. Faculty members at Eastern are evaluated for continuation, tenure, promotion, merit, and continuing review in four major categories:

Specific descriptions of these four major categories follows:

  1. Instruction

    Effective teaching is an essential criterion to advancement. Under no circumstances will tenure or promotion commitment be made to one whose principal duties include instruction unless there is a clear documentation of ability and diligence in the teaching role. In judging the effectiveness of teaching, the reviewers should consider such points as the following: The candidate's command of his/her subject; continuous growth in the field; ability to organize materials and present them with force and logic; capacity to awaken in students an awareness of the relationships of his/her subject to other fields of knowledge; grasp of general objectives; the spirit and enthusiasm which vitalize his/her learning and teaching; ability to arouse curiosity in beginning students and to stimulate advanced students to creative work; personal and professional attributes as they affect his/her teaching and students; the extent and skill of participation in the general guidance and advising of students.

    Advising is an obligation to the student body and to the University. The skills and motivation required for advising are not equally distributed and should not be taken for granted. Special efforts and competencies in this area count as an important part of a faculty member's performance and should be rewarded. Factors involved in assessing this criterion include: accessibility to students; amount of time spent in advising students; familiarity with the requirements of various University programs; ability to relate successfully to a wide variety of students for purposes of advising; knowledge of resources available for the meeting of students' needs and the keeping of adequate records.

    The reviewers should pay due attention to the variety of demands placed on instructors by the types of teaching called for in various disciplines and at various levels, and should judge the total performance of the candidate with proper reference to assigned teaching responsibilities. They should clearly indicate the sources of evidence on which the appraisal of teaching competence has been placed.

    Standards and criteria to be used in the evaluation of teaching are further developed in Eastern's Policy on the Evaluation of Instruction.

  2. Commitment to Subject Disciplines

    Basic to the instructional role that a faculty member performs is an interest in and recurring commitment to his/her subject discipline. There is an implied obligation, to remain in the academic community, for a faculty member to reach beyond the classroom to maintain his/her competency and to contribute to the ongoing scholarly and research posture of the institution and his/her profession.

    In judging this commitment, the reviewer should consider points such as the following: reading of scholarly and professional journals; publication of significance and quality; research in progress and substantially planned work; participation in conferences, conventions, seminars, and professional meetings--reading papers, holding office, serve on editorial boards; awareness of current developments in the faculty member's profession; association with organizations and groups that will result in professional improvement of the participant and bring recognition to the University; professional consultation; constructive use of sabbaticals and leaves of absence; recognized evidence of scholarliness such as special awards, scholarly citations, and the republication of work; scope and depth of scholarship as revealed in public lectures, book review and/or in special circumstances, discussions; works of art--sculpture, painting, design, planning, musical compositions, poetry, fiction, drama, dance, film; public performances--recitals, concerts, conducting, theater productions, radio and television productions; public recognition,--exhibitions, commissions, acceptance or work for permanent collections, awards.

    Evidence of a productive and creative mind should be sought in the person's published research, original writings, recognized artistic productions, or the like. There should be evidence that the person is continuously and effectively engaged in creative activity of high quality and significance. Work in progress should be assessed whenever possible. Account should be taken of the type and quality of creative activity normally expected in the person's field.

    In certain fields such as art, music, literature and drama, distinguished performance (including conducting, directing, and writing) is evidence of a person's creativity.

  3. Contribution to the Institution

    There is an implied obligation for a faculty member to actively participate in and to contribute to the ongoing activities of the institution as reflected by his/her accepting a role in the institutional governance, committee assignments, evaluation of programs, in the establishment of academic standards, and commitment to students through activities and counseling. In judging this commitment, the reviewers should consider points such as the following: contributions to committees; assistance to student activities; work with student interest groups; ability to carry out special assignments of the School or University; contribution to programs, revisions, curriculum, etc.

  4. Outreach to the General Public

    There is an implied expectation that concerns an individual's outreach to the general public as time and specialty will permit. On judging this commitment, the reviewers should consider points such as the following: appropriate weight should be given to the evaluation of such service when it constitutes one of the faculty member's principal duties or responsibilities in the University community or public service programs; community activities related to one's field; using one's professional knowledge or skill in a layman's activity which contributes to the well-being of the community as a whole, of which the University is an integral part; special appointments or awards as a result of professional expertise used on behalf of the community; consultant work; public lectures and seminars; public speeches.

The preceding principles and expectations apply to each of the reviews of teaching faculty undertaken at Eastern. The remainder of this section presents criteria specific to particular types of reviews.

Promotion

  1. General Considerations for Promotion

    1. Effective teaching is the most important criterion to advancement. Under no circumstances will promotion be granted to one whose principal duties include instruction unless there is clear documentation of ability and diligence in the teaching role. Consideration of all promotions will involve evaluation of instruction through review of course reaction surveys, the teaching portfolio, peer evaluation of instruction, and surveys of alumni, each conducted as specified in Eastern's Policy on the Evaluation of Instruction.

    2. Advancement in rank should reflect continuing professional contribution to teaching and learning.

    3. Basic competence is assumed. A case for promotion must be built on special qualities over and above basic competence which so distinguish the candidate and justify his or her promotion.

    4. The minimum criteria listed here are a reflection of the institutional expectations of faculty. There may be special cases where individuals have outstanding and exceptional qualifications other than those specified in the document. A case for promotion when there are exceptional qualifications will be initiated by the School Personnel Committee.

    5. For faculty holding Instructor through Associate Professor rank who are within three years of retirement and where the date of retirement has been contractually agreed to by the faculty member and the University, the University will consider promotion to the next highest rank on an exceptional basis but only where there is a convincing case that the faculty member is a superior teacher.

      1. Where the exception involves the lack of an appropriate terminal degree, the normal criteria for promotion must be met in each of the other three areas for evaluation.

      2. Where the faculty member has a terminal degree, exceptions may be made where there is a weakness in one area (other than in the teaching area) but demonstrably above average performance in other areas of evaluation.

  2. Minimum Criteria for Academic Rank

    1. Instructor: Appointees to the rank of Instructor ordinarily hold a degree associated with their fields of specialization and assignment or have comparable experience. The criteria for appointment to Instructor normally are:

      1. Master's degree or equivalent experience or expertise.

      2. Evidence of potential for teaching.

    2. Assistant Professor: Appointees to the rank of Assistant Professor are expected to have demonstrated high academic standards and have a clear promise of growth in their professional assignments. Specific criteria normally are:

      1. A Master's degree or equivalent in the field of specialization and generally 5 to 6 years of college teaching experience or a doctorate with a potential for both teaching and scholarly activity.

    3. Associate Professor: Appointees to the rank of Associate Professor ordinarily hold the highest earned degree associated with their fields of specialization and assignment. In most cases, a doctorate will be an expectation. Individuals holding degrees other than doctorates (usually requiring 2 to 3 years of continuous full-time scholarly commitment beyond course work) may be advanced to the rank of Associate Professor only after demonstrating an equivalent productivity of independent, creative activity or scholarship. (For example, if a person can successfully argue that, for her or his area of assignment, the M.F.A. is the usual degree and can show through extensive one-person shows, exhibits and awards an equivalent experience, he or she should be considered for promotion on an equal basis with a Ph.D. in another field).

      The individual considered for promotion must have shown a competence and willingness to participate in the work of the institution, to make significant contributions to teaching and to engage in research of scholarly activity. The candidate should ordinarily:

      1. Hold a doctorate or the equivalent experience or expertise and have made contributions to the specialty field or, in the case of other terminal degrees, have demonstrated a high level of professional attainment through significant scholarly or creative activity involving external recognition or evaluation of consequence.

      2. Generally have at least 5 to 6 years of experience in college-level teaching.

      3. Be a sound teacher.

      4. Have demonstrated some originality and creativity in developing effective teaching procedures.

      5. Show a dedication to teaching and learning that assures a continuing commitment.

      6. Show willingness to participate in the work of the institution.

      7. Be well on the way toward distinguishing himself/herself in at least one of the areas of institutional expectation.

    4. Professor: Promotion to Professor requires the candidate to have demonstrated outstanding performance as a teacher and scholar. In addition to the degree requirements for an Associate Professor, the candidate should ordinarily:

      1. Have demonstrated an above-average ability as a teacher.

      2. Be able to conduct courses for our students at all levels.

      3. Be able to direct research or creative work by students.

      4. Demonstrate solid commitment to the broad discipline.

      5. Demonstrate recognized professional attainment within the field of specialization involving clear external evaluation and/or recognition normally beyond the State or northwest region.

      6. Demonstrate a dedication to teaching and learning that assures a continuing commitment.

      7. Generally has about 12 to 15 years of college-level teaching experience.

          [Note: the APC has recently -- and the Provost and the President do -- interpret this requirement to mean, "that only in a very rare and uniformly exceptional, and extraordinarily well-documented case should a faculty member be consider for promotion to Professor prior to the 12th year of service." The operative words are "very rare," "uniformly exceptional," and "extraordinarily well-documented." "Uniformly exceptional" is interpreted to mean exceptional achievement in each of the four areas of review. "College-level teaching" refers to full-time teaching with complete responsibility for the courses being taught; experience as a graduate teaching assistant is not relevant. The initial Notice of Appointment for tenure-related appointments will clearly state whether any years of teaching prior to the initial appointment at Eastern are to be included in calculating the applicability of this criterion.]

Tenure

Faculty members on annual tenure ("tenure track") are normally reviewed for tenure during the Fall term of the fifth year at Eastern. The Notice of Appointment will state the "starting date" to be used for purposes of determining eligibility for consideration for indefinite tenure under the "five years at Eastern" criterion. If, at the time of initial hiring, there was agreement to count years of service elsewhere than at Eastern toward the "five years" criterion, then this will be stated as a part of the Notice of Appointment; unless such a statement exists on the Notice of Appointment, time-in-rank calculations begin with the year of initial service at Eastern.



  1. Minimum Criteria for Tenure

    1. The awarding of tenure is a significant institutional commitment to a faculty member and should be done only after careful deliberation. First, there should be a determination of need for the individual's specialization and skills in the long-range plans of the institution. Then, there must be a convincing case that the faculty member is highly qualified and has a history of performance demonstrating that he/she will make outstanding contributions to the institution.

    2. To obtain tenure, the individual must demonstrate significant contributions to teaching, a competence and willingness to participate in the work of the institution, and a productive commitment to research or scholarly activity. The criteria for Associate Professor ordinarily apply as minimum criteria for tenure. Consideration of tenure will include evaluation of instruction through review of course reaction surveys, the teaching portfolio, peer evaluation of instruction, and surveys of alumni, each conducted as specified in Eastern's Policy on the Evaluation of Instruction.

    3. Tenure is only granted in an academic discipline and must be made upon the recommendation of the School involved.

  2. General Consideration for Tenure

    1. Effective teaching is the most important criterion to advancement. Under no circumstances will tenure be granted to one whose principal duties include instruction unless there is clear documentation of ability and diligence in the teaching role.

    2. Advancement in rank should reflect continuing professional contribution to teaching and learning.

    3. Basic competence is assumed. A case for promotion or tenure must be built on special qualities over and above basic competence which so distinguish the candidate and justify her or his promotion.

    4. The doctorate or appropriate terminal degree in the individual's discipline (e.g., M.F.A. or equivalent in performance positions, MBA with a CPA in Accounting) is required for retention past the sixth year of employment at Eastern. Exceptions to this rule will only be made in cases of extraordinary contributions to the academic discipline and where external requirements (e.g., Board rules) for program terminal degrees have been met.

    5. The minimum criteria listed here are a reflection of the institutional expectations of faculty. There may be special cases where individuals have outstanding and exceptional qualifications other than those specified in this document. A case for tenure or continuation when there are exceptional qualifications will be initiated by the School Personnel Committee.

Continuance

Regular faculty members not on tenure track (i.e., faculty with appointments not in programs covered by the tenure policy or faculty with transitional status under the tenure policy) are normally reviewed for continuation during the Fall term of the fifth year at Eastern.

  1. General Consideration for Continuance

    1. Effective teaching is the most important criterion to advancement. Under no circumstances will continuation be granted to one whose principal duties include instruction unless there is clear documentation of ability and diligence in the teaching role.

    2. Advancement in rank should reflect continuing professional contribution to teaching and learning.

    3. Basic competence is assumed. A case for promotion or tenure must be built on special qualities over and above basic competence which so distinguish the candidate and justify his or her promotion.

    4. The minimum criteria listed here are a reflection of the institutional expectations of faculty. There may be special cases where individuals have outstanding and exceptional qualifications other than those specified in this document. A case for continuation when there are exceptional qualifications will be initiated by the School Personnel Committee.

Resource faculty members on fixed-term are reviewed on an annual basis following policies developed by Schools and approved by the Provost's Office.

Third Year (Retention) Review

See "Major Categories for Review" and "Criteria for Academic Rank."

Post-Tenure Review

Eastern uses a biennial review process for tenured faculty. When that policy requires more intense review, the processes and criteria associated with review for tenure and the rank of the individual being reviewed, as outlined in the preceding section on criteria and the following section on process, are used.

[Responsible for Accuracy: John S. Miller, Provost - Last Verified: 7/28/00]





From Faculty/Staff Handbook