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Faculty Annual Evaluation

POLICY STATEMENT

All tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track faculty will be evaluated annually. The time period covered by the annual evaluation is January 1 through December 31.

DEFINITIONS

Faculty: Faculty with academic rank on the tenure track include Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. These are tenure-track or tenured positions. Faculty with academic rank not on the tenure track include Assistant Professor of Practice, Associate Professor of Practice, and Professor of Practice. Instructors and are also evaluated. Adjunct faculty are evaluated on a course by course basis.

PROCEDURES and RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Procedures

All Delta State University full-time, ranked, faculty are annually evaluated in three primary areas: 1) teaching; 2) scholarship; and 3) service. Instructors and part-time faculty are evaluated in the areas of teaching and service. The method of annually evaluating the quality of teaching may employ multiple sources of data appropriate to the discipline. At a minimum, students enrolled in the course shall have the opportunity to provide written feedback about the faculty member’s teaching effectiveness to the faculty member, department chair/head and academic dean. Professional development is an annual expectation of all faculty and is evaluated in the teaching category. Faculty should list all professional development activities during the evaluation period.
The evaluation document will list the current goals in each area.
A self-assessment is required by faculty in each evaluation area.
The department/division chair will evaluate progress on goals and will rate and make comments in each of the required evaluation areas and provide an overall rating.
Chairs shall meet individually with each of their faculty members to discuss the annual evaluation. If the faculty member’s performance is rated as “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory” in any category, a Professional Improvement Plan (PIP) is required. The PIP, with an appropriate implementation date, shall be created by the Chair in collaboration with the Faculty member. Any disagreements regarding the PIP shall be resolved by the appropriate college or school dean.

2. Timeline

Faculty shall submit the Faculty Annual Evaluation form, along with additional materials as applicable, to the chair by January 15. If January 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date shall be moved to the next full business day.
Chairs shall meet individually with each of their faculty members no later than March 1 to discuss their annual evaluation.
All signed Faculty Annual Evaluation forms are to be submitted to the dean by March 3.
Deans shall submit Faculty Annual Evaluation forms to the Provost by March 10.
The Provost submits evaluation documents to Human Resources by April 1.

3. Appeal of Rating

The Faculty Annual Evaluations Appeals Committee shall consider faculty appeals regarding individual evaluations.
The Faculty Annual Evaluation Appeals Committee shall include one faculty member from each of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and Human Sciences, the School of Nursing, and Library Services, selected by the respective Deans of those entities, preferably having obtained the rank of Associate or Full professor at Delta State, with at least 4 years of service at Delta State. The President of the Faculty Senate shall appoint two additional Faculty members with the same restrictions as described above. The Committee shall be formed by November 1 and the Committee shall elect their chair by December 1.
Should a faculty member decide to contest the rating of the annual evaluation, that faculty member shall submit a written appeal to the chair of the Faculty Annual Evaluation Appeals Committee by March 20 of the year in which the evaluation has been completed.
The Faculty Annual Evaluation Appeals Committee shall gather the necessary documentation to review the appeal, and shall make a judgment to either sustain or disagree with the outcome of the annual evaluation. If the Committee disagrees with the outcome, they shall state their reasoning. The judgment of the Faculty Annual Evaluation Appeals Committee shall be forwarded to the President by April 10. The faculty member shall be advised of the President’s final decision by April 20. The President’s decision shall be the final decision.

Responsible Office and/or Policy Owner: Office of Academic Affairs