Peer Evaluation Procedure

9.1 Initial reappointment review:

(A) The Dean of University Libraries shall inform each newly-hired probationary faculty member that he/she will stand for an expedited first year review.

(B) In accordance with University practice, the expedited first year review will take place late in the fall semester that immediately follows initial appointment, regardless of the duration of employment as a probationary UL faculty member.

Examples:

  1. A newly hired probationary faculty member who begins in late December or January would stand for expedited review the following fall semester.
  2. A newly hired probationary faculty member who begins in September would stand for expedited review later that same fall semester.

(C) For the expedited first year review, the probationary faculty member shall submit a curriculum vita, a letter describing his/her accomplishments to date and plans related to scholarly activity and university citizenship/professional service for the remainder of the academic year, and a performance evaluation submitted by the supervisor.

(D) The Dean and the College Advisory Committee acting as the Reappointment Committee shall review the candidate's letter, vita, and performance evaluation looking for evidence that the candidate has begun work in or has plans for scholarly activity and university citizenship/professional service that satisfies the requirements of this policy.  If such evidence is present, the Dean and the College Advisory Committee will reappoint the candidate for the next academic year.

9.2 All subsequent reappointment reviews:

(A) For faculty in the remaining years of the probationary period: Near the end of the spring semester, the Dean shall notify probationary tenure-track faculty members in the unit that a reappointment review will begin early in the fall semester of the next academic year.

(B) The candidate shall compile a file covering the period since the last reappointment review. The candidate is permitted to use a reasonable amount of work time in compiling this file. The candidate shall complete and submit the file for review in compliance with the deadline set by the University.

(C) The Dean shall review the file the candidate prepared with the candidate in order to insure that the file is complete.  Both the candidate and the Dean shall sign the completed file statement.

(D) The Dean shall appoint an ad hoc Reappointment Committee.  The committee shall be comprised of at least four (4) voting members.

  1. All tenured members of the College Advisory Committee shall serve as full, voting members.
  2. Any tenured full professor who is a member of the Tenure-Track Collective Bargaining Unit and who is not a member of the College Advisory Committee shall serve as a full, voting member.
  3. Additional tenured Faculty may be nominated by the College Advisory Committee so that the committee has at least four (4) voting members. These Faculty shall serve as full, voting members.
  4. CAC may nominate additional tenured faculty to the ad hoc Reappointment Committee if it feels it is necessary for the full and fair evaluation of the candidate for reappointment. These faculty shall be full voting members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee.
  5. If there are insufficient tenured UL Faculty members to meet the requirement of at least four (4) voting members, the College Advisory Committee may nominate tenured Faculty outside of UL. These Faculty shall be full voting members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee.
  6. The Dean shall be the nonvoting chair of the Committee.
  7. The administrator who serves as the liaison in faculty personnel matters of UL shall be a nonvoting member of the Committee.
  8. If the vote concerns the spouse, domestic partner, or relative of a member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, that member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee shall not vote nor shall he/she be present during deliberations or voting. In such a situation, the College Advisory Committee may, if necessary, nominate an additional tenured Faculty member to the committee for the review of that particular file to guarantee that the committee has at least four (4) voting members.
  9. If the vote concerns a faculty member of higher rank than a member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, that member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee shall not vote nor shall he/she be present during deliberations or voting. In such a situation, the College Advisory Committee may, if necessary, nominate an additional tenured Faculty member of the same or higher rank as the candidate to the committee for the review of that particular file to guarantee that the committee has at least four (4) voting members.

(E) Before convening the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, the Dean shall inform all tenured faculty that the files are available for inspection and shall formally invite written comments from all tenured faculty members who are not members of the Reappointment Committee.  The unit administrator shall provide those comments to the Reappointment Committee, copy the candidate, and place the comments in the file.

(F) Deliberations:

  1. The Dean shall convene a meeting of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee.
  2. The members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee shall discuss each individual candidate for reappointment. The Dean shall initiate discussion by sharing his/her estimate of the strengths and weaknesses of each individual candidate with the ad hoc Reappointment Committee.
  3. At the conclusion of the deliberations of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, there shall be a preliminary voice vote of all members, who shall vote "yes," "yes with reservations," or "no" on each candidate under consideration.
  4. Abstentions are permitted only if a member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee is on an approved leave of absence and has received the right to abstain from the ad hoc Reappointment Committee. Members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee on approved leave of absence may vote by absentee ballot rather than requesting permission to abstain.


(G) Voting:

  1. After the adjournment of the meeting of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, each voting member of the Committee shall promptly record his/her vote and the reasons for the vote on the appropriate University form. This written vote shall be the final vote. Each voting member shall return the completed form(s) to the Dean or his/her designee.
  2. When completing the ballot form, the Committee member should give careful consideration to fully supporting his/her vote on a particular candidate as such peer evaluations are crucial to the reappointment process. The ballot should be written in such a way that the candidate can clearly understand the requirements of the UL reappointment policy in particular and the candidate's success or failure at meeting those requirements. The Committee member must be sure to provide, using the language of other sections of this policy and examples from the submitted file itself, a clear indication of the Committee member's assessment of that particular reappointment candidacy, including an assessment of the performance necessary to achieve a positive tenure decision.
  3. In order to be recommended for reappointment by the ad hoc Reappointment Committee, a candidate must receive approval from a simple majority of the written ballots of committee members who vote.  A vote of "yes with reservations" will count as a positive vote, but it shall carry an additional message of concern.
  4. Abstentions are permitted only if a member of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee is on an approved leave of absence and has received the right to abstain from the ad hoc Reappointment Committee. Members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee on approved leave of absence may vote by absentee ballot rather than requesting permission to abstain.


(H) After carefully reviewing the recorded votes and comments submitted by all voting members of the Committee, the Dean shall weigh and assess each candidate's record as represented in the candidate's reappointment file and in other relevant information that the Committee has reviewed. The Dean shall conclude his/her deliberations on each candidate by preparing a memo to the Provost or his/her designee for the Regional Campuses. In this memo, the Dean shall reference the numerical Committee vote on each candidate, indicate whether or not he/she concurs with the Committee's recommendation on each candidate, and outline his/her reasons for recommending or not recommending the candidate. The Dean should focus on the requirements of the UL reappointment policy in particular and the candidate's success or failure at meeting those requirements. As with the committee members, the Dean is encouraged to use the language of the UL reappointment policy when drafting this memo.

(I) The Dean shall place a copy of this memo in the candidate's personnel file and shall send a copy of this memo to the candidate and to all members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee. The Dean shall assemble his/her written recommendation on each candidate and the written recommendation on each candidate submitted by the voting members of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee. These documents shall be placed in each candidate's personnel file.

(J) The Dean shall notify the candidate by sending the candidate a copy of his/her letter of recommendation and copies of the written ballots of the ad hoc Reappointment Committee at the same time the recommendation is submitted to the Provost or his/her designee for the Regional Campuses. This notification letter shall also include a statement informing the candidate that she/he has the right to include, within five working days, a letter in the file responding to any errors of fact that the candidate believes are in any of the recommendations and supporting documents from the Dean or the ad hoc Reappointment Committee or other advisory committees. The letter shall also indicate that if the candidate wishes to appeal a negative decision, notification of such intent shall be sent in writing within ten working days of receipt of the Dean's letter.