Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Unit Employees

Purpose of the Policy

Consistent with the provisions set forth in Section 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the overall mission of Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt), the purpose of the Policy on Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Unit Employees ("post-tenure review") is to provide a mechanism to evaluate tenured faculty on their academic performance, in order to continue the longstanding Humboldt tradition of celebrating excellence in teaching, service and scholarship. All provisions of the Humboldt Policy on Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Unit Employees are intended to be consistent with the agreement between the Board of Trustees and the CFA. The entire text of the relevant sections of the CBA follows:

CBA Provisions 15.35-15.37
Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Unit Employees

15. 35 To maintain and improve a tenured faculty unit employee’s effectiveness, tenured faculty unit employees shall be subject to periodic performance evaluations at intervals of no greater than five (5) years. Participants in the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) shall not be required to undergo evaluation unless an evaluation is requested by either the FERP participant or the appropriate administrator. Such periodic evaluations shall be conducted by a peer review committee of the department or equivalent unit, and the appropriate administrator. For those with teaching responsibilities, consideration shall include student evaluations of teaching performance.

15.36 A tenured faculty unit employee shall be provided a copy of the peer committee report of their periodic evaluation. The peer review committee chair and the appropriate administrator shall meet with the tenured faculty unit employee to discuss their strengths and weaknesses along with suggestions, if any, for improvement.

15.37 A copy of the peer committee’s and the appropriate administrator’s summary reports shall be placed in the tenured faculty unit employee’s Personnel Action File.

Definitions

Bias – a conscious or unconscious attitude or stereotype that affects our understanding, actions, and decisions. Implicit, or unconscious, biases often contradict our openly-held beliefs or attitudes, undermining our intentions (Staats, Capatosto, Wright & Jackson, 2016).

1. All tenured faculty unit employees shall undergo a periodic evaluation at intervals of no greater than five (5) years.
2. Faculty will be evaluated to ensure continued teaching/librarian/counseling excellence and ongoing involvement in scholarly and creative works and service. Participants in the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) shall not be required to undergo evaluation unless an evaluation is requested by either the FERP participant or the appropriate administrator.
3. Evaluations shall be conducted by a Peer Review Committee in each department or equivalent unit, consisting of at least three (3) tenured full-time faculty members, and may consist of the initiating unit’s personnel committee or a special committee elected for that purpose. The committee shall elect its own chair.
4. The year before the periodic evaluation is to be conducted, all tenured faculty unit employees scheduled for evaluation shall receive notification from Academic Personnel Services of the upcoming review and a copy of the Cal Poly Humboldt Policy on Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty Unit Employees.
5. The Peer Review Committee of tenured faculty shall review the following evaluative materials, to be submitted by the faculty member
   1. A post-tenure review form that lists accomplishments of the tenured faculty unit employee since their last evaluation demonstrating achievements relevant to the criteria for retention, tenure, and promotion given in the Faculty Handbook, Appendix J, Sections VIII and IX;
   2. Anonymous student feedback of learning experiences from all courses taught since the most recent formal evaluation (e.g. promotion or post-tenure review); the gathering of student feedback will be consistent with Appendix J, Section VII.A.2.
      1. The Peer Review Committee shall consider (in alignment with Appendix J) that student feedback is biased and research suggests it does not provide an accurate evaluation of teaching effectiveness. However, student feedback can provide an opportunity to reflect on teaching practices and thus is included in this process.
         1. “Candidates who find bias in their student feedback (or other content in their file) can appeal to the Dean, in accordance with Article 11 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
   3. Other materials as specified by approved departmental bylaws, if applicable.
6. After finishing the periodic evaluation process, the Peer Review Committee will document a summary of teaching/librarian/counseling effectiveness, scholarly & creative activities, and service, using the PTR Peer Review form. The summary will provide feedback on the faculty member’s performance, recognize their achievements, and, if applicable, offer specific recommendations for professional growth.
7. The faculty member and the appropriate administrator shall be provided with a copy of the Peer Review Committee’s report of their evaluation. At all levels of review, before recommendations are forwarded to the subsequent review level, the faculty member may submit a rebuttal statement or response in writing and/or request a meeting to discuss the report within ten (10) days following receipt of the report (CBA 15.5).
8. Administrative Review
   1. The appropriate administrator (dean or their designee) shall consider the written statement of the Peer Review committee’s findings and the personnel action file of the tenured faculty member.
   2. The appropriate administrator (dean or their designee) will provide a final evaluative statement assessing the faculty member’s performance in the areas of teaching/librarian/counseling effectiveness, scholarly and creative works, and service.
   3. The appropriate administrator (dean or their designee) shall offer to meet with the faculty member to discuss the review, celebrate achievements, and identify resources for professional growth, future goals and aspirations of the faculty member.
   4. The faculty member has the right to meet with the department PTR committee and/or dean (or appropriate administrator) to discuss the review.
9. Evaluation Outcomes
   1. Professional Achievement. The dean (or appropriate administrator) and/or department PTR committee will recognize exemplary and notable achievements and excellence in teaching/librarian/counseling effectiveness.
   2. Professional Growth. Based on the review and meeting (8.3, 8.4), the dean (or appropriate administrator) and/or department PTR committee may make recommendations and/or plan actions and discuss resources for professional growth. Recommendations may be implemented, as feasible, at the departmental, college, or university level.
   3. Annual Faculty Workload. The dean (or appropriate administrator), in consultation with the department chair, may consider the outcome of the evaluation when scheduling the faculty member's annual course assignments.
   4. If a faculty member does not submit the evaluative materials, the obligations of provisions 15.35-15.37 of the CBA shall be considered unmet. The faculty member will be expected to undergo post-tenure evaluation in the next academic year.

At the end of the post-tenure review cycle, all documents from the review shall be incorporated into the faculty member’s Personnel Action File.

Reviewed by Faculty Affairs Committee: 04/16/2025
Reviewed by University Senate: 04/29/2025
Approved by Provost: 04/30/2025