Process timeline for mid-term reviews for tenure-track faculty

December 4, 2015

Dear Colleagues,

The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs has updated the guidelines for the mid-term review process for tenure-track faculty.  Please note the following new timeline:

The timeline and process for Mid-term Reviews

The timing of the mid-term review generally is established at the time of appointment, usually during the last year of the faculty member’s initial contract.  A successful review is one prerequisite for contract renewal.  Review decisions will be made and communicated at least one month before the end of the initial contract.

The department or unit head or designee will contact the faculty member during the fall term of the year in which the review will take place and request essential materials for the review.

Other items the department/unit head will collect are summary reports from the student evaluation process and a recent peer evaluation of teaching. 

Also during fall term the department/unit head will establish a committee of tenured faculty. The faculty committee will submit a report assessing the faculty member’s progress toward tenure and promotion.

The department/unit head will prepare an evaluation of the faculty member’s progress toward tenure and promotion and provide his/her report and recommendation to the faculty member and allow the faculty member 10 days from the date of receipt of the report to provide responsive materials or information, which shall be included in the evaluation file.

The department/unit head will then submit the cumulative evaluation file to the appropriate dean.

The dean will review the file, generally late fall or during winter term, and may consult with appropriate persons and may obtain and document additional relevant information.  The dean will prepare a summary report and recommendation. The dean will share the summary report and recommendation to the faculty member and allow the faculty member 10 days from the date of receipt to provide responsive materials or information, which shall be included in the evaluation file.

As early as March 1 but by no later than April 15 the dean will submit (electronic submission is preferred) the summary report and recommendation, the department/unit head’s evaluation report and recommendation, the faculty committee report, the faculty member’s vitae, statement and responsive material, as well as the contract renewal RTO (if appropriate to the case) to the senior vice provost as the provost’s designee.

The senior vice provost will consider the cumulative recommendations received and then decide the terms and duration of any subsequent appointment of the faculty member by approving the RTO for the contract renewal.  By May 10 the senior vice provost will respond in writing to the dean the resulting decision. 

The RTO paperwork will then be submitted to Human Resources.

By no later than May 15 the dean (or designee) will notify the faculty member of the review decision and contract renewal.  The summary report is to be placed in the faculty member’s departmental or college personnel file. 

For all details of the mid-term review process please refer to the Academic Affairs website /evaluation-ttf; the CBA, Article 20, section 7 regarding mid-term reviews; and CBA, Article 16, section 19-20 regarding notice of non-renewals for TTF.

Thank you for your help and cooperation in making this a smooth process this year.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Doug

Doug Blandy
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs
University of Oregon
(541) 346-3029