Chapter 4 Faculty Selection and Evaluation of Administrators

Department Governance (Chair Responsibilities, Terms, Rotation, and Evaluation)

The Department Chair is the designated leader and faculty administrative officer responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the department within the policies, directions, and plans of the campus as a whole. The Chair is expected to establish and maintain a collegial, productive work climate, which ensures the academic integrity and curricular coherence of his/her department. Department faculty members nominate the Chair to the Dean of the School or College. The Dean forwards the candidates’ name to the Provost for approval. The Chair serves at the pleasure of the Dean and Provost and is continued at their option.

The leadership and general administrative responsibilities of the Department Chair include the following:

1. Engages in strategic planning for the department and the university.
2. Determines course scheduling and staffing and coordinates off-campus course offerings.
3. Plans, schedules, and supervises department meetings and events.
4. Supervises and evaluates office and clerical staff.
5. Supervises the use of, maintenance of, and accounting for equipment, facilities, and supplies and to request and oversees the department budgets.
6. Ensures that the department members meet all University requirements.
7. Administers contracts with and coordinates with agencies where practicum agreements exist.
8. Performs other duties as directed by the Dean, Provost, or Chancellor.
9. Assists the University in maintaining good community relations.

The Department Chair has responsibility for the following elements relating to faculty and instruction:

1. Shows commitment to productive scholarship and research in relation to teaching load and service by facilitating faculty endeavors and through faculty evaluation.
2. Is active in developing grants and funding for research and activities for students and faculty and in professional organizations locally, regionally and /or nationally.
3. Serves as a liaison between the faculty and the Dean by monitoring the quality of programs by:
   • preparing accreditation and campus data and reports;
   • overseeing departmental brochures, websites, and newsletters and reports;
   • evaluating of and recommending tenure or promotion for faculty;
   • coordinating the hiring of new full-time and adjunct faculty;
   • processing grievances regarding faculty and staff; and
   • providing career counseling, monitoring the schedule, assigning instructors, and making recommendation for salary or salary changes.
4. Facilitates requests for texts, supplies, and instructional materials, monitors student internships, senior projects, special exams, and independent studies; evaluates transfer credits; and oversees advising of students.
5. Leads the department in the implementation of affirmative action goals; in acquiring faculty and staff development; and encouraging social relations and activities between faculty, staff, and students that contributes to academic goals and diversity.
6. Makes arrangements for lecturers, Visiting Professors and extra-curricular events with students, alumni, community and professionals.

The Department Chair has the following responsibilities related to students:

1. Hears and acts on student grievances, queries, and criticism of faculty, programs, and grades or complaints against students.
2. Assists the campus offices with placement, recruitment, publications, and academic advisement and assessment.
3. Facilitates department organizations and events.
4. Insures that letters for students concerning recommendation, referrals, recognition, admittance, credit evaluation, course substitution, transfer, dismissal, financial aid, scholarships, fellowships, and employment opportunities are processed in a timely manner.
5. Encourages undergraduate and graduate research and establishes procedures which prepare students for state or national exams.

Chair Stipend and Course Release

While serving as Chair, the individual will receive a stipend of ten percent of his/her base salary. Additionally, Chairs for departments with 10 or more faculty will receive two courses per semester release time. Chairs for departments with fewer than 10 full-time faculty will be granted one course release per semester and one additional course release during the academic year, i.e., a total of three course releases per academic year. Chairs do not receive course releases for teaching graduate courses.

Evaluation and Succession of Chairs

The following policies and procedures govern the manner in which Chairs come into office and the procedure by which one Chair succeeds another:

1. Department Chairs at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke are appointed for four-year terms. A Department Chair can be reappointed to a second consecutive four-year term with the support of the Department and the recommendation/approval of the Provost. The maximum number of terms for any Chair, consecutive or otherwise, is two four-year appointments.
2. The normal evaluation process for Chairs will take place during the fall semester of the second year of service.
3. During the fall semester of the fourth year of service, the Chair will choose either to step down or to be considered for renewal. If the Chair wishes to be considered for renewal, the Chair will be evaluated again by the department members. As part of the evaluation process, all full-time faculty teaching in the department (hereinafter referred to as department members) will be polled as to whether or not they wish the Chair to be reconsidered for reappointment. Numerical results of the poll of the department members will be reported to the department Chair by the Provost. If a majority opposes reappointment, serious consideration should be given to the appointment of a new Chair.
4. When a Chair is to be considered for reappointment or a new Chair is to be appointed, the appointment process normally will take place during the spring semester of the fourth year of service. All department members teaching in the department will be consulted by the Office for Academic Affairs to identify those willing to serve as Chair. Department members will be polled confidentially regarding their preference for Chair. If an outside search for a new department Chair is to be conducted, normal search procedures will be followed.
5. At any time after the first year of a Chair’s term, the Provost, at the request or in consultation with department members, may poll the department as to whether or not they wish the Chair to continue to serve. The Dean and Provost will review the results and take the matter under consideration. If a department requests such poll, it may not request another such poll within one year of the date of the first poll.
6. The terms of one third of department Chairs will expire each year. The order in which Chair’s terms will expire initially will be established by ranking Chairs by length of service as department Chairs.
7. In the event of the organization of a new department, the term of that Chair will start with his or her original appointment and will become a normal part of the rotation beginning with step one.
8. When the necessity for a leave of absence occurs with a department Chair, such as medical or family emergency, the Dean, in consultation with the Provost will, on a case by case basis, make a determination either to grant the leave of absence or to fill the position with a new Department Chair.
9. In the event a Chair permanently leaves his or her post as Chair before the end of the term for any reason, the newly appointed Chair will enter the rotation at step one.
10. This plan for renewable terms for department Chairs is to be implemented by the Provost in the fall of 2002.

Selection of Deans

When a new Dean of a college or school is to be appointed, at least one Chair selected by the Chairs from the affected college will serve on the search committee. The representative(s) will report on the activities of the search committee to the other Department Chairs at the regular Department Chair meetings. Candidates will make a presentation to and meet with the Department Chairs in that college. The Office of Academic Affairs will poll all the Department Chairs in the affected college or school confidentially regarding their recommendation for the appointment of Dean.

Faculty Evaluation of Administrators

Guiding Principles for Faculty Evaluation of Administrators

The faculty and administrators share responsibility for the effective operation of the University in fulfilling its mission. Faculty members regularly interact and cooperate with administrators and are affected by their policies and decisions. Though the primary responsibility for preparing evaluations of administrators rests with their superiors, some of whom may seek input from selected faculty members, the faculty also needs a direct role in evaluation. Evaluations conducted by the faculty itself can provide valuable information to the administrator being evaluated, the administrator’s immediate supervisor, and the Chair of the Faculty and the Executive Committee.

The principles underlying evaluation of administrators are similar to those for faculty evaluation. Evaluations should be fair, consistent, and aimed both at improving the performance of individual administrators and the offices under their supervision and at serving the mission of the University.

The Faculty Senate conducts faculty evaluations of administrators. The criteria and procedures described below, along with the attached evaluation forms, are designed to elicit faculty input and to address issues with which the faculty is familiar and concerned. All full time faculty members are invited to complete an evaluation form, with the understanding that each faculty member will undertake evaluation in a responsible and professional manner, responding only to questions about which he or she has personal knowledge.

The Faculty and Institutional Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate shall have the responsibility of reviewing the process by which evaluations of administrators are conducted. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee may modify or simplify the attached evaluation forms and may recommend changes in procedures or forms to the Faculty and Institutional Affairs Committee.

Criteria for Faculty Evaluation of Administrators

The criteria by which faculty evaluate administrators reflect the mission of the office, each administrator’s responsibilities and his or her impact on the faculty, students, and the institution.

Policies and Procedures for Faculty Evaluation of Administrators

Faculty evaluation of administrators and offices is conducted on a two-year cycle. All such evaluations are the responsibility of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. (Evaluations of Department Chairs and of Academic Support Services are conducted separately.)

Procedures for conducting evaluations and reporting information are as follows: by way of an email message, all full-time faculty members are directed to the Faculty Evaluation of Administrators web site where they are asked to complete the form and submit it directly to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The Chair of the Faculty Senate will be responsible for compiling the results of the evaluations and submitting a summary report to the Chancellor at the end of the academic year.

Schedule of Faculty Evaluations of Administrators by the Faculty Senate

Spring of odd-numbered calendar years:

Division of Academic Affairs (including all Deans)
Division of Business Affairs
Division of Enrollment Management

Spring of even-numbered calendar years:

The Chancellor
The Office of the Chancellor
Division of Student Affairs
Division of Advancement

Forms for Evaluations of Administrators

The forms for the evaluation of administrators contain the elements on which the specified administrators and administrative units will be evaluated. The Faculty Senate adopted the forms in March 2003. In practice, the forms will be formatted appropriately for completion by faculty and the names of the administrators in each functional category will be inserted to identify them. The forms may be found on the website for the Office of Academic Affairs at http://www.uncp.edu/aa/forms/.