Administrative number: 3-15
Responsible office: Academic Affairs
Responsible officer: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Renewal/Non-Renewal/Tenure: Probationary Faculty/Non-Tenure Track Faculty and Evaluation of Fixed Term Faculty Regulation

Purpose:

This regulation establishes the administrative procedures to be used in the consideration of probationary/non-tenure track faculty for renewal/nonrenewal/tenure and to evaluate the performance of fixed-term faculty at Winona State University (WSU). Reference is to Articles 21, 22, 24, and 25 of the Agreement between the Minnesota State Colleges and University (MnSCU) Board of Trustees and the Inter-Faculty Organization (IFO).

Regulation:

A. Criteria

Evaluations for renewal/non-renewal/tenure/non-tenure track/fixed-term faculty shall be based on the principles of demonstrated consistent performance and high achievement. The criteria are set forth in Article 22, Section B of the IFO collective bargaining agreement.

B. Procedures

1. To initiate the annual review of a faculty member, the dean shall solicit all supporting documentation that the faculty member chooses to submit for consideration, including a report describing progress made in respect to the achievement of the faculty member’s objectives as specified in his/her professional development plan. The faculty member sends these materials to the department chairperson.

2. A probationary faculty member who believes he/she is eligible for consideration for tenure informs the dean in writing so that appropriate action will be taken. The President or his/her designee asks the appropriate department for recommendations on the tenure of the faculty member concerned.

3. After the documentation for evaluation of faculty has been made available to the department, each eligible department unit member completes the Individual Personnel Recommendation form. The recommendation shall be based on the faculty member’s report of progress made with respect to his/her plans for professional development. Unsigned recommendations, abstentions, and recommendations unsupported by comments on each of the criteria are not counted. In addition, unsigned recommendations will be discarded.

4. The department chairperson will collect the individual personnel recommendations and allow the applicant to review them and sign the Departmental/Administrative Personnel Recommendations form, as evidence of having seen the individual recommendation forms.

5. The Individual Personnel Recommendation form and the other documentation submitted by the faculty member will be forwarded to the appropriate dean so that decisions can be made according to the deadlines listed in the Academic Deadline Calendar.

6. In the event that the department has no chairperson or that the faculty member being evaluated is the department chairperson, a temporary chairperson shall be elected by the department members only for the purpose of this recommendation process.

7. The recommendation by the Dean, along with all supporting materials, will then be forwarded to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs (P/VPAA) who, in turn, will submit their recommendation and all supporting materials to the President.

8. Should a recommendation for non-renewal of a probationary faculty member be made by the department, the dean, or the P/VPAA, the President shall invite the faculty member to meet with him/her to discuss the recommendation before their decision is made. The faculty member may be accompanied by an IFO representative.

9. Faculty members who are employed in a vice presidential area other than Academic Affairs will follow a similar procedure.

C. Disposition Of Renewal/Non-Renewal/Tenure Materials

1. The following with be placed in the faculty members personnel file:

  1. Departmental/Administrative Personnel Tenure Recommendation

  2. Individual Personnel Tenure Recommendation

  3. Faculty member’s report of progress with respect to his/her plans for professional development.

2. All supporting materials will be returned to the faculty member.

Related Documents

History:

Date of Revisions: 8/13/07

Adoption date: 04/17/1991
Implementation date: 08/13/2007