Standard Number 3.7.2: The institution regularly evaluates the effectiveness of each faculty member in accord with published criteria, regardless of contractual or tenured status.

Full Compliance

Georgia Southern University engages in evaluation procedures that are consistent with established Board of Regents' policies (see Board of Regents Policy Manual , § 803.07 ). The University publishes its faculty evaluation policy in the Faculty Handbook (see § 205). University policy requires that each faculty member—tenured and non-tenured—be evaluated at least once per academic year in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service with professional growth and development considered among these three. Faculty evaluations serve three primary functions: to aid the faculty member in improving and developing his or her performance as a member of the academic community; to ensure the faculty member's understanding of the relationship between his or her performance and the expectations of the institution; and to assist the institution in its review of the faculty member for continued employment, promotion, tenure, and merit salary increases.

Furthermore, the Faculty Handbook (see § 205.06) outlines the procedures for conducting faculty evaluations and provides a schedule for completion of evaluations (see Faculty Handbook , § 205.05).

Following the University's published procedures, each department/school develops a protocol for evaluating the performance of faculty members—as this level holds primary responsibility for conducting evaluations. These procedures are described to the faculty by the department/school head and provided in a written set of departmental procedures as specified by the Board of Regents. At the end of the calendar year, each faculty member prepares materials documenting his or her activities in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. These annual reports and supporting materials are then evaluated against the department/school standards. The department/school head provides feedback to individual faculty members through a constructive, candid, and future-oriented discussion. A narrative summary of the evaluation, including recommendations, is written by the department/school head and shared with the faculty member. Faculty members may append written comments to this summary. Copies of these materials are maintained in department/school files, shared with the respective dean for his or her approval, and given to the faculty member. These evaluations aid in determining merit salary increases (recommendations are communicated to the Provost's Office in April) and the reappointment of probationary faculty.

Additionally, faculty evaluations inform the promotion and tenure review processes. The criteria and processes for promotion and tenure review are contained in the Board of Regents Policy Manual (§ 803.08 & § 803.09), the Board of Regents Academic Affairs Handbook ( § 4), and the Georgia Southern University 2004-2005 Faculty Handbook (§ 208 & § 209) and are administered by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Applications are considered and recommendations are made at the department/school, college, and Provost levels, culminating in an institutional recommendation to the Board of Regents at the President's level. These recommendations are communicated to the Board of Regents in February of each year (via a memorandum and CD-ROM containing all of the reviews for the recommended candidates along with their curriculum vitae ) for consideration at the April Board meeting. Hard copies as well as electronic copies of these reviews are maintained in the Provost's Office.

Faculty evaluations inform in the pre-tenure and post-tenure reviews of faculty as well. Again, pre- and post-tenure review policies are published in the Faculty Handbook (§ 211 & § 212 respectively) consistent with the guidelines established in the Board of Regents Policy Manual (§ 803.07). In the case of pre-tenure review, the University conducts a comprehensive review of achievements and performance in the third year of the probationary period as a basis for recommending renewal or nonrenewal of the contract beyond the following year. In this review, tenure-track faculty members are provided additional assessments of their progress toward promotion and tenure and recommendations, if needed, for improving their work. This process is completed at the department/school and college levels by mid-March and signed copies of the report are forwarded to the Provost and placed in the faculty member's file at the department/school level. The Provost's Office maintains these copies of the pre-tenure review reports on file.

³⁹2004-2005 Georgia Southern University Faculty Handbook , § 205.03 (p. 29)

⁴⁰Board of Regents Policy Manual , § 803.07

⁴¹2004-2005 Georgia Southern University Faculty Handbook , § 206 (p. 31)

⁴²Supporting materials will include Student Ratings of Instruction. As required by Board of Regents Policy Manual (§ 803.07) and described in the Faculty Handbook (§ 205.07), a written system of student ratings of instruction is utilized in the annual evaluation of each faculty member. The Student Ratings of Instruction instrument contains 23 common items that can be supplemented with specific items from units. Faculty members are rated in every course each term, and results are used to provide information to faculty for their use in the improvement of teaching as well as for evaluation purposes.

⁴³2004-2005 Georgia Southern University Faculty Handbook , § 212 (p. 34)