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Department Head

Overview

Your post-tenure review responsibilities are:

  • oversee the PTR process at the department level
  • assist faculty preparing to undergo PTR
  • form and charge a department PTR committee according to your department rule
  • review all post-tenure review cases in your department
  • evaluate faculty performance relative to the SFR, departmental and college standards
  • consult with departmental PTR committee prior to completing comprehensive five-year PTR assessments
  • prepare written assessments
  • prepare, and meet with faculty on, Performance Development Plans (PDPs)

Background Information

As an academic department head, you should be familiar with the Post-Tenure Review of Faculty regulation.  The regulation resides in the university’s Policies, Regulations and Rules (PRR) system. It can also be accessed from the Provost’s Office web site under Annual and Post Tenure Review.  

You are responsible for ensuring the completeness, accuracy, understandability, and enforcement of your department PTR rule. You should also locate and be familiar with the standards and procedures documented in your college PTR rule.   

You are responsible for ensuring that all faculty in your department have a Statement of Faculty Responsibilities.

Preparation

You should know which faculty in your department are to undergo post-tenure review in a given year. Inform faculty who will undergo PTR in a given year well ahead of your departmental submission date for materials so they have ample time to gather all required materials.

Assist faculty who request a one-year extension (in compelling circumstances) or exception from PTR (in the case of intent to retire, resign, or enter Phased Retirement) in bringing that case forward to the dean for evaluation. Ensure that any documentation from the dean granting an extension or exception is shared with the faculty member and placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.

Monitor peer evaluations of teaching closely to ensure that all faculty will have at least one peer evaluation within the five-year period for PTR. If a faculty member does not have the required peer evaluation, work to schedule one as quickly as possible. 

Assist your faculty members going through the PTR process. Make sure they receive adequate information and training on the process. Answer any questions they have about assembling the required materials. 

Make sure your department PTR rule names any materials that you and the department PTR committee expect to receive and review in addition to those required in the university regulation. Do not allow other materials not named in the university regulation or in your department/college PTR rules to be distributed or considered in the PTR process.

Make sure you know your college’s submission deadline so you can schedule your departmental procedures and timelines accordingly.

Materials and Process (5-Year Comprehensive)

For five-year comprehensive post-tenure reviews, for each faculty member’s case that you review, you will receive the required materials for post-tenure review, as well as the assessment of the departmental PTR committee.  

In every case, you are to consult with the departmental PTR committee prior to completing your evaluation. 

If a faculty member submits an optional response within five (5) business days after receiving the department PTR committee and your assessments, then you will ensure that response moves on with the other materials for the dean’s review.

If your overall assessment is in disagreement with that of the departmental PTR committee, then the dean will by default be in disagreement with one of your overall assessments. Such cases must go to your college PTR committee. In these cases, the dean will consult with you before completing the PTR assessment.

If your overall assessment is in agreement with both the departmental PTR committee and the dean, then that post-tenure review is considered done. In these cases, the dean may or may not elect to consult with you before completing the PTR assessment.

You are responsible for working with faculty who receive a comprehensive five-year post-tenure review overall outcome of does not meet expectations to create a Performance Development Plan (PDP). You can find tips for crafting a clear, agreeable PDP with your department head here.  

Materials and Process (PDP)

You will meet at least twice annually with a faculty member on a performance development plan (PDP). Your role in those meetings is to assess progress towards meeting the PDP. Your meeting summaries are not included in the materials reviewed each year.  

Work with the faculty member to define the kinds of evidence necessary to show the faculty member’s progress towards or meeting the PDP requirements.  This will guide which materials the faculty member should provide for the annual post-tenure review(s) during the PDP.

When evaluating a faculty member annually against a PDP, the following scenarios are possible (✘ = does not meet expectations; ✔ = meets expectations). In the scenarios where the outcome is TBD by the dean, the dean will consult with you and the department PTR committee.

Table on Annual Evaluation of Faculty on Professional Development Plans - see link to Google version below image.

View Google Docs version of table.

Assessments

For five-year comprehensive post-tenure reviews, your written assessment must address whether the faculty member meets or does not meet expectations in each realm of responsibility in the faculty member’s SFR.  Your written assessment must also make an overall assessment of whether the faculty member’s performance meets or does not meet expectations. 

If the departmental PTR committee recommends that a faculty member exceeds expectations, then you will also address in your assessment whether or not you agree.  

Here is an optional template letter you can use to write your assessments. These templates meet all requirements of the regulation.

When evaluating a faculty member on a Performance Development Plan, your written assessment must address whether the faculty member is making expected progress towards meeting the plan requirements and whether the faculty member has met the plan requirements. If the faculty member has made progress but has not yet met all requirements of the plan, then the assessment rendered should be does not meet expectations of the plan.

Work with your departmental liaison to upload your assessments in the online tool. 

Required Training

All evaluators in the post-tenure review process are required to complete training about post-tenure review in the UNC system and NC State processes in particular. You should complete this training prior to commencing your role in the process. To complete the training in REPORTER, search and register for Course ID PRV-OFA-PTReview.

More Help  

In addition to the items mentioned above, Frequently Asked Questions are designed to help answer your questions. Utilize your department’s administrative support personnel for questions not addressed on the website.

The Provost’s Office holds general informational sessions to provide information about the process. Consider attending one of these sessions prior to going through the process. Your college and/or department may offer similar sessions.