East Carolina University Faculty Manual

APPENDIX B.

POLICY FOR THE CUMULATIVE REVIEW OF PERMANENTLY TENURED FACULTY OF EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

I. Preamble

On May 16, 1997, the Board of Governors mandated the review of performance of tenured faculty in the University of North Carolina system. This review, defined as the comprehensive, formal, periodic evaluation of cumulative faculty performance, has the purposes of ensuring faculty development and promoting faculty vitality. The June 24, 1997, Administrative Memorandum #371 from the General Administration of the UNC System required each constituent institution to create a policy that examines individual faculty contributions to departmental, school/college, and university goals as well as to the academic programs in which faculty teach. Guidelines mandate that the process shall recognize and reward exemplary faculty performance; provide for a clear plan and timetable for improvement of performance of faculty found deficient; and, for those whose performance remains deficient, provide for the possible imposition of appropriate sanctions or further action, including discharge. Further guidelines direct individual institutions to show the relationship between annual review and cumulative review, examine faculty performance relative to the mission of the unit and the university, include a review no less frequently than every five years, explicitly involve peers in the review process, assure written feedback as well as a mechanism for faculty response to the evaluation, and require individual development plans for all faculty receiving less than satisfactory ratings in the cumulative review.

East Carolina University’s Policy for the Cumulative Review of Permanently Tenured Faculty meets the guidelines of the University of North Carolina General Administration and is consistent with East Carolina University’s Faculty Manual and the Code of the University. This policy does not create a process for the reevaluation or revalidation of tenured status. The basic standard for appraisal and evaluation is whether the faculty member under review discharges conscientiously and with professional competence the duties associated with his or her position. Furthermore, the policy is created with the widespread presumption of competence on the part of each tenured faculty member. The cumulative review for a faculty member must reflect the nature of the individual’s field or work and must conform to fair and reasonable expectations as recognized by faculty peers in each department and discipline. The review must be conducted in a manner free of arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory elements and must follow these agreed-upon procedures.