Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Purpose. All
tenure-track faculty members hold probationary appointments for one year,
subject to annual renewal. Except where indicated in this paragraph (A), the
total period of full-time tenure-track employment at the university prior to
continuous tenure will not exceed six years. Faculty members with probationary
appointments in the tenure track will be reviewed annually until the academic
year in which they are considered for tenure. Because the purpose of the
probationary period is to provide an opportunity for observation, time spent on
leave other than a scholarly leave of absence or time spent pursuant to the
university policy and procedures governing modification of the faculty
probationary period is not considered part of the probationary period. Summer
appointments are not counted within yearly appointments. Scholarly leaves of
absence for one year or less will count as part of the probationary period.
Reappointment reviews have as their primary purpose the preparation of
probationary faculty members for a successful tenure review, and annual reviews
will help to prepare them in the following ways:
(1) Probationary faculty members will be
given Information about university policies and unit and/or regional campus
goals, culture, and professional and collegial standards and expectations;. For
the purposes of reappointment, the term "unit" shall be defined as a
department, school, or college without departments or schools. The term
"faculty" shall be understood to mean those who hold regular full-time tenured
or tenure-track appointments. Given some variance in procedures followed for
faculty from colleges without departments or schools and/or regional campuses,
paragraphs of this rule have been included to delineate these specific
procedural differences.
(2)
Probationary faculty members will participate in regular, complete, and
specific formative evaluations during the probationary period to foster their
scholarship, teaching and service.
(3) Probationary faculty members will have an
opportunity to discuss their annual reviews; to respond to suggestions for
improvement in scholarship, teaching, and service; and to receive a timely,
fair evaluation of their responses.
(4) Probationary faculty members will have
the opportunity to establish a mentoring relationship as an aid in satisfying
unit and if applicable, regional campus requirements and conditions for
tenure;.
(5) Finally, probationary
faculty members will have the opportunity to establish a clear and consistent
record from which the university may confidently draw conclusions about their
future performance.
(B)
Initial procedure. Reappointment review is a deliberate and important process.
During the course of reappointment reviews, the academic administrators (e.g.,
department chair, school director, college dean, regional campus dean) will
communicate to both the probationary faculty member and to the evaluators a
clear understanding about the requirements and conditions of tenure.
Eventually, at the time of tenure review all parties should be sufficiently
informed of these requirements and conditions so that the process occurs in an
atmosphere of fairness and is based on well-documented employment practices. To
help make sure this takes place, the format of the electronic file (or
portfolio) to be submitted at the time of application for tenure and promotion
should be shared with the probationary faculty member early in the probationary
period. To prevent annual reappointment reviews from becoming an undue burden
on probationary faculty members and the colleagues who evaluate their files,
units shall develop reasonable guidelines for the construction of electronic
reappointment files and the presentation of documentation.
All reappointment reviews will be carried out on a paperless,
electronic system provided by the university for this purpose. Probationary
faculty members, reviewers and administrators must submit and review
reappointment documents on this system, and any official notification required
under this policy will appear in this system. The probationary faculty member
will be notified by email of anything that is added to or removed from the file
as soon as it is added or removed. At each level of reappointment review, the
probationary faculty member, faculty advisory bodies and administrators will be
able to view the complete file.
(C) Criteria. The criteria used in assessing
the quality of scholarship, teaching, and service in the review of faculty
seeking reappointment should conform to the unit's tenure guidelines in the
unit's handbook. Guidelines concerning the weighting of those criteria will be
applied consistently at all levels of review and will come from the
probationary faculty member's unit of appointment or, if applicable, campus of
appointment as follows: all reappointment evaluations of Kent campus
probationary faculty members shall follow the unit's guidelines concerning the
weighting of the unit's tenure criteria, and all reappointment evaluations of
regional campus probationary faculty members shall follow the campus'
guidelines concerning the weighting of the unit's tenure criteria.
(D) Affirmation principle. The principle to
affirm at reappointment review is, "Given the years of service to date and the
number of years until mandatory tenure review, it is reasonable to expect that
the probationary faculty member will eventually undergo a successful tenure
review." To help the probationary faculty member accomplish this and to aid the
reappointment committee in making such an affirmation, expectations about
scholarship, teaching, and service should be outlined in the letter of
appointment. Specific criteria should be detailed in the unit handbook, and, if
applicable, the campus handbook.
(E) Due process is integral to an effective
reappointment policy. The guiding premise in the following procedure is that
the essential phases in reappointment considerations occur at the unit level
and, if applicable, at the regional campus. Assessments and recommendations
beyond these levels should reflect due regard for the professional judgment and
recommendations made at the unit and regional campus levels. Review and
assessment by extra-unit and extra-regional campus faculty and the academic
administration are necessary to insure the integrity of the reappointment
process.
(F) Procedures for making
decision regarding reappointment: the unit level. All actions involving
reappointment shall be initiated at the academic unit level (department,
school, or college without departments or schools). Consideration of those
standing for reappointment shall be undertaken by the unit reappointment
committee chaired by the unit administrator as a non-voting member and composed
of all tenured members of the unit's faculty advisory committee and any
full-time faculty who are tenured
full professors of the
unit who may not be members of the advisory committee. No member of the
committee may be present when the committee deliberates or votes on the
reappointment of an individual in a rank higher than that of the individual
member of the reappointment committee, or on the reappointment of a spouse,
domestic partner or relative. A member of the committee
who intends to vote on a regional campus candidate at the regional campus level
of review may be present, but shall not vote on that candidate at the unit
level.
(1) In the first year of the
probationary period the unit administrator will notify the probationary faculty
member in the appointment letter that a reappointment review will occur shortly
after the end of the first semester. At that time the probationary faculty
member will submit only a two to three
page statement describing
the
probationary member's accomplishments and plans for the remainder of the
academic year. All parties participating in the review should be aware that a
full review is not required at this time, but that two things should be
accomplished during this first review.
(a) The
unit administrator and the unit's reappointment committee should review the
probationary faculty member to make certain that the terms of the initial
appointment have been satisfied.
(b) The unit administrator and the unit's
reappointment committee should apply those criteria in paragraph (C) of this
rule which are appropriate or are available (e.g., first semester peer
review(s) and student surveys of instruction) for the reappointment review.
Faculty members from departments or schools in the their first
probationary year will not be reviewed by the college advisory committees, but
will be reviewed only at the unit, and where appropriate, regional campus
level, with a recommendation by the unit administrator and, where appropriate,
campus dean to the college dean.
(2) For every following annual review, near
the end of the spring semester the unit administrator shall notify all
probationary tenure-track faculty members in the unit, Kent campus and regional
campus faculty members alike, that a reappointment review will begin early in
the fall semester of the next academic year.
(3) The unit administrator shall make
available copies of the guidelines, timetables and other information concerning
reappointment review to all probationary faculty members in the unit no later
than three weeks before the deadline for submission of materials, which is at
the end of the first week of the fall semester. At the same time, for regional
campus probationary faculty, the campus dean will make available to the
probationary faculty member and to the unit copies of those sections of the
campus handbook concerning the campus' method of weighting unit
criteria.
(4) Probationary faculty
members are responsible for developing, organizing and submitting the
documentation supporting their reappointment. However, the unit administrator,
as well as colleagues, should assist probationary faculty members in the
preparation of their files, especially in their early years of
service.
(5) The unit administrator
is responsible for including past reappointment letters and, for Kent campus
probationary faculty, the original letter of appointment in the file. For
regional campus probationary faculty, the campus dean is responsible for
including past reappointment letters and the original letter of appointment in
the file. The unit administrator will meet with the
probationary faculty member to review the file in order to insure that the file is complete, and the
probationary faculty member and the unit administrator will certify that the
file is complete. Thereafter, the probationary faculty member must be informed
of anything added to or removed from the file and provided with the opportunity
to include written comments concerning that new or removed material.
(6) Before convening the reappointment
committee, the unit administrator will inform all tenured faculty members that
the files are available for inspection, and will formally invite written
comments from all tenured faculty members who are not members of the
reappointment committee. The unit administrator will include those comments in
the file.
(7) Members of the
reappointment committee on leave of absence may vote or they may request from
the committee the right to abstain from voting. Except
where a member of the reappointment committee is ineligible to vote in
accordance with paragraph (F) of this rule or has been granted the right to
abstain from voting, all committee members shall submit a vote on each
candidate. If the reappointment committee will consist
of fewer than four voting members,
then a
special procedure for enlarging it shall be developed by the unit
administrator, with the advice of the faculty advisory committee and the
assistance of the college dean, if applicable, and the approval of the
provost.
(8) The unit administrator
will comment on the strengths and weaknesses of, and the extent to which the
probationary faculty member has responded to issues raised in previous
reappointment reviews, especially suggestions about improvement in scholarship,
teaching, and service. Finally, the unit administrator should provide his or
her judgment of how well the probationary faculty member is progressing toward
a successful tenure review.
(9)
Each candidate's file shall be subject to candid discussion by the committee.
During the meeting, each voting member shall indicate
the
member's non-binding vote of "yes," "yes with reservations," or "no"
concerning the reappointment of the probationary faculty member. After the
meeting, each voting member shall record his or her final vote by completing
the electronic evaluation form, with comments. The reappointment committee
members should consider their remarks carefully when they prepare them because
such peer evaluations are critical to the reappointment process.
(10) A simple majority of the reappointment
committee members who vote, excluding those who abstain under paragraph (F)(7)
of this rule, will constitute recommendation to the unit administrator for
reappointment. A vote of "yes with reservations" will count as a positive vote
to reappoint the probationary faculty member, but it shall carry an additional
message of concern.
(11) The unit
administrator shall review the recorded votes, and evaluation forms, along with
supporting statements, as well as other relevant documentation regarding the
faculty member's application for reappointment. The unit administrator shall
weigh and assess all relevant information and decide whether to recommend the
reappointment of the probationary faculty member. He or she will include in the
file a single, detailed assessment and recommendation, which clearly conveys
the strengths and weaknesses of the probationary faculty member's performance
in scholarship, teaching, and service. The assessment and recommendation should
follow the criteria as specified in paragraph (C) of this rule and also any
individual expectations for a given probationary faculty member. Specific
suggestions concerning performance necessary to achieve a positive tenure
decision should also be included in this assessment and
recommendation.
(12) As part of the
unit administrator's assessment and recommendations, the unit administrator
shall inform the candidate that the candidate has the right, within ten working days,
to add a statement to the candidate's file responding to any procedural
errors or errors of fact that the candidate believes have been included in
either the unit administrative officer's assessment and recommendation or in
the committee members' evaluations. The unit administrator shall also indicate
that, if the candidate wishes to appeal a negative recommendation, such intent
shall be expressed to the next higher education officer in writing within ten
working days of the submission of the unit administrator's assessment and
recommendation.
(13) In addition,
for regional campus and Kent campus faculty alike, the unit administrator shall
invite the probationary faculty member to meet in order to discuss the
assessment and recommendation. This meeting should take place as soon as
possible. In all cases that are not unanimously positive, the unit
administrator must meet with the probationary faculty member within five
working days from the date of the submission of the unit administrator's
assessment and recommendation.
(G) Procedures for making decisions regarding
reappointment: the regional campus level. Faculty members at the regional
campuses will have reappointment reviews occur at both the regional campus
level and unit level (as described in paragraph (F) of this rule). The
reappointment committee of a regional campus will be composed of tenured
members of the campus' faculty council and the full-time faculty of the campus who are tenured full
professors. No member of the committee may be present when the committee
deliberates or votes on the reappointment of an individual in a rank higher
than that of the individual reappointment committee member, or on the
reappointment of a spouse, domestic partner, or relative.
A member of the committee who intends to vote at the
unit level may be present, but shall not vote on that candidate at the regional
campus level. The faculty council chair conducts the deliberations and is
a voting member of the campus reappointment committee.
(1) In the first year of the probationary
period the campus dean will notify the probationary faculty member in the
appointment letter that a reappointment review will occur shortly after the end
of the first semester. At that time the probationary faculty member will submit
only a two to three page statement describing his or her accomplishments and
plans for the remainder of the academic year. All parties participating in the
review should be aware that a full review is not required at this time, but
that two things should be accomplished during this first review at the campus
level.
(a) The campus dean and the campus
reappointment committee should review the probationary faculty member to make
certain that the terms of the initial appointment have been
satisfied.
(b) The campus dean and
the campus reappointment committee should apply those criteria and weighting in
paragraph (C) of this rule which are appropriate or are available (e.g., first
semester peer review(s) and student surveys of instruction) for the
reappointment review. Regional campus faculty members from departments or
schools in their first probationary year will not be reviewed by the college
advisory committees, but will be reviewed only at the campus and unit levels
with a recommendation by the unit administrator and the campus dean to the
college dean.
(2) For
every following annual review, near the end of the spring semester,
probationary faculty members in the first year will not be reviewed by the
college advisory committees, but will be reviewed only at the campus and unit
levels with a recommendation by the campus dean and college/school dean/
semester the unit administrator will notify all probationary tenure-track
faculty members in the unit, Kent campus and regional campus faculty members
alike, that a reappointment review will begin early in the fall semester of the
next academic year.
(3) The unit
administrator shall make available copies of the guidelines, timetables and
other information concerning reappointment review to all probationary faculty
members no later than three weeks before the deadline for submission of
materials, which is at the end of the first week of the semester. At the same
time, for regional campus probationary faculty, the campus dean will make
available to the probationary faculty member and the unit copies of those
sections of the campus handbook concerning the campus' method of weighting unit
criteria.
(4) Probationary faculty
members at the regional campuses are responsible for developing, organizing and
submitting to the unit administrator the documentation supporting their
reappointment. However, it is expected that the campus dean, unit
administrator, and campus and unit colleagues will assist probationary faculty
members in the preparation of their files, especially in their early years of
service.
(5) The unit administrator
is responsible for including past reappointment letters from the unit
administrator, and the campus dean is responsible for including past
reappointment letters from the campus dean and the original letter of
appointment in the files. The unit administrator will review the file with the
probationary faculty member in order to insure that the file is complete, and
the unit administrator will certify that the file is complete. Thereafter, the
probationary faculty member must be informed of anything that is added to or
removed from the file and provided with the opportunity to include written
comments concerning that new or removed material.
(6) Before convening the reappointment
committee, the faculty council chair will inform all tenured faculty members
that the files are available for inspection, and will formally invite written
comments from all tenured faculty members who are not members of the
reappointment committee. The faculty council chair will include these comments
in the file.
(7) Members of the
campus reappointment committee on leave of absence may vote or they may request
from the committee the right to abstain from voting. Except where a member of the promotion committee is
ineligible to vote in accordance with paragraph (G) of this rule or has been
granted the right to abstain from voting, all committee members shall submit a
vote on each candidate. If the campus reappointment committee
will
consist of fewer than four voting members,
including the voting faculty council chair, then a special procedure for
enlarging it shall be developed by the regional campus dean with the advice of
the faculty council and the approval of the provost.
(8) The campus reappointment committee will
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each probationary faculty member. The
committee will evaluate the probationary faculty member's response to previous
reappointment letters, especially to suggestions about improvement in
scholarship, teaching and service, and judge how well the faculty member is
progressing toward successful tenure review.
(9) Each candidate's file shall be subject to
candid discussion by the committee. During the meeting, each voting member
shall indicate the member's non-binding vote of "yes," "yes with
reservations," or "no" concerning the reappointment of the probationary faculty
member. After the meeting, each voting member shall record
the
member's final vote by completing the electronic evaluation form, with
comments. The campus reappointment committee members should consider their
remarks carefully when they prepare them because such peer evaluations are
crucial to the reappointment process.
(10) A simple majority of the reappointment
committee who vote, excluding those who abstain under paragraph (G)(7) of this
rule, will constitute a recommendation to the campus dean for reappointment. A
vote of "yes with reservations" will count as a positive vote to reappoint the
probationary faculty member, but it shall carry an additional message of
concern
(11) The faculty council
will then summarize the committee's vote and evaluation forms in a single,
detailed assessment and recommendation to the regional campus dean which
addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the probationary faculty member's
performance in scholarship, teaching, and service. The assessment should follow
the unit and campus standards as specified in paragraph (C) of this rule, as
well as any individual expectations for a given probationary faculty member.
The assessment and recommendation shall be included in the file and shall
indicate that, if the candidate wishes to respond to a recommendation of not to
reappoint, such a response must be made to the campus dean and the unit
administrator within ten days of the submission of the faculty council chair's
assessment and recommendation to the campus dean.
(12) The regional campus dean shall review
the recorded votes and evaluation forms, along with supporting statements, as
well as other relevant documentation regarding the faculty member's application
for reappointment. The campus dean shall weigh and assess all relevant
information, and decide whether to recommend the reappointment of the
probationary faculty member. He or she will include in this file a single
detailed assessment and recommendation, which clearly conveys the strengths and
weaknesses of the probationary faculty member's performance in scholarship,
teaching, and service. The assessment and recommendation should follow the unit
and campus standards as specified in paragraph (C) of this rule and also any
individual expectations for a given probationary faculty member. Specific
suggestions concerning performance needed to achieve a positive tenure decision
should also be included in this assessment and recommendation.
(13) As part of the regional campus dean's
assessment and recommendation, the regional campus dean shall inform the
candidate that the candidate has the right, within ten working days,
to add a statement to the candidate's file responding to any procedural
errors or errors of fact that the candidate believes have been included in
either the regional campus dean's assessment and recommendation, the faculty
council chair's assessment and recommendation, or the committee members'
evaluations. The regional campus dean shall also indicate that if the candidate
wishes to appeal a negative decision, such intent shall be expressed to the
next higher academic officer in writing within ten working days of the
submission of the regional campus dean's assessment and
recommendation.
(14) In addition,
the regional campus dean should invite the probationary faculty member to meet
in order to discuss the assessment and recommendation. This meeting should take
place as soon as possible. In all cases that are not unanimously positive, the
campus dean must meet with the probationary faculty member within five working
days from the date of the submission of the campus dean's assessment and
recommendation to the college/school dean or provost, as applicable.
(H) Procedures for making
decisions regarding reappointment: colleges with departments or schools. The
dean shall conduct a review of the unit's and, if applicable, the regional
campus' assessments and recommendation for reappointment. Probationary faculty
members in the first year will not be reviewed by the college reappointment
committee. For every following annual review, the college dean shall convene
the college advisory committee, which shall function as the college
reappointment committee. Based on the probationary faculty member's progress
toward tenure as presented in the supporting materials and the unit/regional
campus level assessments and recommendations, this college reappointment
committee will recommend to the dean whether to reappoint or not to reappoint
the probationary faculty member.
(1) The
college dean shall be the chair and a nonvoting member of the college
reappointment committee. Tenured members of the elected
college advisory committee shall serve as the college reappointment
committee to review the assessment and recommendations from the
departments and schools and recommend to the dean in each case whether to
reappoint the probationary faculty member. No member of the college
reappointment committee may vote on candidates from the member's
own unit, and no a member of the committee shall be present, when the committee
deliberates or votes on the reappointment of a spouse, domestic partner, or
relative.
(2)
Members of the college reappointment committee on leave
of absence shall be notified of the candidacies and shall vote by absentee
ballots or they may request from the committee the right to abstain from
voting. Except where a member of the reappoinment committee is ineligible to
vote in accordance with paragraph (H)(1) of this rule or has been granted the
right to abstain from voting, all committee members shall submit a vote on each
candidate. If the college reappointment committee will consist of few than four
voting members, then a special procedure for enlarging it shall be developed by
the college dean, with the advice of the college advisory committee and the
approval of the provost.
(3) In the cases of
positive recommendation from the unit's reappointment committee and the unit
administrator, and positive recommendations from the regional campus
reappointment committee and the campus dean where applicable, the college
reappointment committee may approve all such recommendations without reviewing
each individually. Each voting member will say either "yes" or "no" and the
dean will record the vote.
(4) In the case of
(a) A negative reappointment recommendation
by the unit's reappointment committee or the unit administrator, or the campus'
reappointment committee or campus dean where applicable, or
(b) Any individual case not acted on pursuant
to paragraph (H)(2) of this rule, the probationary faculty member's file will
be the subject of candid discussion by the committee. During the meeting, each
voting member will indicate the member's non-binding vote of "yes," yes with
reservations," or "no" concerning the reappointment of the probationary faculty
member. After the meeting, each voting member will record
the
member's final vote by completing the electronic evaluation form, with
comments. The college reappointment committee members should consider their
remarks carefully when they prepare them because such peer evaluations are
crucial to the reappointment process. Except where a
member of the tenure committee is ineligible to vote in accordance with
paragraph (H)(1) of this rule, all committee members shall submit a vote and
comments on each candidate.
(5) Approval by a
simple majority of the members of the college reappointment committee who
vote (excluding those who
abstain for reasons under paragraph (H)(1) of this rule) shall constitute a
recommendation for reappointment to the college dean. A vote of "yes with
reservations" will count as a positive vote to reappoint the probationary
faculty member, but it shall carry an additional message of concern.
(6)
The dean shall prepare the recommendation of the college reappointment
committee. In the case of a block vote, the dean will report whether the
college reappointment committee supports the unit or regional campus
recommendation. In the case of votes on individual cases, the dean will submit
the actual vote of the college reappointment committee. The dean will include
in the file the actual recommendation from the college
reappointment committee along with the dean's recommendation whether to
reappoint or not to reappoint the probationary faculty member.
(7) As
part of the college dean's recommendation, the dean shall inform the candidate
that the
candidate has the right, within ten working days to add a statement to
the
candidate's file responding to any procedural errors or errors of fact
that the candidate believes have been included in either the college dean's
recommendation or the committee members' statements. In addition, the college
dean shall also indicate that if the candidate wishes to appeal a negative
recommendation, such intent shall be expressed to the next higher academic
officer in writing within ten working days of receipt of the college dean's
recommendation.
(I)
Procedures for making decisions regarding reappointment: The provost level. The
provost shall review the reappointment recommendations at the college/ school
and unit/regional campus levels. Unless reversed by the provost, the
recommendation of the previous level academic administrator will stand. The
unanimous recommendations of the college/school dean and
the
college/ school dean's reappointment committee and the unit administrator
and the
unit administrator's reappointment committee, or where applicable the
campus dean and his or her reappointment committee, will stand unless the
provost can provide compelling reasons for reversing them. Probationary faculty
members receiving a negative recommendation at the provost level must be
notified in accordance with guidelines established in the collective bargaining
agreement.
(J) New material may be
added as requested by a review committee or the responsible academic
administrator at any level of review or appeal in order to correct or more
fully document information contained in the reappointment file. In such
instances, the probationary faculty member will be notified of, and given the
opportunity to review, such new material as is added to the file and also
provided the opportunity to include written comments relevant to this material
and/or the appropriateness of its inclusion in the file.
In no case will a probationary faculty member be
required to create new material or required to procure material not currently
in the possession of the candidate.
(K) Any faculty member who has not been
recommended for reappointment at any level will have the right to appeal to the
next highest academic administrative officer. In the case of denial by the
provost, the appeal shall be to the president, or when appropriate to the joint
appeals board. All appeals must be initiated by the probationary faculty member
in writing within ten working days after the submission of a negative
recommendation by an administrative officer or as specified otherwise in the
collective bargaining agreement. Appeals should be heard in a timely manner
(e.g., thirty calendar days). At each level of appeal at which a faculty
advisory body is designated to hear an appeal and make a recommendation to the
next highest academic administrative officer, the appellant will be offered the
opportunity to appear in person to present his/her case orally before the
appropriate reappointment committee. At the college level, appeals are heard by
the college advisory committee. The appellant may be accompanied by a colleague
who may assist in presenting the appellant's case. Furthermore, if an individual
other than the appellant (including any academic administrator) is invited to
address the committee, the appellant shall have an opportunity to respond to
any new information. The committee shall determine whether the information is
new and whether to invite an oral or written response. The academic
administrator in question will consider the vote of this body seriously before
making the recommendation and will inform both the appellant
and the academic administrator at the next highest level of the results of this
vote.
(L) Academic administrators
and members of reappointment committees are expected to act in accordance with
the principles of due process and abide by the university policy regarding
faculty code of professional ethics. All official documents in the
reappointment process are subject to the Ohio Public Records Act as included in
the Ohio Revised Code.
(M)
Normally,
decisions regarding reappointment for all faculty members who are
appointed to a tenure-track position will be governed by
the university
policies and procedures regarding faculty appointment, tenure, and
promotion and the unit handbook in place at the time of the initial
appointment. In the event that university policies and
procedures regarding faculty appointment, tenure, and promotion and/or the unit
handbook are revised during the faculty member's probationary period,
the faculty
member will have the option of being governed by
the
current policies and the current unit handbook or by the
policies and the unit handbook in place at the time of the faculty
member's initial appointment. The faculty member will include an election of
this option in the faculty member's file.
