Dates & Procedures in the Notification of Review of Probationary Faculty

In accordance with AAUP standards (http://www.AAUP.org), probationary faculty must be notified regarding the status of their reappointment on or before the following dates:

Year 1 consultation:	March 1
Year 2 reappointment decision:	December 15
Year 3 & subsequent consultation or reappointment decisions:	June 30*

*Because of planning, an earlier UW-Whitewater target date of the first Friday in February has been established.

UWS Faculty Personnel Rules [UWS 3.06 (1) (b)] require recommendations to be based on evaluation of teaching, research, and professional and public service and contribution to the institution. Evaluation of teaching must include both student evaluations and peer judgment. Regents Policy 74-13 states:

In assessing teaching effectiveness, the Regents believe that student evaluations are an important and useful source of evidence which should be explicitly considered in reaching judgments. The Regents assert, however, that student evaluation must not be a substitute for direct peer judgment of teaching effectiveness through a variety of means such as observation of teaching, assessment of syllabi, examinations, and other course materials, and evaluation of contributions to development and strengthening of departmental curriculum.

Student assessments of instruction are to be conducted in time for use in the review.

Procedures which must be followed are delineated in the Rules Governing Faculty Appointments Under UWS 3, Wisconsin Administrative Code, III, C through III, G, as amended and approved by the Board of Regents on April 2, 2004.

Please note the following procedures:

Annual List of Performance Data :
The faculty member is responsible for submitting the Annual List of Performance Data, in accordance with the deadlines specified in III, C, 3, b of the Personnel Rules. Once approved by the Department (III, C, 4, a), this document forms the basis of subsequent consultations and reviews and becomes a part of the faculty member’s portfolio [Purple Book]. The portfolio [Purple Book] is a cumulative record of the faculty member’s performance at UW-Whitewater [III, C, 3, a].

Notification Procedures
Written notice of the Performance Consultation or Performance Review and decision must be delivered to the probationary faculty member at least 20 days prior to the review [U H, Section VI-F, III (2) (d)]. The notice should be hand delivered. For the Performance Review & Decision--though not for the Performance Consultation--the Dean, Provost, and Chancellor must review the materials and render a decision prior to the notification deadline. The department is thus urged to conduct the reviews as early in the academic year as possible.

At the time of notification, the Chair should explain the review process, explain provisions of the Open Meeting Law (UH, Section VI-K), answer questions, and refer the faculty member to appropriate individuals if necessary.

After the review date has been confirmed with the faculty member, the Chair posts the notice (See Publication of Open Meeting Notices, UH, Section VI-K).

Reporting Procedures

Procedures differ for Performance Consultations and for Performance Reviews.

Following a Performance Consultation, a summary of the Consultation is written, and the probationary faculty member and Committee members sign the document, stating that they have reviewed its contents. The summary is placed in the faculty member’s Purple Book [III, C, 4 c (2)- III, C, 4, c (4)].

Following a Department Performance Review & Decision, two documents are written: the Report of Decision and Record of Review. The Chair is responsible for preparing and checking the Record of Review [III, C, 4, f, (1)] and the Report of Decision (if applicable) [III, C, 4, f, (2), (a)] for accuracy and completeness.

Following the performance review with Decision, the Department submits the Report of Decision, which includes the standards-based reasons supporting the decision, and the Notice of Review [III, C, 4, f] to the dean. The Chair may also provide her/his own statement to be forwarded with the Report of Decision. If such a statement is included, a copy must be given to the faculty member. The Record of Review is not shared with the probationary faculty member, but a copy is retained in the Department office [III, C, 4, f, (1), (b)].

If the decision is favorable, the Department will deliver a copy of the Report of Decision, containing the decision and standards-based reasons supporting the decision, to the faculty member within 14 calendar days of the review. The department will also forward the portfolio to the Dean for review within 14 calendar days of the review. The department will inform the faculty member of his/her rights to rebut any part of the report (III, D), including subsequent reviews, as required by the review schedule (Appendix C).

If the department has recommended reappointment but the Chancellor has decided against reappointment, the Dean shall, when directed by the Provost, deliver a copy of the Report of Reappointment Recommendation to the faculty member with a notice of non-reappointment drafted by the Provost and other documents as prescribed in the UWW Faculty Personnel Rules [III, C, 8, c, (2)].

Notice of non-reappointment must be delivered to the faculty member within 20 days of the review.

If the department decision is for non-reappointment, within 14 calendar days the department chair shall deliver a copy of the Record of Department Decision to the faculty member, containing a statement of the decision and the standards-based reasons supporting the decision. The chair shall inform the faculty member of the right to request reconsideration, which must be filed within 10 calendar days of the receipt of the notice from the department chair. Following the reconsideration, the faculty member may file an appeal. The written request for an appeal must be filed with the Chair of the Faculty Senate within 20 calendar days of the notice that the reconsideration decision affirmed the negative or nonrenewal decision of the department (UWS 3.98, (1)). [For additional information, see III, 4, (2), (c) and III, E (Appeals)].

Note: If a department makes a decision for non-reappointment, the department Chair is advised to immediately consult with the Dean to ascertain that there are no procedural errors. In any event, the Chair shall follow the procedures and timeline given in III, C, 4, f, (2), (c).

Note: The personnel rules neither require nor prohibit the inclusion of a statement from the Chair in reappointment decisions. Chairs who wish to include a statement may do so.