9.203 - Faculty Five-Year Review

UHCC Policy Chapter 9, Personnel
UHCC Policy 9.203, Faculty Five-Year Review
Effective Date: May 2015
Prior Dates Amended: April 2018 (recodified)
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges
Governing Board of Regents Policy: Board of Regents Policy, RP 9.213, Evaluation of Board of Regents Appointees
Review Date: February 2021

I. Purpose:

The University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges (UHCC) are committed to effective teaching and successful learning. Given that commitment, and in accordance with Board of Regents policy, all community college facultyare evaluated at least every five years. These evaluations are based on the faculty classification plan which documents faculty expectations at each rank.

Evaluation can be a positive force when used to encourage community college faculty members to continue their professional growth and thereby improve the delivery of their professional services. To this end, institutional resources must be committed to incentive programs which support faculty development in the areas of teaching and service. Resources should also be made available to encourage appropriate forms of community college-based research.

Evaluation of faculty must not undermine the concepts of academic freedom and tenure, which are essential to the University. There is a presumption of competence on the part of each tenured faculty member. Thus,the evaluation process must operate independently of an individual faculty member’s tenured status.

The review undertaken within the evaluation process must reflect the nature of the individual’s field of expertise and must conform to fair and reasonable expectations as recognized by faculty peers in each Division or Discipline. The review will not be conducted in an arbitrary or capricious manner and will be in accordance with agreed-upon procedures.

The purpose of the self-assessment and review of faculty is to improve the overall instruction of and/or service to students and the service to the community by the faculty; and to increase awareness among students and in the community of the resources available to them within the community college faculty.

II. Definitions:

The goals of the evaluation system are to:
1. Improve overall instruction and student and academic support;
2. Evaluate faculty members’ performance of their primary responsibilities;
3. Evaluate the faculty members’ performance in meeting the needs of the department, division, unit and/or institution; and
4. Evaluate faculty members’ contributions to the directions of the department, division, unit and/or institution.
All community college faculty members should strivef or excellence in the performance of their primary responsibilities. Where appropriate, faculty members design measurable or observable learning outcomes and assess and provide evidence of student learning. Above all, faculty members work to improve student achievement and success.
However, critical assessment and evaluation of excellence will be conducted with due consideration for individual assignments and institutional needs.
It is recognized that in certain situations, a faculty member’s responsibilities may encompass a combination of instruction, academic support, and economic development and customized training. In such instances, documentation of performance over the previous five years should include a combination of performance and accomplishment in the four areas.

III. Executive Policy:

Eligibility
1. Faculty members shall be evaluated based on the criteria outlined in the UHCC Faculty Classification Plan at least once every five years through one of the following mechanisms:
  1. Contract renewal: The procedures for evaluation as part of contract renewal follow established procedures as defined in the contract renewal guidelines.
  2. Tenure and/or promotion: The procedures for evaluation as part of tenure/promotion follow established procedures as defined in the tenure and promotion guidelines. Unsuccessful promotions are not considered an evaluation for purposes of this policy, however the unsuccessful promotion document may be submitted for the five-year review.
  3. Faculty members who have not otherwise submitted evaluation documents in the preceding five years are subject to the five-year review policy.
  4. Faculty who retire during the academic year he/she is eligible for a five-year review will be exempt from the five-year review process. The faculty must complete Attachment 1 indicating the date he/she intends to retire. If the faculty does not retire on the date as indicated, he/she must submit documents for a five-year evaluation within 30 days of the intended retirement date.
Responsibilities and Procedures
1. The Chancellor or designee shall:
  1. Establish campus procedures and evaluation schedules for the five-year review process.
  2. Consult with faculty members who may believe that their evaluations were unwarranted or inappropriate.
2. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs or equivalent shall:
  1. Notify faculty members of their scheduled five-year evaluations with a copy to their respective Division Chairs or equivalent by September 1 during the academic year of the scheduled evaluations.
  2. Submit by February 28 of each year a completion report to the Chancellor on the year’s review, noting that the schedule was met, reporting any deviations, and reporting planned follow-up actions as applicable.
3. Faculty members who have been notified that they are scheduled for a five-year review shall submit a review document to their Division Chairs (or equivalent) by December 1.
4. The Division Chair* or equivalent shall:
  1. Review the five-year review documents submitted by eligible faculty.
  2. Meet with the faculty member to share his/her recommendations prior to submitting his/her report to the Vice Chancellor or Academic Affairs or equivalent.
    1. If the evaluation reveals meritorious performance, the Division Chair (or equivalent) informs the faculty member of the availability of programs designed to recognize meritorious performance, e.g., annual merit awards, excellence in teaching award, internship, fellowship, etc.
    2. If the evaluation reveals a need for improvement, the faculty member and Division Chair (or equivalent) shall jointly develop a professional improvement plan; follow-up reviews on the progress being made may
      be scheduled for any year prior to the next five-year evaluation cycle, if appropriate. The plan may call for a variety of activities that require special resources, e.g., leaves of various types, attendance at special
      workshops or institutes, assistance in the preparation of grant applications, availability of computer hardware or software or training in the use of the same, or special assistance in new approaches to teaching. A successful plan will require both initiative on the part of the faculty member and the assurance that every effort is made to provide the necessary support out of available University resources.
  3. Submit by February 15, a completion report to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs or equivalent on the year's five-year evaluations, noting that the schedule was met, reporting any deviations, and reporting
    planned follow-up actions as applicable.
    1. *If the Division Chair is undergoing a Five-Year Review or if the Division Chair is at a lower rank than the faculty member being evaluated, the Division Personnel
      Committee will fill the role otherwise specified for the Division Chair in these procedures (with the Chair of the Committee acting for a majority of the Committee).
Appeals
1. If the faculty member believes that the results of the evaluation or the professional improvement plan are unwarranted or inappropriate, he/she may appeal to the Chancellor or his/her designee. The Chancellor will convene a Campus Faculty Review Committee which will consist of three members and appointed as follows: Chancellor shall appoint one member (who also shall Chair the Committee); faculty member shall appoint one member; and President of the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly shall appoint one member. The Committee will review the documents, meet with the faculty member and appropriate a
  dministrators, if necessary, and make a recommendation to the Chancellor. If the Chancellor’s decision is contrary to the Committee’s recommendation, the Chancellor will meet with the Committee prior to rendering a final decision.
2. Any allegation that such an action violates or denies a right granted under a collective bargaining agreement shall be considered in accordance with the grievance procedures contained in said agreement.

IV. Delegation of Authority:

V. Contact Information:

Subject Matter Experts

Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges, telephone number 956-7038 or email at ovpcc@hawaii.edu

VI. References:

VII. Exhibits and Appendices:

A. Attachment 1—UHCC Memo for Faculty who retire during the academic year and exempt from the five-year review PDF icon

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