Chaired Faculty

Preamble

While it is expected that all members of the faculty will demonstrate a standard of excellence in the performance of their various tasks at the College, the prestige and perquisites traditionally associated with endowed chairs make a performance of distinction especially incumbent upon chaired faculty. Traditionally, holders of endowed chairs represent the best that higher education has to offer both to the academic community and the society at large. Chaired faculty should thus aspire to serve as models of excellence not only for students and colleagues, but also for the many others associated with and affected by higher education.

Chair Description

Before the recruitment process begins, a document containing a clear description of the nature and purpose of the chair and the chair occupant's work responsibilities will be developed jointly by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and affected department(s) in consultation with the Faculty Personnel Committee and the Academic Policy Committee.

Recruitment of New Faculty

The recruitment of new faculty as endowed chair holders will proceed according to the guidelines for all faculty positions with the following additional requirements:

1. Two holders of endowed chairs, appointed by the President in consultation with the department and the Faculty Personnel Committee, will be added to the search committee from outside the department in which the appointment will be made.
2. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will be an ex-officio member of the search committee.
3. All finalists for an endowed chair position will be provided with a College-approved description of the responsibilities of the endowed chair holder and informed that endowed chair holders are subject to periodic reviews. The Faculty Personnel Committee will ascertain that chair candidates have been informed that continuation as a chair holder is separate from tenure as a member of the faculty.

Recruitment of Current Faculty

The following guidelines will be used in those cases in which only internal recruitment is pursued.

1. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, after consultation with the Personnel Council, will communicate to all eligible faculty the availability and nature of the endowed chair appointment, including the College-approved description of the responsibilities of the endowed chair holder, that endowed chair holders are subject to periodic reviews, and that continuation as a chair holder is separate from tenure as a member of the faculty.
2. Applications will be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for review by the Personnel Council.
3. Internal appointments to Board of Regents Eminent Scholars Chairs that do not involve a national search require Board of Regents approval.

Application Materials

Applicants will submit the following materials to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for review by the search committee and Personnel Council.

1. A current curriculum vitae.
2. Representative samples of recent publications, scholarship, and creative works.
3. A statement of professional plans consistent with the purpose and nature of the endowed chair.
4. Three letters of recommendation assessing the candidate's qualifications for the position. These letters should include an evaluation of the candidate's teaching and scholarship.
5. Copies of recent student evaluations.

After review of the materials, the Personnel Committee will interview the most qualified applicants and in the case of internal recruitment the heads of their departments. After the conclusion of the interview process, the Personnel Council will forward its recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost who will convey it to the President.

 

REVIEWS

Purpose
The Faculty Personnel Committee will conduct periodic reviews of the professional activities of endowed chair holders. These reviews are to assess how well chair holders are: 1) performing in accordance with the purpose of the chair, the college (Section 2 of the Faculty Handbook), the duties of faculty (Section 7) and expectations for chair holders (in the preamble of this section); and 2) using their research funds for the performance of their responsibilities. These reviews will be conducted concurrently with the tenure review for non-tenured chair holders and with the regularly scheduled post-tenure evaluations for tenured chair holders as described in Section 12.

The additional requirements of a chair holder being reviewed are as follows:

Procedures
Chair holders will submit a statement describing how endowed chair funds have been spent since the last review, and another describing any concerns related specifically to the chair, such as duties, expectations, and institutional support. If the chair holder chooses, s/he may solicit letters from tenured colleagues at large.

Schedule
These evaluations will be conducted during the spring term of the sixth year of full-time service since the last evaluation. For tenured chair holders, the evaluations will be conducted concurrently with their post-tenure evaluations. The performance of non-tenured chair holders will be reviewed concurrently with their consideration for tenure. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will notify tenured chair holders due to be evaluated by April 1 of the academic year preceding their evaluation. Department chairs (or deans) should submit their evaluation letters concerning the tenured faculty members by February 1.

Committee Action
The Faculty Personnel Committee will evaluate the chair holder based on the annual reports, the curriculum vitae, teaching evaluations, the chairperson’s letter, the classroom visits by a selected member of the FPC, and any other letters solicited by the chair holder. The Committee will determine if the candidate’s performance of the past six years is either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”. The Committee will recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost that all chair holders whose overall performance is evaluated as “satisfactory” receive a uniform merit pay raise. Based on the Committee’s recommendations, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will send a letter to the chair holder summarizing the Committee’s evaluation of the faculty member and making suggestions for further development.

If the Committee finds a chair holder's performance “unsatisfactory,” it will recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost reappointment for a three-year extension, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will bring the Committee’s concerns to the attention of the chair holder in a letter. The chair holder will be required to submit to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost by the start of the next academic year a plan of action addressing the Committee’s concerns, which the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will forward to the FPC. By October 1, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will send a letter back to the chair holder communicating the FPC's response to the submitted plan of action. The subsequent three-year review will use the same procedures and kinds of materials as the previous review, as well as an account written by the chair holder on the degree to which s/he was able to execute the action plan. After reviewing the materials, the Faculty Personnel Committee will recommend either reappointment for another six-year period or non-reappointment of the incumbent.

Reporting Procedures for Reviews

The Faculty Personnel Committee's recommendation at the conclusion of a three-year review following an unsatisfactory review will be communicated to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, who will then convey it to the President. The incumbent and the FPC will then be notified in writing of the President's decision on the appointment. In the case of a decision not to reappoint, the incumbent will vacate the chair on May 31 of the current academic year.

Procedural Rules

If endowed chair holders are serving on the Faculty Personnel Committee in the academic year in which they would normally be reviewed, the reviews will be rescheduled for the year immediately after the completion of their service on the Committee. When a review is delayed due to service on the Faculty Personnel Committee, those having successful reviews will receive the standard merit raise retroactive to the year the review would have otherwise occurred.