Cal Poly Pomona: Faculty Affairs

Appendix 15

APPENDIX 15A
THE ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Academic Department Chairs are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Dean of the college and the Provost after consultation with the faculty. If possible, the Chair should be a tenured professor. The selection will take place according to the following procedures.

For the purposes of this appendix, the term “faculty” will refer to the tenured faculty*, probationary faculty, and full-time lecturers with at least one year of full-time service in the department. These are the faculty members eligible to participate in the selection of the Chair.

The academic Department Chairs shall be appointed by the President to a term of four years. There shall be no limit on the number of terms that any faculty member may serve as the Department Chair

A participant in the Faculty Early Retirement Program is deemed a tenured faculty employee only during the period of active employment.

I. Determination of the Selection Process
A.	For existing departments – No later than 11 months to the completion of the term of service as the permanent Department Chair or as soon as it is clear that the position will become vacant due to any other reason, the Dean shall convene a department meeting to announce the vacancy of the Department Chair position and to discuss the process and criteria for Chair selection, including the question of whether an outside search is possible. At this meeting, the Dean will articulate the Chair’s responsibilities, expectations, benefits, delegation, resources such as administrative fraction and potential for Associate Chair(s), etc., and discuss these with the faculty. If an outside search is possible, the faculty will consider the options and inform the Dean of its choice. If the decision is to search outside, the procedures outlined in Appendix 38 must be followed. Current members of the department may be candidates for Chair, and must be treated as all other candidates.
B.	For new departments - A screening committee will be established by the Dean in consultation with the Department Chairs of the college. The committee will consist of two Department Chairs and three tenured faculty members, with departmental representation spread as broadly as possible. The Dean of the college will be an ex-officio, non-voting member of this committee and will meet with the two Chairs and three tenured faculty members in the screening process. The screening committee members will select their own committee chair.
II. Process for an internal search
A.	The faculty will determine the criteria and procedures, such as written statements or oral presentations to the department faculty by the candidates, for the selection of department chair and will then elect a nomination committee whose task shall be to identify candidates for the chair position and to implement the procedures for the selection of the department chair. The nomination committee shall consist of at least three members (and preferably an odd number) representative of the department. The faculty may choose to operate as a committee of the whole. If the faculty operates as a committee of the whole, candidates may participate in the work of the nomination committee. If a committee is elected, candidates should not seek election. The meeting of the faculty and the selection of the nomination committee shall be completed within one calendar month following the notification of the vacancy. The nomination committee members will select their own committee chair. The committee will report at least once to the department and once to the dean on its progress before submitting its list of nominees. As part of the chair selection, the nomination committee may request that candidates submit written statements and/or oral presentations to the department faculty. ________________________________ * A participant in the Faculty Early Retirement Program is deemed a tenured faculty employee only during the period of active employment.
B.	The candidate(s) will be interviewed by the Dean as part of the selection process.
C.	After the candidate(s) have been interviewed and before the department makes its recommendation, the department faculty will meet with the Dean to discuss the candidate(s). Candidate(s) should not be present at this meeting.
D.	Following the meeting with the Dean, the department faculty will meet to decide on its recommendation. The recommendation will indicate the candidates (one or more) supported by the faculty for the position of Chair. The Dean will meet with the faculty to discuss the department recommendation. If the faculty and Dean agree on a Chair candidate, the faculty will submit its recommendation to the Dean who will forward it to the President via the Provost. Ordinarily, the Dean and the faculty should find it possible to reach agreement. If consensus is not achieved, the faculty and Dean will meet with the Provost to present their individual recommendations. The Provost will determine how to proceed.
E.	If the selection process fails to result in the selection of a Chair, the Dean and Provost will recommend to the President the name of an Acting Chair for one year or until such time as the new Chair is appointed.
III. Service
	The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA article 20) provides that the appointment of a Department Chair is made by the President and the appointment may be terminated at any time.
IV. Resignation Procedure
	The Department Chair may resign at any time. The resignation should be directed to the President with copies to the Provost, Dean, and department faculty.
V. Review Procedure
A.	By means of the procedure specified in Appendix 15B, the Dean of the college and the faculty of the department will appraise the Department Chair's effectiveness.
B.	At any time during the term of the Department Chair, twenty-five percent or a minimum of two, whichever is greater, of the faculty of that department may petition the Academic Senate Executive Committee to appoint a referee who will chair a meeting of the faculty of that department to review the performance of the Department Chair.
	1. At some time during this meeting, and as one of his/her duties, the referee shall conduct a secret ballot of the eligible faculty of that department to answer the question: How many faculty members desire to forward to the President a recommendation for the immediate removal of the Department Chair? 2. The results of the election and a summary report of the events of the meeting prepared by the referee shall be sent to the President with copies to the Provost, the Dean, the department faculty (including the Chair) and to the Academic Senate Executive Committee.
VI. Tenure and Promotion
	Tenure and promotion considerations shall adhere to the RTP principles and procedures of sections 301.10 and 306.2 and Appendix 16.
VII. Interpretation
	In case of differences of opinion concerning the interpretation of this document, the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate shall recommend an interpretation to the Provost. Such recommendations shall relate to policy of a general nature and not to individual cases. In each case, the question and the interpretation and the Provost's response shall be written, distributed to all concerned, and kept on file in the Academic Senate and Academic Affairs offices.

APPENDIX 15B
PROCEDURES FOR REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

I. Review procedures

University policy calls for the regular evaluation of Department Chairs to ensure effective administration of Cal Poly’s academic program. This formal review shall occur during winter and spring quarters of the third year of each term of an academic Department Chair.

The department faculty or an elected department committee, in consultation with the Dean and Department Chair, will develop procedures, criteria, and necessary instruments such as survey questionnaires and/or feedback forms for evaluating the Chair’s performance. While the procedures and criteria are defined by tenured faculty, probationary faculty, and full-time lecturers, the process must provide the opportunity for input from all faculty members (including both full-time and part-time lecturers), staff, administrators, and students. A college may elect to use a standard procedure for the review of all its Chairs; however, each department must have the opportunity to supplement the standard procedure. The Dean will report the results of the review of performance to the Provost, who will forward his/her recommendation to the President. A summary of the Dean’s report will be provided to the department faculty.

II. Initiation of review

In January, the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs shall send each Dean a list of Department Chairs who are scheduled for reviews. In February, the Associate Vice President shall send a memo directly to the Department Chairs with copies to the faculty, informing them that they are scheduled for a review. The review process occurs primarily in spring quarter, and the Deans' reviews are submitted to the Associate Vice President by May 30.

III. Content of the review

The evaluation of Department Chairs includes, but is not limited to, 4 major categories of responsibility:

Personnel responsibilities (including the Chair's role as an advisor to faculty, staff, and students, judgment in personnel decisions, and effective management of human resources).
Curriculum and scheduling (including leadership in developing strong curricula for disciplines in the department, fair assignment of faculty teaching responsibilities, long-range academic planning, and effective scheduling of class hours, rooms, and faculty).
Department administration (including planning and management of department budgets, supervision of departmental support staff, technicians, and student assistants, efficient use of equipment and supplies, and fostering acquisition of non-state funds and equipment).
Collegiality and cooperation (including leadership in cooperation with other departments, the Colleges/Schools, the University, and alumni to further the academic and scholarly goals of the institution).

Reviews by the Deans and department faculties should emphasize strengths as well as areas for future improvement by the Department Chairs. Every effort should be made to ensure an objective evaluation.

IV. Procedures for the review process

Although the departments and colleges can tailor the review process for their special needs, the general format below must be followed.

Development of procedure, criteria, and instruments by the department faculty or an elected committee.
The procedure must provide for input from faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Student input can be solicited in the form of signed letters to a designated faculty member, or in the form of an anonymous survey administered to an appropriate sample.
Written self-assessment of the Chair, including “state of the department report” summarizing important activities and achievements.
The faculty or committee provides the input received to the Dean along with a report that summarizes and analyzes the input received. The department may use the form in Appendix 15c as a guide. The Chair receives these materials when the Dean does. The Chair may respond to the department with a copy to the Dean.
The Dean writes a report based on the Chair’s self-assessment, the report of the faculty committee (with any response provided by the Chair), and the Dean’s observations on the Chair’s performance. The report may be done using the form provided here.
The Dean and Chair meet to review the report and self-assessment.
A summary of the Dean’s report is made available for review by department faculty and staff. The department report, the Dean’s report, and the summary are provided to the Provost.
The Chair and members of the department may express disagreement with the report by writing to the Provost.
The Provost provides the report and any disagreement expressed to the President.

V. Results of the review

Department Chairs receive acknowledgement letters from the President that recognize their achievements and outline any areas in which change may be desirable.

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
DEPARTMENT CHAIR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Chair _____________________________________	Dean _____________________________________
Department ________________________________	College ___________________________________
Administrative Fraction _______________________	Review Period _____________________________

This review considers the department chair's performance in four major areas of responsibility. The dean should include an evaluation of the chair's effectiveness during the time since the last evaluation. Areas of successful accomplishment and innovation should be mentioned, as well as any suggestions for more effective direction of the department.

1. Personnel management (This evaluation should include comments about the chair's role as an advisor to faculty, staff, and students, judgment in personnel decisions, and effective management of human resources.)

2. Curriculum and scheduling (This consideration should include leadership in developing strong curricula for disciplines in the department, fair assignment of faculty teaching responsibilities, and effective scheduling of class hours, rooms, and faculty.)

3. Department administration (This evaluation should include planning and management of department: budgets, supervision of department support staff, technicians, and student assistants, efficient use of equipment and supplies, and fostering acquisition of non-state funds and equipment.)

4. Collegiality and cooperation (These considerations include leadership in cooperation within the department and with other departments, the Colleges/Schools, the University, and alumni to further the academic and scholarly goals of the institution.)

DEPARTMENT CHAIR'S RESPONSE:

I have read this evaluation.

Signature: ______________________________ Date: _____________

Comments:

Dean's Signature: ______________________________ Date: _____________