Senators,
At this past Tuesday's Senate meeting there were a number of questions posed to the Provost regarding post-tenure review. Since Dr. Heilman was not able to attend the meeting, I provide those questions to him on Wednesday morning for his responses. The questions posed from the Senators and Dr. Heilman's responses are provided below. Please feel free to share this information with your constituents. If you have additional questions, you can send them directly to the Provost or I will be happy to transmit them on your behalf.
David Cicci, Chair
AU Faculty and Senate
Faculty Questions on Post-Tenure Review Policy - 5/1/07
1. Where is the empirical data that shows PTR to be effective? If data exists, please provide it to the faculty.
Answer: While there is not an abundance of empirical data available describing PTR results at other institutions, there is a series of three books, published by the American Association of Higher Education, dealing with the subject in significant detail. These books are:
Post-Tenure Faculty Review and Renewal, Experienced Voices, edited by C. M. Licata and J. C. Morreale, Post-Tenure Faculty Review and Renewal II, Reporting Results & Shaping Policy, edited by C. M. Licita and B. E. Brown, and Post-Tenure Faculty Review and Renewal III, Outcomes and Impact, edited by C. M. Licata and J. C. Morreale. Copies of these books have been provided to both Senate and AAUP leadership, and can be made available to the faculty. A summary of PTR described in these books indicates that PTR is now widespread throughout the country but that PTR results in relatively few faculty dismissals. General results indicate that faculty who are performing at a sub-standard level either participate in a faculty development program and improve, or retire.
Two other online articles dealing with PTR results and analysis can be found at the following websites:
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2002/10/2002101701c.htm
http://www.apsanet.org/content_9873.cfm
2. Is PTR being implemented to simply satisfy the desires of the BoT for a method to have faculty heads?
Answer: The Provost indicated that this is not the case. PTR is being implemented for the purposes of ensuring continued productivity and recognizing outstanding faculty.
3. Can the results of the PTR follow-up survey with the participants be shared with the faculty?
Answer: Yes. A summary of the follow-up survey of the PTR participants will be provided to the faculty.
4. PTR has the greatest possible consequences (dismissal) to the faculty with a substantially smaller process that promotion and tenure. How can this process be justified?
Answer: Dismissal is not a consequence of the process that was recently field-tested. That process is a basic one which needs to be improved and strengthened. Weekly discussions with Senate leadership will occur throughout the summer to address possible improvements which can be made to the PTR policy before full implementation next fall. These improvements will include ways to make the review process more substantial so that it will include several levels of review.
5. The administration should look at the faculty review system at the University of California, which is an effective system but is not PTR.
Answer: The system in use at the University of California can be reviewed, but that process is a triggered system, not a universal system, and one which has been adopted in a unionized, professional environment.
6. There was far too little faculty input on this policy. What ever happened to shared governance?
Answer: The Provost doesn’t agree that there was too little faculty input. Much input was received from the Senate leadership as well as from the faculty at a General Faculty meeting held in October 2006. As development of the policy continues, dialog between the administration, Senate leadership, and the faculty will also continue.
7. Shouldn’t the faculty be allowed to evaluate the trustees in the same manner as students evaluate the faculty?
Answer: There are several layers of administration between the faculty and Board of Trustees and few faculty members have any direct interaction with individual trustees, which is much different from the relationships between the students and faculty.
8. How will the candidates for PTR be selected in future years?
Answer: The exact process has not yet been determined. However, the Senate leadership will work directly with Bill Sauser to develop the process and PTR implementation will be a subject of weekly meetings between the Provost and the Senate Executive Committee.