Post-Tenure Review Policy
The UNC System made revisions to the policy, regulation and guideline on post-tenure review effective March 26, 2024. Access the system policy at the links below:
400.3.3 – Performance Review of Tenured Faculty (Post-Tenure Review)
400.3.3.1[R] – Regulation on Performance Review of Tenured Faculty (Post-Tenure Review)
400.3.3.1[G] – Guidelines on Performance Review of Tenured Faculty
Policy
Purpose
This policy outlines the process and procedures for evaluating all aspects of the academic performance of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC-Chapel Hill” or “University”) tenured faculty. The purpose of the Post-Tenure Review (“PTR”) is to:
1. Assist faculty members in meeting university performance expectations;
2. Recognize and reward exemplary performance when faculty members exceed expectations;
3. Provide for a clear plan and timetable for improvement of performance when faculty do not meet expectations; and
4. Provide for the imposition of appropriate sanctions when faculty members do not meet the goals established in a faculty success plan.
This policy complies with UNC Policy 400.3.3 and its implementing regulation 400.3.3.1[R].
Scope
This Policy applies to all UNC Chapel Hill tenured faculty members whose primary responsibilities are teaching, research/creative activity, and service.
Occurrence of PTR
1. Each tenured faculty member is subject to a post-tenure review no less often than every five years following the conferral of permanent tenure.
2. If a faculty member is reassigned to other duties (e.g., department chair or academic unit head) for .50 FTE or more or is occupying a leave-earning position (e.g., SAAO Tier I or Tier II), that faculty member shall not be required to undergo post-tenure review until having completed a five-year cycle following the reassignment.
3. Extension – A faculty member may request to delay a scheduled post-tenure review for compelling reasons. The request for postponement must be in writing and approved by the Provost.
Departmental Guidelines
1. Each appointing unit has developed written policies and procedures that describe the expectations the unit has of its tenured faculty, the manner in which the post-tenure review process is conducted, and the procedures by which persons will be designated to conduct reviews.
2. Effective upon the award of tenure, and coincident with the start of each post-tenure review cycle, faculty should develop, in consultation with their department chairs, long-term work plans that are aligned with annual performance evaluations and consistent with the expectations of the department/school. These long-term work plans will cover the five years of the post-tenure cycle.
3. The long-term work plan can be modified annually by the faculty member in consultation with their department chair. Plan modifications must be approved by the unit head. The unit head shall notify a faculty member at least six months in advance of an upcoming post-tenure review.
4. The long-term work plan shall correspond with the annual work plan and evaluation required by the University Policy on Faculty Workload. While annual evaluations may inform the process, they are not a substitute for a periodic, comprehensive post-tenure review. The finalized long-term work plan must be approved by the college/school dean or designee. Comprehensive evaluations conducted for other purposes, such as a review for promotion, may be substituted for or combined with post-tenure review.
5. Each college/school shall develop written policies and procedures that address how faculty success plans resulting from an annual evaluation will be considered in the PTR process.
6. Each unit shall design a written self-assessment tool for faculty members to offer their personal perspective to the post-tenure review committee.
Post-Tenure Review Policies
In the remainder of this document those designated to conduct the initial review will be referred to as the Post-Tenure Review Committee. The following criteria is required when conducting a PTR.
1. The review process must involve faculty peers and should be conducted by a minimum of three Post Tenure Review Committee members.
2. The faculty member being reviewed shall not participate in the selection of members of the Post-Tenure Review Committee.
3. The post-tenure review process should be flexible enough to acknowledge different expectations in different disciplines and changing expectations at different stages of faculty careers.
Training for Institutional Reviewers
UNC Chapel Hill shall provide ongoing support and training for all post-tenure review evaluators, including peer review committee members, department chairs or academic unit heads, and deans. The UNC System Office will provide digital training modules that focus on basic state personnel policies and regulations; preparing for and conducting a thorough review; and the essentials of managing a meaningful review process.
UNC Chapel Hill shall ensure that all post-tenure review evaluators review these modules and receive training in campus-specific policies and procedures. In submitting the requisite annual post-tenure review reports, the Provost will also certify that required training has been conducted.
Faculty “Reviewee” Expectations
Each faculty member being reviewed should provide to the Post Tenure Review Committee the following items:
1. A concise summary of accomplishments and plans.
2. Additional evidence of performance, which may include annual evaluations, a current curriculum vitae, copies of publications, evaluations of teaching, and other documentation of contributions and accomplishments.
3. A written self-assessment encompassing the faculty member’s career objectives and future aspirations.
Post-Tenure Review Committee
1. The review should involve an examination of qualitative and quantitative evidence of all relevant aspects of a faculty member’s professional performance over at least the previous five years in relation to the mission of the department, school and institution.
2. If a faculty member’s responsibilities do not include teaching, research and public service, but instead focus primarily on one or two of these areas, the review shall take this allocation of responsibilities into account.
3. The post-tenure review assessment shall include, in writing, at least three categories which clearly specify that the faculty member’s performance exceeds expectations, meets expectations or does not meet expectations.
4. The Post-Tenure Review Committee shall include a brief written rationale for each assessment in each relevant category (teaching, research/creative activity, service), in accordance with the faculty member’s long-term work plan and responsibility of duties.
5. The peer review committee shall include an overall ranking of exceeds expectations, meets expectations, or does not meet expectations.
6. The post-tenure review process should identify and recognize performance that exceeds expectations to include a statement from the Post-Tenure Review Committee of the faculty member’s primary responsibilities and specific descriptions of how the individual exceeded assigned duties and goals.
7. The process should also identify faculty members who do not meet expectations and include a statement from the Post-Tenure Review Committee of the faculty member’s primary responsibilities and specific areas in which faculty members can improve and, in such cases, the process should result in specific recommendations and plans for improvement.
Department Chair/Unit Head
The department chair/unit head shall review the post-tenure review committee’s report, including any written response provided by the faculty member. The unit head shall provide a separate written review of the faculty member that clearly states points of concurrence or points of variation from the post-tenure review committee.
Any recommendation for a faculty success plan or for recognition of performance that exceeds expectations shall include a specific rationale for the recommendation.
When the unit head is being reviewed, the administrative officer at the next higher level assumes the function of the unit head in the review process and the report of the Post-Tenure Review Committee and any response shall be reviewed by the administrative officer to whom that individual reports.
Faculty Response to Review
The Post-Tenure Review Committee will consult with the academic unit head and provide to the faculty member and the unit head a written summary of its conclusions with regard to the faculty member’s overall performance and, where appropriate, its recommendations. Prior to the reviews of the post-tenure review committee and department chair/unit head proceeding to the dean, the faculty member shall have no less than fourteen (14) calendar days from receiving the documents to provide a written response. If the faculty member disagrees with the review, the response shall offer evidence in support of a different assessment. The response shall become part of the permanent record of the post-tenure review moving forward.
Approval Process
The faculty member’s materials including the department chair/unit head’s review, the post-tenure review committee report, and any written response from the faculty member shall be provided to the dean/administrative officer to whom the unit head reports. The dean/administrative officer shall also conduct a written evaluative review of the information received.
1. A faculty member whose PTR results in an overall rating of exceeds expectations shall have completed the post-tenure review process and will be recognized by the institution for their performance.
2. A faculty member whose PTR results in an overall rating of meets expectations shall have completed the post-tenure review process.
3. A faculty member whose PTR results in an overall rating of does not meets expectations shall be subject to a faculty success plan.
Faculty Success Plans Standards
1. Faculty success plans shall be formative, developed in cooperation with the faculty member, and include specific steps for improvement.
2. Faculty success plans shall be completed within one year from date of issuance. Plan timelines may be longer than one year, at the discretion of the unit head.
3. Peer mentoring is encouraged as part of the faculty success plan.
4. Progress meetings shall occur on a regular basis between the faculty member and department chair/unit head during the duration of the faculty success plan.
*The Faculty Success Plan Template for PTR can be accessed here: https://facultyaffairs.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1353/2024/12/Post-Tenure-Review_Faculty-Success-Plan-TEMPLATE.pdf
Workload Allocation
In consultation with the dean/administrative head, the chair/unit head may redefine faculty workloads and distribution of teaching, research/creative activity, and service when a faculty member’s PTR results in an overall rating of does not meet expectations. In such cases where revisions are made:
1. The department chair/unit head and dean shall ensure any changes to these duties are not punitive responses to the faculty member and instead address ways to support the department, school/college, and institution to better leverage the faculty member’s expertise and abilities and improve their performance.
2. The faculty success plan shall detail the changes in duties and responsibilities. The faculty member’s annual work plan shall also change accordingly to ensure the faculty member is evaluated appropriately, based on the relevant allocation of workload.
A faculty member who fails to satisfactorily complete their faculty success plan and whose performance continues to be deficient, may be subject to the imposition of a disciplinary sanction or dismissal in accordance with the Trustees Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure.
Dispute Resolution
Faculty who wish to contest determinations regarding their post-tenure review may seek resolution through the Faculty Grievance Committee.
Records and Reporting on Post-Tenure Reviews
The unit head shall maintain a record of the Post-Tenure Review Committee’s report, the faculty member’s response as well as the reviews of the unit head and the administrative officer. This material shall be maintained as part of the faculty member’s confidential personnel file within the unit.
Copies of each unit’s post-tenure review procedures, as revised from time to time, will be filed with the dean or Provost, as appropriate. Unit heads will maintain a list of the faculty members reviewed each year, a record of completed reviews and responses to the reviews, the names of all faculty members for whom a faculty success plan was recommended, and a copy of the faculty success plan.
Deans will submit annual reports to the Office of the Provost giving the following information:
- Number of faculty members reviewed during the previous year,
- Number of faculty members for whom a faculty success plan was recommended and established, and
- Number of faculty who are subject to review, but for whom a delay was approved by the Provost along with the compelling reasons for the delay.
Consistent with the UNC System Regulation 400.3.31[R], the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost will document UNC Chapel Hill’s adherence in an annual report on post-tenure review to the UNC System Office.
Procedure for Requesting a Post-Tenure Review Delay
Requests to delay an upcoming post tenure review should be submitted to the faculty member’s department chair/unit head in advance to ensure timely departmental processing of the request. · Requests must be submitted using the Review Deferral Request Form and specify the compelling reason(s) for the request to delay the review.
- Requests must include a written justification from the department chair/unit head, and be approved by the next level administrative officer (or their designee).
- Request forms should be submitted to the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@unc.edu for review and approval. Once the request is reviewed, a notification will be sent from the Office of Faculty Affairs to the faculty member, the department chair/unit head and the next level administrative officer indicating whether the request has been approved.
- If the request is approved, the faculty member’s academic unit must then complete an electronic action in the existing system, with the approved form attached, to finalize the change to the Post Tenure Review date.