A. Objectives and Uses of Faculty Evaluations

Annual evaluations represent a Dean’s assessment of a faculty member’s performance during a calendar year in the context of three areas of effort outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Tenure/Promotion represents the assessment of a faculty member by a committee of tenured faculty members based on his/her long-term performance and potential for future performance at The University of Tampa in a number of areas as set forth in the Faculty Handbook (Approved March 1, 2013)

1. Objectives of Faculty Evaluations

   The objectives of faculty evaluations are: (1) to document the specific performance of each faculty member; (2) to foster communication between the evaluator and the faculty member being evaluated at the beginning of the evaluation process and throughout the period of evaluation; (3) to help the faculty member to appraise and improve his or her personal performance; (4) to assist the University to make decisions affecting the faculty member’s career within the University; (5) to document the faculty evaluation process to support accreditation purposes; and (6) to monitor and assess faculty contributions to the mission of the institution.

2. Uses of Faculty Evaluations

   Because faculty evaluations reflect a careful assessment of a faculty member’s performance and achievement, they are appropriate input for the following professional purposes. Institutional decisions in each of these areas must be consistent with the content of the annual faculty evaluations in order not to invite criticism of the University. Accordingly, faculty evaluations are used:

   1. To assist faculty members in evaluating their personal performance (to indicate strengths and weaknesses, to identify areas needing improvement, to make specific recommendations for performance improvement, and to document progress in areas previously identified as problematic).
   2. To help the institution’s administration to determine if faculty activities are consistent with the mission and objectives of the institution.
   3. To help the faculty member develop a professional plan for the coming evaluation period.
   4. To help determine renewal of annual contracts.
   5. To help determine merit for increases in remuneration.
   6. To help determine merit for promotion in rank.
   7. To help determine merit for the awarding of tenure
   8. To help determine justification for awarding of sabbaticals and leaves of absence.
   9. To help identify significant faculty achievement deserving of attention and recognition.
   10. To help determine the need for and to nurture faculty personal development (new technology, classroom approaches, scholarship, etc.)
   11. To allocate workload (e.g., number of student advisees, committee assignments and other service to the department, college and University, etc.)
   12. To help document and categorize faculty achievement and continuous improvement for accreditation purposes.
   13. To help determine justification for the termination of tenure.

       Faculty evaluations and the procedures described to accomplish such evaluations do not substitute for tenure and promotion processes already in-place within the University. Faculty evaluations should constitute additional (but necessary) inputs to the tenure and promotion processes. A thorough faculty evaluation is based on the self-evaluation materials provided by the faculty member. When a faculty member does not provide self-evaluation data, he/she waives the opportunity for that input into the on-going faculty evaluation process.