(Senate: 8/10/71, 11/15/77, 11/5/85, 10/17/89, 6/4/92, 3/11/03; President: 8/17/71, 11/21/77, 12/19/85, 11/10/89, 7/11/92, 5/7/03 ; Editorial Amendment:  9/99, 9/00, 8/01)

Recruitment should be based on explicit long-term (three- to five-year) plans developed on the basis of careful forecasting of curriculum developments for each department/division/school, projected changes in class size limits related to changes in content and methods of instruction in each class, changing needs for each offering, projected student/faculty ratios, projected FTES, and the Statement of Diversity and Inclusivity.

 

Departments/divisions/schools shall be required to recruit faculty from a wide variety of institutions in order to provide significant breadth of background and experience in each department/division/school. No more than 25 percent of a department's/division's/school's probationary and tenured faculty should have their highest academic degrees from any single institution. Before making a new appointment at variance with this limit, the dean of the college must be satisfied that serious and persistent factors beyond the department's/division's/school's control make the exception necessary. Such factors would include, but not be limited to the consideration of the Statement of Diversity and Inclusivity.

 

Each college* shall strive to maintain a ratio of full-time to part-time faculty sufficient to ensure that activities requiring full-time faculty are adequately staffed. Specific limits on part-time faculty should be recommended by each department/division/school and approved by the corresponding college, with due consideration given to the requirements of appropriate accrediting agencies.

 

Before recruitment for any position takes place, explicit and reasonable criteria for evaluating applicants shall be established in writing by departments/divisions/schools and shall be made available in the individual departments/divisions/schools and colleges. Departments/divisions/schools may require additional professional training, vocational experience or education above and beyond the terminal degree. Departments/divisions/schools shall distinguish between required and desired criteria, and shall consider such factors as instructional ability, training, professional potential or achievement, research ability and quality of recommendations. All applicants for a position shall be judged by the same criteria.

 

The department/division/school shall develop the appropriate vacancy announcement which shall be approved by the college dean or appropriate administrator after consultation with the Office for Equity and Diversity. The vacancy announcement must include the name of the specific terminal degree that is required for tenure and promotion if the possession of that degree is not a requirement for appointment. (For information about equivalency statements, see the section of the Faculty Handbook entitled "Eligibility Criteria for Tenure and Promotion"). Vacancy announcements for tenure track positions shall be disseminated locally, regionally, and nationally.

____________

*Wherever applicable, the term "college" includes the Library.

Appointment

(Senate: 1/4/72, 1/12/81, 2/26/85, 2/4/92, 7/16/03; President: 1/13/72, 1/26/81, 3/22/85, 3/11/92, 4/6/04; Editorial Amendment: 9/00, 8/01)

Vacancy announcements shall be developed by the department/division/school with the approval of the appropriate administrator and shall be widely disseminated.

 

Written information concerning personnel policies and procedures is given to each faculty member prior to the time of appointment.

 

Probationary appointments are normally made at the assistant professor or equivalent librarian rank in accordance with provisions of the Agreement:

 

Recommendations regarding probationary appointments shall originate at the department/division/school. Probationary appointment procedures shall include the following:

 

a.  Each department/division/school unit shall elect an appointments committee of tenured employees for the purpose of reviewing and recommending individuals for probationary appointments.

b.  Each department/division/school appointments committee recommendation report shall be approved by a simple majority of the committee casting a vote. An abstention shall count as a negative vote.

c.  The department/division/school appointments committee will forward its recommendation of one or more candidates to the college dean.  If the recommendation is not accepted by the dean, the appointments committee will be so informed and given the reasons for such action.  The appointments committee then will either continue to review potential candidates and make further recommendations or abort the search.

 

The President may appoint a faculty member at a higher rank on the determination of merit consistent with the foregoing provisions.

 

The appointment of new probationary faculty members is based upon procedures paralleling and anticipating those explained below in connection with retention, tenure, and promotion. Except for special cases, such as a faculty member employed specifically for one year only (normally as a replacement for a faculty member on leave), each newly appointed probationary faculty member is assumed to be a candidate for retention, tenure, and promotion in due course. Hence professional qualifications and performance are scrutinized according to criteria uniform for all faculty members.

 

Recommendations for probationary appointment to the faculty and for reappointment of non-probationary faculty originate with the department/division chair or school director after consultation with an elected peer review committee composed of tenured faculty members in that department/division/school.

 

No probationary appointments will be made without a personal interview by a qualified representative of the University. A personal interview is considered desirable as a condition of any faculty appointment and colleges are expected to adhere to this guideline except where special conditions (e.g., summer quarter staffing problems) interfere. Budgetary restrictions on out-of-state travel and interview money will not be considered a "special condition" in this sense.

 

After considering the recommendation of the department/division/school and the appropriate administrator, appointments of faculty members shall be made by the President. No faculty member shall be deemed appointed in the absence of an official written notification from the President which shall include: beginning and ending dates of the appointment, classification/rank, number of units, status, assigned department/division/school and other employment conditions.

 

Temporary appointments may be for one or more quarters or years. Their official notifications shall indicate an automatic expiration at the end of the stated period. Such appointments do not establish consideration for subsequent appointments or any further appointment rights. A temporary faculty member may be advanced to probationary status only with the approval of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as the appropriate dean and college committee (i.e. Faculty Affairs Committee or RTP Committee).

 

The chief factors weighed in evaluating qualifications for appointment are instructional ability and success, training, professional achievement, research ability, and quality of recommendations. If satisfactory faculty members cannot be recruited under these guidelines, instructional positions will remain unfilled .

 

Faculty members may apply for an appointment at another campus in their  field of expertise; however, no faculty member shall be involuntarily appointed at another campus within the CSU.

 

No individual may be appointed to an academic position who previously had been dismissed for cause, either from a position in The California State University pursuant to the Education Code, section 89535, or from any other institution of higher education. Any proposal to appoint such individuals shall be submitted to the Office of the Chancellor, Division of Faculty and Staff Relations, together with supporting documentation. The matter will be reviewed and the campus involved will be advised of the determination in each case. (Chancellor's Executive Order 158, September 25, 1982)

Personnel Information and Personnel Reports

Once appointed, each faculty member is invited annually to record accomplishments and contributions to the University in a letter or on  a personnel information form provided by the college, with a copy submitted to the department/division chair or school director. The letter or statement is invited each year, whether the concern is with retention, tenure, promotion, a combination of these, or simply the recording of the faculty member's accomplishments and contributions to the University as a matter of general interest and value to the University and the faculty member. It is assumed that chairs, committees, and the University in general are most interested in each faculty member's significant accomplishments in the three general categories described below. The items included in the statement and the emphasis in each instance are at the faculty member's own discretion.

 

Failure to respond to this invitation shall not in itself be deemed prejudicial. However, the faculty member should be alert to the possibility that factual material may be difficult to acquire if not provided by the  individual. When submitted, the letter or statement is placed in the faculty member's personnel file, and is used in making retention, tenure, and promotion recommendations.

 

It is the duty of the department/division chair or school director to counsel faculty members concerning the factors that add strength or affect status. It is the right of every faculty member to request such counsel at any time. The first counseling of new faculty members shall be undertaken at the department/division chair's or school director's initiative, and must include but not be limited to verification that the faculty member has received a copy of the current Faculty Handbook and understands its purpose; verbal orientation to the department/division/school, college, and University as deemed appropriate; and answers to questions raised by the new faculty member. Thereafter, counseling of the faculty member shall be at the faculty member's option and initiative, except that reports prepared annually for purposes of retention, tenure, and promotion must be shown to the respective faculty members undergoing such evaluation. The department/division chair or school director shall initiate the meetings at which these evaluations are discussed. If the chair is dissatisfied with or has reason to question the performance of the faculty member, the faculty member must be notified promptly. It is the duty of the committee designated to survey the faculty member's accomplishments to summarize annually, in the form of a report to the dean, the committee's judgment of the faculty member's accomplishments and abilities, ending with a specific recommendation for or against retention or tenure. A similar report must be written in the years when the faculty member is eligible for consideration for promotion. The department/division chair or school director shall be presumed to share this opinion and recommendation unless specifically stated otherwise in a separate but accompanying report, which must be shown to the members of the committee with whom the chair/director differs.

 

The faculty member must be shown the report on behalf of the department/division/school committee, as well as the department/division chair's or school director's report of personal disagreement where it exists. The faculty member shall be given the right to object to any statement in either report, in which case a personal position of dissent shall be forwarded to the dean, along with the opinion of the department/division/school committee and the department/division chair's or school director's opinion if it differs from that of the department/division/school.

 

No numerical ratings shall be employed in the department's/division's/school's annual evaluations or recommendations as forwarded by the chair/director, or the chair's/director's separate recommendations, if any.*

 

Like the statement annually invited of the faculty member, the annual department/division/school report shall be placed in the faculty member's personnel file,which is maintained in the office of the dean. The entire file shall be made available to members of appropriate college and department/division/school personnel committees.

 

____________

*Numerical ratings are used only for the Student Opinion Survey on Instruction.

Expectations Regarding English Proficiency of Faculty

(Senate:  6/4/96; President:  8/12/96; Editorial Amendment: 8/01)

 

At the time of initial appointment, instructional faculty, including graduate teaching associates, must be evaluated for oral and written proficiency in English through procedures to be developed by each department/division/school.  Current instructional faculty shall be evaluated by the same procedures, no later than the end of the next academic year following the approval of  this policy.  Upon completion of  the evaluation, the department/division chair or school director of the faculty member concerned will certify proficiency in English appropriate to the discipline, instructional setting, and material being communicated.  Such certification shall be placed in the faculty member's personnel file.  If a member of the instructional faculty is unable to demonstrate proficiency in oral or written communication in English, he or she shall be directed to courses, workshops, or programs designed for the improvement of  those skills.

(Senate: 7/25/67, 3/31/70, 7/3/73, 7/22/75, 5/4/76, 4/5/77, 6/8/77, 1/12/82, 5/15/85, 3/7/89; President: 9/27/67, 4/20/70, 7/5/73, 7/28/75, 5/28/76, 7/18/77, 3/11/82, 7/9/85, 4/14/89; Editorial Amendment: 9/00)

 

Contractual rights relating to faculty personnel files are found in the Agreement (Article 11).

 

Personnel files and other employment records shall be open only to the faculty member concerned and to faculty committees and administrative personnel (as specified by the President) responsible for decisions requiring information normally available from such records. Upon request to the designated custodian (e.g., college dean, Director of Human Resources Management), the faculty member shall have the right of access to all personnel files and other employment records maintained by the University, including reports, documents, and correspondence collected under the faculty member's name or some other form of individual identification. In reviewing such records, the faculty member may be accompanied by one other person. If the need for confidentiality demonstrably outweighs the need for disclosure in the interest of justice, then records dealing with the faculty member as a student, medical and police records, communications with University Counsel, material obtained confidentially, and investigatory reports preliminary to discipline and grievance proceedings may be excluded. Denial of access on this ground may be challenged through normal procedures.

 

The college file shall be the official and complete personnel file. Each college shall establish detailed plans for preserving the security and integrity of the personnel files, which shall include but not be  limited to controlled access to locked files, situations under which the files leave campus, the transportation of files, and notification to the faculty member when the files are transported.

 

In deciding whether to remove materials from a faculty member's personnel file at the request of the individual, the dean may refer the request to the appropriate faculty committee. The committee shall recommend to the dean whether the material in question should be removed from the file. The dean shall honor the committee recommendation unless there are compelling reasons to the contrary.

(Senate: 7/26/77, 8/16/77, 2/26/80, 12/9/80, 7/29/87; President: 7/29/77, 8/18/77, 3/10/80, 12/22/80, 7/25/88; Editorial Amendment: 9/00; 8/01)

Each college and department/division/school shall establish a formal system of evaluating their faculty. Each system must include methods of collecting information about the evaluation of faculty activities in category A, instructional performance; category B, professional achievement; and category C all other contributions to the University, as described in the section immediately following. Complete department/division/school and college evaluation procedures must be submitted to the Faculty Policy Committee after each new Agreement for review, recommendation to the President, and formalization prior to the start of the next faculty evaluation.

 

Between the time the department/division/school documents have been approved and the time a new Agreement is signed, the department/division/school and college documents will be kept current by addenda to the standardized document. Addenda to university regulations will be sent to all departments/divisions/schools by the Faculty Policy Committee prior to the start of the evaluation cycle. New regulations which originate in the department/division/school during this period must be submitted, as addenda, to the Faculty Policy Committee for approval prior to the start of the evaluation cycle.

Faculty Archives

(Senate:  2/10/98; President:  4/24/98)

 

Files of all faculty unit employees who are on the faculty five or more years will be kept in the appropriate dean's office for a period of five years after the faculty member has ceased being an active member of  the faculty in any way (including FERPing).   If  however legal action involving the faculty member is pending, the file will be retained for five years following the termination of the legal action.  The faculty member, at the time of separation, shall review the file, indicate any material considered by the faculty member to be sensitive and sign an agreement that the rest may be kept after five years as an historical archive.  Once the five years have   passed the sensitive material will be removed and destroyed by the dean or designee, and the file shall be archived in the University Library in perpetuity.   Scholars and researchers will be granted access to the archived faculty files under special collections procedures.

Handling of Materials in the Event of the Death of an Active Member of the Faculty

In the case of the death of a faculty member prior to reviewing the file the next of kin or executor of the estate shall be allowed to review the faculty member's file to identify sensitive material for removal at the end of five years, consistent with archiving policies.  If no such person performs this function, the dean will do so.

 

Upon the death of a faculty member, the next of  kin or executor of the estate will be allowed to enter the faculty member's office, under the supervision of the dean or his/her designee, to identify and remove personal effects.  The dean or designee will then enter the office to identify and collect all university property and records.   The material remaining will be disposed of by the dean or designee in whatever he/she considers to be an appropriate manner.

(Senate: 5/23/89, 10/17/90, 1/25/00; President: 8/8/89, 11/9/90, 3/7/00; Editorial Amendment: 9/00; 8/01)

Levels of review for faculty serving in the first year of a two-year appointment will be:

For retention, tenure and promotion considerations, the levels of review for all other tenure-track faculty will be:

For full-time temporary faculty the levels of review will be:

For part-time temporary faculty the levels of review will be:

 

1. the department/division/school review committee,

2. the department/division chair or school director (if the department/division chair or school director is a voting member of the department/division/school review committee, the second level of review will be the college dean), and

3. at the option of the college, the college dean.

 

For tenured faculty who are under consideration for five-year review, the levels of review will be:

(Senate: 5/14/84, 7/11/89, 10/17/90; President: 6/21/84, 8/8/89, 11/9/90; Editorial Amendment: 9/00; 8/01)

Procedures. Initial probationary appointments may be for a period of one or two years. Each probationary faculty member on a one-year appointment is evaluated annually, by a formal process beginning at the department/division/school level, to determine whether reappointment for the following year is recommended. Probationary faculty whose initial appointment is for a two-year period are evaluated by the department/division/school committee, the department/division chair or school director, and the college dean during the spring quarter of the first year.

(Senate: 5/30/89, 4/15/03; President: 8/8/89, 9/25/03; Editorial Amendment: 9/99, 9/00; 8/01)

A ballot for a personnel committee shall not contain the name of any person not eligible to serve. It is the responsibility of the department/division chair or school director (for department/division/school committees) and the college dean (for college committees) to insure that the ballot contains only the names of faculty eligible to serve. It is expected that all eligible faculty will be on the departmental/divisional/school ballot and shall serve if elected. When there are fewer than twice the number of faculty members eligible for election to a personnel committee as are required to serve, the faculty shall add the names of eligible nominees from closely related disciplines, in order to present a slate of nominees with at least twice the number to be elected. Each committee will elect its own chair. Members of personnel committees  shall be familiar with the University's Statement of Diversity and Inclusivity and make efforts to strengthen diversity and inclusivity through  the retention, tenure and promotion process.

 

The reservations of the minority may be written into the full committee report as qualifications or reservations or as a separate minority opinion. Such a report shall always be included with the majority report.

 

The department's/division's/school's report of its recommendations and the chair's report, if any, shall not use numerical ratings.

 

The deliberations of personnel committees shall be strictly confidential. The results of such deliberations shall be made known only to those to whom a committee is required to report and then only by the committee member or members charged with the responsibility.

(Senate: 5/23/89; President: 8/8/89; Editorial Amendment: 9/00)

The calendar for retention, tenure and promotion is prescribed by the Agreement which specifies the time of the notification of the presidential decision. Annually in the summer quarter the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall publish the deadlines for the next review cycle. The deans in turn shall publish college deadlines.

(Senate: 5/23/89; President: 8/8/89; Editorial Amendment: 9/00, 8/01)

Each department/division/school  shall establish one or more committees to make recommendations on retention, tenure and promotion. Each department/division/school committee shall have a minimum of three members and one alternate. When a member is to be absent from a substantial part of the committee's deliberations, the alternate will replace the member and will continue through the completion of all committee deliberations of that cycle. Motions relating to committee recommendations shall be placed in the affirmative.Personnel committees shall make a recommendation regarding each eligible candidate for reappointment, tenure or promotion.

 

Each college shall establish one or more committees which will review and make recommendations. Each college committee shall have a minimum of five members and one alternate. When a member is to be absent from a substantial part of the committee's deliberations, the alternate will replace the member and will continue through the completion of all committee deliberations of that cycle. A committee member must be replaced by an alternate and may not be present when the committee is deliberating and voting on candidates from his or her department/division/school. Motions relating to committee recommendations shall be placed in the affirmative. College personnel committees shall make a recommendation regarding each eligible candidate for reappointment, tenure or promotion.

(Senate: 5/15/84, 5/23/89; President: 6/21/84, 8/8/89)

Procedures for the review of faculty for retention, tenure and promotion are covered in Article 13, 14 and 15 of the Agreement.

(Senate: 8/3/76, 5/24/77, 7/28/82[EA], 5/24/83, 11/3/87, 7/25/89, 11/7/89, 8/21/90, 7/30/91, 2/4/92, 10/26/93, 5/10/94, 8/22/95, 5/9/00; President: 8/16/76, 6/14/79, 9/8/82, 6/14/83, 6/22/88, 8/16/89, 11/24/89, 11/1/90, 10/7/91, 3/11/92, 12/13/93, 6/29/94, 6/24/96, 6/6/00; Editorial Amendment: 9/00, 8/01)

Preamble

The purpose of the University's retention, tenure and promotion policy is to maintain and enhance the high quality of the Cal State L.A. faculty by establishing criteria for fair, thorough, and objective evaluation of individual faculty members.  Appraisals focus on the quality and effectiveness of educational performance, professional achievement, and other contributions to the University by the faculty member under review.

 

The evaluation of the faculty member for retention and tenure, and, where eligible, for promotion, is based upon a comprehensive review of the individual's qualities, achievements, and promise during the year or years preceding the evaluation, as documented in the two-part personnel action file, which includes the permanent personnel action file (PPAF) and the working personnel action file (WPAF).  It is the responsibility of the University to maintain the PPAF and of the faculty member to have appropriate information in the WPAF before the published date of closure so a complete personnel action file is available to reviewers.

 

Attention shall be given to forming a general "profile" or comprehensive estimate of the faculty member's performance and special professional interests and accomplishments.  The faculty member shall file annually an updated resume using a format consistent with college practice, in addition to the yearly personnel information form.  Throughout the process of evaluation, in all categories, emphasis shall be placed on the quality and effectiveness, and not only on the quantity of performance.  It is expected that the candidate under review, the appropriate committees, and administrators involved in the process will address the quality and effectiveness of the work done in all areas of review.

Part I - Criteria for Candidate Assessment

 

This review is cumulative in the sense that the progress or growth of the faculty member beyond the first year is a factor in evaluation, and it is comparative in the sense that the faculty member is evaluated against the quality and effectiveness of performance of colleagues taking into account the broad range of activities in which different faculty engage.

 

Faculty members are evaluated on the basis of their performance in the following categories:

 

A.  educational performance
B.  professional achievement
C.  contributions to the University.

Of the three categories, category A normally shall have the greatest weight.  To receive a favorable recommendation for tenure and promotion at least satisfactory performance must be demonstrated in all three categories.  In the case of a faculty member who is appointed or elected to a non-teaching position, consideration shall be given to performance in that assignment.

 

Each faculty member shall have the discretion to develop, in collaboration with his/her chair and the appropriate department/division/school personnel committee, an individualized professional plan.  Such plans shall specify the candidate's goals and objectives and may alter the balance or focus of performance among categories A, B, and C for a specified period of time.  All individualized professional plans must be approved by the faculty member, chair, college dean, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee.  In cases where such plans are submitted, they will be taken into account by each reviewing body or officer.

 

A request for an external review of materials in one's personnel file may be made by any of the parties involved in the review.

 

Category A consists of two elements:

1.  teaching performance and

2.  related educational activities.

 

1.  Teaching performance is defined as those activities by the faculty member that directly contribute to student learning.  These teaching activities may extend beyond the classroom to include field or community settings or the use of technology.  Effective teaching can include many pedagogical approaches, such as lectures, individual and group exercises, inquiry-based learning, discussion sessions, and other techniques.  It can also include a wide range of activities such as coordinating and supervising students in learning experiences; collaborating with students on research, performance, artistic, and other projects; mentoring students; professional counseling of students (by counseling faculty); tutoring students; and enabling student access to and use of information and knowledge resources.

 

The evaluation of teaching performance shall include multiple measures.   The basis of the evaluation shall be the quality and effectiveness of the performance.

 

2.  Related educational activities are defined to include, but are not limited to academic advisement, curriculum/program development, programmatic assessment of learning outcomes, membership on thesis committees, the development and evaluation of comprehensive exams, and other academic support activities that enhance student retention and student achievement.

 

The evaluation of teaching performance  is assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the efforts of faculty members that contribute to student learning.   This evaluation must include:

     1.  A summary of the quantitative responses to the "Student Opinion Survey on Instruction."

 

     2.  Evaluation of teaching performance based upon an observation conducted at least once during each RTP evaluation cycle by the department/division chair or school director, members of the department/division/school personnel committee, or designees of the personnel committee. There must be written notification of not less than five University working days given to the faculty member indicating the date upon which the observation will be made and indicating who will conduct it.  If the faculty member desires, he/she may recommend someone to conduct the observation.  When observations are made for RTP purposes, reports are included in the faculty member's permanent personnel action file.

 

      3.  At least one other source of information, such as course syllabi, instructional materials, assessment methods, assignments (including field assignments), evidence of student work and accomplishments, and signed letters from students.

 

The evaluation of related educational activities is based upon such items as surveys of student opinions of advisement, student mentoring, tutoring, field activities, etc., written reports from the department/division chair or school director, students, faculty, and/or other individuals with first hand knowledge of the faculty member's activities; and other such documentation provided by the faculty member regarding participation in program assessment, curriculum development, and other related educational activities.

 

In the case of library and counseling faculty, the evaluation of category A shall include measures of performance equivalent to the above and appropriate to each faculty member's professional responsibilities.

 

Category B, professional achievement, is defined as performance of discipline-related activities that include but are not limited to the following broad areas identified in no particular order.

 

Examples of Areas of Professional Achievement (Category B)

In evaluating these contributions as to their relative merits, the quality and effectiveness, and not only the quantity of the contributions in category B shall be the primary consideration.

 

Category C, contributions to the University, is defined as all other contributions to the mission and governance of the University such as, but not limited to, those listed below.

 

Examples of Contributions to the University

In evaluating these contributions in category C as to their relative merits, the quality and effectiveness, and not only the quantity of the contributions shall be the primary consideration.

 

Part II - Responsibilities in the RTP Process

A.  The candidate is responsible for providing a current curriculum vitae and evidence of his/her accomplishments to those charged with reviewing and evaluating the candidate.

 

B.  The department/division/school is responsible for defining in writing, within the context of University and college policies, any additional or specific criteria and standards to be applied in the RTP evaluations.  These shall be given to all faculty within fourteen (14) days of their initial appointment and again when changes occur.  Departments/divisions/schools should advise and support candidates to enhance their educational performance, professional achievement, and contributions to the University community.

 

1.  The department/division/school RTP documents shall clearly specify those activities considered appropriate as "scholarly and creative activities" for the discipline.

2.  The department/division chair or school director is responsible for communicating department/division/school, college and University criteria and standards for evaluation to the candidates.  The department/division chair or college director, in consultation with the appropriate department/division/school personnel committee, is also responsible for working closely with faculty who develop individualized personnel plans.  As established by the department/division/school, the chair or director may serve on the department/division/school RTP committee either as an elected or ex officio voting member, or as an ex officio non-voting member.  He/she may also be invited by a majority vote of the department/division/school committee to report orally on his/her evaluation of RTP candidates, following the procedures for oral testimony.  If the chair or director is not a voting member of the department/division/school RTP committee, he/she has the responsibility to write an independent evaluation of RTP candidates after reviewing the evaluation by the department/division/school RTP committee.

3.  The department/division/school RTP committee is responsible for evaluating the work of the candidates in all areas, for making the initial recommendation regarding retention/tenure/promotion, and therefore, for applying the specific criteria and standards of the department/division/school to the performance of their colleagues in the RTP process.  The committee shall review the individualized professional plans of those faculty being evaluated who have chosen to prepare such plans, and shall take such plans into account in evaluating the faculty member's performance.  The department/division/school committee is, therefore, responsible for conveying to other levels of review the relative merit of the individual candidate's performance from the perspective of the candidate's academic discipline.  The expectation for  future growth leading to tenure and/or promotion should be stated at each review to provide guidance in future evaluations.

 

C.  The college is responsible for defining in writing, within the context of University policies, any additional or specific criteria  and standards to be applied in RTP evaluations.  These must be given to the faculty within fourteen (14) days of their initial appointment and again when changes occur.  Colleges should advise and support candidates to enhance their educational performance, professional achievement, and contributions to the University community.

1.  The college RTP committee is responsible for evaluating the materials submitted by the candidate and the recommendations forwarded by the department/division/school and for making a recommendation concerning retention, tenure and promotion to the college dean.   The committee shall review the individualized professional plans of the faculty being evaluated who have chosen to prepare such plans and shall take such plans into account in evaluating the faculty member's performance.  The committee's responsibility is to evaluate whether the colleges criteria and the  recommendations from previous years have been met.  Recommendations for future growth in relation to the college criteria should be included in the recommendation.  If deficiencies are found, the committee is responsible for making recommendations for improvement.

 

2.  The dean is responsible for evaluating the material submitted by the candidate and the recommendations of the department/division/school committee, the department/division chair or school director, and the college committee.  The dean shall review the individualized professional plans of the faculty being evaluated who have chosen to prepare such plans and shall take such plans into account in evaluating the faculty member's performance.   If deficiencies are found, the dean is responsible for making recommendations for improvement.  The dean shall then make a recommendation to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

 

D.  The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for evaluating the material submitted by the candidate and the recommendations of the department/division/school committee, the department/division chair or school director, the college committee and the dean.    The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall review the individualized professional plans of the faculty being evaluated who have chosen to prepare such plans and shall take such plans into account in evaluating the faculty member's performance.  If deficiencies are found, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for making recommendations for improvement.  The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall then make a recommendation to the President.

 

E.  In the case of faculty units which are not organized into departments/divisions/schools (library and counseling faculty), the unit-specific RTP procedures will identify where necessary, equivalents to the department/division/school level review committee, department/division chair or school director, college level review committee, dean and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.   Each designated equivalent will perform exactly the same responsibilities for the appropriate level as stated in part II.  In all cases, unit-specific RTP procedures are subject to review and approval by the college, the University Faculty Policy Committee and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs acting on behalf of the President.

 

Part III - The RTP Process

Although the method of evaluation described above applies to retention, tenure, and promotion alike, it is recognized that qualitative differences should prevail among retention, tenure, and promotion standards. This difference, however, is one of degree, not kind, and it may be summed up under the concept of growth or progress.  At the time of appointment, and at the time of the annual evaluation of the faculty member for retention during the pre-tenure period, judgment is based on demonstrated growth, performance and promise in categories A, B, and C.

 

At the time of candidacy for tenure, a review of the faculty member's total performance from the time of his/her initial appointment at Cal State L.A. is conducted, with special consideration of the continuity and growth of the activities comprising this total performance, and with particular appraisal of actual or probable promotability on the basis of such a background. Where this last appraisal is negative, it shall be grounds for the denial of tenure.

 

Consideration for tenure normally occurs during the sixth year of service as a probationary faculty member.  A probationary faculty member may request to be considered for early tenure.  A candidate for early tenure must have a sustained outstanding record at Cal State Los Angeles in categories A and B, "educational performance" and "professional achievement," and must have at least a satisfactory record in category C, "contributions to the University."

 

A faculty member shall not normally be promoted to associate professor and may not be promoted to professor during the probationary period.  Assistant professors who are awarded tenure shall be promoted concurrently to associate professor. 

 

The faculty member's evaluation for promotion reemphasizes both the aspect of growth and total performance in the ways suggested above, and increases the emphasis upon individual performance. The scope and depth of teaching performance, the degree of professional recognition within and beyond the University, and the distinctiveness of contributions to the general welfare of the faculty member's department/division/school, college, and University, represent some of the criteria on which evaluation for promotion is made.  Such a review must necessarily include a careful evaluation of each individual achievement, with the aim of determining its value to the faculty member and the University. Consideration for promotion to professor normally occurs when a faculty member has received tenure and is in the fifth year in rank as an associate professor.  A candidate for early promotion must have a sustained outstanding record at Cal State Los Angeles in categories A and B, "educational performance" and "professional achievement," and must have at least a satisfactory record in category C, "contributions to the University."

 

A faculty member may at each rank request to be considered for early tenure only once and for early promotion only once.

Range Elevation Criteria for Temporary Faculty

(Senate:  11/30/99; President:  2/11/00; Editorial Amendment: 9/00, 8/01)

Full- and part-time temporary faculty are normally hired to meet specific instructional needs at a rank consistent with their professional qualifications, such as highest academic degree earned, teaching or field experience, status in the discipline, publications, an so forth.  Reappointment, salary advancement within rank, and merit awards for temporary faculty may be based on successful teaching performance alone.   Range elevation for temporary faculty, however, must be based on evidence of appropriate professional development, professional accomplishments, and/or contributions to the university/community, as well as on teaching performance.  Specific criteria for range elevation will be established at the college and department/division/school levels.

(Senate: 7/5/89, 7/29/97; President: 8/16/89, 10/27/97; Editorial Amendment:  8/01)

Personnel recommendations relating to retention, tenure, and promotion shall be based on material contained in the faculty member's personnel file. Oral testimony may be used for purposes of clarification of material that is already in the personnel file. Whenever oral testimony is presented before a personnel committee, the candidate shall be present.   Departmental/divisional/school procedures for hearing and documenting oral testimony shall be set forth in department/division/school RTP documents.  A summary of the oral testimony will be placed in the candidate's personnel file. The candidate must be shown the summary and shall be given the right to reply to any statement in the summary.  Such a reply shall be attached to the oral testimony report.

Faculty members who wish to terminate an existing appointment or to decline reappointment must give appropriate notice before the end of their duties for the academic year. For instructors or assistant professors, the notice interval must be at least three months; for those of higher rank, the notice interval must be at least four months. Faculty members may request a waiver of this requirement in case of hardship. (Administrative Code, Section 43569)