Evaluation of Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement
After the first year, tenure-track faculty members will be evaluated for Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement annually. Tenured faculty members will be evaluated every three years. Non-tenure-track faculty members in renewable positions will be evaluated each year for their first six years and every third year afterwards.
Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement will be rated as Exceeds Expectations; Meets Expectations; Of Concern; Does Not Meet Expectations. Faculty will normally have at least one Scholarly or Professional Achievement by the time they come up for tenure and at least one more by the time they come up for promotion to full professor.
The rating of Meets Expectations is based on the definition of Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement in the Performance Standards section of the Faculty Handbook:
Scholarly and professional activity includes research, writing, and other creative endeavors; the presentation of work, performances, and exhibits; collaborative research with students; participation in scholarly seminars and institutes, and attendance at professional meetings; or other activities, such as professional consulting, advising professional organizations, and holding membership or offices in professional organizations.
It is assumed that that the majority of faculty members’ work will Meet Expectations most of the time. There should be no penalty for those working on large-scale projects taking several (or even many) years to complete. On the Faculty Activity Summary, faculty members will be asked to show evidence of progress. Such evidence, which could consist of links to chapter drafts or conference presentations, will meet Centre College’s expectations for Scholarly and Professional Activity.
Conducting research with undergraduates, outside the classroom, will meet the college’s expectations for Scholarly and Professional Activity.
A rating of Exceeds Expectations will require Scholarly and Professional Achievement, that is, peer-reviewed publication or the equivalent. Each faculty member will explain the significance of any publications in the Faculty Activity Summary. Since these assessments are discipline specific, reviewers will rely on the faculty member’s assessment for annual and triennial reviews; on colleagues’ judgment in probationary and tenure reviews; and on outside reviewers’ testimony for promotion to full professor if deemed necessary by the Special committee on Promotions.
The rating Of Concern will indicate an absence of activity in a given year and will invite a conversation with the division chair and/or associate dean. A rating of Does Not Meet Expectations will reflect persistent absence of activity over an extended period of time.
As is implied in the language defining Achievement in the section on Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement of the Faculty Handbook, faculty members under review for tenure should typically receive a rating of Exceeds Expectations at least once, indicating peer reviewed publication or the equivalent. If they have nothing to indicate evidence of progress after three years, they could be rated Of Concern or Does Not Meet Expectations. Promotion to full professor will normally include at least one rating of Exceeds Expectations, demonstrating, as required for tenure, peer reviewed publication or the equivalent.