Post Tenure Review Procedures

(Adopted by the Faculty Council on October 3, 1995)

The Department Chair, together with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, shall evaluate the teaching performance of each tenured faculty member every year.  Department Chairs and single-member departments will b reviewed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.   The evaluation will be based on the teaching component of the three most recent annual evaluations done for the Merit Pay Plan.   If the rating for the teaching component is “poor” or “unacceptable” for any two of the three years, then a formal review of the faculty member must be initiated.   The formal review will consist of the following steps:

1.  Notification to the faculty member by the Vice President for Academic Affairs that a formal review of the faculty member’s teaching performance will be done.

2.  Formation of a Peer-Review Committee within two weeks of the notification.   The committee will consist of five members chosen from among the tenured members of the Faculty Council by the Vice President for Academic Affairs with the concurrence of the faculty member.  If the faculty member and the Vice President cannot agree on the membership of the peer-review committee, the grievance procedures given in Tech’s Regulations Governing Academic Freedom and Tenure shall be followed.

3.  Evaluation by the committee of the three annual reviews in question, as well as relevant tests, homework assignments, student comments from course evaluations, and any documents that the faculty member wishes to present.

If, after all evidence has been presented to and reviewed by the committee, the committee concludes (by majority vote) that an unfavorable evaluation of the faculty member’s teaching performance is justified, then a two-year probationary period will begin.   During this probationary period, the faculty member will be offered various programs (i.e., attendance at seminars, mentoring) designed to enhance his/her teaching skills.   In addition, members of the Peer Review Committee may sit in on classes conducted by the faculty member (with his or her permission).

At the end of this two-year period, the Peer Review Committee will again evaluate the teaching performance of the faculty member.   If the committee finds that the faculty member has failed to demonstrate sufficient improvement in his or her teaching, then this will be reported to the faculty member and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.   The Vice President will then initiate the proceedings specified in the Regulations Governing Academic Freedom and Tenure which may lead to the faculty member’s loss of tenure and the termination of his or her appointment at New Mexico Tech (“dismissal).