School of Humanities and Sciences
9/13/06
Preface:
The following policy for establishing a Faculty Review Committee was written by the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP)* and was supported by a vote of the Humanities and Sciences faculty in November of 2005. The Dean accepted the recommendation of the following policy.
Rationale for policy:
The processes of review of faculty for two-year, four-year, tenure and promotion are defined by departmental procedures, in accordance with the Ithaca College Faculty Handbook. Since peer review is integral to the process, and “peer” can be defined by both rank and disciplinary perspective, assuring appropriate composition of a peer review committee is important.
Junior faculty face potential conflicts of interest when serving on department review committees. Whenever possible, junior faculty should be shielded from such circumstances.
The number of faculty at rank within some departments complicates the composition of peer review within those departments. Examples of problems this year, 2005-06, include two departments with one tenured faculty and three departments with three tenured faculty. Many more departments do not have sufficient numbers of peer reviewers at the rank of full professor.
A definitive process for those cases when departments do not have sufficient numbers of senior level faculty for peer review is recommended for assuring consistency of evaluation across the School. Consistency within Humanities and Sciences and across the College strengthens all personnel reviews.
Therefore CAPP convened a faculty forum on October 6, 2005 to discuss this issue and is offering the following policy for the School of Humanities and Sciences.
Policy:
Two-year, four-year, and tenure review committees will consist of at least three tenured faculty members. When a department does not have at least three tenured faculty, the dean, in consultation with the department and the candidate, will establish a review committee that includes members from within and from outside the department. Peers from outside the department will be selected, whenever feasible, from within the School of Humanities and Sciences and will be from closely associated disciplines. At least three of the committee members will be tenured faculty members at Ithaca College. All members of the established review committee will vote on the recommendation of the candidate.
Review committees for promotion to full professor will consist of at least three full professors. When a department does not have at least three full professors, the dean, in consultation with the department and the candidate, will establish a review committee that includes members from within and from outside the department. Peers from outside the department will be selected, whenever feasible, from within the School of Humanities and Sciences and will be from closely associated disciplines. At least three of the committee members will be full professors at Ithaca College. All members of the established review committee will vote on the recommendation of the candidate.
*CAPP is a representative, elected committee, advisory to the dean. A recommendation, based on a full-faculty vote, is sent to the dean.
