New Review Program for Senior Administrators

While a formal performance review program has long been in place for Ithaca College employees and, in fact, has undergone many modifications over the years, there has not been a program specifically targeted for senior-level administrators. That will soon change, as a result of an initiative by President Peggy R. Williams to institute such a formalized performance review process. With the assistance of a consultant and the Office of Personnel Services, a committee representing a cross-section of the campus is developing a model system that will be pilot-tested with a small group of administrators during the spring semester. A component of the model will utilize multi-constituency or multisource feedback, an approach sometimes referred to as 360-degree evaluation.

Covered by the new review process will be all of the vice presidents, the deans of the schools as well as the dean of enrollment planning, the assistant provosts, and the associate and assistant deans.

"It is important for the institution to ensure that there is appropriate participation of various constituencies in some form of performance review," says Williams, who is a proponent of the concept of multisource feedback. "Use of this approach to performance review continues to grow rapidly in the corporate world, and the past decade has seen colleges and universities effectively explore this approach as well. Multisource feedback is a valuable tool to assist in employee development because it helps link an individual’s specific experiences and strengths to the goals of the College.

"Of course," Williams adds, "the multisource approach is still only one facet of performance review, since effective performance review is ongoing, interactive, and multifaceted."

Serving on the committee are David Dresser, associate dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance; Bill Pelto, associate professor of music; Gordon Rowland, associate professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Communication, Learning, and Design; Carl Sgrecci, vice president and treasurer; David Spano, director of the counseling center; and Lori Watkins, director of operations and support services in the Office of College Relations and Resource Development. Director of the Office of Personnel Services Martha Turnbull and associate director Margaret Dennis are ex officio members of the committee, which is led by Jerry Feist, a consultant with experience in performance review.

"We are very excited to be exploring the formal addition of multisource feedback to our performance review program at the College," says Turnbull. "The opportunity for personal and professional development is proving to be a primary tool in attracting and retaining quality employees. This introduction of multisource feedback will enhance our existing developmental programs."

"This represents a pretty significant change in the way different constituencies on campus are involved in evaluations," says Pelto. He notes that while faculty have previously provided feedback on the performance of academic administrators through the Faculty Council, this new model will give those being reviewed some ownership of the process. "The committee’s work will not only produce a specific mechanism for senior administrator evaluations, but also help generate a larger campus discussion of performance evaluations at all levels."