New Post-Tenure Review Policy – Enhanced Performance Evaluation
UH is about to have a new post-tenure review policy, namely, the Enhanced Performance Evaluation (EPE) of tenured faculty. The EPE policy is in final draft form awaiting comments from the Faculty Senate and then final approval by the Provost.
Annual Performance Reviews (APRs) are conducted each year for tenured and tenure-track faculty. Faculty performance is reviewed in the three domains—research, teaching, and service. The distribution of effort among these domains can be negotiated with the Department Chair or Dean in accordance with the UH Faculty Workload Policy.
The purpose of the EPE is to provide a mechanism for faculty with unsatisfactory performance in the research and teaching domains to develop a pathway toward satisfactory or higher performance. Faculty who receive unsatisfactory performance in research and/or teaching in two out of any three consecutive APRs (beginning in Jan 1, 2023) are subject to a mandatory EPE.
The EPE provides for peer review, academic freedom, and due process. The policy outlines the process which includes the election of a committee or the use of a previously elected committee, such as a policy or promotion and tenure committee. The committee will identify specific performance deficits, define specific objective measures of success, determine a reasonable time period for return to satisfactory performance, and identify resources that may be needed. A Tenured Professional Development Plan will be developed in collaboration between the Department Chair and the tenured faculty member. The development plan will be reviewed and must be approved by the Dean and Provost.
The tenured faculty member will then pursue completion of the professional development plan. At the end of the timeline, the tenured faculty member will submit a written report for review and evaluation by the committee, followed by reviews by the Dean and Provost.