Scholarly External Evaluations for RPT Review
REG 05.20.11
Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
History: First Issued: 1998. Last Revised: March 27, 2008. Additional
History Information.
Related Policies:
NCSU POL05.20.1 Academic Tenure Policy
NCSU REG05.20.20 RPT Dossier Format Requirements
Additional References:
General Description of RPT Process
Example Letter of Request for External Evaluation
Example List of External Evaluators for RPT Dossier
RPT Process Description
Contact Info: Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (919-515-9770)
1. Scholarly External Evaluations Required for Promotion in Rank and Conferral of Tenure
Thoughtful evaluations by accomplished scholars who are not a part of the NC State University community provide a valuable element in assessing the accomplishments of faculty who are being considered for promotion in rank and for conferral of tenure (note: external evaluations are not required for reappointments). External evaluations must be solicited and reviewed in the form of letters of evaluation.
2. Identifying Scholarly External Evaluators
2.1 Evaluators must not be members of the North Carolina State University faculty.
2.2 All evaluators must be persons with significant expertise and reputation in the field of the individual faculty member under review. Wherever possible, care should be taken to avoid requesting evaluations from individuals who now or in the past have had a close working relationship with the faculty member, were the candidate's major professor or were members of the candidate's doctoral advisory committee.
2.3 The candidate must be given the opportunity to suggest names of evaluators. In arriving at the collection of scholars from which evaluations will be solicited, these suggestions will be considered by the department head along with guidance from members of the Departmental Voting Faculty, the candidate's mentor(s), or others with expertise appropriate to the area of specialty of the candidate, as appropriate. College Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Rules may also require the Dean's review or approval of selected reviewers.
2.4 Evaluators should be selected with the aim of obtaining evaluations from, at least, five individuals.
3. Obtaining Scholarly External Evaluations
3.1 The department head should consult with the candidate regarding the appropriate sample of the candidate's scholarly work and other documentation to be provided to external evaluators to facilitate their review.
3.2 Each evaluator should be provided an appropriate sample of the candidate's scholarly work and asked to comment on the quality, quantity, impact, and creativity of the candidate's accomplishments.
3.3 All correspondence with external evaluators should be initiated by the department head or a member of the departmental voting faculty specifically designated by the department head for this communication purpose.
3.4 All external evaluators should be informed that their letters will become part of the personnel file of the candidate, and that, accordingly, the letters may be examined by the candidate upon request.
3.5 Evaluations should be sought with the aim of obtaining five external evaluation letters for inclusion in the candidate's RPT dossier.
4. Use of Scholarly External Evaluations
4.1. All solicited external evaluation letters received are to be included by the department head in the candidate's dossier for review at the departmental, college, and university levels.
4.2. External evaluation letters should be preceded in the candidate's dossier by a listing, prepared by the department head or designee, of the names of the evaluators including their current academic and/or professional affiliations, a brief biographical statement, and indications of how each reviewer was selected (i.e., at the suggestion of the candidate, the departmental voting faculty, or the department head.)
4.3. Original copies of all solicited external letters received should be included in the dossier which becomes part of the permanent personnel file of the candidate located in Human Resources. A copy of the letters should be retained in the faculty member's personnel file in the department.
