Review
of Academic Department Heads/Chairs
REG 05.50.3
Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
History: First Issued: October 20, 1986. Last Revised: December
7, 2004. Additional History Information.
Contact Info: Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (919-515-9770)
1. Introduction
1.1. College
deans are responsible for reviewing the administrative performance of academic
department heads/chairs annually, and comprehensively on a periodic schedule.
1.2. Academic
Department Heads/Chairs who hold concurrent faculty appointments are subject
to annual reviews pursuant to Regulation 05.20.3 Annual Reviews of Faculty
Members.
1.3. Comprehensive
reviews are conducted pursuant to this regulation and include an assessment
of the departmental programs and the leadership of the department head/chair. They
are held at intervals of not more than five years from the date of the initial
appointment of the department head/chair or the date of the last review. In
the cases of departments jointly administered by two colleges, the two deans
shall function jointly to conduct the review and evaluation.
2. Procedures for Comprehensive Reviews
2.1. Notification
of the Department Head and development of an evaluation instrument.
2.1.1. The Dean initiates the review by notifying the department head/chair
and appointing a faculty ad hoc Department Head/Chair Review Committee.
The majority of the committee shall be composed of faculty with permanent
tenure.
2.1.2. The Department Head/Chair Review Committee develops and forwards
to the Dean a recommended evaluation instrument designed to elicit views,
concerns,
and recommendations pertinent to departmental leadership and programs.
The committee recommends the groups, e.g. faculty, staff, students, and
external
clientele, to be surveyed.
2.1.3. Prior
to finalizing and forwarding the evaluation instrument to the Committee
to administer, the Dean shall provide the department head an opportunity
to
review the proposed evaluation instrument and to suggest changes.
2.2. Administration
and Tabulation of Evaluation Instrument. Upon
receipt of the finalized evaluation instrument from the Dean, the Department/Chair
Review Committee shall administer with anonymity the instrument to
all members of the departmental faculty, staff, students and external
clientele as appropriate. The Committee shall then analyze the results
and prepare and forward a tabulation and summary of the responses
to the Dean. All comments shall be forwarded to the Dean verbatim.
2.3. Open Meeting/Presentation. The
Dean, in consultation with the department head/chair, shall schedule an open
meeting and/or provide for a presentation by the head/chair of departmental
programs and accomplishments during the review period.
2.4. Meeting with the Faculty. After reviewing the results of the
evaluation instrument, the dean shall hold a meeting with the departmental
faculty, in the absence of the department head/chair and any associate and
assistant department heads/chairs, to discuss departmental leadership and
programs.
2.5. Additional
Input from Staff, students and others. The Dean shall invite all members
of the departmental faculty, and is encouraged to invite appropriate staff,
selected undergraduate and graduate majors, NC State faculty from other
departments with closely related programs, or off-campus persons having
a direct interest in and knowledge of the department, to share in writing
or in person their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the departmental
leadership and programs.
2.6. Dean’s evaluation and consultation with the Provost and Executive
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Dean shall review the information
obtained through the process outlined above and may use other relevant
information in reviewing and evaluating the administrative performance
of the department head/chair. The Dean shall discuss the results of the
review and evaluation with the department head/chair prior to preparing
the final written report to the Provost on the status of the leadership
of the department head/chair. The report shall include a summary of the
responses to the evaluation instrument and proposed actions that will be
taken to address departmental goals and identified deficiencies, if applicable.
If the Dean determines that a change in the leadership of the Department
should take place, the report shall include such a recommendation to the
Provost. The Provost must approve a Dean’s recommendation to terminate
a Department Head appointment.
2.7. Report to the Faculty. After the dean has discussed the results
of the evaluation with the department head and the Provost, the dean shall
report to the department faculty that the evaluation has concluded and indicate
that the head/chair will either continue or not continue as head/chair of
the department. This report to the departmental faculty should occur prior
to the end of the semester in which the review has taken place.
3. These procedures do not preclude a faculty member from individually
expressing views with regard to departmental leadership or programs to the
dean, the provost and executive vice chancellor, or the chancellor at any
mutually agreeable time.
4. These procedures do not preclude the dean from consulting with
the Provost regarding the departmental leadership at any mutually agreeable
time.
5. The confidentiality of documents generated through this process
shall be respected at all times.
