POLICY STATEMENT

April 15, 1986

                                                                                                                        Number: 86-07

                                                                                                                        File:  External Evaluation

The following policy was  recommended by the
Academic Senate in its meeting of March 20, 1986,
and received the concurrence of the President on
April 8, 1986.

SUBJECT:        PROCEDURES FOR EXTERNAL EVALUATIONS

        In rare instances a candidate for retention, tenure, or promotion may submit materials for review and evaluation that represent a subdiscipline or field of interest that is outside the expertise of the individuals who serve in the evaluative process.  When this is determined to be the case, the University may provide, under certain circumstances, an external review of the materials in question.  This procedure is to be appended to University Policy 85-04, "Retention, Tenure, and Promotion," or its successor.

Determine of Need for an External Review

        The request for an external review of RTP materials submitted by a candidate may be initiated at any level of review by the candidate, the department committee, the department chair, the school committee, the dean, the Vice President for Faculty and Staff Relations, or the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Such a request shall document (1) the special circumstances which necessitate an outside reviewer, (2) the specific RTP criteria involved, and (3) the nature of the materials needing the evaluation of an external reviewer.  The request must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs with the concurrence of the candidate.

Process for Selecting the External Reviewer

        After an external review has been approved, the Vice President for Faculty and Staff Relations shall request from all individuals in the review process and the candidate nominations of off-campus experts who are judged to be competent to review and evaluate the quality of the materials in question.  Each individual nominated shall be approved by the candidate.  A list of all approved reviewers shall be submitted to the dean and the school committee who will jointly select three off-campus experts and submit this list to the Vice President for Faculty and Staff Relations.  The Vice President shall then select one or more off-campus expert(s) from the three recommended and invite the person(s) selected to serve as an external reviewer.  After consultation with the candidate, the Vice President shall forward to the external reviewer(s) the agreed upon materials needed to complete the review process and shall set a date for the completion of this task.  The candidate shall be privy to all correspondence involving evaluative procedures and decisions.  The cost of the external review, if any, shall be borne by the University.

The Reviewer's Report

        The external reviewer shall be expected to examine all the relevant materials forwards by the Vice President and write a comprehensive report assessing the quality and value of the faculty member's contributions in terms of the RTP criteria in question.  The final report shall be shared with the candidate and included in the RTP review process.  The report shall be treated as additional evidence and considered along with all other evidence by each level of review starting with the department committee.  When an external reviewer is made a part of the RTP process, timelines shall still be observed for forwarding recommendations to the next level of review.  If the external evaluator fails to meet the relevant deadlines, the candidate's material shall be forwarded to the next level without prejudice.