Article 10, Evaluation, of the AFUM collective bargaining agreement requires that all unit members be evaluated by a peer committee annually, except as shown below.

• Any unit member having the rank of Professor with tenure and any unit member having the rank of Extension Educator with continuing contract shall be evaluated by the department, division or other appropriate unit every four (4) years, or more frequently upon written request of the unit member.
• Any unit member having the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, any unit member having the rank of Associate Extension Educator with continuing contract and any Lecturer with over six (6) years of continuous service in the same department, division or other appropriate unit shall be evaluated by the department, division or other appropriate unit every four (4) years, or more frequently upon written request of the unit member.

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2024-2025 Timetable for AFUM Reappointment Actions

Activity	First Year	Second Year	Third and Subsequent Year
Chair instructs Peer Committee regarding specific faculty to be considered, the deadline and appropriate procedures for Peer Committee action.	December 15*	September 15*	March 15*
Faculty member submits credentials to Peer Committee. Except for submission in the third and subsequent year appointment round, there is no standard form for this purpose.	January 3	October 4	April 4
Peer Committee forwards its recommendation to the Chair and to the faculty member. The faculty member may respond to this recommendation, in writing, within one week.	January 15*	October 15*	April 30*
Chair (Dean or Director, as appropriate) receives faculty member’s written response, if any, to the Peer Committee’s recommendation.	January 22* or within one week of receipt of the Peer Comm.’s recommendation	October 22* or within one week of receipt of the Peer Comm.’s recommendation	May 7* or within one week of receipt of the Peer Comm.’s recommendation
Chair (Dean or Director) forwards the Peer Committee’s recommendation, the written response of the faculty member, if any, and his/her recommendation to the Dean. The faculty member must be sent a copy of the Chair’s recommendation at the time it is forwarded to the next level of review.	February 12	November 12	May 14
Provost receives the recommendations submitted to the Dean and the Dean’s recommendation. The faculty member must be sent a copy of the Dean’s recommendation at the time it is forwarded to the Executive Vice President and Provost.	March 5	December 10	May 28
Faculty receive notice of the President’s decision.	March 31*	January 15*	June 30*
*Deadline specified in Article 7; other deadlines are administrative.

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Reappointment Administrative Guidelines

Reappointment Procedure

Sections C and D of Article 7 of the AFUM collective bargaining agreement outline a peer recommendation process for reappointment/non-reappointment which is very similar to the process used in promotion and tenure decisions. The main points of the process are summarized here.

Consideration of faculty for reappointment is automatic; the unit member does not have to request consideration. It is the department’s responsibility to identify those faculty who need to be considered for reappointment in 2024-2025 and schedule the review to fall in the appropriate reappointment cycle. Non fixed length unit faculty whose current appointment ends on or before August 31, 2025 must be considered for reappointment during the coming year.

The department chairperson is responsible for convening the peer evaluation committee. The chairperson may be an observer of the deliberations of the committee evaluation. The chairperson will provide the peer committee access to the personnel file, including student evaluation results. The peer committee or the chairperson of the peer committee must meet with the faculty member who is being evaluated for a frank discussion of the faculty member’s performance, if such a meeting is requested by the faculty member. This meeting should occur before the peer committee puts its evaluation in writing. Once the evaluation is in writing, the faculty member has one week in which to comment, also in writing, if they so desire. The response must be attached to the evaluation and both placed in the personnel file.

The peer committee need not evaluate any faculty member whose service will cease at the end of the current year. That is, any faculty member who has stated in writing an intent to resign or retire, any faculty member completing a terminal year, or any faculty member with a fixed-length or soft-money appointment which will expire this year and will not be renewed.

Following receipt of the peer committee evaluation and after the period in which faculty may comment in writing, chairpersons will prepare their evaluations which will be discussed with the dean (vice president in units without deans) according to college practice prior to being communicated, also in writing, to the faculty member.

Evaluation Criteria and Student Evaluation Forms

Each peer committee should annually review departmental evaluation criteria and student evaluation forms and procedures to consider revisions. Any revision is subject to administrative review and becomes effective at the beginning of the following academic or fiscal year. Proposed revisions to criteria should be submitted for administrative review by June 1.

Fixed Length Faculty

To ensure that AFUM faculty holding a multi-year, fixed-length term appointment who will continue their position into the next year are evaluated via the regular peer review process, they are included in the first year cycle. If their appointment is expected to end with the 2024-2025 academic year, no action is required beyond notifying the Dean or other administrative officers that the faculty member is not continuing their position at the present time. All AFUM unit faculty holding fixed-length appointments will receive a notice from the President reminding them of the nature of their appointment by March 31 if it is ending. It is especially important that department chairs clearly communicate with fixed-length faculty about the nature of their position and potential reemployment opportunities. Approval of AFUM is required to extend fixed-length faculty beyond three years of service.

Joint Appointments

Faculty holding joint appointments are reviewed by a single peer committee for the purpose of evaluation, reappointment, tenure and promotion.  The composition of the peer committee for the unit member in a joint appointment shall reflect the proportion of responsibilities assigned to the unit member in each department, division, or other appropriate unit.  For the purpose of evaluation, reappointment, promotion, and tenure there shall be a single recommendation from the peer committee.  Please note that a cooperating (unsalaried) appointment is not a joint appointment.

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Departmental Evaluation Criteria

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