F98-2 Selection and Review of Administrators
 

Legislative History:

At its meeting of October 5, 1998, the Academic Senate approved the following policy recommendation presented by James Brent for the Organization and Government Committee.

ACTION BY THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:
"Accepted as University Policy" signed Robert Caret 10-23-98

POLICY RECOMMENDATION

SELECTION AND REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATORS

Repeals S80-6, S76-12, S82-6, and S73-13
 

Financial Impact: None

I Administrator Searches and Appointments

1. Applicability. This policy applies to searches for and reviews of vice presidents, academic administrators (including the Dean of Continuing Education; the Chief Information Officer; and the Associate Academic Vice Presidents of Faculty Affairs, Institutional Planning and Academic Resources, Graduate Studies and Research, and Curriculum and Assessment), college deans, and the library director.

2. Vacancies and Initiation of Procedures. As soon as possible after it is known that a vacancy has occurred or will occur in any of these positions, the President shall cause a selection committee to be formed in accordance with these procedures.

3. Composition of Search Committee. Committees shall be large enough to allow for sufficiently broad representation, yet small enough so as not to be unwieldy. Faculty, students, and administrators shall all be represented. Consideration should be given to breadth of representation, with respect to lower as well as upper faculty ranks, area of management responsibility, and with respect to gender and ethnicity. Regular (tenured and tenure-track) faculty shall comprise a majority on all search committees. If appropriate, staff, alumni, and community representatives may serve on search committees. The search committee for college deans shall be composed of seven members: three tenured faculty who are not department chairs elected by and from the college faculty (but not more than one from any department); two department chairs from the college elected by its department chairs; one tenured faculty member from another college designated by the Provost; and one student. The committee may be expanded to eight members to include a representative of the community designated by the Provost. Elections for the three faculty representatives from the college shall be arranged and conducted by an ad hoc elections committee comprised of all department chairs in that college. Each department in the college shall nominate one student from its majors, and the Provost shall designate one student as a committee member from the departmental nominees.

4. Appointment. For all positions except decanal search committees, an open nomination process for potential committee members should be used. The Academic Senate shall publish notice of intention to appoint a search committee and shall solicit written nominations for membership on the committee from the University community. Committee members shall be selected from among those nominated by mutual consent of the president and the Executive Committee. If the president and the Executive Committee cannot arrive at mutual agreement, the president shall confer with the chair of the Senate to attempt to arrive at a mutually satisfactory course of action. Failing that, the president shall appoint the membership. The chair shall be selected by the president from the committee membership.

5. Scope and Procedures. The scope and procedures of the search process shall be determined by the committee after consultation with the President or his/her designee. The scope and procedures of the search, the target date for the report, the funds and clerical assistance available, the minimum requirements for candidates, the qualifications of the expected finalists, and other matters relating to the selection process should be discussed. The scope of the search shall always be as wide as feasible under the circumstances and shall be conducted in accordance with the University's Equal Opportunity policy. Likely candidates should be interviewed. Provisions should be made for the campus community to meet the candidates. The deliberations and recommendations of the committee shall be confidential.

6. Committee Recommendations. At the conclusion of its search, the committee shall report to the President, without ranking, the names of the best qualified candidates. The President shall meet with the committee to discuss its recommendations. The President may appoint any person recommended by the committee. Members of the committee shall not take part in negotiations with a candidate unless requested to do so by the President. The search committee's records shall be turned over to the President with its report.

7. Action by the President. If the President decides not to appoint, or is unable to appoint, any of the recommended candidates, the President may ask the committee to extend the search, or the President may consult with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate regarding appointment of a new selection committee for a new search, consistent with the provisions of this policy.

8. Acting Appointments. An acting appointment may be made by the President to fill a temporary vacancy in these offices. In making such an appointment, the President shall consult with the elected members of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate. Acting appointments normally terminate after one year, unless a shorter time is specified at the time of

the appointment. In unusual circumstances, an acting appointment may be renewed or extended, with the same consultation as initially required.

II. Reviews of Administrators

1. Timing of Review. If the incumbent wishes to continue in their position beyond the sixth year, a review of the incumbent shall be initiated according to the provisions of this policy in the second semester of the fifth year of an incumbent's term. The review shall be concluded early in the sixth year of the incumbent's term. The President may at any time initiate an interim review.

2. Appointment and Composition of Review Committee. For all offices, a review committee shall be appointed and constituted in accordance with the procedures specified in Part I, Sections 3 and 4 of this policy, except that the Academic Vice President shall not be eligible to serve on committees to review the library director, college deans, or the dean of Continuing Education.

3. Criteria for Review. The review committee, in consultation with the President (for all direct reports) or the provost (for all other offices), shall specify the criteria for evaluating the incumbent's job performance. The criteria shall be constructed in light of the incumbent's job description. The incumbent shall be asked to examine the criteria developed and to make such comments or suggestions as may seem advisable.

4. Procedures for Review. The review committee, in consultation with the President (for all direct reports) or the provost (for all other offices), shall develop procedures for conducting the review. The procedures shall be designed to secure information and appraisals of performance from as many persons as may be feasible who are knowledgeable of the incumbent's performance. If he/she so desires, the incumbent shall be given an opportunity to provide the review committee with a self-evaluation based upon the criteria developed by the committee. The opinions and judgments received by review committees, the deliberations and reports of such committees, and any accompanying materials, shall be confidential.

5. Report of the Review Committee.
 

a. The review committee shall consult with the President (for all direct reports) or the provost (for all other offices) before drafting its report. Following that consultation, and at the conclusion of its evaluative activities, the review committee shall prepare a written report embodying findings and conclusions. The report of the review committee shall include a statement of strengths and weaknesses found in the incumbent's performance with respect to the evaluative criteria. All raw data collected for review shall accompany, but not be part of, the review committee's report.

b. The report shall normally contain a specific recommendation by the review committee that the incumbent be reappointed or not be reappointed, with or without qualification. A majority vote of the review committee shall be sufficient to approve the report; the numerical vote shall be stated in the report. A minority report or reports shall be appended if requested by any member of the committee. Minority reports shall be seen by all members of a review committee.

c. Before forwarding the report, the review committee shall:

1. 1. 1. provide a draft copy of the proposed report to the incumbent
      2. provide the incumbent with an opportunity to meet with the review committee in order to discuss the report
      3. provide the incumbent with the opportunity to submit to the committee a written statement which shall become part of the report to the President

   d. The president shall again consult with the review committee to share his or her inclination and the reasons therefore.

6. Action of the President. Ultimate responsibility for the retention of administrators belongs to the President. If, after discussion with the review committee, the incumbent, and other appropriate sources of information, the President is inclined to believe a decision other than that recommended by the committee would best serve the interests of the University, before acting on that inclination the President shall:
 

a. Consult with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, at which time both the report of the review committee and the reasons why the President is inclined to a decision other than that recommended would be revealed to and shared with the Executive Committee. The purpose of such a meeting would be to ascertain if some mutually agreeable course of action or decision can be found upon which the President could act. Failing that, the President shall

b. Make such decision as he or she considers best for the welfare of the university.