Faculty Affairs

Annual Performance Reviews (APRs) serve as an important tool for discussing faculty members' performance, goals, and progress toward promotion and tenure for tenure-eligible faculty. >

The following faculty members should receive annual performance reviews:

• Tenured faculty (including faculty who are retiring at the end of Spring 2023 as faculty are still under contract)
• Tenure-eligible faculty
• Career-track faculty (including all lecturer, instructor, professor of practice, and research professor)

Faculty with “adjunct” and “visiting” in their titles and those on a part-time or limited-term status (i.e., a period of less than six months) do not require reviews unless department heads would like to complete them.

Reviews of faculty with split appointments are carried out in the primary department but should include input from the secondary department.

If a faculty member is undergoing a retention/third-year review, this feedback will be more formally documented as part of that process. These faculty members should still receive an APR during the retention review year to document ratings specific to their performance in the past year.

If a faculty member is on a sabbatical or professional development leave during the fall or spring semester, these faculty members should still receive an APR.

Links to documents for the current review cycle are posted here to help provide guidance about criteria, procedures, and deadlines.

CALENDAR FOR ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS CY 2023

Additionally, each department administers its own unit-specific criteria and procedures in accordance with college and university guidelines.

Information about university procedures can be found in the University Handbook for Appointed Personnel (UHAP 3.2).

UA Vitae

The university uses an online system, UA Vitae, as a centralized activity-tracking tool for annual performance reviews. This system allows faculty members to enter their contributions in teaching, research, and service/outreach throughout the year in preparation for their APR.  

The system also feeds each user's information to UA Profiles so that faculty members' achievements are accessible on a public website.

Additional resources such as FAQs, how-to guides, and video tutorials can be found on the UA Vitae website.

As many of you know, there have been several changes to the university’s annual performance review policies and procedures. Changes to the UHAP Policies 3.2 and 4A.2 for were approved in June 2022. The College is working with department heads to update their policies to comply with these updates.

(A summary of the key changes are below. (The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs version is here.)

1.       Faculty will have less information to enter in UA Vitae. Numerous fields have been eliminated/hidden.

• For the annual review process, COE faculty are now only required to upload a CV, upload an Annual Review Narrative of the individual’s performance in teaching, research (if applicable), and service/outreach (in accordance with their departmental policies) during the past calendar year, and verify course lists. If departments require additional materials (e.g., a self-evaluation), those expectations will be communicated separately by department heads and/or outlined in the department’s policy.
• Some fields will remain in UA Vitae, but they are not necessary for the APR process. These sections include: Scholarly Contributions/Publications and Creative Productions; Honors, Awards, and Fellowships; Grants and Contracts; GradPath Advising; and Undergraduate Research Opportunities. Faculty should still enter/verify this information throughout the year, where applicable, especially if faculty would like to ensure their info is current in UA Profiles.

2.       UA Vitae/Faculty180 (the annual performance review system) will be renamed to Faculty Annual Profile for the CY 2023 APR cycle.

3.       Ratings: The University’s goal is for APRs to provide more formative feedback and less evaluative feedback. Additionally, the five-point numeric system is being replaced with new descriptors.

Committees will formally use only two ratings. However, they can make recommendations to the head for the other ratings using the comments field in UA Vitae.

4.      Department peer review committees’ feedback must now be shared with the faculty member.  Like department heads, committees are required to enter comments in the UA Vitae system to ensure reviewees can see formative comments regarding their performance.

5.      In the past, meetings between heads/directors and reviewees were required in departments, but the new UHAP policy specifies that meetings should occur:

• annually for all tenure-eligible faculty, regardless of rating;

• annually for all career-track faculty who are at the initial rank in their career ladder (e.g.,  Assistant Professor, Lecturer);
• when the rating in any category is “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory”;
• when the faculty member disagrees with their evaluation;
• as requested by the faculty member, if not listed in the required categories above.

6.       Post-Tenure Review:

• As part of the annual Dean’s-Level Audit, the College Personnel Committee will now provide comments about reviewees’ post-tenure performance, which will be shared with tenured faculty members. (This will occur once at least every five years for tenured faculty members whose files are part of the Dean’s-Level Audit/Post Tenure Review process.)
• The department head is now expected to meet with those who have been audited to discuss the college-level Committee’s feedback.

The College of Education College Council is an elected group of faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students and serves as the primary vehicle of shared governance in the College. The council is charged with advising the dean of the College of Education on general issues affecting faculty, staff and students. Also, the council shall bring matters of interest arising among the faculty, staff, and students to the attention of the Dean.

Bylaws for Shared Governance

Career Track faculty who have been employed in the College of Education for a six-year period are eligible to take a Professional Development Leave to further any of the following objectives: teaching improvement; research and publication; and/or integration and interpretation of existing knowledge relevant to the faculty member’s professional responsibilities.

To submit an application for a professional development leave, Career Track faculty need to follow the same procedures and application for a sabbatical leave for tenure track faculty, noting on the application that the request is for a professional development leave.

The college deadline of December 2nd is firm.

Professional Development Leave For Career Track Faculty Policy

This section applies to the promotion and tenure review processes for tenure-eligible faculty, tenured faculty, and career-track faculty.  The levels of review include:

• Tenure-eligible and Tenured faculty
• Career-track faculty (professors of practice and research professors)
• Career-track faculty (lecturer series)

The University of Arizona Handbook for Appointed Personnel (UHAP) sets forth the official policies regarding the duties and responsibilities of faculty at The University of Arizona. 

UHAP 3.3, Promotion and Tenure, serves as a reference for the development of the College of Education's promotion and tenure criteria and procedures in teaching, research, creative activity, service and outreach. These criteria and procedures (see attached) are followed by all academic units in the college.

Each department or program, in turn, has unit-level criteria that are appropriate to the disciplines of its faculty. COE faculty may obtain unit-level information concerning the promotion and tenure process from their head or director.

At the end of each spring semester, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs publishes annual guidelines and checklists to use in preparing promotion and tenure dossiers. It is the responsibility of departments and candidates to ensure that the dossier is prepared according to the guidelines.

The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs also holds workshops each spring designed to provide information about the promotion process. The workshops explain the university's review procedures and offers guidance on preparing the promotion and tenure dossier. All candidates for promotion and/or tenure, promotion committees, heads, and directors are encouraged to attend the workshops. A candidate for a third-year review will also find these workshops helpful in becoming acquainted with the dossier preparation requirements at The University of Arizona. The COE Dean's Office also offers workshops specifically for COE faculty.

Those materials are provided below so that promotion candidates can reference them when preparing their dossiers.

TENURE-ELIGIBLE AND TENURED FACULTY

• Criteria for Promotion and Tenure by Rank
• PT Calendar Tenure-Track for 2024-2025

CAREER-TRACK FACULTY (PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE)

• Professor of Practice Promotion Criteria revised Jan_22_2020
• Promotion calendar for Career-Track faculty 2024-2025

CAREER-TRACK FACULTY (RESEARCH PROFESSOR)

• Career-Track Research Professor Criteria_approved 5-13-20

CAREER-TRACK FACULTY (LECTURER SERIES)

• Policy on Lecturer Positions Revised April 2023
• Promotion calendar for Career-Track Lecturer series 2024-2025

Retention / Third-Year Reviews

For tenure-eligible faculty, the annual performance review contains an assessment component addressing progress toward promotion and tenure. In addition, there is a third-year review.  UHAP 3.3.01 and 3.3.02 contain information about this review.

No later than the end of the third year in rank (unless adjusted for any approved delays), tenure-eligible assistant professors will undergo a retention review. For retention reviews, departments may seek additional assessments from outside the department and/or University regarding a candidate's professional accomplishments, stature as viewed by peers, and scholarly potential. After that review, their administrative head will inform them that they are being recommended for reappointment as an assistant professor or for nonrenewal at the expiration of the subsequent year of service in rank. In some cases, assistant professors who are reappointed in rank may be required to undergo another retention review in the following year. If a decision is made to reappoint faculty members, their head must provide them with a written evaluation identifying any problem areas which may preclude the granting of tenure. Reappointment in rank may be made without college or University review, but all tenure-eligible assistant professors will be formally evaluated at this stage by their head and their unit's Standing Committee on Faculty Status. If an administrative head recommends that a faculty member not be reappointed after the departmental level review, the faculty member will be reviewed at the college and University level according to the process described in Section 3.3.02. A college may also require college review of all retention cases.

Within the College of Education, all third-year reviews must be completed at the college level no later than March 15^th.

At the end of each spring semester, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs publishes guidelines and checklists to use in preparing dossiers. Because a third-year/retention review serves as a dress rehearsal for a promotion review, candidates and heads will use the same dossier templates used in a promotion and tenure dossier. It is the responsibility of departments and candidates to ensure that the dossier is prepared according to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs’ guidelines concerning dossier preparation.

The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs also holds workshops each spring designed to provide information about the promotion process. The workshops explain the university's review process and offers guidance on presenting the promotion and tenure dossier. All candidates for promotion and/or tenure, promotion committees, heads, and directors are encouraged to attend the workshops. A candidate for a third-year review will also find these workshops helpful in becoming acquainted with the dossier preparation requirements at The University of Arizona. The COE Dean's Office also offers workshops specifically for COE faculty.

Third-Year Review Calendar 2024-2025

In accordance with university policies, sabbatical leave may be granted at the discretion of the administration in order to enable appointed personnel to make advances in their profession, to remain effective in their current positions, or to render the greatest possible service to the University of Arizona. Sabbatical leaves are calculated on an academic-year basis. A faculty member who takes a sabbatical in a particular academic year (Fall, Spring, or full academic year) does not begin accumulating time towards the next sabbatical until the following academic year. 

The University Handbook for Appointed Personnel 8.03.02 explains the university’s sabbatical policy in detail. It specifies that sabbatical leaves may only be granted to appointed personnel who have served on full-time continuous fiscal or academic year appointments at the university for a period of not less than six years. Only individuals with tenure or continuing status are eligible for sabbatical leave. Leaves of absence without pay totaling no more than one year may be counted toward a sabbatical leave. Time served in excess of six years may not be accumulated toward future sabbaticals. To determine eligibility please contact the Dean’s Office at 621-1081 or by email.

In the fall of each year, a memorandum is sent by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs to all academic deans initiating the sabbatical process. The College of Education Dean’s Office initiates the sabbatical application and review process within the college immediately after the memorandum is received. All sabbatical leave applications within the College of Education should be submitted following the instructions provided by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. The applications are reviewed at the unit level by the Head or Director, who provides an assessment of the applicant’s project and a recommendation concerning the request for sabbatical leave. Heads and Directors are also responsible for ensuring that the sabbatical application is complete before presentation for college-level review. Please refer to attached message from the COE Dean’s Office concerning sabbatical leave applications and the items required for a complete file. Incomplete applications at the departmental level should not be forwarded to the college level. The college deadline of December 2nd is firm.

University policy requires that each college have a Sabbatical Review Committee consisting of at least three people. Within COE, the college-level review process begins after December 20th, the date by which Heads and Directors are to present sabbatical leave requests to the Dean’s Office. The college-level Sabbatical Review Committee provides its assessment and recommendation to the Dean by January 27th. COE applicants will be notified of the college-level decision in writing, usually no later than January 31st. Successful sabbatical leave applications are then reported to the Office of the Vice Provost. A candidate whose sabbatical proposal is rejected at the college level has the right to appeal to the university's Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee. 

A report documenting the sabbatical activities must be filed with the Dean’s Office to be forwarded to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs no later than the end of the second semester following a sabbatical leave.

Call for Sabbatical and PDL Development Applications
Sabbatical Leave Policy - UHAP 8.03.02
Sabbatical Leave Policy - ABOR 6-207
Professional Development Leave Policy

• Office of Instruction & Assessment
• Promotion Dossier Templates
• UA Vitae
• Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs