A-to-Z Index

Policy 1307
Performance Evaluation of Administrative & Professional Faculty

Date of Current Revision:  July, 2011
Responsible Officer: Director of Human Resources

1. PURPOSE

This policy delineates the method for providing annual performance evaluations of administrative and professional faculty members.

2. AUTHORITY

The JMU Board of Visitors has the authority to establish policy concerning the employment of individuals at the university. Where the board has not enacted specific policy, the authority is delegated to the president.

3.DEFINITIONS

Administrative & Professional Faculty (A&P faculty)
Administrative faculty and professional faculty are normally referred to collectively, as both require advanced learning acquired by prolonged formal instruction and/or specialized training and work experience. However, the university recognizes administrative faculty and professional faculty as distinct position types.

Administrative Faculty positions are generally senior administrators who perform work related to the management of the educational and general activities of the university, for at least fifty percent (50%) of their work. Typically, administrative faculty serve in executive leadership roles such as vice president, provost, dean, assistant or associate vice president or dean, assistant or associate vice provost. Other administrative faculty roles can include (1) those responsible for the administrative direction of separately designated divisions or departments of institutional activity; (2) positions whose primary responsibility is to attract external funds; or (3) positions that are characterized by active, continuing involvement in formulating, interpreting and implementing institutional policy, and exercise substantial independence, authority and discretion in areas such as program planning, design and allocation of resources. The organizational reporting relationship for administrative faculty is normally not lower than three levels below Executive Council positions. For Academic Affairs, this would include: Vice Provost/Dean (level 1), Academic Unit Head/Director (level 2) and Associate Director (level 3).

Professional Faculty require advanced learning and experience acquired by prolonged formal instruction and/or specialized work experience. Typical professional faculty positions are librarians, counselors, coaches, physicians, lawyers, engineers and architects. Other professional positions may support education, research, University Life and other such activities. Professional faculty positions must require the incumbent to regularly exercise professional discretion and judgment and to produce work that is intellectual and varied and is not standardized.

A&P Faculty Job Document:
The required form for conducting performance evaluation. It is available online and consists of:

  • Section 1: Job Description
  • Section 2: Objectives for the Performance Cycle
  • Section 3: Performance Evaluation

4. APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all administrative and professional faculty members and those who supervise administrative and professional faculty members.

5. POLICY

Each administrative and professional faculty member's performance will be formally evaluated annually.

6. PROCEDURE

The annual evaluation period for administrative and professional faculty members is July 1 to June 30. Annual performance evaluations are to be conducted between June 1 and Aug. 31 each year. The immediate supervisor must discuss the evaluation with the individual being evaluated and the individual must receive a copy of the evaluation.

The Administrative & Professional Faculty Job Document must be used to define the employee's job description, set and track objectives, conduct the annual performance evaluation, and track professional development needs and progress.

Section 1 of the job document - the Job Description - must be sent to Human Resources when it is first established and/or written and subsequently when it is changed.

The performance evaluation process includes reviewing the progress of goals and objectives set for the preceding performance cycle as well as setting goals and objectives for the succeeding performance cycle.

The original performance evaluation will be retained in the employee's file in the department office.

Multiple sources of information - e.g. client/customer feedback, feedback on supervisor by subordinates, peer feedback, self-assessment - should be incorporated into the evaluation process.

7. RESPONSIBILITIES

It is the responsibility of each supervisor of an administrative or professional faculty member to formally evaluate the employee's performance annually, which should be the culmination of regular feedback and coaching.

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to work with the employee in completing the Job Description (Section 1) and ensuring it is submitted to Human Resources initially and then re-sent whenever it is updated. Section 1 is the only section of the document that should be copied to Human Resources. The supervisor must maintain a copy of the entire job document in his or her files while the employee is actively employed and for 5 years following termination. The employee must also be given a copy.

8. SANCTIONS

Sanctions will be commensurate with the severity and/or frequency of the offense and may include termination of employment.

9. EXCLUSIONS

This policy does not apply to instructional faculty members.

10. INTERPRETATION

The authority to interpret this policy rests with the president and is generally delegated to the Director of Human Resources.

Previous version: November, 2009
Approved by the President: May, 2006

Index Terms:
Evaluation
Performance