Southern Polytechnic State University P & P No.: 814.05
Policy and Procedure Manual Date: April 2000
Approved: April 7, 2000

Department Head Reviews

This policy describes Southern Polytechnic's process and procedure for evaluating department heads. Reviews will be of two types: annual and five-year. Five-year reviews will occur in spring term of a department head's fifth year of service as a department head and every subsequent five years. The primary intent of both reviews is to be constructive.

The secondary goal of the annual review of the department head's performance will also be to assist the dean and the vice president for academic affairs in determining appropriate raises. The secondary goal in the case of five-year reviews will be program enhancement as well as for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of a department's leadership in achieving the university's, as well as the departments goals, objectives, and mission.

Annual Review Process

A. Annual reviews are based on:

1. Position description - see attached;
2. Feedback received from department faculty using the approved instrument - see attached; and
3. Department head's activity report - which includes information on progress of the department and personal accomplishments of the department head in the areas of Teaching, Scholarship, and Service.
B. In the case of colleges, the review will be conducted by the dean.

Five-year Review Process

A. Five-year reviews are based on:

1. Annual reviews for the last four (4) years;

2. Academic program review final reports and progress reports;

3. Department head's reflective report including goals of the department for the past four years and progress in meeting those and institutional goals; and

4. Department faculty comments as to the effectiveness of the department head's leadership and the progress, or lack thereof, that the department has made in accomplishing its and the university's goals and objective.

 B. The departmental committee shall consist of 3 to 5 members, one of whom must be from another department. This committee will be appointed by the college dean after consultation with the department.

C. After gathering and analyzing the information referred to above, the department committee will develop a confidential report that addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the department head in terms of leadership in the areas referred to above. In the report, the department committee must include any areas of concern it has identified, and offer suggestions or actions that it believes can be taken to improve departmental effectiveness.

D. This report, along with the data the committee collected, must be sent to the college dean.

E. The dean and the department committee shall meet to discuss the report and develop a joint action plan. The dean and the chair of the department committee shall meet with the department head and discuss the content and implementation of the action plan devised in D above.

F. The agreed-upon implementation report resulting from E above is reported to the vice president for academic affairs.

G. A report as to the department head's progress relative to F will be a part of the college dean's annual report to the vice president of academic affairs during intervening years.

"A key position in the hierarchy of college and university administration is that of department head, for it is the department head who must supervise the translation of institutional goals and policies into academic practice."

Chairing The Academic Department by Allan Tucker

Position Description of Department Heads
As shown by both the annual and periodic review procedures, a department head has important responsibilities, both to the dean and to the departmental faculty. department heads report to the dean of their school/college and are responsible for the day-to-day operation of their department in the following areas:

1. Leadership: working with the departmental faculty in an effort to provide leadership to the department by developing and articulating a vision and long-range plan for the department that is consistent with the mission and strategic plan of the university, by developing and maintaining a governance structure that promotes and supports collegiality, and by analyzing and resolving problems;

2. Instruction: responsible for scheduling, and curriculum and laboratory development; satisfactorily fulfilling teaching responsibilities within the department, and for being actively involved in the evaluation and improvement of his/her own teaching as well as for the department as a whole; encourages faculty to maintain high academic standards and seeks to insure that professional, SACS, and Regents' standards regarding class meetings, instructor qualifications, course content and level of student accomplishment are met or exceeded; fosters an atmosphere in which critical academic thought and currency in the discipline flourish;

3. Communications: responsible for keeping departmental faculty informed of relevant departmental policies, procedures, goals, initiatives, and plans; for facilitating campus communication; and for listening carefully to faculty members and allowing faculty input in decision-making;

4. Morale: provide an atmosphere conducive to the development and maintenance of good morale and collegiality. To this end, the department head fosters an atmosphere of full and professional discussion of departmental and university affairs; shows trust in the faculty and displays respect for their opinions and judgment; encourages and supports faculty efforts to remain current in their field, to remain active in professional organizations, and to experiment with changes in teaching; also, efforts in professional growth and development, scholarship, and research; favorably acknowledges effort and makes an effort to reward success;

5. Budget: develop, oversee, and manage the budget; seeks to obtain the resources necessary for the faculty and the department to fulfill their responsibilities in teaching and learning and to provide a pleasant, professional environment in which to do so;

6. Personnel Decisions and Morale: coordinate the recruitment, selection, and orientation of faculty and staff, evaluate and recommend for appointment, reappointment, non-reappointment, promotion, tenure, and pre- and post-tenure reviews, as well as conduct accurate appraisals of faculty and staff performance for their annual evaluation, for integrating new faculty into campus life;

7. Organizational Skills: preparing reports and maintaining records, demonstrating the ability to delegate authority and responsibility to insure the overall organizational effectiveness of the department;

8. External Relations: foster relationships with community agencies, industries and institutions; promote the department's image to the profession, other academic institutions, and the community; work effectively with peers on campus; and encourage and facilitate faculty securing outside funding and resources;

9. Assessment/Outcomes: coordinate the development, implementation, and evaluation of the department's outcomes assessment program and use the results to improve the department's program(s), retention and graduation rates, and aid in implementing the institution's overall General Education Learning Outcomes, student retention and recruitment;

10. Advising: develop, implement, maintain and assess the department's advising program in an effort to ensure its effectiveness, continual improvement, and consistency with the University's advising goals and objectives;

11. Professional Development and Scholarship: foster, participate in, and support faculty and staff professional development, and faculty and staff scholarship; and

12. Other duties as assigned by the dean of the college/school.

 Department Head Review Form