What was the primary guiding rationale behind the new faculty evaluation system?
The primary rationale behind the new faculty evaluation system was threefold. First, the old system was felt to be subjective, retrospective, and did not do a good job of differentiating between faculty who were doing solid and satisfactory work, and faculty with truly exceptional achievements. By contrast, we wanted a system that was objective, transparent, and prospective. Second, we wanted an evaluation process that was consistent with the strategic goals of the University (i.e., to attain Carnegie Research Extensive classification) and the College’s role in those goals, the latter as reflected in the College’s Mission, Goals, and Objectives. The University is moving in the direction of greater emphasis on scholarly activity and funding and the new evaluation system accordingly reflects this shift in priorities, particularly by placing greater emphasis on research and scholarly production. Third, we wanted an evaluation system that would communicate College and University values, es
