Report of the Faculty Personnel Committee 1996-97

  The Faculty Personnel Committee respectfully submits this report of its activities for the 1996-97 academic year.

Members of the committee were:

Bruce Branchaud, Chemistry

Virginia Cartwright, Architecture

Joseph Fracchia, Honors College

Helen Gernon, Business

Peter Gilkey, Mathematics

Mary Gleason, Special Education

Barbara Gordon-Lickey, Psychology

Robert Kyr, Music

James O'Fallon, Law (Chair)

Brad Shelton, Mathematics

Michael Davis, Graduate Student

Matthew Scotten/Kelli McCarten, Undergraduate Student

Ms. McCarten replaced Mr. Scotten after he resigned from the committee.

The committee reviewed a total of 47 cases, and made recommendations to the Provost in 44 of them. 25 of the cases involved tenure and promotion, 6 involved tenure only, 15 involved promotion only, and one involved reinstatement of tenure. The committee registered a majority negative vote in two promotion with tenure cases, and two promotion only cases. The Provost denied tenure in one of the promotion with tenure cases, and delayed a final decision in the other. He denied promotion in one promotion only case, and granted it in the other. In the two cases where the Provost chose a resolution different than the majority position of the FPC, the FPC vote was closely divided. In all other cases, the Provost acted consistent with a favorable recommendation of the FPC. The committee declined to make a recommendation in three cases that came to it very late in the term, under circumstances that made it impossible, in the committee's judgment, to give full and fair consideration. Because they were promotion only cases, they were set over for consideration by the 1997-98 FPC, with the opportunity to address issues relating to the completeness of the files.

The work of the committee was hampered and the process delayed in many instances by problems with the files identified only at the FPC level, such as missing signatures, failure to provide a statement of departmental performance criteria, or inadequate presentation of teaching data. The FPC strongly urges the Provost's office to offer training to department members who are managing personnel cases, and urges that all those who are involved in evaluating cases pay careful attention to both the substance of the case, and the adequacy of the file to permit an informed judgment by people who do not have special expertise in the field. The committee did not note any particular defects in the procedures followed for processing personnel cases, but it became acutely aware of the difficulties that flow from delay in the process. We urge candidates and departmental/college committees alike to push for early completion of files.

The committee was appreciative of the assistance of Lorraine Davis, Jack Rice, and Carol White in the Provost's office.