CHAPTER III
FACULTY AND STAFF

SECTION IV. ROLE, CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS, BENEFITS,
EXPENSES, AND EVALUATIONS OF PRESIDENTS

D.  Evaluations of Presidents. The performance of the institution presidents shall be individually evaluated on a regular basis according to a process approved by the Board. The evaluations are intended to (1) fulfill Board responsibility for making certain that each institution is well managed, (2) help the presidents improve their performance, (3) make certain that sound institutional goals are being pursued, and (4) identify opportunities for improving the management and planning functions of the University of Louisiana System and its constituent universities. (Addition approved 8/27/99)

SECTION X. FACULTY RANK

D.  Evaluation. Each institution shall evaluate each faculty member and administrator on an annual basis, and the evaluation shall be filed in appropriate files. The institution's policy for faculty evaluations shall include definite and stated criteria, consistent with policies and procedures of the Board and the institution, for evaluating the performance of each faculty member. As part of its evaluative procedures, each institution will utilize a system of periodic faculty evaluations by students, with the improvement of teaching effectiveness as a major focus of such evaluations. Institutions are encouraged to utilize multiple sources of information (e.g., student ratings of instruction, peer evaluations, etc.) in their review processes. Evaluations are to assess performance in an appropriate mix of teaching, research, and service. Each university president will ensure that merit, i.e., adequacy of performance as determined by the evaluation system of the institution, shall be a primary factor in decisions of faculty retention, compensation, promotions, and other advancements. (Addition approved 8/25/00)

Section 5.7.6 of the University's Policy and Procedure Manual [3] also documents the Board's policy on administrative evaluations:

5.7.6 Professional Development/Performance Evaluation

Chapter III, Section X.D of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System board rules calls for yearly evaluation of each faculty member and administrator. The Board also requires that these evaluations be filed in appropriate personnel files.

The president is evaluated by the University of Louisiana System's President on an annual basis, and these evaluations are additionally tied to merit pay increases [4]. Documentation of this process is evidenced by an article citing recent salary increases for university presidents in the University of Louisiana System [5]. University presidents are also evaluated annually by the vice presidents and others directly supervised by presidents. [6].

Annual evaluations of other University administrators are conducted as follows:

The Office of Assessment and Institutional Research coordinates annual evaluations of administrators for the Division of Academic Affairs. The evaluation process flows up and down within the organization. From the bottom up, a memo [7] is sent to Academic Affairs administrators as an annual reminder that evaluation surveys are to be completed. Once processed, upper-level administration receives those results and then disseminates them to the deans, directors, and department heads. These results become part of the official, annual evaluation of each administrator. Different evaluation instruments have been developed and are used, such as the Evaluation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs by academic staff [8], the Evaluation of Vice President for Academic Affairs by Non-Academic Staff [9], and the Evaluation of Academic Deans/Department Heads/Directors [10]. A sample of results is electronically available [10A].

The Division of Finance and Administration has two different evaluation tools that are currently being used to evaluate administrators [11 A and B]. The evaluation form used to evaluate the Vice President for Finance and Administration is sent to all department heads in Finance and Administration. Each department head completes the form anonymously and returns it to the Finance and Administration office where the forms are compiled and then sent to the Vice President for review and consideration. In addition, the Vice President for Finance and Administration completes evaluation forms for administrative/professional staff under his immediate supervision. These evaluations are used for merit-based salary adjustments. Samples of completed forms are available at this link [11A].

Department heads evaluate the Vice President for Student Affairs on an annual basis. The Division of Student Affairs has an unclassified employee performance review program that includes annual evaluation of the Vice President [12]. A completed evaluation form is available at this link [12A]. The process includes participation by subordinates, as well as line and staff personnel [13]. The end result of the performance review process is the creation of a continuous improvement plan (professional development plan) for each employee [14].

The Division of Institutional Advancement evaluates administrators and staff on an annual basis following a standard evaluation procedure [15] and using a standardized form [16]. The purpose of the evaluation is to clearly define and communicate expectations for the performance period to allow the employee to successfully meet expectations. A completed evaluation form is available at this link [16A].

The University's Annual Planning Process, as described in Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1 [17] and Core Requirement 2.5 [18], also serves as a comprehensive evaluation of administrators through an assessment of their effectiveness in leading their units toward the accomplishment of the University's Strategic Plan via the stated annual goals. The Planning Advisory Group evaluates their accomplishments each year and offers feedback for improvement.