END-OF-YEAR CONVERSATIONS

One of the most important jobs that a Chair has to perform annually is to conduct effective and meaningful end-of-year conversations with untenured faculty (except those undergoing a third-year review) to review and discuss their performance and professional development. Each spring you will be reminded to do this. These are mandated by the Faculty Handbook and failure to conduct them may result in a challenge to due process in the case of a negative third-year or tenure review.

To make these conversations most useful to your untenured colleague, you should discuss:

• the strengths and weaknesses of teaching,
• scholarly progress,
• departmental and college citizenship, 
• priorities and goals between now and the next review.

You should consult with your tenured colleagues (or members of your colleague's special review committee, if his/her review will be conducted with a special committee), so that you can represent their views as well as your own personal perspective.

A challenge you will face is finding evidence to help frame this conversation. It may be helpful to work with the untenured faculty members to identify what they might be able and willing to provide that will allow you to be appropriately informed. For example, a sample of course evaluations might be very helpful, as might a list of scholarly activities, or parts of the untenured faculty member’s biennial review letter to the Dean. It is important for you to be as helpful and candid as possible. One of the hardest things for newer faculty to understand is what constitutes effective and sustainable teaching and scholarly accomplishment at Carleton. You need to try to help them get this perspective.

Some chairs have found that the most helpful conversations are informed by an informal exchange of classroom observations. This should begin by you or another senior colleague offering to have a junior colleague sit in on your class. Let the return invitation come from your junior colleague.

Because the end of spring term can be a hectic time and not always conducive to the type of reflection this conversation requires, we require that these meetings should take place somewhere between the time you receive the memo reminding you to undertake the conversations and the first day of classes in the Fall. The Dean’s office will send you a form for your use in documenting these conversations. Though it need not be lengthy, be sure to include a summary of the substance of the conversation.  Please contact the Dean if you have questions about these conversations or wish to discuss ways of effectively addressing difficult issues.