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 review.

You should consult with your tenured colleagues before these conversations to be sure you can represent more than just your own personal perspective. You should discuss:

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

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, particularly mid-term evaluations, as might a list of scholarly activities, or those parts of the untenured faculty member’s biennial review letter to the Dean pertaining to the four points listed above. 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. Please contact the Dean if you have questions about these conversations or wish to discuss ways of effectively addressing difficult issues.