Provost

3.11 Annual Performance Evaluations and Merit Pay Overview

Annual performance evaluations are used to:

1. provide feedback so that faculty members know their level of performance in each of the three areas evaluated and their overall level of performance
2. determine merit pay distributions that may be available

Annual performance evaluations do not address:

1. consequences of substandard performance, a critical concern in the case of annual performance evaluations
2. the relationship between annual performance evaluations or merit pay evaluations and promotion and tenure evaluations.

NOTE: Faculty members are advised that criteria for P&T may diverge from the annual performance evaluation criteria. Individual faculty members should seek P&T criteria from the dean or program chair.

3.11.1 Annual Performance Evaluations

See the particular academic college for additional information on policies and procedures. The policy and procedures criteria used in each college may differ. Changes to the policies or procedures governing annual performance reviews in the university or in an academic college may not be applied retroactively in such a way as to adversely affect a faculty member's annual performance review.

3.11.1.1 Activities to be Evaluated

All professional activities are to be evaluated. The types of activities included in each category are listed below. The list is not intended to be comprehensive, and items are not necessarily listed in order of importance.

Teaching:

1. Preparing for and meeting class sessions
2. Teaching effectively as demonstrated by a variety of sources, such as, course evaluations, peer feedback, programs course review,
3. Holding office hours, keeping appointments, and advising students
4. Composing and grading master’s comprehensive examination questions
5. Serving on master’s thesis committees
6. Designing and implementing curricular and course changes
7. Incorporating civic and community engagement activities in the curriculum
8. Participating in assessment activities and continuous improvement at the program and course levels
9. Managing and monitoring student retention and academic integrity
10. Composing and/or evaluating questions for master’s comprehensive exams

Research/Scholarship:

1. Publishing scholarly and professional books, quality articles, reviews
2. Writing successful grant proposals to support scholarly research
3. Presenting research at scholarly or professional meetings
4. Chairing sessions or otherwise performing official roles at scholarly or professional meetings
5. Attending scholarly or professional meetings
6. Producing relevant creative works
7. Preparing materials for local scholarly or professional use
8. Editing scholarly or professional publications
9. Consulting related to scholarly research*

Service: Professional

1. Providing leadership in professional organizations
2. Conducting professional workshops
3. Appearing in the media as a spokesperson for the profession
4. Consulting related to professional standing or expertise*

Service: Institutional

1. Serving on committees (System, university, Faculty Council, and college)
2. Conducting institutional research
3. Assisting in student recruiting and advising
4. Advising student organizations
5. Writing grants related to the support and delivery of instruction
6. Delivering auxiliary instruction (e.g., guest-lecturing, Academic Center mini-lectures)
7. Creating extracurricular intellectual and professional opportunities for students
8. Serving as a program director/coordinator

Service: Community

1. Providing leadership in community organizations
2. Representing the university at community events

*Pro bono consulting will be given more weight than compensated consulting.

3.11.1.2 Weighting of Categories—Teaching, Research/Scholarship, and Service

In accordance with the emphasis on teaching in the mission of UHV, teaching shall be given the most weight in performance evaluations. Based on the understanding that faculty roles and responsibilities can vary across colleges, disciplines and departments, type of position, and rank, weights for each category may vary within the following ranges:

Precise percentages are set by mutual agreement of the faculty member and the dean or department chair at the same time that they establish goals and objectives for the individual faculty member.

3.11.1.3 Categories of Performance

The annual performance review shall result in a written rationale to accompany a numerical rating for each category of evaluation (teaching, research/scholarship, and service). This rating differs from the P&T rating in that the APR evaluates performance of the duties agreed upon by the faculty member’s college to include duties related to the college’s strategic goals, over a specific 12-month period. There shall also be a numerical rating of the faculty member’s overall performance. The rating scale has five levels:

1. Performance well below levels expected or required
2. Performance below levels expected or required
3. Performance at levels expected or required
4. Performance above levels expected or required
5. Performance far above levels expected or required

3.11.2 Merit Pay

UH System requires that merit pay be awarded on the basis of teaching, research/scholarship, and service. Merit pay is defined as a salary increase for meritorious performance of professional duties and activities in a given year of service. This definition is not intended to suggest that everyone evaluated for merit will receive a salary increase.

3.11.3 Salary Increments

Salary increments for merit and equity are proposed by the college dean and are forwarded through the following offices: Office of the Provost, Office of the President, Office of the Chancellor of the University of Houston System, and the Board of Regents. Whenever the state legislature mandates costs of living increases, this action does not necessarily preclude merit increases.

Promotion to associate professor carries a $7,000 increase in salary exclusive of any other raise; for promotion to full professor, the increase is $10,000. The Table of Employment decisions can be found in Section 3.7 or in the UHV Academic Administrators Guide.