REG 05.50.02 – Review of College Deans

Authority: Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

History: First Issued: October 20, 1986. Last Revised: October 12, 2021.

Related Policies:
NCSU REG05.50.05 – Review of Vice Chancellor and Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, Dean of Graduate School, and Vice Provosts

Additional References:  
N.C.G.S.§126, Article 7 – The Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records
Leadership Survey Administration for College Deans

Contact Info: Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (919-513-7624)


1.   Introduction

1.1 The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost is responsible for annually reviewing the administrative performance of college deans.  He/she is also responsible for comprehensive reviews every five (5) years.

1.2 Comprehensive reviews are conducted pursuant to this regulation to assess College leadership and programs.  They are held at intervals of not more than five years from the date of initial appointment of the Dean or the date of the last review.  Reviews may be waived or delayed at the discretion of the Provost for sufficient cause.  Normally, reviews will not be conducted for incumbents who have informed the Provost in writing that they plan to retire, resign or return to a faculty position within one year of the scheduled review.

1.3 This regulation does not pertain to the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, whose reviews are conducted according to NCSU REG05.50.05 – Review of Dean of Division of Academic and Student Affairs, Dean of Graduate School, and Vice Provosts.

2. NOTIFICATION TO THE DEAN AND SYSTEMATIC SOLICITATION OF COLLEGE FACULTY AND STAFF VIEWS

2.1 Early in the fall semester, the Provost will initiate the review by notifying the Dean and appointing an ad hoc College Leadership Survey Committee (CLSC) of no fewer than five members of the college faculty and staff.  Unless exceptional circumstances exist, one member of this Committee shall be a current Faculty Senator, one member shall be a current Staff Senator, and the remaining members will be selected to optimize representation of the college faculty including non-tenure track faculty and staff.  A majority of the members of this Committee shall be faculty with permanent tenure.

2.2 The evaluation will include a series of surveys using a core set of questions developed by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP).  Surveys will be administered to College faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track faculty), College staff (SPA and non-faculty EPA Professionals), University administrators (Executive Officers, Vice Provosts, and Deans), and, at the recommendation of the Provost, CLSC, and/or Dean under review, external constituents.  The core evaluation instruments will include a series of closed-end questions asking respondents to evaluate the Dean on various specific leadership criteria, as well as opportunities for respondents to provide open-end written comments.

In consultation with the Provost, OIRP, and the Chair of the Faculty, the CLSC may make minor revisions to the core questions to appropriately reflect specific variations in, for example, the organizational structure of the College.  The CLSC may also develop up to ten (10) supplemental college-specific questions designed to elicit the views and recommendations pertinent to College leadership and programs from faculty, from staff, and from external constituents to include on their respective surveys. The CLSC shall forward the evaluation instruments to the Provost and may recommend additional groups, e.g., external constituencies, to be surveyed, subject to approval by the Provost.

2.3 The Provost shall provide the Dean an opportunity to suggest names of people to include in the survey of external constituencies and to review the proposed survey questions and suggest changes prior to finalizing and forwarding the evaluation instrument to the CLSC.

3.  ADMINISTRATION AND TABULATION OF EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

3.1 The Provost will send the finalized surveys to the CLSC and to the OIRP.  The instrument will be programmed and administered online by OIRP to all members of the College faculty and staff (determined by the current employment files in Human Resources, and, for faculty, the Official Roster of the Voting Faculty maintained by the Faculty Senate Office) and other designated groups as determined appropriate by the CLSC and/or Provost.  The CLSC will notify participants that the online survey is available.

3.2 The data collection procedures will ensure that only those identified as valid survey participants are able to access and complete the survey.

3.3 Participation in the survey is voluntary.

4.  COLLEGE OVERVIEW PRESENTATION AND SESSIONS WITH SPECIFIED GROUPS

4.1 The Provost shall schedule a series of sessions with faculty, administration and staff, during which the Provost will be present.  The sequence and timing of these sessions may vary by college.

4.2 The first session shall provide for a brief overview by the Dean of College programs and goals.  College faculty and staff, and University administrators, may join with the Provost in asking questions about the college leadership and programs.  The Chair of the Faculty and any University administrators designated by the Provost may be invited to attend the first session.

4.3 A second session shall provide an opportunity for the Provost to meet with College faculty for an informal discussion of College leadership and programs.  Administrators and staff (including the Dean, associate and assistant deans, department heads and other direct reports to the Dean) will not be present.

4.4 A third session shall provide an opportunity for the Provost to meet with the College staff who are not direct reports to the Dean for an informal discussion of College leadership and programs.  The Dean, College and department administrators, and faculty will not be present.

4.5 A fourth session shall provide an opportunity for the Provost to meet with College department heads for an informal discussion of College leadership and programs. The Dean, College faculty, staff and other direct reports to the Dean will not be present.

4.6 A fifth session shall provide an opportunity for the Provost to meet with the direct reports to the Dean, excluding department heads, for an informal discussion of college leadership and programs. The Dean, faculty, and staff who are not direct reports will not be present.

4.7 Individuals from these groups will also be provided an opportunity to present written or oral comments to the Provost.

4.8 Additional sessions or procedures may be requested by the Provost or may be recommended by the CLSC subject to the approval of the Provost.

5. REPORTS ON THE EVALUATION RESULTS

5.1 OIRP will prepare tables with aggregate-level responses to each of the closed-ended questions and verbatim responses to all open-ended questions and provide a paper copy of these reports to the CLSC. OIRP will provide the Provost paper and electronic copies of these reports along with a summary that includes a discussion of the leadership traits and overall themes raised in the open-end comments.  OIRP is responsible for retaining an electronic copy of the final survey data file.

5.2 At their discretion, the CLSC may provide the Provost a report with any observations they wish to make on the review process, the survey instruments, and/or the findings from the surveys.

5.3 The Provost will provide the Dean with the report of aggregate-level responses to closed-ended questions and a summary of responses to open-ended questions.  The report will not include verbatim responses to open-ended questions, although as part of the Dean’s personnel file these responses may be requested by the Dean.

5.4 Members of the CLSC shall not disclose information concerning the results of the survey to any persons other than the Provost and authorized staff members of the Provost or OIRP.

5.5 The Provost may use any other relevant information in reviewing and evaluating College leadership and programs.

6. REVIEW AND REPORT BY PROVOST

6.1 After the Provost reviews the results of the evaluation with the Dean, the Provost shall report the evaluation results at a meeting of the College faculty and staff.  This meeting should occur as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the academic year (May 15) or by the end of the fiscal year (June 30) for colleges with predominantly fiscal year appointments.

6.2 These procedures do not preclude a faculty or staff member, Department Head, Assistant/Associate Dean, or other unit employees from individually expressing views with regard to college leadership and programs to the Provost at any time.

6.3 These procedures do not preclude the Provost from consulting with the Chancellor regarding the College leadership at any time.

6.4 Documents generated through this process are confidential personnel records and shall be treated as such as required by North Carolina law.