UTDPP1061
Hiring and Evaluation Procedures for Nontenure-System Faculty

Policy Statement

It is the policy of The University of Texas at Dallas to follow established policies and procedures for the appointment and reappointment of nontenure-system faculty. For the purposes of this policy memorandum, the term nontenure-system faculty refers to faculty who are hired to teach specific courses, offered for academic credit, on a course-by-course basis and who are not subject to the procedures for tenure-system faculty.

Responsibility for the initial hiring of nontenure-system faculty and for the evaluation of performance of those faculty members are primarily placed with the Dean of the School or Dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College (HWHC), and those in the School’s or HWHC’s administrative chain responsible for developing the University budget. The primary input in the hiring process will be by the Dean of the School or HWHC Dean, utilizing whatever advice and recommendations from Department Heads or other members of the Dean's administrative structure as might be appropriate in the HWHC or in the respective School. The Dean, Department Head, or Program Head should certify credentials of selected candidates using the University's Certification of Credentials and Qualifications form for nontenure-system faculty appointments. The search plan, results of each pool of applicants, and certification of credentials forms will be submitted each semester, along with any related School or HWHC guidelines developed by the Dean of the School and faculty or HWHC Dean, to the Office of the Chief Academic Officer.

The hiring of instructional faculty appointed to the HWHC with at least a 50% course assignment in the HWHC will be conducted by a search committee composed of two members of the HWHC faculty and two members of the academic unit (department, program or area) in which the applicant’s discipline is aligned. In the event of a split decision by the search committee, the academic unit head and HWHC Dean will make a final hiring determination jointly. To successfully advance the HWHC’s mission to provide an exceptional learning experience for its students, the search committee for these faculty positions should consider teaching capability as the single most important factor weighting all considerations. Additionally, subject to department faculty approval, HWHC instructional faculty shall have affiliate status in the department of their discipline.

The School or HWHC Dean with the consultation of the faculty as applicable will be responsible for the evaluation of nontenure-system faculty. The evaluation process will follow the procedures outlined in UTDPP1062 General Standards and Procedures for Review of Nontenure-System Faculty and UTDPP1006 Teaching Evaluation Policy and for the schools’ non-tenure system faculty will directly involve the School's committee charged with the evaluation of teaching. The evaluations will be used to ensure that the degree program's learning objectives are achieved. The Provost will review these evaluations with each Dean as part of the budget cycle each year.

Nontenure-system faculty members are encouraged to seek clarification of the evaluation procedures in their schools or in the HWHC, and whenever they have questions or dissatisfactions concerning the procedures, queries should be lodged with the School or HWHC Dean. In Schools where Department Heads provide an initial recommendation for hiring and evaluations, a preliminary discussion should be held with the Department Head. If the matter remains unresolved fifteen days after discussion with the Dean, it may properly be taken to the Provost. The Provost is the final level of review.