About
Comprehensive Periodic Review (CPR)
Every tenured faculty member must undergo a Comprehensive Periodic Review (CPR) every six years from the start of their current tenured appointment. The review will be conducted in the Fall semester following completion of six full academic years in rank. CPRs of tenured faculty are intended to enhance and protect, not diminish, the important guarantees of tenure and academic freedom through a positive, thorough, fair, and transparent process. The purpose of comprehensive evaluation is to:
- Provide guidance for continuing and meaningful faculty development
- Assist faculty to enhance professional skills and goals
- Refocus academic and professional efforts, when appropriate
- Provide assurance that faculty members are meeting their responsibilities to the University and the State of Texas
- Assess whether the individual is making a contribution consistent with that expected of a tenured faculty member
- Form a basis for determining merit raises, honors, awards, and other types of recognition
For more detailed information on the policies and procedures of this review, please refer to the Guidelines for Comprehensive Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty provided by the HOP 2-2150.
Process
Step 1: Notify Faculty Member
Faculty due for their six-year evaluation should receive at least six months notice of the department's intent to review. Notice must be provided no later than March 31st of the spring semester before the faculty's review year.
Step 2: Establish Review Committee
The Department Chair is responsible for establishing the peer review committee based on a subsect of their Budget Council or Extended Budget Council. For more information regarding the review committee, please refer to the Review Committee tab below.
Step 3: Evaluation Report
The review committee is responsible for writing an evaluation report documenting the faculty member's contributions to teaching, research, and service during the evaluation period (preceding six years), and must assign an overall review rating of either exceeds, meets, does not meet, or unsatisfactory. For more information on ratings, please refer to section 4a in the Guidelines for Comprehensive Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty.
enDOWMENt policy
In the College of Natural Sciences, renewals of endowed chair and professorship appointments are done as part of the overall comprehensive review process. Review committees should keep in mind the expectations associated with the endowed holder appointment when discussing CPRs. Reviewers should then comment on whether a faculty’s accomplishments are in line with expectations. If expectations align, the endowed holder appointment will be extended. If reviewers find that achievements are not aligned with expectations, the Department Chair should contact the Dean to discuss whether or not to move forward with the endowment renewal.
Step 4: Submittal
Before submitting its evaluation, the committee shall notify the faculty member of the results of the preliminary evaluation and provide an opportunity to meet with the committee, submit additional material or comment on the committee’s findings. Written comments submitted by the faculty member will be included with the final evaluation.
The final evaluation report and supporting materials are then submitted to the Department Chair for review and comment before being submitted to the CNS Faculty Affairs Office by February 1st. The Department Chair may request additional information or ask the faculty evaluation committee to reassess all or portions of the evaluation prior to submitting the report to the CNS Faculty Affairs Office. Please refer to section 5c of the Guidelines for Comprehensive Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty if in the event the Department Chair does not agree with the overall rating.
Please ensure the evaluation report is signed by all members of the review committee as well as the faculty member undergoing review before it's submitted to the Dean's Office.
Review Committee
Review Committee
The review committee should be comprised of three or more tenured faculty members (Associate or full Professor). This could be a modified P&T Committee or a separate standing committee. The review committee should represent the faculty as a whole, and have notable experience and expertise in the areas of teaching, research, and service at the departmental level or higher.
Required Materials
Required Materials
The following materials should be collected and assessed. Faculty members being evaluated should verify that records used in the evaluation process are up-to-date.
- Previous and current annual Faculty Activity Reports (FAR)
- Current CV
- CIS scores and student evaluations of teaching, including all written student comments
- 1 peer assessment for every three years in rank
- Any additional materials faculty member wants considered by the committee
Timeline
Timeline for CPRs
JANUARY 1 - March 31
Faculty members are notified of their upcoming review no later than March 31st.
April 1 - May 31
Faculty members are given access to required materials to verify they are correct and current.
November 1
Faculty member submits current CV and other required materials to the department.
november - january
Departmental evaluation committee meets and reviews materials. The committee communicates its final rating in writing to the faculty member and Department Chair, at which point the Department Chair meets with faculty member to discuss the results of the review.
FEBRUARY 1
The final, signed CPR is due to CNS Faculty Affairs.
FEBRUARY 26
CNS Faculty Affairs forwards the summary report to Provost's Office or appoints a College-level committee for further review, if needed.
May 31
The College-level committee report is due, if applicable; the outcome of this report is communicated to the faculty member, Department Chair, and the Provost.
Department Chair CPR Policy
Department Chairs and CPRs
The Dean's Office is responsible for establishing the evaluation committee to conduct the comprehensive periodic review for Department Chairs. Once the evaluation committee has been established, they will conduct the review following the standard CPR procedures. The final report must be submitted to CNS Faculty Affairs for review from the Dean and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs will then meet with the Department Chair to discuss the evaluation results as well as present them with an opportunity to provide a written response.
For more information about the Department Chair CPR process, please contact CNS Faculty Affairs.
FAQs
CPR FAQs
1. Can the comprehensive periodic review be waived or delayed?
The evaluation may not be waived for any active faculty member, however, it may be deferred to a later semester in rare circumstances. Please refer to section 3c of the Guidelines for Comprehensive Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty for more information.
2. Why is the evaluation of endowment appointments important to include in the review?
Appointments to endowed chairs and professorships are for a defined period of time and include provisions for review. In the College of Natural Sciences, reviews of endowed chair and professorship appointments are done as part of the overall comprehensive review process. For more information, please see the Endowment Policy under our Policies and Guidelines sidebar.
Questions or concerns: Contact CNS Faculty Affairs
