Chairperson or Director Review Policy

Review of unit executive officers (department chairs or program directors) wishing to continue in the position shall take place in the chair’s/director’s fifth year or earlier if required by the unit’s bylaws.

Review

When it has been determined by the unit department or faculty advisory council(DAC, FAC) or equivalent faculty body or by the dean that the chair or director wants to continue in the position:

  1. The dean and unit FAC meet to review NatSci policies and formulate specific procedures for the review.
  2. The FAC recommends the members of the review committee, and the dean approves the membership and charges it. The committee consists of a diverse and representative group of faculty and typically has of 4 – 6 people. The FAC and dean jointly determine the chair of the committee. 
  3. The committee formulates procedures for obtaining written and/or oral input individually from all faculty and staff. Input from post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students must also be solicited as appropriate. Input from appropriate people at Michigan State but outside the department shall also be solicited. 
  4. The chair/director provides the committee with a current vitae, a description of accomplishments as chair/director, and a vision statement for the next five years or the term defined in the unit bylaws. This information is provided to all faculty, staff, post-docs and graduate students prior to their comments being solicited. The chair/director shall also make an oral presentation, which must be open to all members of the university. 
  5. The report of the committee is based on all the information it receives and consists of an analysis of the past performance and vision of the chair/director and a recommendation with detailed justification as to whether the chair/director should continue in the position. 
  6. The report is sent jointly to the FAC and dean. If the FAC wishes it or if the unit bylaws require it, the faculty of the department may vote on continuation prior to the FAC making its recommendation to the dean. 
  7. The FAC then makes its recommendation to the dean. 
  8. The dean then forwards his/her recommendation to the provost. 

Accepted by NatSci Faculty Advisory Council: 2/23/12