Changes to Faculty Evaluation Process in Response to COVID-19
March 20, 2020
Dear Colleagues:
As you begin the work of delivering instruction remotely, I want you to know that the University appreciates your efforts in responding to this international public health crisis while keeping our students moving forward toward completing their Rutgers degrees.
Given the extraordinary challenges we are facing as a result of COVID-19, I have made the following decisions with respect to faculty evaluation:
- We will extend the probationary period (tenure clock) for full-time tenure track faculty who are in a probationary period as of January 1, 2020, for one year. In other words, academic year 2019-20 will be excluded from their probationary period—much like we exclude an academic year for other contractual reasons (parental or medical leaves). Faculty will have until May 1 to request an additional year, which must be approved by the department chair and the dean.
- We will administer student course evaluations at the end of the semester, as is our usual practice, but will permit faculty, at their option, to exclude the teaching evaluation data for spring 2020 from their promotion or reappointment packets.
I hope these changes will be helpful as you conduct your work at this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Robert Barchi