Annual Review

Overview

Untenured, tenure-track faculty (Assistant Professors and untenured Associate Professors) undergo an annual review each year, except during years in which they are being evaluated for reappointment or tenure. The annual review is not a yes/no decision about the untenured faculty member, but rather an opportunity for the faculty member to assess their progress toward tenure and to receive constructive feedback from their Department Chair and tenured professors in the department. 

For Department Chairs and other colleagues, the focus should be on providing constructive feedback regarding the faculty member’s progress toward the goal of tenure and/or promotion. The feedback can note gaps in the faculty member’s record to date, but should be presented as constructive rather than punitive. (See Guidance for Department Chairs and Guidance for Internal Faculty Evaluators.) 

Annual Review vs. PAR

The annual review is different from the professional activity report (PAR). The annual review is intended to help ensure that a faculty member is on the right track toward tenure, whereas the PAR is the mechanism for assigning annual salary increases. Only untenured, tenure-track faculty members undergo an annual review, whereas every tenured/tenure-track and term faculty member completes a PAR each year. The two types of review are aligned in the sense that “doing well” in one review will also tend to mean doing well in the other—they are both evaluated on the same principles. 

For more on the PAR, visit the Professional Activity Report (PAR) and Annual Salary Increases page.

The Process

Who Undergoes an Annual Review, and When?

Per R&P §2.2.4.1, all untenured faculty members are reviewed every year. During year 3 (by default), this is the reappointment review. During year 6 (by default), this is the tenure review. (This timing may change for various reasons, such as tenure-clock extensions.) During other years, an annual review is conducted.  

How Does the Annual Review Process Work?

The annual review process occurs in the Spring semester for most faculty members, but can occur in the Fall semester if, for example, a faculty member’s start date was in the Spring semester. (See Which Review Cycle Am I On?)

Early in the semester, the Department Chair meets individually with each untenured faculty member who will have an annual review, and advises them that the annual review will take place. The Chair and the faculty member discuss the materials to be included as part of the annual review file. An annual review dossier looks much like a tenure dossier. (See Materials to be submitted, below.) Many faculty members think of their annual review dossiers as a gradual way to build toward their tenure dossier.

The faculty member supplies most of these materials, but the Chair may also supply materials to be included. If they do, those materials are shared with the faculty member, who has a right to include written comments regarding those materials in the review file. 

The faculty member uploads their annual review materials to Interfolio. The deadline for doing so is typically around October 15 for Fall-cycle reviews and February 1 for Spring-cycle reviews. (See Annual Review Schedule below for the schedule for the current academic year.)

Next, the Department Chair shares (via Interfolio) the annual review file with the faculty involved in the review process. This is typically the tenured faculty members in the department, but may differ, e.g., for small departments or for faculty with joint appointments. The Department Chair meets with the faculty involved in the review to discuss the untenured faculty member’s dossier and their progress toward tenure.

The Chair then summarizes the faculty’s evaluation in a letter addressed to the untenured professor, sending a copy to the faculty involved in the review. The deadline for the chair to do so is typically around December 15 for Fall-cycle reviews and May 15 for Spring-cycle reviews. The Chair meets with the untenured faculty member, discusses the faculty’s review of their dossier, and gives them the written summary evaluation letter. The Chair may not disclose the statements or opinions of individual evaluators. The untenured faculty member either responds in writing to this letter or submits a declination to respond. Copies of both the departmental evaluation and the written response become part of the annual review file. The Chair should provide the summary letter and meet with the candidate early enough to provide time for the candidate to write their written response.

The file is then forwarded to the Dean. The Dean reviews the substance and process of the evaluation for consistency with the criteria of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, and service, and forwards the dossier, the departmental evaluation, and the professor's written response to the Provost by December 31 for Fall-cycle reviews and June 15 for Spring-cycle reviews.

Faculty with Joint Appointments

For faculty members with joint appointments whose MOU specifies a special committee, the special committee meets with the tenured faculty of the home department to discuss the candidate’s portfolio. The Chair of the home department writes a single letter summarizing the collective views of both the department and the special committee, with feedback from both groups. If the department and special committee disagree significantly, the summary letter should reflect this. The Chair of the home department and the chair of the special committee meet with the faculty member to discuss the summary letter.

For faculty members with joint appointments but no special committee, the Chair/Director of the secondary unit provides feedback, which is reflected in the summary letter by the Chair of the home department.

Materials to Be Submitted

The Office of the Provost requires certain elements to be included in the faculty dossier for annual review. Individual colleges may require additional materials; candidates and Department Chairs should consult with their Dean’s office regarding any additional requirements.

Faculty Candidate Materials

CV and Statements

• Curriculum vitae (CV), using the Lehigh CV template.
• Statements on teaching, research, and service, including the significance and impact of the candidate’s own contributions in each of these areas. See the Dossier Materials page for further guidance section for further guidance. Statements may be uploaded as one document or three. Maximum 10 pages for the three statements combined.

Teaching

• Student course evaluation tabular listing. This is provided upon request by the Office of Institutional Data. The listing should include summary reports for all courses the candidate has taught at Lehigh. 
• Student course evaluations. These are available for download at https://go.lehigh.edu/evalkit. Include evaluations from all courses taught at Lehigh.
• Sample course materials (syllabi, tests, assignments, etc.) and any other supporting materials (commendations, student letters, etc.). Maximum 30 pages.

 

Joint Appointment Information

(Only for faculty with joint appointments.)

• Memorandum of understanding (MOU). 

COVID Impact Statement

• COVID impact statement. Optional. Maximum 2 pages.

Department Chair Materials

Department Summary

• Department summary letter. Department Chair’s summary of department review, addressed to candidate.
• Candidate’s response to department summary letter, or declination to respond.

Joint Appointment Information

(Only for faculty with joint appointments.)

• Program director letter or special committee summary letter.
• Candidate’s response to program or special committee summary letter, or declination to respond.

 

College Dean Materials

• Dean’s recommendation letter. Addressed to the Provost, shared with the candidate.
• Candidate’s response to Dean’s letter, or declination to respond.
   

Annual Review Schedule 

The Provost’s office publishes the schedules below each year for each step in the annual review process, in order to accommodate the deadline to submit the dossier to the Provost’s Office (December 31 for Fall-cycle reviews, June 15 for Spring-cycle reviews). The Department Chair and/or Dean’s office should inform the candidate and the Provost’s Office about any concerns in meeting the deadline.

The schedules listed below are for the current academic year. Schedules may change from year to year, but the dates are likely to be similar to the current year. See Which Review Cycle Am I On? below to determine whether a given candidate uses Fall- or Spring-cycle reviews.

Confirming Candidates for Review

 

The Review Process

The Provost expects quality checks at each level to ensure that all documents are included in Interfolio to avoid having to send the dossier back for corrections. College-Level Administrators (CLADs) are responsible for completing a full review of the online dossier to ensure that all letters and other materials are uploaded to Interfolio before submitting the dossier to the Dean.

Which Review Cycle Am I On?

If your start date at Lehigh was during the summer, you have a Spring-cycle annual review. If your start date was in January, you have a Fall-cycle annual review. 

Your review cycle is different for different types of reviews. In particular:

The information above may change if, for example, you take a tenure-clock extension. 

If your start date was not during the summer or January, or if you have any other questions about which cycle you fall under, consult your Department Chair or Associate Dean for Faculty.

Relevant Sections of R&P

• 2.2.4.1 Untenured Faculty
• 2.2.3.1.5 Annual Review of Pre-Tenure Faculty [for faculty with joint appointments]

Additional Documents

• Interfolio login page
• Interfolio at Lehigh

Notes

• This overview is intended to supplement the information contained in Lehigh’s Rules and Procedures of the Faculty (R&P). If there is a discrepancy between the guidance on this page and R&P, the provisions of R&P govern.
• Feel free to contact your Department Chair, Associate Dean for Faculty, the Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs, or the Director of Faculty Affairs with any questions or concerns.