COMPREHENSIVE FACULTY
EVALUATION GUIDELINES
Department of Criminal Justice
Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation Guidelines
Department of Criminal Justice
Fayetteville State University
The purpose of this document is to describe the comprehensive faculty
evaluation guidelines for the Department of Criminal Justice at Fayetteville
State University. These guidelines are based on the premises that the
Department is dedicated to:
1.
High-quality teaching;
2.
Achievement in scholarly research; and
3.
Leadership in professional service to the University, to the
community, to the criminal justice profession, to the
academic discipline, and to society.
Relationship to Tenure and Promotion
While the comprehensive faculty evaluation process is separate from tenure
and promotion decisions, tenure-track faculty members who meet
expectations for the comprehensive faculty evaluation each year may
reasonably expect to meet the minimum requirements for promotion and
tenure.
General Philosophy
Theory in Action
We believe that education is best when it serves a purpose and when the
educator and the student are consciously aware of that purpose.
The
specifics of that purpose may vary from person to person, but the ultimate
goal for us is to facilitate change through higher education.
Practical (Praxis)
For adult learning to take place, it is essential to make education relevant to
the audience. Our journey into academics is grounded in real-life situations
and experiences. Learning does not only include obtaining knowledge about
theoretical explanations and organizational analyses, it is about applying
knowledge and developing skills which serve practical situations.
We
believe that theory and the real world are dialectically linked, with each one
shaping the other; therefore, it is incomplete to learn only one separate from
the other. We seek to make the educational experience a rewarding and
productive exercise for learner and teacher alike.
Change Agents
One practical outcome of education includes the production of change agents
who have the knowledge and skills to enhance their own environment. We
seek to instill in our graduates the highly marketable skills of innovation,
adaptability and insight. We want to produce visionaries, able to imagine a
world that fully embraces justice and equality, as well as activists who are
inspired to contribute to the accomplishment of this end.
Service
We hope to instill in our students, faculty, and staff a strong commitment to
service. We embrace the spirit of putting our ideas, our research and our
theories into action. We believe strongly in scientifically rigorous, socially
and politically aware, improvement-oriented research. We also believe in
sharing our knowledge and skills with the local, state, national, and
international community.
Theory in Action is not an empty phrase for us. It is a commitment to
providing a quality education that has substance and practical value to the
student, the teacher, and the community at-large.
Tenure and Promotion Philosophy
While achieving and maintaining a high standard of excellence requires
expectations, it is important to remember that the promotion and tenure
process is not adversarial. Indeed, the Department ideally would like to see
all faculty members succeed and excel, and the Department will do
everything reasonably within its power to mentor faculty and help them
attain their full potential. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of individuals
to demonstrate that they deserve promotion or tenure; it is not the
responsibility of the Department to demonstrate that they do not.
Leadership and vision are crucial qualities that we look for in our faculty.
True leaders possess the ability to chart new paths and the confidence to
persuade others to follow. Leaders are highly proactive and constantly look
for and create new opportunities; they act rather than react. Leaders care for
the collective welfare of their colleagues and institution, even when this
requires investments of their own resources when necessary. Leadership
means focusing on their professions, their peers, and their institutions -- they
strive to set ever-increasing standards of sustained excellence. Through the
promotion and tenure process, the Department seeks to identify and reward
individuals who will serve as leaders, role models, and the foundations upon
which the Department can build its future.
Teaching Performance
There should be evidence of genuine and sustained commitment to excellence in
teaching, as well as evidence of a strong record of achievement in carrying out
that commitment. Solid evidence of effective teaching is an essential part of any
portfolio submitted to the Department Promotion and Tenure Committee. The
portfolio is expected to contain:

Documentation of teaching (e.g., course syllabi and assessment templates)
used to ensure department, college, and university educational goals are
being met;

Evidence of efforts to improve one’s teaching effectiveness, including
evidence that the faculty member has addressed areas of weakness indicated
by student evaluations, annual evaluations, peer review assessments, or other
assessments of teaching effectiveness; and

Evidence of contribution to departmental curriculum development or
commitment to traditional, web-enhanced, and online course development.
The portfolio may be supplemented by additional evidence of a strong
commitment to teaching excellence, as deemed appropriate by the faculty
member. Relevant items may include evidence of:

Attendance at local, regional, or national teaching workshops (e.g., those
offered by the Teaching and Learning Center);

Teaching awards or other teaching-related honors, such as Teaching
Fellowships or Teaching and Technology Initiative Fellowships;

Peer reviews of teaching;

Continual dialogue and interaction with the students throughout a semester
(with E-mails, discussion boards, Blackboard, and Web pages being valid
mechanisms for such interactions);

Publication of journal and conference articles addressing questions of
criminal justice pedagogy;

Classroom materials developed by the faculty member;

Innovative or novel approaches to standard classroom material, and
incorporation of new technologies in the classroom;

Service on various examining committees, such as master’s comprehensive
exam or oral defense; and

Submission, funding, and management of grants and other funded projects to
promote criminal justice education, student research, implementation of new
technologies in teaching, and in curriculum development.
Scholarly Activities
A distinguished scholarly endeavor is essential to the provision of high-quality
graduate and undergraduate programs. Excellent scholarship also brings
recognition to the Department and the University and enhances its ability to
attract good students, outstanding faculty and research funding, which in turn
supports the overall educational mission of the College and the University.

Faculty members are expected to be actively engaged in original research
and other scholarly activities, which include the creation, evaluation,
dissemination and translation of knowledge.

Research productivity and other scholarly activities may include:
o The dissemination of empirical and theoretical scholarly work
relevant to the current scholarship and/or practice of criminal
justice (e.g., publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals,
research reports to agencies, edited volumes, monographs);
o The dissemination of research through invited lectures and oral
and poster presentations at local, regional, national, and
international conferences and symposia;
o Securing funding in research in criminology, criminal justice, or a
closely related field (e.g., including the submission, funding, and
management of grant funded projects); and
o The receiving of research awards, accolades, and other honors from
local, regional, national, and international professional societies.
Service Performance
Service is recognized as an important obligation for all faculty members. It
includes service to the Department, to the College of Arts and Sciences, to the
University, as well as to the criminal justice community and the general public.

Service to the University – Faculty are expected to serve their
Department, the College, and the University in a variety of ways, such as:
o The active participation in administrative committees (e.g.
curriculum development, faculty search, etc.),
o Participation in University Day.
o Serve as marshals in Founders’ Day, commencement, and
convocation.
o The recruitment of students through outreach activities to regional
schools and justice agencies.
o The mentorship of students, including the writing of student letters
of recommendation,
o The organizing of co-curricular activities, such as hosting of invited
speakers, parents, and other visitors.
o Helping to establish and support student-led organizations, such as
the Criminal Justice Club, Alpha Phi Sigma, and the National
Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.
o Submission, funding, and management of grants or other funded
projects that improve the infrastructure of the Department, College,
and University.

Service to the Criminal Justice Profession – Faculty are expected to offer
their expertise to justice agencies as opportunities to do so are available.
Service to agencies (e.g., police departments, departments of probation
and correction, rape crisis centers, community justice service providers) is
a central component of criminal justice academia. Service may include
authoring or aid in preparing grants to fund agencies or programs,
evaluative services, consultation, expert testimony, and the conduct of
research in service of an agency.

Service to the Criminal Justice Discipline – Faculty are expected to
maintain active membership and leadership in professional societies and
to render service to those societies through committee work, the
organization of professional meetings and conferences, serving as editors
or reviewer for journals and funding agencies.

Service to the Community – Faculty are expected to be available to serve
the community whenever possible by providing informational and
educational services (e.g., speaking to the media in areas of expertise,
offering presentations to schools and community groups, serving on
advisory boards) when such services are requested.