P E R F O R M A N C E R E V I E W P OL I C Y — A C A D E M I C A D M I N I S T R A T OR S
OVERVIEW
Portland State University (PSU) is committed to the success of members of the Council of Academic Deans
(CADS) and other major academic unit leaders. In order to help foster effectiveness and offer information
about areas of improvement, the Provost will provide the CADS member with regular feedback about
performance in his/her role. Each year, the Provost will meet with individuals and give guidance as well as
written feedback.
Additionally, every 5th year, CADS members will participate in a more comprehensive review. This review
will focus on the Dean’s overall contribution to the University. In addition to the input from the Provost, the
5th year review will include feedback from faculty, peers, students, staff and the external community. During
the 5th year, an advisory committee will be formed to collect and summarize the appropriate feedback. The
annual and 5th year reviews will be completed at the same time each year.
The process for both types of reviews is described below:
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:
Content of the Annual Review
Optimal job performance includes not only achieving results that have positive impact on the University but
also demonstrating the competencies expected of individuals in the role.
Therefore, the review and the conversation it facilitates will focus on:
 Accomplishments during the review period and the impact these had
 Whether the Dean or Vice Provost demonstrated the organizational competencies that contribute to
PSU’s success
 The improvement and development of the Dean or Vice Provost as it relates to his/her work and ability
to contribute in the following year
 Goals for the upcoming year
Annual Review Process
The annual review process will be conducted as follows:
1. The Provost will provide a copy of this policy, list of competencies, and an assessment form to the Dean
or Vice Provost.
2. The Dean or Vice Provost will complete the assessment form (as a self-evaluation) and return it to the
Provost.
3. The Provost will review the Dean or Vice Provost’s self-evaluation and meet to discuss his/her
performance. In addition, the Provost and the Dean or Vice Provost will discuss and agree upon goals
for the upcoming year. How well these goals are met will become the basis for the first section of the
Dean or Vice Provost’s performance review for the upcoming year.
4. Following the meeting, the Provost will send his written evaluation to the Dean or Vice Provost for
review and signature. If there are questions or concerns, the Dean or Vice Provost may request another
meeting with the Provost.
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5. The signed copy of the agreement will be filed with Human Resources.
5th YEAR PERFORMANCE REVIEWS FOR
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF ACADEMIC DEANS (CADS):
Content of the 5th Year Review
The 5th year review process is broader in scope. The purpose of this assessment is to provide feedback from
a representative number of people affected by the CADS member’s performance; to inform decisions
regarding future roles and work plans and to develop group norms so that over time PSU can gain a better
understanding of areas where development is needed. The 5th year review is a summative evaluation of the
Dean’s contribution to the University over the prior 5 years and an evaluation of whether his/her ongoing
performance has helped shape the University and its changing needs. The feedback that informs the 5th year
review will be collected and summarized by a committee of individuals who are familiar with the CADS
member’s work and can ably assess the feedback collected.
5th Year Review Process
Agreements between the Provost and the CADS’ member
1) Every 5th year the Provost and the CADS member to be reviewed will agree on the individuals who will
comprise the Advisory Committee to the Provost, a group that will assist the Provost in the evaluation
process. The committee should consist of at least:
a) The chair, who is a CADS peer (dean or vice provost)
b) 2 faculty members from the CADS member’s college/school/unit
c) 1 staff employee from the CADS member’s college/school/unit
2) The CADS member and the Provost will agree on a representative list of students and external
stakeholders who will be asked to provide feedback on the Dean’s performance. All faculty members and
staff employed in the CADS member’s unit will be given an opportunity to provide information.
3) The Provost will ask the CADS member to create a document outlining his/her proposed long-term
strategies and goals for the institution and detailing his/her significant activities and accomplishments over
the 5 year period. The Dean also will provide:
a) A description of his/her role
b) Either a waiver of access to the individual feedback collected or a memo indicating he/she will not
waive access. With a waiver, the CADS member will have access only to a summary of the aggregate
input without individual attribution. Without a waiver, the CADS’ member will have the right to read
all feedback in full and learn the source of each comment. The advisory committee members will
inform the stakeholders who give input whether their input will be attributed to them or merely
provided as part of a general summary.
Committee Role and Responsibility
4) The Provost will inform the selected individuals that they have been chosen to serve on the Provost’s
advisory committee. He/she will then invite them to an initial meeting.
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5) During this initial meeting, the committee members will agree upon a plan for providing a survey to
selected individuals and a process for evaluating the information.
a) The committee will provide these stakeholders with the position description and the summary of goals
and ask them to answer the following questions:
 In what capacity have you interacted with this Dean?
 How would you describe the effectiveness of this Dean in his/her role?
 What do you consider his/her greatest strengths?
 What areas for development do you see?
 What recommendations do you have for this Dean to improve?
 Are there other comments you wish to share?
The information will be collected in writing, either by email or via a web-based survey tool.
6) Once the committee members have collected the appropriate input, the committee will meet to review
and summarize the data.
7) When the data are collected, the Provost and the committee will discuss the information.
8) After evaluation of the stakeholder feedback and the CADS member’s self-evaluation, the Provost will
work with the committee to draft a final review document. The report should contain the following
sections:
a) The method used for collecting data and a list of the questions asked
b) A summary of the major themes from the stakeholder input and/or a verbatim account from each
individual depending upon whether the CADS member has waived access to the individual survey
responses.
c) An interpretation of the collected feedback and an evaluation of the extent to which the administrator
accomplished his/her goals
d) Recommendations for future actions
Administration of Review
9) The Provost will meet with the CADS member to review this document and discuss overall performance.
10) A copy of the final 5th year report will be placed in the CADS member’s personnel file.
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