Staffing Issues

Faculty Evaluation and Mentoring

            See the Faculty Evaluations System section of the Faculty Handbook for a complete description of the faculty evaluation system.  Particular references to involvement and duties of the department chairs include the following items.  

Evaluation of Continuing Faculty

• Department chairs and Area Chairs should consult with new probationary faculty members to develop a workable plan for professional development with explicit steps toward improvement.
• Department chairs should consult with faculty members to develop patterns of faculty activity appropriate to the department.
• Department chairs should mentor new probationary faculty concerning demands on their time that come from opportunities outside the department.
• Faculty members may ask department chairs to evaluate their teaching effectiveness, advising effectiveness, student mentoring, professional development, and community commitment.
• Department chairs are encouraged to attend performances, lectures and other public and campus appearances of the faculty in their departments.
• In the case when faculty being evaluated teach one or more courses outside the department, department chairs should take into account the appropriate program chair’s evaluation of the faculty member.  Faculty should not agree to these other teaching obligations without consultation with the department chair.
• Department chairs should perform a mid-semester check with all faculty in the first semester of teaching.  Chairs have a lot of freedom in defining the mid-semester check, but chairs should look for opportunities to help the faculty member develop explicit responses to student evaluations.
• Faculty members who are being evaluated are encouraged to invite department chairs to visit one or more classes unannounced.  However, department chairs may need to initiate such a conversation since the evaluation process requires chairs make classroom visits.
• For faculty members being evaluated, the department chair should study the documents prepared by the faculty member and write an evaluation letter by the date specified by the Provost.  The letter should evaluate the faculty member in all three academic areas of performance:  student development, professional development, and community development.  If the faculty member is standing for promotion or tenure, the letter should include a recommendation for or against promotion or tenure.  The chair should consult with other members of the department before writing the letter.  The letter should be given to the Area Chair and the faculty member.
• Following the Area Chair review a conference is scheduled with the faculty member, department chair and Area Chair.  The five topics of focus for this conversation are delineated in the Faculty Handbook.

Evaluation and Mentoring of One-Year Faculty

Department chairs should monitor and assess the performance of all faculty with special appointments for fixed terms of one year or less (who do not undergo formal evaluations.)  This should include a mid-semester check as noted in the previous section.  

Evaluation of Adjunct Teaching Staff

Department chairs should instruct adjunct faculty how to conduct student evaluations and then discuss the results with them. Additional monitoring is advised for those teaching at Hendrix for the first time.  

Evaluation of Department and Program Staff

Administrative and support staff in Academic Affairs are evaluated annual by the appropriate department and area chairs. Forms for these evaluations are available in Faculty Resources.

Annual Informal Evaluation Process for Merit Raises

The Area Chair also rates each faculty member in Area using the following rubric based on performance in the three designated dimensions.

The Area Chair discusses and possibly revises the ratings with the Provost within the two weeks following submission.  The Provost determines individual merit raises based on the ratings depending on the size of the salary raise pool after considering rank and promotion adjustments. The forms are kept in the Academic Affairs office until the next formal evaluation is completed. The President distributes compensation letters stating distinctly merit raises, equity increases, and adjustments to the faculty by a date to be determined by the Board of Trustees.  The Provost gives the Area Chairs a summary of the new compensation amounts.  If faculty members have individual concerns or questions, they should contact their Area Chair first. 

• As with the formal evaluation process, this process begins with self-assessment by each faculty member.
• All areas use consistent information in evaluating faculty members' performance.
• It is the responsibility of each faculty member to track and submit accomplishments each year.
• According to the Faculty Handbook, each faculty member is to submit an updated vita each year.
• The Annual Review Form facilitates completion of a faculty member's self-evaluation during the formal review process.
• The College should support those activities on which faculty members are evaluated. 
  

The Annual Review Forms for the faculty member and department chair appear online in the Faculty Resources section.

Faculty Appointments and Family Relationships

Department chairs should neither initiate nor participate in institutional decisions involving a direct benefit (initial appointment, retention, tenure, promotion, salary, or leave of absence) to members of their immediate families.  When such cases arise, then the chair involved shall recuse himself or herself from such discussions.  The Committee on Faculty appoints an appropriate replacement for the recused if necessary.  Further details appear in the Faculty Personnel Policies and Procedures section of the Faculty Handbook.

Requesting New Positions

Hiring of Faculty

Hiring of Adjuncts

The first step in hiring adjunct faculty members is to obtain authorization from the Provost.  Once the Provost has approved the position, the department or program chair is responsible for recommending a candidate for hiring by the Provost.  A copy of the candidate’s c. v. should be sent to the Provost.  The Provost writes the appointment letter.

EAF (Employee Action Form)

These forms are the way that new hires get assigned an office, keys, a computer, an email address, etc.  When Academic Affairs sends an appointment to a new hire (full-time as well as adjuncts), an EAF is begun by Academic Affairs and sent to the area or building administrative assistant who consults the department chair about office space, computer needs, specialized software needs, and keys.  The completed form should be sent back to Academic Affairs.  Keys, telephone number, email address, and computer will then be made available during the summer months.

Area or Building Administrative Assistants

Area or Building Administrative Assistants report to the appropriate Area Chair although many of the duties described below involve the department and program chair.  Department and program chairs should refer problems and conflicts to the Area Chair and serve as an intermediary between department faculty and the assistant. 

Faculty Administrative Assistants are to provide support for the academic endeavors of individual faculty, departments, areas, and in some cases, special programs such as The Engaged Citizen and the Steel Center. Academic endeavors include the work of the faculty in teaching, advising, preparing recommendations for students, professional development, grant management, and committee work; of departments/programs in budget management and capital outlay requests, course scheduling, curriculum development, maintaining student records as appropriate, meeting scheduling, recruiting, and assessment; of areas (where appropriate) in faculty evaluation and the other work of the Area Chair; and of special programs, in scheduling speakers, etc. They are also expected to manage their own offices, including supervising student workers, ordering supplies as necessary, managing and prioritizing the work load, maintaining office machines in good working order, responding to inquiries and requests from students, other faculty and staff, and off-campus constituencies, as appropriate, and to make sure new faculty are properly oriented to the operations of the office and their individual offices adequately furnished.

Unless otherwise specified, their salaries are based on 10-month annual appointments, beginning August 1 and ending May 31, and their holidays during the academic year are limited to those in which all offices are closed.  As non-exempt, 10-month employees, they do not accrue sick leave, vacation leave, or personal leave days, although with the supervisor’s permission, they may work at other times, for instance during the summer, in order to compensate for days missed during the academic year. Their hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour for lunch (adjustments may be made for that portion of the year when summer hours are in effect), for a total of 40 hours per week.  These times may be adjusted out of necessity, but they are not expected to work more than 40 hours in any given week.

Assistants are not expected to grade student work, to perform work for faculty or staff that is not related to their professional responsibilities, to provide assistance for individual faculty projects that preclude performing routine work serving larger numbers of faculty or students, or to run personal errands.

Work such as photocopying for classes should be submitted at least 24 hours before needed.  Larger projects that involve more than photocopying, such as preparing grant applications, manuscripts, or brochures, should be submitted at least a week before they are needed. Longer lead time may be required during hours of peak demand, as for instance in the spring when class schedules and budgets are due.  Faculty should consult with assistants ahead of time to make sure their work can be completed in a timely fashion.  In cases of competing priorities, assistants should consult with the appropriate Area Chair for assistance in resolving conflicts.

Faculty are reminded that while the assistants’ offices are of necessity high traffic areas, they are also the assistants’ work spaces, and should not be thought of as general gathering places for casual conversation. Note the new policy about staff evaluation as described in an earlier section.

Staff Employees

Some departments hire staff employees such as lab managers.  The department chair is the supervisor of these employees and should work with Human Resources to comply with all appropriate personnel policies.  A copy of the Staff Handbook containing these policies can be obtained from Human Resources.  The hiring of such employees should be coordinated with the Provost’s Office and Human Resources. Note the new policy about staff evaluation as described in an earlier section.

Student Employees

Student Assistants for research, secretarial, laboratory, or clerical work are provided through the work study programs administered by the Office of Financial Aid, subject to limitations of budget and student availability.

There are two types of work study programs available on the Hendrix campus: Federal Work Study (FWS) and the Hendrix Work Program (HWP). No student will be allowed to work until a fully completed hiring packet is on file with Financial Aid office. Direct students to www.hendrix.edu/getworkstudy for more information and to download the packet.

Federal Work Study eligibility is based on financial need as determined through the FAFSA.  Students who qualify for FWS will have this award indicated on their financial aid award notification.  The maximum award for this program is $2,000 for the year.  Students may not work in excess of their awarded amount.  The departmental budget is charged for 100% of the wages earned under this program.

Students who do not qualify for Federal Work Study may be hired through the Hendrix Work Program.  Any student eligible to work in the U.S. may qualify for this program.  The number of hours the student works depends upon the department’s budget and the agreed upon work schedule. The departmental budget is charged for 100% of the wages earned under this program.

Students approved for Federal Work Study (FWS) should receive hiring priority for two important reasons: FWS students demonstrate true need over Hendrix Work Program students, and the College is required to spend its FWS allotment, or else it may be decreased. If no FWS student meets the criteria or needs of a supervisor, then an HWP student can be hired.

To hire a work study student, job descriptions must be listed online through “Hire Hendrix.” More information can be found at www.hendrix.edu/hireworkstudy.  Please consult with your department chair or area assistant for the full policy and guidelines.   

Hire Hendrix (hereafter HH) is the College’s online job and internship posting board. Using HH as the centralized location for work study listings ensures job-seeking students have access to opportunities, as well as visually showing students the number and variety of work study positions that exist.  This new hiring procedure should dramatically decrease the amount of paperwork for hiring a work study student, pushing most steps to pre-existing online capabilities.  

In person, step-by-step training will be available for all faculty/staff who hire work study students. There will also be ‘live’ help available from the Media Center’s Help Desk as well as handouts for further reference and use after training.

Federal Work Study (FWS) students should receive hiring priority for two important reasons:

1)   FWS eligible students demonstrate true need over Hendrix Work Program students, and

2)   the College is required to spend its FWS allotment, or else it may be decreased.

If no FWS student meets the criteria or needs of a supervisor, then an HWP student can be hired.

SUPERVISOR Information:

• ALL work study positions must be posted on Hire Hendrix for a minimum of 5 days.
• Supervisor completes online job posting through HH including budget code.
• Supervisor interviews applicants and selects student to hire; directs hired student to Campus Web where student downloads, completes and turns in paperwork to Financial Aid office.
• Supervisor submits hired student via Hendrix Website (www.hendrix.edu/HireWorkStudy).
• Once online form and Financial Aid student hiring packet are completed in full, Financial Aid creates time card in Campus Web and supervisor/student are both notified to begin work. Students MAY NOT begin working until this notification.
• Through HH, job postings have ‘free text’ areas that can be used to specify necessary skills, qualifications, class/lab pre-requisites, preferred schedules, how/when/ where to apply, etc. 
  

Notes:

• Once a position is posted, it never needs re-posting! Supervisors can simply re-activate when they need to hire a new worker, and can edit the position as necessary.
• For the first year, all supervisors will complete job postings regardless of whether they are hiring or not. Those that have already selected students will go through step 3-5 without having to interview, etc.
• Supervisors absolutely still have the freedom to select the best student for work study needs. If no FWS approved student meets the job criteria, a Hendrix Work Program student can be hired.

Guidelines for Courses with Low Enrollment

The Committee on Faculty may request that undergraduate courses at the lower level may be cancelled if enrollment levels are below ten.  Upper level classes may be cancelled if enrollments are below three.  The department or program chair may be asked to justify running a course below these limits.  If courses are cancelled, the chair is responsible for helping the faculty member fill the empty slot, possibly by adding a new course or by splitting an existing course with a large enrollment.  In the case of upper level courses, the chair may be asked to request the faculty member teach these students as an overload independent study.