The major criteria for Faculty evaluation at Hendrix College are as follows: (a) excellence in student development, (b) professional development in the form of work appropriate to the Faculty member’s disciplinary area, and (c) a record of service to the development of the college community and possibly beyond. In addition, some Faculty members have specific research obligations that must be met and factored into the evaluation process.
The exact weight of each of the criteria mentioned above is not quantifiable as their importance may vary based on the duties of the individual Faculty member and the particular stage of his or her career at Hendrix. Ideally, new probationary Faculty, in consultation with their department chairs and area chairs, develop a workable plan for professional development. In addition, tenured Faculty also have an opportunity during the evaluation process, undertaken every three years for associate professors and every five years for full professors, to assess their career paths and chart a course for their future professional development. In addition, all Faculty, both tenured and probationary, are expected to engage in multiple forms of service to the College as described in the preceding section.
Although all tenured Faculty are expected to demonstrate excellence in teaching, engage in some form of professional development, and compile a record of community development, individuals may choose to concentrate the bulk of their efforts beyond student development either in the area of professional development or in the area of community development. Thus, depending on their talents and inclinations, some tenured Faculty may elect to emphasize service to the College or wider community and focus the majority of their efforts beyond student development in these areas. Others, however, may decide to emphasize various forms of creative or scholarly activity. Accordingly, while all Faculty at Hendrix will map out a workable plan for professional development and community development, individual patterns of Faculty activity may vary to some extent, provided that these patterns mesh with the expectations of one’s department and the College as whole. Nevertheless, although community and professional development are certainly deemed important, the preeminent position of student development relative to professional and community development is clearly the defining feature of the Faculty evaluation system at the College.
In summary, Hendrix values teaching excellence above all. Dedication, effectiveness, and professional growth in teaching and its related activities constitute the central axis around which the diverse professional, scholarly, and service activities of Hendrix Faculty revolve. Regardless of the Faculty member’s duties and commitments, excellence in teaching is the one absolute requirement for tenure and promotion.