Evaluation Processes for Instructional Faculty

Instructional FTNTL faculty include Professors of the Practice and Teaching Professors at the rank Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor. This section describes the evaluation and promotion processes for these faculty members.

Academic units will regularly evaluate instructional FTNTL faculty members at each rank and track.

There are three types of evaluation for instructional faculty:

  1. Annual evaluations
  2. Renewal/Non-renewal evaluations 
  3. Promotion evaluations

This section also explains Salary Adjustments for each type of evaluation.

Annual Evaluations 

  1. All instructional FTNTL faculty must be evaluated in the fall semester on an annual basis for the purposes of merit review consistent with Section V.A. of this framework. The annual evaluation of any FTNTL faculty at the assistant professor rank must include an evaluation meeting with the faculty member, their unit head or designee, and at least one additional faculty member in the unit to discuss the faculty member’s career progress at Georgetown, including a discussion about the faculty member’s salary and potential equity concerns. Units are encouraged to assign mentors to FTNTL faculty at the assistant and associate professor ranks. Those mentors should be included in annual evaluation meetings.
  2. For instructional non-tenure line faculty at the rank of associate or full professor, an annual evaluation meeting may be requested in any year by either the faculty member or their unit head, but an evaluation meeting is only required as part of the contract renewal process.
  3. Annual evaluations must be based primarily on the explicit contractual obligations of the faculty member and fulfillment of their obligations under the Georgetown Faculty Handbook. The evaluation should be informed by:
    1. The faculty member’s annual report form is submitted for the purpose of merit review. Units may also ask for additional materials, including, for example, a narrative summary provided by the faculty member that outlines their accomplishments, including in any major administrative roles, over the previous academic year or any forward-looking goals.
    2. Evidence of teaching performance includes, but is not limited to, quantitative student evaluation of teaching scores.
    3. A report of a teaching observation conducted by a faculty member in the FTNTL faculty member’s unit (generally, once per academic year, but only during an instructional FTNTL faculty member’s first contract at the university unless either the faculty member or their unit head requests an observation in a subsequent year).
  4. The annual evaluation must conclude with a brief written summary provided by the unit head to the faculty member by January 1. The faculty member must be provided with the opportunity to provide feedback on the annual evaluation and request revisions.

Renewal/Non-Renewal Evaluations

  • Any FTNTL faculty member identified through an open search may be renewed. The possibility of the renewal of an FTNTL faculty member is conditional on the renewal of the faculty position itself. After assessing both continuing programmatic needs and budgetary feasibility, a dean may request that the Provost renew the position. If it is determined that a faculty member will not be renewed for a similar contract length for either programmatic or financial reasons, that faculty member may still be renewed for a shorter contract.
  • FTNTL faculty on a one-year contract who were identified without an open search may generally only be renewed one time while FTNTL faculty on a one-year contract who were identified through an open search may be renewed, including to a multiyear contract, if there is continuing programmatic need and the position is financially feasible. In both cases, approval by both the Provost is required, and in some cases, further approval by the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action may be requested by the Provost.
  • If the Office of the Provost authorizes the renewal of a multiyear position and if a faculty member would like to be renewed into that position, then a renewal evaluation must be conducted. The renewal evaluation of a faculty member must be concluded with notification of the unit’s recommendation to the faculty member by June 30 of the penultimate year of the faculty member’s contract for any faculty member on a multiyear contract. Faculty on a one-year contract must be notified of a renewal decision no later than March 15.
  • Renewal evaluations of faculty on multiyear contracts should be conducted by the unit head or designee and with additional input from full-time faculty (i.e., at least one additional full-time faculty member).
  • The evaluation should be informed by:
    • A renewal evaluation meeting. The renewal evaluation meeting must include the faculty member under review, the unit head or their designee, and any additional faculty members conducting the review. During the meeting, the discussion should focus on the faculty member’s performance during their current contract based on the obligations included in that contract. In a year when a faculty member is being considered for renewal, the renewal evaluation meeting may replace the annual evaluation meeting.
    • Annual reports forms as submitted for the duration of the faculty member’s current contract.
    • Evidence of teaching performance, including, but not limited to, quantitative student evaluation of teaching scores.
    • Individual units may request additional materials, including statements provided by the faculty member or evidence of the faculty member’s administrative accomplishments.

The ultimate decision on whether to renew a faculty member’s appointment must be based primarily on the faculty member’s fulfillment of their contract, including excellence in teaching and service within the unit (as well as potentially in the school or on Main Campus), and any notable professional development activities. Accomplishments beyond the explicit obligations in a faculty member’s contract–such as service at the university-level, scholarship, or leadership in professional organizations– may be noted in a unit’s recommendation to renew an FTNTL faculty member.

Based on the renewal evaluation, a unit recommends to its dean in writing if a faculty member should be renewed, and the dean’s office subsequently decides whether to renew the faculty member and notifies the faculty member. In all cases, a FTNTL faculty member whose contract is not renewed must be provided with a reason for that decision. If a faculty member is not renewed due to their job performance, they may appeal that decision to the Provost within seven days of notification. The Provost will consider the appeal and issue a final decision within thirty days of the appeal.

Promotion Evaluations

Promotion recognizes the achievements of faculty and the contributions that they have made to the university.

  • Promotion to Associate Professor
    • Promotion to associate teaching professor or associate professor of the practice is granted in recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching at Georgetown, contributions to the intellectual life of their unit, and, in some cases, service in administrative and leadership roles. Excellence in teaching includes not only student and faculty evaluations of teaching performance, but also pedagogical innovation, the mentoring of students, participation in curriculum development, and publications or presentations related to pedagogy.
    • Contributions to the intellectual life of the appointing unit include, but are not limited to, participation in and leadership of seminar series, the organization of unit-wide events, and service on unit-level committees. Excellence in administrative leadership is demonstrated through the continuing development and progress of the program being led by the FTNTL faculty member. Accomplishments beyond these core categories, such as scholarly contributions, may be considered as part of a promotion review, but such accomplishments are neither necessary nor sufficient for promotion.
  • Promotion to Full Professor
    • Promotion to full teaching professor or full professor of the practice is guided by the same considerations as those for promotion to associate professor with the expectation of continued sustained excellence. In addition, faculty promoted to full instructional professor or full professor of the practice generally will have demonstrated increasing leadership in the areas of teaching and contributions to the intellectual life of the unit.

Promotion Process

A faculty member applying for promotion to either associate or full teaching professor or professor of the practice should submit the following materials to their unit head by September 1 of the year in which they are applying:

  • The faculty member’s curriculum vita
  • A statement highlighting the sustained excellence demonstrated by the faculty member in the areas identified above
  • Annual evaluations
  • Renewal evaluations

The promotion process consists of the following steps:

  • The unit head, along with input from full-time faculty (i.e., at least one full-time faculty member), who are selected by the unit head with the agreement of the faculty member under review, conducts a review of the application material.
  • Based on that review, the unit head prepares a letter to be sent to the dean overseeing the unit with a recommendation regarding promotion.
  • The dean reviews the promotions dossier as well as the letter from the unit head in order to prepare their own letter to the Provost with a recommendation regarding promotion.
  • The Provost makes the final decision on promotion before January 1.

Timing of Promotion

Generally, an assistant FTNTL professor can seek promotion to associate FTNTL professor for the first time to coincide with the conclusion of a second three-year contract (or the equivalent combination of contracts summing up to a total of six years), or at a point of contract renewal thereafter. Similarly, an associate can seek promotion to full FTNTL professor after four years at the rank of associate and/or at the point of contract renewal thereafter. FTNTL faculty should consult with their unit head on the timing of their promotion application before submitting their application.

Notwithstanding these time periods, an FTNTL faculty member can request to be considered for earlier promotion. Such requests require the approval of the unit head, the dean, and the Provost before the application is submitted. Approval of a request to be considered for early promotion will generally only be granted in recognition of extraordinary achievement by the faculty member. If a faculty member comes to Georgetown with previous experience at another institution, the faculty member’s initial contract should specify any shortened period of time before which they will be considered for promotion. If a faculty member’s application for promotion is unsuccessful, they may reapply for promotion as soon as the next academic year following a consultation with their unit head.

Request for Reconsideration

Within 30 days of receipt of a negative promotion decision, the faculty member can ask the Provost to reconsider the decision.

Salary Adjustments 

In general, there are three ways in which a FTNTL faculty member’s salary may be adjusted: (1) annual merit adjustments, (2) when available, through a Special Salary Adjustment Pool as described below, and (3) promotion adjustments.

I. Merit Pay Adjustments

FTNTL base salaries are adjusted annually. All units must have FTNTL merit policies that are approved by their dean’s office. Any revisions to a unit’s approved merit policy must be adopted by January 1 preceding the academic year in which they would take effect. Merit policies and procedures must be transparent and non-arbitrary and, where possible, should ensure FTNTL faculty involvement in the assessment of FTNTL faculty merit. Merit policies must contain clear criteria whereby higher-performing faculty can consistently be distinguished from lower-performing faculty. Deans must communicate to all FTNTL faculty their merit assessment for the year relative to others in their unit, the size of the FTNTL pool for that year, and the salary adjustment that the faculty member is receiving.

II. Special Salary Adjustment Pool

When authorized by the Main Campus Faculty Salary Plan, a separate Special Salary Adjustment Pool will exist for equity adjustments, extraordinary merit, and the retention of FTNTL faculty.

In consultation with unit heads, the dean of each Main Campus school must conduct an annual salary equity evaluation of the FTNTL faculty in their school. The deans shall then make equity adjustment recommendations to the Provost, who will ultimately approve any salary adjustments. Requests for equity adjustments may also be submitted by a faculty member or their unit head to their dean.

Requests for extraordinary merit may be submitted either by the faculty member to their unit head or by their unit head or dean directly. The unit head will submit all requests along with their recommendation to the dean. The dean will then forward all requests with their recommendation to the Provost, who will ultimately decide if an extraordinary merit award is granted.

Extraordinary merit will generally be available for instructional, research, or administrative achievements that benefit the institution and cannot be adequately rewarded by the ordinary annual merit process.

Requests for authorization to present a retention offer to an FTNTL faculty member may be made by deans directly to the Office of the Provost.

III. Salary Increases at Promotion

Additional salary increases will also be granted upon promotion in rank. The Provost will determine the promotion salary increases for FTNTL faculty following the guidance provided by the Main Campus Faculty Salary Plan, and such adjustments will be paid for through the Special Salary Adjustment Pool, when available.