Faculty Personnel Items
Hiring, Evaluation, Promotion, Sabbatical, & Tenure
Complete the electronic forms online and then save as .pdf files. If the document is a checklist for evaluation, please print only, as the checklists are not interactive. The documents can be printed to obtain the necessary signatures. Please be sure to use these updated documents in place of any that you may have on hand the electronic versions are updated regularly.
As in the past, the majority of the forms are printed on specific colors of paper. The color (ex: Salmon) is written at the top and the end/bottom of the form. If no color is noted, submit on plain white paper. After a form has been completed, please remember to save your work.
Please note that these documents are not to be sent electronically for submission or signature. Please follow the usual procedures/processes for signature or approval using a hard copy on the appropriate paper. As these forms are part of an application, they should be submitted as a complete package and not sent electronically. Please let us know if you have any questions at 610-436-3405.
PDF files require Acrobat Reader by Adobe. If you do not have this, you can download Acrobat Reader for free.
- Hiring Resources:
- Faculty Hiring Guide - Human Resources
- Faculty Hiring and Search Procedures - Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Evaluation Dates and Guidelines:
- Faculty Evaluations - schedule and materials 11-2022
- 2022-2023 CBA Evaluation and TeP Dates
- CBA
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Faculty Evaluations - schedule and materials 9-08-2020
- First-year Tenure Track Probationary Faculty Formative Evaluation Form
- WCU Tenure and Promotion Policies
- Peer Observations Memo
- Peer Observations Supplemental Information
Request for Early Tenure Consideration
Early Tenure Procedures and Guidelines (Fall 2022)
- As provided for in Article 15.B., faculty are able to request to count time spent in a temporary or regular part-time, temporary full-time or regular full-time position at any university or any other regionally accredited or internationally acclaimed four year institution of higher education towards the probationary period at WCU.
- Generally speaking, requests for credit more than one year will only be approved in those instances where individuals have exceptional records supported by a substantial body of professional accomplishments.
- Departments are not authorized via the Collective Bargaining Agreement to guarantee tenure credit during the hiring process or at any time during the probationary period. The Department’s role is limited to making a recommendation to the Provost as the President’s designee. Departments are urged to carefully consider each request and are reminded that the process will be monitored to ensure that such requests have not created a de facto situation where the time spent in the probationary period is less than the five years as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement for most faculty.
- The process may be initiated by either the faculty member or the department. If requested by the faculty member, they will initiate the procedure by submitting a written request to the department chair and Dean. The department chair will bring the request to the department, which will submit a written recommendation to the Dean within 4 weeks (of the academic calendar) of receiving the request, who will share this recommendation with the Provost as the President’s designee. The department is encouraged to use its normal process for decision making. As part of the review and approval process, the Provost may consult with the appropriate dean, consider the department recommendation and make a determination on the request. The faculty member and department chair will be informed in writing of the decision within 4 weeks of receiving the department's recommendation.
- Should the Provost, as the President’s designee, receive and approve a request for early tenure consideration before the successful completion (meaning the candidate did not receive ratings of needs improvement or does not meets professional standards in any area of evaluation in either year one or two) of the second year tenure track evaluation (which includes pre-employment i.e. during hiring process), the approval will stipulate that such credit will be applied to years three and later of the probationary period upon being renewed after the second year.
- Individuals approved to apply for early tenure may submit their materials at the next appropriate deadline following approval (i.e. November 1 for tenure & promotion or January 20 for tenure only) OR the applicant may choose not to apply for early tenure. Tenure applications and materials will be considered using the regular tenure and promotion process.
- A copy of the Provost's letter, as the President’s designee, granting early tenure application will be attached to the tenure application in the tenure dossier materials.
- Any semester a probationary faculty member is on a full leave from the University (with or without pay) will not be counted toward the required probationary period (Article 15.B).
Sabbatical - Memo from the SaLe
On behalf of the Sabbatical Leave Committee:
As a reminder to faculty, all sabbatical proposals will be submitted and reviewed in the fall of each academic year. Applications will be reviewed in the fall semester only. To prepare please read the deadlines below.
The Sabbatical Leave Committee invites all tenured faculty members to apply for next year’s round of sabbatical leaves. The deadline is 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2022.
All documents related to sabbaticals may be found by going to the Office of the Provost website. You will find the Sabbaticals tab on the left margin and there you will be able to access the sabbatical overview, policy, forms, and examples of successful applications from past years.
Review of proposals will occur only during the fall semester. A proposal submitted in Fall 2022 can apply for a sabbatical in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. Because sabbatical applications must be submitted at least two semesters in advance, faculty members cannot apply in the fall semester for a sabbatical to be taken in the spring semester immediately following submission of the application.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION PROCESS
The faculty member is responsible for obtaining Chairperson's and Dean's comments and signatures for the completed proposal in order to submit to the Provost office. ALL sabbaticals will be submitted electronically and therefore e-signatures will be accepted. All completed applications will be submitted via email to Provost@wcupa.edu. Please put “Sabbatical Application” in the subject line. All emails are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2022. All applications must be complete, including the cover checklist, all pages of the form, and all required signatures. Incomplete applications or applications received after the published deadline will not be reviewed by the SaLe Committee.
Sabbatical leave applications are reviewed using the following rating scale:
- Up to 70 points for the quality of the project
- Up to 20 points for meritorious service
- Up to 10 points for years of service
The SaLe Committee requests that applicants:
- Adhere to word limits listed on the application form in every section of the application.
- Include letters of support for collaborative projects with another individual, group, or university.
- Offer a detailed description of service activities in Section 11 of the application form.
By December 15th, the President or his/her designee notifies the faculty of sabbatical leaves granted.
Members of the 2022 SaLe Committee who can help answer questions about the application process include: Rachel McMullin and Jacqueline Van Schooneveld
Teacher-Scholar Model
West Chester University's strategic plan emphasizes a teacher-scholar connection. Each department has developed a teacher-scholar model which defines the ways faculty members bring their scholarship into their teaching and their teaching into their scholarship. West Chester University teacher-scholars actively engage students in connecting the life of the mind to the world in which they live through the exploration of scholarship.
The WCU teacher-scholar model serves to facilitate faculty members' efforts to meet professional and/or accreditation standards by exposing students to knowledge, skills, and dispositions required in each discipline.
New Faculty Orientation
Welcome to the West Chester University community! I offer my sincerest congratulations on your appointment as a faculty member. Hiring and welcoming new faculty is one of the most important aspects of the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. Your department chairperson, dean, and I know that tenure-track faculty hired this year will play a critical role in the future developments of departments and the University as a whole. Therefore, we share a special interest in your future success at WCU.
Read more about New Faculty Orientation
Civic Engagement and Leadership
West Chester University is actively committed to promoting and integrating civic engagement and student leadership across the campus community. West Chester University seeks to impart knowledge, skills, and values that make a direct and purposeful contribution to the preparation of student for active civic participation. Civic engagement is designed to develop learning that contributes to student preparation for community or public involvement in a diverse, democratic society.