According to the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations – Section 310.015.B, tenured faculty members in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery are reviewed for their performance as below:
Annual Review:
Annually activities of faculty members will be reviewed by the chair. The activities of the faculty member will be rated as satisfactory or unsatisfactory in research, teaching and service, and an overall evaluation of satisfactory or unsatisfactory will be provided, based on the standards described below.
The faculty member will receive this information in a written evaluation. If the overall evaluation is unsatisfactory, there must be a face-to-face discussion of the evaluation between the faculty member and the chair. The faculty member will sign the written evaluation to acknowledge its receipt and may provide a written response to the evaluation. A copy of this signed evaluation will be provided to the faculty member by the chair within a month after the faculty member has signed the evaluation.
Five-Year Review:
At five-year intervals, a tenured faculty member will resubmit the annual reports and evaluation statements for the past five years, with a concise summary statement of research, teaching, and service activities for the five-year period, and a current curriculum vita to the chair.
Based on the five-year report, the chair will evaluate the faculty member’s overall performance for the five-year period as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The faculty member will receive this information in a written evaluation. The five-year evaluation process will be complete with a satisfactory evaluation. If the evaluation is unsatisfactory, then the five-year report with chair’s evaluation will be sent to the departmental promotion and tenure (P&T) committee.
The P&T Committee will perform its own full review of the performance of the faculty member over the five-year period, based on the standards described below. An unsatisfactory decision by the Committee will require a two-thirds majority vote with the vote taken following standard department procedures. The faculty member will receive this information in a written evaluation. The five-year evaluation process will be complete if the P&T Committee does not reach an unsatisfactory decision. In the event that the P&T Committee concurs with the chair’s judgment of unsatisfactory performance, the P&T Committee’s written evaluation will describe in detail their rationale for the unsatisfactory evaluation, and the subsequent process, specified in the UM Collected Rules and Regulations, will be followed.
Standards for Post Tenure Evaluation
Tenured faculty members are expected to make sustained contributions consistent with the stated mission of the University of Missouri-Columbia. The judgment for the overall satisfactory performance will be based on the aggregate performance of the faculty member in research, teaching, and service, and with consideration for the department’s mission and values:
Mission Statement
To develop and disseminate knowledge to improve the health and well-being of animals and people through instruction, innovative research, service and leadership.
Statement of Values
- Respect
Respect defines every aspect of our approach to departmental missions. Respect not only for ourselves, our co-workers, and the constituents we serve, but also respect for animals. Respect is demonstrated by a commitment to act ethically, to welcome diversity, and to engage in open exchange about ideas and decisions. - Discovery
We value discovery with the realization that knowledge changes constantly. Only through improved understanding and a dedication to dissemination of knowledge can we fulfill our mission to improve the health and well-being of people and animals. - Excellence
We must demand excellence of each other collectively, and more importantly of ourselves individually. We must not be content with the status quo, but must constantly strive to achieve our best in pursuit of our mission. - Responsibility
Each department member shares responsibility for creating a working environment which fosters the values of respect, discovery, and excellence in pursuit of our departmental missions. Being responsible requires us to be thoughtful stewards of resources—accountable to ourselves, each other, and the public we serve.
Research
The faculty should have demonstrated research quality, productivity, independence and sustainability in their research field. The satisfactory performance in research may be evidenced by published work including refereed journals, securing research funding, and mentoring of graduate students.
Also important are edited books, research reviews, and chapters in books. A third category includes research-based invited seminars, symposium papers, meeting presentations and published abstracts of these presentations, and other non-peer reviewed publications. Some textbooks and innovative instructional materials have significance to the scholarship of the discipline and thus are considered contributions to scholarly activity, as are contributions to the scholarship of teaching. While we expect regular continued publication of quality papers in peer reviewed journals, the number of peer reviewed publications is less important than the recognition by peers that the work is of very high quality and has made an important contribution to the scholarship of the field.
Collaborative research and mentoring junior faculty, professional students, graduate students, and house officers in the area of research will be recognized and rewarded.
While we expect regular continued publication of quality papers in peer reviewed journals, the number of peer reviewed publications is less important than the recognition by peers that the work is of very high quality and has made an important contribution to the scholarship of the field. Likewise, it is recognized that funding opportunities and levels in some areas are greater than in others and that some areas of research require fewer funds to maintain a successful program.
Exceptional performance in any of these areas should be taken into account when judging the aggregate performance of the faculty member in research, teaching, and service.
Collaborative research, mentoring of professional students, graduate students, and house officers in the area of research will be recognized and rewarded. In addition, mentorship of junior faculty in research will also be rewarded.
Teaching
Competence in content, effective delivery and dedication to the teaching mission are required all the time. Satisfactory performance in teaching may be demonstrated by acceptable teaching evaluations with no sustained complaints from students, progressive course content, and continuous efforts for effective teaching. Additional recognition for pedagogical contributions can be gained through (but not limited to) teaching awards, education related publications and presentations, funding for educational projects, outstanding instructor evaluations, implementation of innovative delivery techniques, development of new courses, and teaching assignments involving large sections or WI courses. Such contributions above the typical level should be taken into account when judging the aggregate performance of the faculty member in research, teaching, and service.
Because a large portion of departmental teaching activities are performed in the Veterinary Health Center (VHC), VMS faculty must serve as role models for students and house officers when engaging in clinical teaching. In addition to excellent clinical skills, VMS faculty should display professionalism, ethical conduct, teamwork, and good communication skills in order to fully meet the expectations for clinical teaching.
Service
VMS faculty members are expected to make professional contributions through service to the Department, the College, the University and their discipline. Outreach (extension) activities are also considered in this category. Reviewing manuscripts, editing journals, reviewing research proposals, and serving on research grant panels or study sections all fall both under service and research scholarship. Important service contributions include the organization of regional, national, or international meetings and service as regional or national officers of professional organizations. Important local contributions include administrative assistance to the department and/or to the campus through service on committees, discipline-related community service.
In our veterinary teaching hospital, clinical service activities most often are intertwined with educational programs for students and house officers and thus, are often considered as part of a faculty member’s teaching responsibility. However, clinical performance may also be considered as part of the service commitment for a faculty member, and especially if the faculty’s clinical service does not have a teaching component.
Consulting activities not done on behalf of the university or for a professional organization related to the faculty member’s discipline are not considered service activity.