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PM 95-01 Procedure For Evaluation Of Candidates For Honorary Degrees

PM 95-02

PM 95-03 Performance Salary Step Increases

M E M O R A N D U M



To: Campus Community
Date: August 14, 1995
PM 95-01
From: Robert C. Detweiler, President
Subject: PROCEDURE FOR EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES FOR HONORARY DEGREES

The Board of Trustees of the California State University allows campus presidents to nominate no more than two persons for an honorary degree in any given academic year. Guidelines for campus nominations call for the president, after consultation with the Executive Committee of the campus Senate, to establish a committee, including faculty representation, to review recommendations and to assist in the development and compilation of materials in support of nominations to be forwarded.

The Executive Committee of the Academic Senate will serve as the campus review committee to invite, receive, and evaluate campus recommendations for honorary degrees. Recommendations of persons to receive honorary degrees are encouraged from any member of The California State University community, including Trustees, the Chancellor, Presidents, faculty, students, administrative staff, alumni, campus Advisory Board members and other friends of The California State University. The Executive Committee may consult with an academic department/program or individual faculty or staff members with knowledge and expertise regarding the merits of a particular recommendation, or with members of the community, prior to submitting its recommendation to the president.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs will provide support in matters such as advice about procedures and assistance with the development and compilation of material in support of recommendations reviewed by the committee.

A campus-wide call for recommendations will be issued by the President in early September of each fall semester.

Recommendations must be received by the Executive Committee by the first Wednesday in November to be considered for an honorary degree at the following commencement in May. The Executive Committee will make its report to the President no later than December 15. These deadlines will allow time for evaluation, clarification, and the receipt of additional information, if required. Also, it will allow time for appropriate consultation on campus and consideration by the President before submitting a nomination to the Trustees. The campus will thus be able to comply with deadlines specified in the annual call for nominations from the Chancellor's Office, which normally will want nominations for the February meeting of the Trustee Subcommittee prior to consideration and decision by the full Board of Trustees in March.

All material pertaining to recommendations for honorary degrees will be handled as confidential. No names of nominees will be included in any minutes of the Executive Committee.

Evaluations by the Executive Committee will be submitted to the President. Names of campus nominees approved by the Board of Trustees will be announced to the Academic Senate.

RCD:mr

M E M O R A N D U M



To: All Unit Three Employees
Date: December 1, 1995
PM 95-03
From: Robert C. Detweiler, President
Subject: Performance Salary Step Increase

Upon the recommendation of the Academic Senate (FPC 95-11), I am establishing the following as university policy, effective with 1995-1996 academic year.

1.0         Performance Salary Step Increases

1.1      Performance Salary Step Increases (PSSIs) recognize outstanding or meritorious performance which enhances the mission of the University and is of value to the University. Performance shall be in the areas of teaching, as well as other professional accomplishments and service to the University community.

1.2      The recognition of outstanding or meritorious perfor- mance by a Unit 3 employee shall be in the form of a permanent increase in the base salary of the individual of one to four steps on the salary schedule.

1.3      During academic year 1995-96 no candidate shall receive more than four (4) PSSIs. In 1996-97 and in any future year no candidate shall receive more than five (5) PSSIs.

1.4     The effective date of all PSSIs shall be January 1 of each year that there are negotiated PSSIs.

1.5     The decision to grant or deny an increase for merito- rious performance, and the number of steps to be granted, shall not be subject to the grievance procedure as provided in Article 10 of the Contract.

1.6     This policy and procedure shall be reviewed yearly by the Academic Senate.

1.7     The confidentiality requirements and restrictions which are enumerated in the Faculty Handbook regarding Personnel and Review Procedures apply to this process (ref PM 79-13, revised by PM 85-04).

2.0 Eligibility

2.1     All faculty Unit employees (including tenured and tenure track faculty, and full- and part-time lecturers, coaches, librarians, and student service professionals- academic related) are eligible each year to submit an application or be nominated by other faculty or academic administrators for PSSIs.

3.0 Application

3.1     The qualifying period for consideration for PSSI shall be three academic years immediately preceding submission of the application/nomination, or the period since the last PSSI, whichever period is shorter. During academic year 1995-96, the qualifying period shall be August 1, 1992 through December 31, 1995.

3.2     Applicants/nominees shall complete and sign the appli- cation form which shall be accompanied by a narrative document no longer than six (6) pages including addenda. The narrative shall be typed or word-processed using a 12-point font on 8-1/2 x 11" plain white paper without covers or binders, stapled in the upper left hand corner.

3.3     The criteria for awarding PSSI shall be the extent to which the applicant's philosophy and practice in areas of her/his primary responsibility, teaching as well as other professional accomplishments and service to the University community, advance the University Mission. Applicants should refer to the University Mission and the President's Institutional Goals and Planning Guidance when preparing the application.

3.4     Signed and sealed applications/nominations shall be submitted to the department chair with a copy to the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs no later than February 1, 1996 and not later than October 1 of each year in which PSSIs are awarded in the future. Only one application/nomination may go forward for any candidate.

3.5      Unit 3 employees who teach in more than one department or school may submit only one application but may select the department to which the application is submitted. Coaches shall be included in the School of Education for consideration for PSSI and may submit an application to the chair of the Department of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

3.6      The department chair shall forward all applications, sealed, to the Unit PSSI Committee.

4.0 Review at the Unit Level

4.1      The following are recognized as Units for the purpose of recommending PSSIs: School of Health, School of Manage- ment, School of Education, Library, College of Arts and Sciences, and Student Service Professionals-Academic Related (SSP-ARs).

4.2      Applications and nominations shall be submitted to Unit PSSI committees consisting of tenured Unit 3 employees. Each Unit shall determine its own criteria for selecting a committee within the guidelines of the contract. If there are insufficient tenured faculty unit employees available to comprise a Unit review committee, the Unit may utilize tenured faculty from other departments or administrative units in forming a review committee.

4.3      Unit PSSI Committees shall review all applications and recommend using the following categories: Outstanding, Meritorious, and Not Recommended. Outstanding perfor- mance is superior to others of its kind, distinguished or excellent. Meritorious performance is deserving of reward, honor or praise.

4.4      Unit PSSI committees reserve the right to request and review additional documentation. All such documentation shall be noted in the Unit PSSI committee's recommendation.

4.5      Members of Unit PSSI Committees may apply or be nominated for PSSIs, but shall not review or categorize their own applications.

4.6     All applications are forwarded to the University PSSI Committee by February 21, 1996 and not later than November 1 of each year in which PSSIs are awarded in the future.

5.0 Review at the University Level

5.1       The University PSSI Committee shall consist of one member elected by the Unit 3 employees in each Unit representing fewer than one hundred (100) Unit 3 FTEF, except that the Library faculty and SSP-ARs will be combined for this purpose. An additional member may be elected by Units for each additional one hundred (100) Unit 3 FTEF.

5.2       Members of the University PSSI Committee shall be elected from among those who have not applied or been nominated for PSSIs.

5.3      The University PSSI Committee shall review the applica- tions and the Unit Committees' recommendations, further classifying the applications into the given categories (Outstanding, Meritorious, Not Recommended). The Committee will then rank the applications sufficient to expend the number of available step increases. The recommendation shall include the number of steps to be awarded. Only applicants who are ranked will be con- sidered favorably recommended for purposes of appeal.

5.4       The University Committee reserves the right to request and review additional documentation. All such documen- tation shall be noted in the University committee's recommendation.

5.5       All applications are forwarded to the President no later than March 15, 1996, and no later than December 1 of each year in which negotiated PSSIs are awarded in the future. Failure to meet these deadlines for recom- mendations shall automatically result in the forwarding of all applications/nominations to the President for his or her award of PSSIs.

6.0 Review by the President

6.1      The President or designee shall review all of the appli- cations/nominations which have been submitted, and select the recipients of the increases from among this candidate pool by April 1, 1996, and no later than Janu- ary 1 of each year in which negotiated PSSIs are awarded in the future. The President or designee shall also determine the appropriate number of steps to be granted.

6.2       The President may consult with academic administrators when selecting the recipients of the PSSI.

6.3       The decision to grant or deny an increase for merito- rious performance, and the number of steps to be granted, shall not be subject to the grievance procedure as provided in Article 10 of the Contract.

7.0 Special Provisions

7.1     At least fifty percent (50%) of the candidates receiving a PSSI must have received a positive recommendation from the University PSSI Committee provided that:

a.       The University PSSI Committee makes a positive recommendation for enough candidates to fully expend the campus pool for PSSIs in that fiscal year and

b.       The University PSSI Committee meets the time requirement for the review and recommendations of all candidates to the President as specified above.

7.2     If the University PSSI Committee submits fewer than the minimum number of positive recommendations needed to expend fully the pool for PSSIs in any fiscal year, then the percentage of candidates receiving a PSSI that must also have received a positive recommendation from the University PSSI Committee shall be reduced proportion- ately from fifty percent (50%).

8.0     Relationship to RTP Deliberations

8.1     The decision to grant or deny a PSSI shall not be considered during deliberations regarding the granting of reappointment, promotion, or tenure. This shall not preclude the consideration of any facts during RTP deliberations which are also considered during PSSI deliberation.

9.0     Peer Review of Performance Salary Step Denials

9.1       Candidates who have received a favorable recommendation from the University PSSI Committee and who subsequently fail to receive a PSSI shall be eligible to have the in- crease denial reviewed by a University Peer Review Panel.

9.2      All requests for peer review must be submitted in writing to the Vice President of Academic Affairs no later than April 15, 1996, and no later than January 15 of each year-in which negotiated PSSIs are awarded in the future.

9.3      The Peer Review Panel shall be the sole forum for any reconsideration of any denial of a PSSI.

9.4      The University Peer Review Panel shall be selected by lot from among all full-time tenured Unit 3 employees who did not serve on that year's Unit or University PSSI Committees. The Panel shall consist of three (3) members and one (1) alternate.

9.5         No employee may be eligible for this Panel if he or she has been directly involved with the salary denial recon- sideration submitted by the employee to peer review.

9.6          The Panel shall begin to review the specific PSSI denial within fourteen (14} days of its selection by lot. The Panel's review shall be limited to a reconsideration of the increase denial of the nominee; and the President or designee's written response to any allegations made by the affected employee.

9.7        Except for presentations of the complainant and the administrator, if the administrator chooses, the peer review will be made from the documents.

9.8       No later than thirty (30) days after its selection, the Panel shall submit to the President and the complainant a written report of its findings and recommendations. All written materials considered by the Peer Panel shall be forwarded to the President.

9.9         The President shall consider the University Peer Review Panel's recommendations and all forwarded materials and, no later than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the Panel's report, notify the affected employee and the Panel of his or her final decision, including the reasons therefor. Notification to the employee of the President's decision concludes the peer review procedure and such decision shall not be reviewable in any forum.

9.10       The Panel activities shall not be open to the public and there shall not be a hearing.

10.0       Reporting of Awards

10.1      The University PSSI Committee shall report to the Senate annually the appropriate aggregate statistics regarding the number of candidates in each category, the number of awardees and the number of steps per award.

11.0       Return of Materials

11.1      Applications shall be stored for one calendar year by the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then returned to the applicant.