Endowed Chair Review Procedure

Endowed professors will be reviewed in accordance with the terms of their endowed chair agreements, including the length, criteria, and conditions of their appointment.  These reviews will evaluate whether and how endowed professors have met these terms during the review period.

At the beginning of the final year of the current appointment, the Dean’s Office will notify the endowed professor that a review dossier is due in six weeks to the department personnel committee.  At the same time, the Dean’s Office will solicit letters from any other stakeholders identified in the appointment agreement (e.g., a program sponsor or the chair of a department in which the endowed chair has a secondary appointment).  The Dean’s Office will forward these letters within six weeks to the department for inclusion in the dossier.

Extramural review is optional.  This option may be exercised by either the endowed professor or the department personnel committee and shall follow the same procedures as extramural reviews solicited for tenure and promotion review.

The dossier is to include the current endowed chair agreement, a current curriculum vita, solicited letters from stakeholders and extramural reviewers (if any), and a statement by the endowed professor of no more than five pages that (1) explains how the goals of the professorship have been met during the review period, (2) describes how resources that support the endowment (e.g., funds, space, equipment) have been used during the review period to meet the criteria of the endowed position, (3) proposes plans for the next term of appointment, and (4) addresses any other relevant issues that should be considered during the review process.

The department personnel committee will review the dossier and submit a letter to the department chair evaluating the degree to which the endowed professor has fulfilled the criteria of the endowed position and recommending for or against reappointment.  The department chair will review and evaluate the dossier, then forward it to the Dean with a letter either agreeing or disagreeing with the committee’s conclusions.  After considering the dossier and the evaluations, the Dean will recommend to the Provost either for or against reappointment.

At each stage of the review, the endowed professor will have the opportunity to review all materials in the record and to respond to them in writing. All such responses shall be made within three working days and shall become a permanent part of the file under review.