Personnel Committee Governance Policy

Issue No. 01 

Effective Date: September 1, 2024 

Next Review: September 1, 2029 (E5Y) 

Senior Reviewer: Dean 

01 PURPOSE 

01.01 This policy and procedure statement is intended to define the general governance responsibilities and standard operating procedures of faculty personnel committees. As stated in §01.03 AA/PPS 04.02.10, collegial faculty members are expected to contribute to the positive functioning of the department or school and the university. Faculty members have the fundamental responsibility, when called upon, to participate in the faculty governance process. 

02 FACULTY GOVERNANCE DEFINITIONS 

02.01 A department chair (hereafter “chair”) is the chief executive of their department (hereafter “academic unit”) (§02.01 AA/PPS 01.02.11). 

02.02 University policy states that voting members of the personnel committee are tenured faculty who (a) hold academic rank in a department at a rate of 50 percent or more, (b) have at least one year of service at Texas State since the official start date of the faculty appointment, and (c) have taught eight sections of courses at the college or university level (§02.01AA/PPS 04.02.20).  

Non-tenure-line faculty (NLF) titles are clinical, research, practice and instruction (AA/PPS No. 04.01.20). This college policy requires academic units to include promoted NLF (i.e., those at the rank of associate or full professor) as voting members of the personnel committee in personnel matters related to evaluation, reappointment and promotion of NLF and in other matters as agreed upon by the academic unit. Academic units will include a minimum of one promoted NLF per title (as appropriate to the academic unit) on the personnel committee. The process by which promoted NLF are added to the personnel committee will be explained in an academic unit’s policy on the personnel committee. As members of the personnel committee, promoted NLF must meet the same criteria of appointment and experience as listed above (§02.03.a-c AA/PPS 04.02.20) for tenured faculty.  

02.03 Pursuant to university policy, personnel committees function to consult, consider, approve, advise, recommend, evaluate, assess, judge, discuss, counsel, and review (see below, 05, Relevant University Policies and Documents for Personnel Committees), as well as vote on personnel matters (AA/PPS 04.02.10, AA/PPS 04.02.20, AA/PPS 04.02.21). Promoted NLF who are voting members of personnel committees may vote on personnel matters as explained in the chart below. 

Other roles and responsibilities of tenured faculty and promoted NLF members of the personnel committee will be explained in an academic unit’s policy on the personnel committee. This policy will be approved by the academic unit’s personnel committee, the chair, the college dean and the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs (VPAA). 

03 FACULTY GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITIES 

03.01 Chairs are responsible for the implementation of university, college, and department policies and for the development, coordination, and administration of all academic programs and activities within their academic units (§02.01 AA/PPS 01.02.11), and for providing effective and inclusive leadership that fosters shared governance within the department (§02.03.c AA/PPS 01.02.11, Faculty Handbook). Shared governance includes collaboration with the voting faculty (as defined in §I.A.2 Faculty Constitution) in the execution of primary responsibilities for the department as required by policy, as well as seeking regular guidance from the broader faculty and staff.  

03.02 The chair serves as the chair of the personnel committee and schedules meetings as needed. 

03.03 Personnel committee meetings are conducted in accordance with university policies (academic unit, college and university). The chair provides all relevant documentation and policies needed for decision-making by the personnel committee. Because chairs make independent assessments regarding faculty performance (AA/PPS 04.02.10, AA/PPS 04.02.20, AA/PPS 04.02.21), chairs attend personnel committee meetings in a non-voting capacity. The chair may serve as a resource for personnel committee members but should not influence discussions or outcomes. 

03.04 Some university policies (e.g., Performance Evaluation of Continuing Faculty and Post-Tenure Review AA/PPS No. 04.02.10, Tenure and Promotion Review AA/PPS No. 04.02.20, Non-Tenure Line Faculty Promotion Review AA/PPS 04.02.21) require personnel committee members to vote by secret ballot. However, a personnel committee member may ask for a vote by secret ballot in other contexts, which will be honored by the chair. 

03.05 The primary responsibility of the personnel committee is to provide the chair with recommendations on all personnel matters—the recruitment, retention, and promotion of faculty—as an integral component of shared governance (Faculty Handbook), and in other departmental matters. Personnel committee members are charged with maintaining the highest levels of integrity, discretion, civility, and confidentiality in personnel reviews. In order to fully take part in personnel reviews, personnel committee members must thoroughly examine relevant documentation provided by the chair to guide their discussions and final recommendations.  

Academic units are encouraged to assign mentors to assistant professors of all faculty titles so that assistant professors are represented during decisions concerning reappointment, promotion and/or tenure. If academic units do not utilize mentors for assistant professors, the chair or designated personnel committee member may serve as an objective source of non-biased factual information or the academic unit may choose another mechanism. Faculty who believe they may have a viable grievance due to work conditions, promotion denial, or the non-renewal or termination of employment, should seek guidance from the Faculty Handbook and AA/PPS 04.02.32. 

04 FACULTY AFFECTED BY THIS PPS 

04.01 All continuing tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty in the College of Liberal Arts are subject to the policies contained in this document. Contradictions between an academic unit’s policy and this college policy, will be resolved in favor of the latter. Contradictions between an academic unit’s policy and a relevant university policy, will be resolved in favor of the latter. Contradictions between this college policy and a relevant university policy, will be resolved in favor of the latter. 

05 RELEVANT UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND DOCUMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMMITTEES 

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarly/Creative Activity, Service, and Presidential Seminar AA/PPS No. 02.04.20 

Start-Up Funds AA/PPS No. 03.01.10 

Faculty Hiring AA/PPS No. 04.01.01 

Unpaid Faculty AA/PPS No. 04.01.03 

Endowed Chairs, Endowed Professorship, and University Chairs: Operating Guidelines AA/PPS No. 04.01.05 

Faculty Responsibilities, Definitions, and Titles AA/PPS No. 04.01.20 

Research Faculty Appointments AA/PPS No. 04.01.21 

Clinical Faculty Appointments 

AA/PPS No. 04.01.22 

Faculty of Practice Appointments AA/PPS No. 04.01.23 

Faculty of Instruction Appointments AA/PPS No. 04.01.26 

Faculty Workload AA/PPS No. 04.01.40 

Procedures for Awarding Faculty Merit Raises AA/PPS No. 04.01.50 

Faculty Salary Equity Study AA/PPS No. 04.01.51 

Performance Evaluation of Continuing Faculty and Post-Tenure Review AA/PPS No. 04.02.10 

Performance Evaluation of Non-Continuing Non-Tenure Line Faculty AA/PPS No. 04.02.11 

Summative Evaluation of Academic Deans AA/PPS No. 04.02.13 

Tenure-Line Faculty Tenure and Promotion Review AA/PPS No. 04.02.20 

Non-Tenure Line Faculty Promotion Review AA/PPS 04.02.21 

Faculty Constitution 

Faculty Handbook 

Appeal of Faculty Voter or Personnel Committee Voter Status 

06. LIST OF REVIEWERS OF THIS LAPPS 

06.01 This PPS has the following reviewers and cycle. 

07. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT 

This LA/PPS has been approved by the following in their official capacities and represents College of Liberal Arts policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded. 

Liberal Arts Council 

Dean, College of Liberal Arts