In 1989, Provost James Coffman commissioned a task force to develop procedures and guidelines for the annual evaluation of unclassified personnel. Based on the resulting recommendations, new procedures for annual evaluation and distribution of merit salary increases were approved by Faculty Senate in December, 1990, and were included in the 1991 Faculty Handbook. A second document compiled by that task force, Handbook for Annual Evaluation of Unclassified Personnel, was distributed by the Provost to all departments and other academic units in August of 1990 to provide guidance in developing a sound annual evaluation system for each unit.
In the fall of 1990, Provost Coffman commissioned another task force to examine the impact of tenure and promotion practices upon institutional excellence and to make recommendations for changes that would promote excellence. This task force included four subcommittees: Teaching and Advising; Research and Creative Endeavors; Service; and Extension. The Executive Committee of the task force used the results of a faculty survey, a survey of deans, and the four subcommittee reports to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations for the Faculty Handbook. That portion of its final report was submitted to Provost Coffman in January, 1992, and, after significant excision by the Senate Faculty Affairs Committee, was approved without opposition by Faculty Senate in May, 1992.
This second task force also developed resource materials to serve as aids to academic units' work in developing sound criteria, standards, and procedures for promotion and tenure. Rather than producing a separate publication which would duplicate much of the earlier one, the second task force enlarged the earlier report. This publication is therefore an enlargement and revision of the earlier Handbook for Annual Evaluation of Unclassified Personnel. It is intended to be an aid to departments and similar academic units in developing evaluation criteria, standards, and guidelines for annual salary adjustments, for tenure, and for promotion.