Personnel Actions

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy (pdf) refers to the right of all persons to apply and be evaluated for employment opportunities without regard to age, color, race, disability, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Cal Poly is an EEO employer. The University is strongly committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and actively encourages applications of all qualified individuals and follows.

You may contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at 756-6770 for additional information.

Information regarding Non-Discrimination/Affirmative Action Programs in Employment is available under the HR policy page of the the CSU web site.

Employment Equity Facilitators (EEF)

Through the participation of the Employment Equity Facilitators (EEFs) in each recruitment search, the University ensures that equal employment opportunities exist for all applicants. At the end of each recruitment, the EEF submits a written report regarding the search to the Director of Equal Opportunity to ensure that any problems that may have compromised the search are reported.

Any Cal Poly employee wishing to serve as an EEF must take the appropriate training through the Office of Equal Opportunity. For training dates and information contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at 756-6770.

Vacancy Announcements

Vacancy announcements for faculty positions at Cal Poly are posted on the Cal Poly Jobs website. The Cal Poly Report also lists available positions at Cal Poly and is published weekly when school is in session. Vacancies throughout the entire CSU system are posted on the CSU Careers website. All of the aforementioned resources list staff and management vacancies as well.

Temporary Appointments

Individuals appointed as lecturers or coaches serve in non-permanent academic assignments. Such appointments are temporary in nature and are made for specified terms. Temporary appointments automatically expire at the end of the period stated in the letter of offer and do not establish any further appointment rights.

Following three quarters of consecutive employment within an academic year, a part-time lecturer who is offered appointment to a similar assignment in the same department is entitled to receive a one-year appointment. Such assignments may be on a conditional basis. The conditions established at the time of appointment may relate to enrollment and budget considerations. If a class is canceled prior to the third class meeting the lecturer shall be paid for class hours taught. If a cancelation takes place after the third class meeting, lecturers shall be paid either for the remaining portion of the class assignment or provided with an alternate work assignment. Full-time temporary employees are not appointed on a conditional basis. Lecturers with six or more years of consecutive service in a single department (teaching at least two quarters per year) receive contracts for three years, subject to budget and enrollment considerations.

Conflict of Interest

University employees cannot make, participate in making, or attempt to use his/her official position to influence a CSU decision in which he or she has a financial interest. An employee is deemed to have personal financial interest in a decision if that decision will have a material financial effect on themselves, a member of his/her immediate family, or on any one of the five kinds of economic interest as defined in the Political Reform Act of 1974. University employees should review the five kinds of economic interest and the CSU policy on conflict of interest. A willful violation may result in a misdemeanor.

Annual disclosure statements are required upon appointment to certain designated positions and are updated annually. Please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 756-6770 for further information.

Faculty Evaluations

Performance evaluations of tenure-track faculty members are conducted for retention, promotion, and tenure (RPT). Periodic evaluations are made as needed for purposes of post tenure peer review, evaluation of probationary faculty not subject RPT, and evaluation of temporary faculty including lecturers and coaches. Evaluations are based on:

• Teaching performance and/or other professional performance
• Professional growth and achievement
• Service to the University and community
• Results of the student evaluation program
• Specific criteria outlined in the Campus Administrative Manual and in college and/or department personnel procedures.

All forms and documents relating to the evaluation are placed in a Working Personnel Action File, which is available to the faculty member, peer review committee members, and academic administrators directly involved in the evaluation process. Additional details regarding performance evaluations are detailed in the following sections.

Performance Review Procedures

Prior to the beginning of the review process for RPT decisions, each candidate is responsible for identifying and submitting materials the candidate wishes to be considered. Such materials, which must include a current curriculum vitae, are placed in the candidate's Working Personnel Action File. Additionally, each candidate is required to prepare an index of the materials submitted. A copy of the index and vitae must be sent to the dean for placement in the permanent Personnel Action File.

The Provost will establish a specific deadline by which the Working Personnel Action File is declared complete. Insertion of materials after that date must have the approval of the appropriate College/Library Peer Review Committee and is limited to items that became accessible after the deadline. The index should be updated to reflect any material added to the file during the course of the evaluation cycle.

The evaluation procedure is as follows:

1. The probationary and tenured faculty of the department elects the Peer Review Committee(s) of eligible tenured full-time faculty to evaluate and recommend individuals for retention, promotion, and tenure actions.
2. Faculty are limited to serve on no more than one committee level of peer review (i.e. a faculty member serving on a departmental PRC may not also serve on a college-level PRC). Tenured faculty members applying for promotion are ineligible to serve on promotion and tenure committees, but may be elected to serve on retention committees. At the request of the department, the dean may agree to include participants in FERP if all reviews can be concluded within their FERP assignment period.
3. Departmental peer review committee evaluation reports and recommendations are approved by a simple majority of the committee; minority reports, including individual recommendations, are permitted.
4. The results of these consultations are presented in writing and accompany the department head's/chair's written recommendation to the dean.
5. The dean's evaluation and recommendation are added to the file.
6. Retention decisions are made by the Provost. The President has delegated tenure and promotion decisions to the Provost.

Also:

1. Before a recommendation is forwarded to a subsequent review level, the faculty member under evaluation will be given a signed copy of the written recommendation, which includes reasons for the recommendation.
2. Within 10 calendar days following receipt of the recommendation, the candidate may submit a rebuttal statement or response in writing and/ or request a meeting be held to discuss the recommendation.
3. A copy of the response or rebuttal statement will accompany the Working Personnel Action File and will also be sent to all previous levels of review. Evaluation timelines shall not be extended for this purpose.

Probationary Period

A probationary period is the period of service in a tenure-track position prior to the granting or denial of tenure. The standard period of probation for instructional faculty is six years of full-time probationary service, which includes service credited toward tenure, if any. For purposes of calculating the probationary period, one year of service begins with the first fall term of appointment.

The Provost, upon recommendation by the affected department or equivalent unit, may grant to a faculty member at the time of initial appointment to probationary status up to two years of service credit toward tenure. This credit is based on previous service at a post-secondary educational institution, previous full-time CSU employment, or comparable experience.

The Provost notifies first and second year probationary faculty of the final decision on retention no later than February 15 (in the event February 15 falls on a weekend, the deadline is the next regularly scheduled workday).

During the third probationary year and thereafter, a probationary faculty member will be notified by the Provost of a final decision on retention, appointment with tenure, or a terminal year appointment no later than June 1. Terminal year appointments are limited to probationary faculty with a minimum of three years of probationary service.

Tenure

Probationary faculty are notified of the award or denial of tenure no later than June 1. The lack of official notice does not result in the award of tenure. If tenure is denied, the faculty member is advised of a subsequent probationary appointment or a terminal year appointment. 

The Provost may award tenure before the normal six-year probationary period. An applicant for early tenure must provide evidence of outstanding performance in each of the following areas:

• Teaching
• Professional growth and achievement
• Service to the University and community
• Results of the student evaluation program
• Specific criteria outlined in the Campus Administrative Policy and in college or department personnel policies.

For academic year faculty, tenure becomes effective at the beginning of the Fall Quarter succeeding the tenure award notification.

To be recommended for tenure, the employee must be rated in one of the top two performance categories listed in Section V of the Faculty Evaluation Form.

Promotion

Promotion is the advancement of a probationary or tenured faculty employee to a higher academic rank or classification.

A probationary employee usually is not promoted during probation. However, faculty members in the rank of Instructor or Assistant Librarian may be considered for promotion after completing one year of service. Probationary faculty are normally considered for promotion at the time they apply for tenure (i.e. during their sixth probationary year, or earlier if service credit toward probation was awarded at the time of appointment).

Probationary faculty members cannot be promoted beyond the rank of Associate Professor. Eligibility for promotion consideration of Associate Professors is announced at the beginning of the fifth year in their current rank.

Only those faculty members who submit a written request for promotion consideration are evaluated. Promotions are not automatic but granted only in recognition of merit and ability within budgetary limitations. Although the collective bargaining contract requires promotion decisions to be made by June 15, promotion decisions are usually announced by June 1.

Timetable for Retention, Promotion and Tenure (pdf)