Annual Performance Evaluations

Three dreaded words ~ annual performance evaluation. These words bring to mind sitting uncomfortably, waiting for critiques, hoping for some praise, feeling the need to justify one's position. An emphasis on individual performance is not new; it's a staple of human resources practice and consulting. Ideally, it's a time of reflection and personal goal setting.

For faculty, this is a time to recount the peer reviewed publications, re-tally the grant and contract dollars awarded, report on student course evaluation scores, refresh the list of advisees and update the list of campus and professional committee memberships, as well as add new honors and invited presentations. The renowned curriculum vita (CV) becomes current. Each university and each department has slightly different criteria for determining whether the productivity has been sufficient. But, all expect that their faculty members exceed whatever minimum has been set. In preparation of theses counts and updates, some faculty rush to submit manuscripts for publication and nudge students toward graduation. The annual academic clock is predictable.

For many doctoral students, this is a time for anxiety as they measure their accomplishments against the market expectations they will be facing. In some doctoral programs, students do a self-evaluation of accomplishments and updating of CV.  As new students engage in this activity, they might be overwhelmed at the list of what ought to done before graduation. Like faculty, students are expected to serve as student representatives on various campus or professional committees, publish in peer reviewed journals, present their research, all while completing coursework at a satisfactory level.

For the university, the annual performance evaulation tends to focus on graduation rates, national university rankings, and total grant dollars summed across faculty.

Missing across these three levels are the intangibles of knowledge generated and shared, acceptances gained and restrictions lost, and critical thinking skills honed; The societal goods necessary for a healthy democracy.