Mid Probationary Reviews
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The university Mid-Probationary Review policy requires that a formal, internal review of faculty on a probationary contract take place no later than the mid-point of a faculty member’s probationary period on the tenure track at UIC, unless a decision not to retain is reached at the level of the recommending unit before the time a formal review would be scheduled. All tenure-track faculty should be informed of this policy at the time of their initial appointment.
For most probationary faculty this review will occur in the third year at UIC. If a faculty member’s initial contract carried a tenure code higher than “1,” the review will fall at a later, mid-point in the probationary period, and still before the sixth-year review.
The intent is to provide an assessment of the faculty member at a date late enough to permit reasonable review of his or her progress toward tenure since the initial appointment and early enough to give useful guidance preparing for any subsequent review.
Faculty members may request such a review at any time, but should contact the College Dean and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs if the unit fails to undertake a mid-probationary review in a timely fashion. Evaluation should cover the three areas specified in the Statutes: teaching, scholarship and creative activity, and service. A favorable review may result in recommendation for continued employment, with additional reviews as deemed desirable in subsequent years.
For faculty with joint appointments, mid-probationary reviews should be carried out in each unit where the faculty member holds a tenure-track appointment. Additionally, if a faculty member’s appointment is changed such that they move from one unit into another or assumes a new joint appointment at any time during the probationary period, a new mid-probationary review (or an appropriate equivalent, depending on time of progress along the tenure clock) should be conducted in the new unit as soon as possible.
Any questions regarding mid-probationary reviews may be directed to the applicable unit executive officer or department head. The policy can also be found at faculty.uic.edu/midprobationaryreview.