Annual School Review.

School survey coordinators serve as key points of contact for the SPH community, facilitate updates to survey instruments, present survey results to the SPH community, and implement changes based on survey feedback.

School survey coordinators:

• Alumni: Jacoba van Heugten, Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations, jjvh@bu.edu
• Current Students: Mary Murphy-Phillips, Assistant Dean of Students, mcmurph@bu.edu
• DEIJ: Yvette Cozier, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, yvettec@bu.edu
• Employers: Julia Lanham, Assistant Dean of Career Services, jlanham@bu.edu
• Faculty: Danielle Haley, Chair of the Faculty Senate, dfhaley@bu.edu
• Staff: Denise Joseph, Chair of the Staff Senate, dejoseph@bu.edu

BUSPH engages NORC at the University of Chicago to administer its annual survey. Learn more at: https://www.norc.org/research/projects/bu-school-of-public-health-annual-survey.html

The AFR reflects the School and University’s commitment to faculty development through first retrospectively identifying work to date and then prospectively creating a plan for the coming year. A number of key principles underlie the AFR process:

• Formal efforts to enhance faculty development are important for recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty. Faculty may need mentoring and specific skill development as the academic environment becomes increasingly complex and competitive; the AFR can help identify areas where support would be helpful.
• Periodic review is a critical aspect of faculty development that provides valuable feedback to faculty and administration. Every faculty member wants to know what is expected of them, and all faculty deserve to know how they are performing relative to expectations.
• The department chair plays a central role in both faculty review and development. A formal annual meeting with the chair is a central component of the review process because it provides the opportunity to discuss activities, accomplishments, expectations, and development plans.
• SPH supports the mandate from the President’s Office for all schools to conduct annual faculty evaluations and link those evaluations to merit raises, thus the AFR is used to inform decisions regarding annual merit.

The AFR is designed to incorporate the above principles and provide the basis for a productive annual meeting between each faculty member and his or her department chair. The process focuses on faculty activities as summarized on the CV and has three sections.

• Part 1: Data required for CEPH accreditation.
• Part 2: Looking back. A reflection on the past year as highlighted on an updated CV.
• Part 3: Looking ahead. A plan for the year ahead which will serve as the basis for the annual letter.

Though we must continue to gather data in support of our CEPH accreditation efforts, this approach aims to minimize the reporting burden and includes an annual review of the CV to inform discussions about longer-term goals such as promotion. The collection of data for CEPH accreditation is not a formal component of the AFR; however, these data are collected here for convenience so that data collection from faculty only happens once per year. The annual meeting with the Department Chair will focus on a discussion of Part 2 (Looking back) and Part 3 (Looking ahead).

Schedule for Completing the Form

The Annual Faculty Review is comprised of four steps: (1) each SPH faculty member conducts a self-assessment of activities conducted between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, (2) each faculty member meets with their department chair to discuss the accomplishments and activities of the past year and plan for the next upcoming year, (3) department chairs send annual letters summarizing the conversation with the faculty member, and (4) the chair and the faculty member both sign the annual letter to complete the AFR process.

The timeline for this process varies for primary, secondary, and adjunct faculty:

• December 15, 2023 – January 16, 2024: primary faculty complete the AFR form (Note: the final salary coverage data for 2022 will be uploaded to the system in early January)
• February – March, 2024: primary faculty have individual meetings with chair
• April – June, 2024: secondary and adjunct faculty meetings with chair
• July 1, 2024: for primary faculty, merit increases go into effect; secondary and adjunct faculty receive annual letters

Faculty and department chairs are encouraged to see the AFR as but one tool in a mutual and ongoing effort in faculty development at SPH. Faculty wishing to learn more about the AFR process or appeal their review may contact Professor McClean, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Advancement, at mmcclean@bu.edu.

The University’s performance evaluation and merit review process for staff will commence annually in September. It is important to give direct reports informal feedback throughout the year and formal performance evaluations are a critical part of documenting that feedback process.  Performance evaluations serve as an important employee development tool and an essential component of successful management. Supervisors are required to provide a written performance evaluation for each direct report, highlighting key accomplishments and contributions, opportunities for development and improvement, and goal setting for the upcoming year.

For support and guidance on how to conduct a performance discussion, complete the forms, or for any assistance with employee performance issues, please reach out to Ira Lazic, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, at iralazic@bu.edu.