3341-1-18 Faculty Post-Tenure Review Policy

1. Policy Statement and Purpose

   In accordance with Ohio law, the Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees adopts a faculty post-tenure review policy.

   This policy ensures, through a fair and objective process, that tenured faculty continue to meet the professional expectations established by their academic units. Recognizing the critical role tenure plays in academic freedom and the pursuit of teaching and scholarly/creative activity, this policy aims to realize continued career growth and professional success of tenured faculty.

2. Periodic Review and Approval Requirement

   Every five years, BGSU will review this policy to determine if any updates are needed. Any recommended changes will be presented and discussed with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, who may at their sole discretion discuss the recommended changes with the full Senate for an advisory vote. Any updates must be approved by the Board of Trustees before they become effective.

3. Policy Scope

   This policy applies to all BGSU tenured faculty members.

4. Post-Tenure Review Initiation

   1. This policy recognizes that in some instances tenured faculty may fall short of meeting their professional obligations. Therefore, the Post-Tenure Review process is directed only at those individuals: it is a “targeted review” in which individual performance concerns are identified and remedied. The Post-Tenure Review process is not a blanket, comprehensive post-tenure review of all tenured faculty. Post-Tenure Review is not engaged on a cyclical basis. It is expected that a “does not meet performance expectations” in any evaluative category will lead to a good faith effort between the affected faculty member and department chair/school director to resolve the performance concern before the next performance review. These efforts will be shared with the college dean.
   2. Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 3345.453, a post-tenure review is required when (i) a tenured faculty member receives a “does not meet performance expectations” evaluation within the same evaluative category for a minimum of two of the past three consecutive years on their annual performance evaluation conducted pursuant to the Faculty Annual Performance Evaluation Policy 3341-1-15; or (ii) a tenured faculty member, who maintains tenure after the prior post-tenure review, receives an additional “does not meet performance expectations” on any area of the tenured faculty member’s annual performance evaluation in the subsequent two years. Tenured faculty may face disciplinary action pursuant to this policy up to and including termination of employment.
   3. A post-tenure review is permitted when the department chair/school director, college dean, or the Provost recommends an immediate and for cause post-tenure review at any time for a tenured faculty member who has a documented and sustained record of significant underperformance outside of the tenured faculty member’s annual performance evaluation. For this purpose, for cause shall not be based on the tenured faculty member’s expression of academic freedom as defined by university policy or Ohio law.
   4. The availability of post-tenure review does not preclude more informal methods of resolving performance issues except where required in Section D.

5. Post-Tenure Review Process

   When one or more of the Post-Tenure Review parameters in Section D are identified the following review process applies:

   1. Upon the initiation of a post-tenure review by the department chair/school director, or college dean, the Post-Tenure Improvement Committee PTIC) will be formed to review documentation submitted and to provide a recommendation to the Provost. The PTIC will consist of two tenured deans and two tenured faculty members (all representing different colleges, none of which are that of the faculty under review) appointed by the Faculty Senate and approved by the Provost.
   2. Throughout the Post-Tenure Review Process, all documentation must be submitted through and maintained in the electronic review system.
   3. The initiating department chair/school director, or college dean shall provide a cover letter describing the context for the request for a post-tenure review, the tenured faculty member’s evaluative dossier indicating the tenured faculty member “does not meet performance expectations” to the PTIC, the provost, and the affected tenured faculty member.
   4. The tenured faculty member has five business days to provide additional information for consideration by the PTIC and the Provost.

   5. After review of all submitted documentation, the PTIC shall submit a recommendation to the Provost within fifteen business days. Recommendations may include, but are not limited to the following outcomes:

      1. No action;
      2. Informal conversation with the department chair/school director and no formal action or documentation;
      3. Informal conversation and agreed upon solution that is documented in writing by the department chair/school director, with a copy provided to the tenured faculty member, college dean, and Provost;
      4. Development of a performance improvement plan;
      5. Change of workload or reallocation of effort (at the discretion of the University); or
      6. For cause termination.

6. Administrative Action and Appeal Process

   1. The Provost shall review the PTIC’s recommendation and issue an outcome within twenty business days. The Provost’s decision will be forwarded to the tenured faculty member, the PTIC, the department chair/school director, the college dean, and filed in the tenured faculty member’s personnel file.
   2. The outcome may include censure, remedial training, for cause termination, regardless of tenure status, and any other action permitted by this post-tenure review policy described in Section (E)(5).
   3. Except for termination, all post-tenure review decisions fall under the authority of the Provost.
   4. If the recommendation is for cause termination, the Provost shall forward the recommendation to the Board of Trustees for action after the appeal process in Section (F) (6-7) has concluded.
   5. If the decision is a performance improvement plan (PIP), the plan shall be developed by the department chair/school director in consultation with the tenured faculty member and approved by the college dean. The PIP should identify metrics for meeting performance expectations and include a follow-up schedule with specific dates and clearly defined goals or work products. Reasonable timelines or milestones should be developed collaboratively between the department chair/school director and the tenured faculty member as professional activities often require time to develop and complete. The PIP shall be deemed successful and complete when the department chair/school director, college dean, and tenured faculty member agree metrics have been accomplished. The Provost makes the final determination if there is a disagreement.
   6. The due process period process, from beginning to end, shall not exceed six months. A one-time two month extension may be granted by the University’s President.
   7. Within five business days of the date of the Provost’s decision, a tenured faculty member may submit a written appeal to the President of the University. The appeal must provide the specific reasons why the administrative action by the Provost should not be taken and include all relevant documents and information the faculty member requests the President to consider. The President will review the appeal, will consult with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair and a tenured faculty member from the same or closely aligned discipline, and issue a final written decision within twenty business days indicating what, if any, administrative action will be taken. The President’s decision is final and not subject to appeal.

7. With respect to any collective bargaining agreement entered into after the date of this policy the following apply:

   1. Nothing in this policy may be collectively bargained;
   2. In the event that this policy conflicts with a collective bargaining agreement, this policy will prevail; and
   3. Any past practices required by or associated with a collective bargaining agreement do not impact implementation of this policy.

Registered Date: December 24, 2025