Ohio University administrators have quietly outsourced staff evaluations of deans, though a similar suggestion for faculty evaluations forced a reconsideration and at least another year of keeping the process internal.
The Kansas-based IDEA Center has circulated a survey for staff members to fill out about their deans. Once results are in, the center will send a summary report to the university for the provost to include in her evaluations of each dean.
Ohio University will pay the IDEA Center about $2,000 for administering and summarizing the survey.
Originally, the provost's office wanted to use the IDEA Center for faculty evaluations of deans, too, but faculty objected to some of the questions the center asks and the possibility of limiting access to public records by outsourcing. The questions dealt with demographic data that might have violated Faculty Handbook regulations against asking for information that could be used to identify the respondent.
Instead of the IDEA Center, OU's Office of Institutional Research handled the faculty evaluations again this year. In a change, however, they used an online survey - a move a committee recommended after problems with missing and late evaluations last year.
Although the committee thought online surveys would lead to more participation, response rates among faculty were low this year, Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl told Faculty Senate this week.
The response rate this year was a little bit lower than we had hoped for given the familiarity of most faculty with online surveys
Krendl said.
Krendl added faculty did not receive reminders about completing the survey. She cited this as one advantage to the IDEA Center - unlike Institutional Research, the center has the capability to send reminders.
The provost's office has not received any complaints from staff about the new format, said Marty Tuck, associate provost for academic affairs. He said he expects to get the summary report from the IDEA Center by the end of April. Brenda Noftz, president of
Administrative Senate, said no one has commented to her on the change.
In an interview, Krendl said the staff evaluations were outsourced because Institutional Research did not have the resources to handle them. The Faculty Handbook mandates faculty evaluations of deans, but there is no similar requirement for staff.
It was the only way we could get that done and I didn't want to let go of the staff piece Krendl said. [Faculty evaluations are] an important piece of information but it's not the only information. That's why I include the staff as well.
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Emily Grannis
