As we look toward the upcoming merit and promotion file season, I would like to remind and/or encourage Chairs to have 1-1 meetings with candidates that are preparing their files.  Those meetings are important for reviewing the alternative actions candidates could request, and to review pertinent parts of the CALL that may apply.  The CALL has had significant changes in the past couple of years, some driven by the effects of the pandemic, and our goal is that all faculty members understand them.  

There seems to always be a late-spring burst of merit and promotion files that arrive at APO.  In this past year, for example, by the end of March we had only received about 130 of the expected 400 files, and in late May we received an avalanche of 120 files within the space of a couple of days.  There have been many discussions about how to improve the smoothness of the process.  An impactful way all faculty can help improve our process is to start early with the preparation of their files.  Chairs and Deans can help by encouraging and following up with faculty to ensure the timely preparation of files, and then promptly scheduling their review meetings.   

Two updates on student evaluations. First, we are adding a watermark to all iEvals between spring 2020 and spring 2022. The watermark will indicate the class was taught during the pandemic. Second, we are discussing with ITS what can be done to rest

Finally, I would also like to call your attention to our new podcast episodes that are part of the series, “Voices of UCR.”   Our most recent guests were Richard Carpiano from SPP, who talks about public health and vaccine hesitancy, and Katherine Stavropoulos from SOE talks about cognitive science and autism research.  All of the episodes can be heard here https://www.spreaker.com/show/voices-of-ucr.
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Daniel R. Jeske, Vice Provost for Academic Personnel