Indiana University is updating the faculty annual review process, which will be the foundation for post-tenure productivity review. This work responds to state legislation requiring all public universities to implement a post-tenure review system, follows procedures identified in the new Post-Tenure Faculty Productivity and Annual Review policy (BOT-24), and reflects IU’s values of fairness, transparency, and support for faculty success.
May 2025: The 2026-2027 Indiana State Budget (House Bill 1001) states that the board of trustees shall establish a review process with regard to department level promotions and tenure expectations and a post-tenure review process for tenured faculty members that measures productivity.
June 2025: Indiana University Board of Trustees create and establish policy for post-tenure review process to be in compliance with IC 21-38-3.5.
July 1, 2025: IC 21-38-3.5 goes into effect and requires all tenured faculty members to complete a post-tenure review process.
Summer 2025: University Faculty Council (UFC) reviews and recommends changes to BOT-13: Faculty and Librarian Annual Reviews to establish standardized performance rating categories and develop a template for the annual review letter.
Campuses are charged with the task of establishing discipline-specific criteria that clearly describes productivity expectations for tenured faculty members commensurate with the academic standards of peer research institutions, or a leading regional comprehensive public university. These specific criteria shall: (1) take into consideration the productivity requirements of the discipline; (2) be adaptable to approved differential allocation of effort in the productivity areas of teaching, scholarship and service; and (3) be clearly written such that a reasonable faculty member should not be uncertain or confused about what level of productivity or performance is expected to earn each performance rating.
Each IU campus works with their faculty governance structures and the dean in the schools and/or colleges to establish a working group to establish discipline-specific criteria that clearly describes productivity expectations.
October 2025: Working groups in the school, college and/or department/unit present the faculty with proposed draft criteria for feedback.
UFC creates standardized templates for the written assessment from the department chair/unit head and summary letter from the dean for post-tenure productivity. A standardized template for the performance improvement plan for post-tenure productivity and end of semester progress reports will also be created.
December 2025: Through the faculty governance structure, the final criteria to be used are presented and approved in the school, college, and/or department/unit. These criteria take effect for the annual report and annual review conducted in the spring of 2027 covering calendar year 2026 and beyond. For prior years, faculty will be assessed based on previously approved annual report and annual review criteria.
Spring 2026: The end of academic year 25-26 will constitute the first year under IC 21-38-3.5. The timeline for Indiana University to review all tenured faculty members will be outlined based on the date on which tenure is granted for each faculty member in compliance with Indiana law. For faculty members hired with tenure, the hire date will constitute the date that tenure went into effect. A scaffolding approach will be used to complete the post-tenure review for all current faculty members.
April 2026: In the first year following the effective date of IC 21-38-3.5, 20% of tenured faculty members with the most longevity as tenured faculty will be evaluated, in addition to faculty members who have had tenure in effect for the five prior years.
January 2027: Post-tenure productivity discipline-specific criteria are used in the annual report processes.
Spring 2027-Spring 2030: In each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth years following the effective date of IC 21-38-3.5, 20% of tenured faculty, annually, who have the most longevity as a tenured faculty member and who have not received a post-tenure productivity review will be evaluated in addition to faculty who have had tenure in effect for the five prior years.
In collaboration with the IU Academic Leadership Council Executive Committee and other university and campus leaders, the following are frequently asked questions (FAQs) on annual reviews and post tenure productivity reviews. These will continue to be updated: