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The requires the board of trustees of each public institution in Ohio to adopt a faculty annual evaluation policy and submit that policy to the chancellor of higher education (Section 3345.452). The Act (Section 3345.453) further requires the board of trustees of each public institution in Ohio to adopt a post-tenure review policy and submit that policy to the chancellor of higher education. 

Annual Evaluations 

The Act (Section 3345.451) requires each state institution to conduct an annual evaluation for each full-time faculty member to whom it directly compensates. The faculty annual evaluation must meet all of the following: 

• The comprehensive evaluation includes standardized, objective, and measurable performance metrics.
• The evaluation includes an assessment of performance for each of the following areas that the faculty member has spent at least five percent of their annual work time on over the preceding year, including (a) teaching, (b) research, (c) service, (d) clinical care, (e) administration, and (f) other categories, as determined by the state institution of higher education.
• The evaluation must include a summary assessment of the performance areas listed using the parameters "exceeds performance expectations," "meets performance expectations," or "does not meet performance expectations."
• Student evaluations conducted according to section 3345.451 of the Revised Code must account for at least twenty-five percent of the teaching area component of the evaluation.
• The evaluation must establish a projected work effort distribution for the faculty member for the next year, which shall be used during the following year's evaluation. The distribution must comply with the state institution's established workload policies and receive approval from the dean of faculty or the equivalent.
• The department chairperson or equivalent administrator must conduct evaluations, be reviewed and approved or disapproved by the dean, and submitted to the provost for review. If there is disagreement between the chairperson and dean, the provost shall have final decision authority. 

Post-Tenure Review 

The Act (Section 3345.453) requires each state institution to conduct a post-tenure review of tenured faculty if warranted. 

• A post-tenure review is required when (a) 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 the faculty member's annual performance evaluation or (b) faculty member who maintains tenure after a post-tenure review and receives an additional "does not meet performance expectations" assessment on any area of the faculty member's annual performance evaluation in the subsequent two years to an additional post-tenure review.
• A post-tenure review is permitted when the department chairperson, dean of faculty, or provost of a state institution of higher education recommends an immediate and for-cause post-tenure review at any time for a faculty member who has a documented and sustained record of significant underperformance outside of the faculty member's annual performance evaluation. (Note: For this purpose, the for-cause must not be based on a faculty member's allowable expression of academic freedom as defined by the state institution of higher education or Ohio law.)
• The state institution of higher education's provost shall submit a recommended outcome of the post-tenure review process to the institution's entity responsible for the final decision of post-tenure review according to the institution's policy. 
• The administrative action that a state institution of higher education may take includes censure, remedial training, or for-cause termination, regardless of tenure status, and any other action permitted by the institution's post-tenure review policy.
• The state institution of higher education's post-tenure reviews due process period, from beginning to end, must not exceed six months, except that the state institution's president may grant a one-time two-month extension. 

Both the annual evaluation policy and post-tenure review policy must include an appeals process for faculty to appeal the final evaluation. In addition, each state institution's board of trustees shall review and update policies every five years. 

Working Group Charge 

To meet the requirements of the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, the working group is asked to: 

• Thoroughly review related details/requirements of the Act to ensure common understanding.
• Assist with developing a policy for annual evaluations.
• Assist with developing a policy for post-tenure review.
• Assist with developing and communicating the process, requirements, guidelines, and internal deadlines. 
• Assist with developing and implementing a process to verify full compliance by the state's deadline.
• Assist with modifying language for policies/documents (e.g., ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Faculty Handbook) to align ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï requirements/expectations with state requirements.
• Provide other support for faculty and academic leaders (if necessary). 

Working Group Expectations 

Working group members will meet virtually weekly (unless otherwise specified) on Wednesdays from 3-4 PM (May-July 2025). In addition, members may be asked to serve in smaller workgroups. 

Working Group Goal 

The working group’s goal is to complete the working group charge and prepare a written summary report. The deadline for the report is August 16, 2025. However, some work may need to be completed before the deadline. 

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