Integrating Accountability Systems and Reward Structures: Workload Policy, Post-Tenure Evaluations, and Salary Compensation

Abstract

This article discusses three policy initiatives that the faculty and administration in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University cooperatively developed: a workload policy, a system for posttenure evaluation, and a merit equity salary initiative. Each policy has connections to and ramifications for the others, and our experience has shown that considerable benefits flow from an integrated approach to these issues. The article covers the development and implementation of the policies and provides examples of problems we averted and benefits we derived by integrating the three initiatives. It also points out the usefulness of a collegial approach to policy development, which requires broad faculty participation, and an emphasis on incentives rather than disincentives for achieving objectives.