All faculty members are reviewed annually for merit and any applicable merit-based salary increases following the procedures outlined in the UW Faculty Code Section 24-55 and Section 24-57. Please note that if there is a conflict between this guidance and the Faculty Code, the provisions of the Faculty Code govern.

Reviews of merit shall consider the faculty member’s cumulative record, including contributions to research/scholarship, teaching and service, and their impact on the department, school/college, University, and appropriate regional, national, and international communities. More details may be found in Executive Order 45 and Executive Order 64.

Faculty who received salaried compensation at any point during a given academic year are merit eligible and, if found meritorious, should receive the equivalent of a merit increase upon rehire or a return to paid status.

Note: The Office of Educational Assessment provides additional information on a variety of methods for assessing a faculty member’s teaching record.

Materials submitted for merit-based salary review include:

  • Current curriculum vitae that summarizes the faculty member’s cumulative record and contributions as outlined above.
  • Evidence of teaching effectiveness, which at minimum includes 1 student course evaluation for every year in which a course is taught, and a collegial (peer) evaluation, as required.
    • Peer evaluations must be conducted every year for the following titles:
      • Assistant Professors
      • Associate Professors Tenure Track
      • Professors Tenure Track
      • Lecturers
      • Artists in Residence
    • Peer evaluations must be conducted at least every 3 years for the following titles:
      • Associate Professors
      • Professors
      • Senior Artists in Residence
      • Professors of Practice
    • Beyond these minimum requirements, units may require additional evaluations or additional evidence of effective teaching, which are determined at the local level.
  • Yearly activity report, the materials of which are determined at the local level.
  • Materials (summary report and any written response) generated from the regular conference with the chair/director/campus dean (see UW Faculty Code 24-57 C).

Each faculty member’s record and materials are evaluated by eligible voting faculty and reviewed for merit.

For those with joint appointments, it is the responsibility of the primary appointing unit to ensure the concurrence of any secondary appointing units.

To identify faculty who hold titles/ranks eligible for merit and voting responsibilities, please refer to the Merit Voting Matrix.

Each faculty member’s salary is also evaluated in relation to colleagues and peers, following the procedure outlined in UW Faculty Code 24-55. A faculty member whose performance is not deemed meritorious for 2 consecutive years will be appointed an ad hoc unit level advisory committee, as outlined in UW Faculty Code 24-55 H. The documentation of the review and merit assessment should be retained by the appointing unit and/or the dean’s/chancellor’s office.

The key dates for merit-related events change each year, and are announced in a communication by the Office of the Provost during each spring quarter.