B2003.00 President Evaluation

1.0 Statement

The Board affirms its responsibility to evaluate the President in a manner that is evidence-based, policy-focused, and consistent with the principles of policy governance. This evaluation process is designed to strengthen accountability, foster a constructive Board–President partnership, and ensure that the President’s leadership advances the College’s mission and Strategic Outcomes.

2.0 Purpose & Scope

The purpose of this standard is to establish a consistent and transparent process for the Board to conduct the President’s evaluation.  This Operating Standard applies to the Board in carrying out the annual formal evaluation each October, as well as any mid-cycle review conducted under Policy B2003.

3.0 Definitions

• AACC Competencies – A nationally recognized framework established by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) identifying the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of effective community college leaders. The competencies referenced in this evaluation reflect the Experienced President (veteran CEO) profile, which emphasizes strategic foresight, institutional influence, and sustained leadership impact.  These competencies include organizational strategy, institutional leadership, communication, collaboration, community college advocacy, and professionalism, and serve as the foundation for assessing presidential leadership performance within the President (CEO) Annual Evaluation form.
• Board Evaluation Instrument – The tool used by the Board to evaluate the President’s performance across Strategic Outcomes, Executive Limitations, and Leadership Traits & Abilities.
• Executive Limitations (ELs) – Board-adopted policies that set boundaries on presidential authority, ensuring the President operates prudently, ethically, and legally while pursuing Strategic Outcomes.
• Monitoring Reports – Formal reports provided by the President to the Board, presenting evidence of progress toward Strategic Outcomes and compliance with Executive Limitations.
• Non-Compliance – A condition where the President did not meet an Executive Limitation during the evaluation period. Non-compliance may be:
  • Self-reported by the President through a monitoring report or other formal communication to the Board; or
  • Determined by the Board to be substantial, material, or habitual in nature. Technical, one-time exceptions that are transparently reported and reasonably explained are not automatically treated as non-compliance but may be documented for the record.
• President’s Report – Regular reports provided by the President in Board Books, summarizing operational updates, achievements, and evidence relevant to Board policy.
• SCCES (Shawnee Community College Effectiveness System) – The institutional effectiveness framework that organizes Key Performance Elements, Areas, Measures, and Indicators. SCCES provides the data foundation for Monitoring Reports and supports Board evaluation processes.
• Strategic Outcomes – Board-adopted policies that define the results the College is expected to achieve for students, employees, and the community.
• Trustee – An elected (or appointed) individual who serves as one of seven members of the Board. A Trustee has responsibilities within the evaluation process but holds no authority apart from the Board acting collectively.

4.0 Roles & Responsibilities

• Board – Conducts the evaluation as a governing body, consolidates results, and affirms findings in a meeting with the President. The Board holds all authority for decision-making related to the President’s evaluation.
• Board Chair – Appoints an Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee, oversees the process, and facilitates the evaluation meeting with the President.
• Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee – Reviews and updates the evaluation instrument, coordinates distribution to Trustees, consolidates results, and prepares the Board’s final evaluation document.
• President – Provides evidence through monitoring reports, the President’s Report, and other official communications throughout the fiscal year, supported by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness as appropriate.
• President’s Executive Assistant – Assists with the logistics of distributing and collecting instruments and related materials as directed by the Board Chair.
• Trustee – Each Trustee is responsible for:
  • Reviewing monitoring reports and other evidence provided throughout the fiscal year.
  • Completing the evaluation instrument by the deadline established by the Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee.
  • Participating in Board discussions about the President’s evaluation.
  • Offering input through ratings and narrative comments, which are consolidated into the Board’s single collective voice.

Each Trustee is expected to submit the completed instrument by the Committee’s deadline to ensure timely consolidation into the Board’s evaluation.

5.0 Procedures

1. Committee Formation – The Board Chair appoints an Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee (Committee) no later than August of each year.
2. Instrument Preparation (Ongoing) – Throughout the preceding fiscal year, the President, with support from the Executive Assistant and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, updates the evaluation instrument following the presentation and acceptance of monitoring reports. Updates include SCCES KPMs/KPIs, Key Results, and links to relevant evidence.  This ensures the instrument functions as a living document aligned with Board-reviewed evidence.
3. Instrument Review (Annual) – In August, the President, with support from the Executive Assistant and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, conducts a final review to confirm all evidence is current and accurate. The Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee then reviews the updated instrument to ensure alignment with Board Strategic Outcomes, Executive Limitations, and Leadership Traits & Abilities, and approves it for Trustee use.
4. Evidence Base – The Board relies on evidence presented in:
   • Annual, semi-annual, and quarterly monitoring reports.
   • The President’s Report(s) included in the Board Book.
   • Audits, accreditation reviews, and other external reports provided to the Board.

Note: Non-compliance with ELs may only be recorded as “No” if the Board determines the condition to be substantial, material, or habitual in nature.

5. Trustee Input – Each Trustee completes the evaluation instrument individually, providing ratings and optional comments.
6. Consolidation – The Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee compiles individual Trustee input into a single evaluation document for Board use.
7. Evaluation Meeting – The Board Chair, on behalf of the Board, reviews the consolidated evaluation with the President in October.
8. Goal Setting – Following the evaluation meeting, the Board and President will identify goals for the upcoming year. These goals will be aligned with the College’s strategic plan and Strategic Outcomes, and may emphasize specific areas of focus identified during the evaluation.  The President may present draft or working goals to the Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee or Board Chair as a starting point for discussion.
9. Publication of Goals – Finalized goals will be published on the College’s website in November for transparency.

6.0 Guidelines

• The evaluation process focuses on Strategic Outcomes, Executive Limitations compliance, and Leadership Traits & Abilities.
• The process is designed to ensure the Board speaks with a single collective voice, while honoring input from each Trustee.
• The evaluation is developmental as well as summative, identifying strengths, progress, and areas for continued growth.
• Non-Compliance: Technical, one-time exceptions that are transparently reported and reasonably explained will be documented but not automatically considered non-compliance. Patterns of behavior, or material exceptions that undermine the intent of an Executive Limitation, may be scored as non-compliance.

7.0 SCCES Connections

This Operating Standard supports the Employee Engagement and Infrastructure Effectiveness Key Performance Elements, as it generates evaluative evidence on leadership, communication, and accountability that inform Monitoring Reports and goal-setting.

8.0 Monitoring Report Connections

This Operating Standard provides the Board with structured evidence to evaluate the President’s performance relative to:

• Strategic Outcomes Policies (B1000 series)
• Executive Limitations Policies (B3000 series)

9.0 Data Collection & Review

The Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee, in consultation with the President, will review the evaluation instrument and process annually in August.  Updates to Strategic Outcomes, SCCES KPMs/KPIs, and Key Results will be incorporated into the instrument before the October evaluation cycle.

10.0 References & Related Documents

This Operating Standard is supported by the following related documents, which provide the tools and resources necessary to carry out the President evaluation process:

• President Evaluation Instrument – The official evaluation form used by the Board to assess the President’s performance across Strategic Outcomes, Executive Limitations, and Leadership Traits & Abilities.

These documents shall be reviewed and updated in tandem with this Operating Standard to ensure consistency of process and evidence.