Academic Affairs
The following information is not intended to replace or summarize any existing College policy on record retention. The information should be used to assist departments with common questions about how to retain or discard certain documents that are acquired. Please contact Academic Affairs if you require further clarification on any matter.
Course Evaluations
Per the August 7, 2014 memo by the Dean of the Faculty / Vice President of Academic Affairs, updated August 2018:
We need to ensure that we retain course evaluations that will be needed for reviews as well as recent course evaluations that may be needed if a question related to a course arises. Also, for faculty members who have left the college, it can be helpful to have evaluations on file in case the faculty member applies to return.
Please retain course evaluations as follows
For full professors: Keep at least the last four years of evaluations
For associate professors: Keep all evaluations since the year during which the tenure review took place. If this is fewer than four years, then please keep the last four years of evaluations.
For assistant professors: Keep all evaluations.
For senior lecturers: Keep at least the last four years of evaluations.
For lecturers who have not yet been promoted to senior lecturer: Keep all evaluations.
For visitors: Keep at least the last four years of evaluations.
For adjunct faculty: Keep evaluations for at least the last six courses taught, regardless of date.
For retiring faculty, faculty who are leaving Union, and adjunct faculty: Keep at least the last year of evaluations for four years after the date of termination.
Formats for retaining course evaluations
For the evaluations specified above, please maintain electronic copies on the department’s Nexus site for course evaluations. Retention of hard copies of the original evaluations is at the discretion of the department. Electronic copies are mandatory.
Finances
Invoices that have been sent to Finance and have been paid via check, or card program receipts that has been uploaded in Works and approved by Finance, can be destroyed immediately as an electronic copy will be kept in Finance and retained for the appropriate amount of time. It is at the department's discretion if it wants to keep a copy for a certain period of time (e.g. a year) after it has been received by Finance.
Grading or Final Grades
All materials that support a submitted course grade, including but not limited to quizzes, exams, papers, and assignments, should be retained until the grade appeal period has concluded, which is typically the conclusion of the following term. For delayed grades, supporting materials should be retained for one full term following the posting of the grade. The Dean of Studies will provide notice before the end of the following term if it is necessary to extend the period of record retention to address an appeal.
Search Materials
Per the record retention policy, all materials should be kept for three (3) years after the conclusion of a search. Hard copies of materials already saved on Nexus or shared folders are not required.
Personnel Forms (requisitions, PAFs, personnel evaluations)
Requisition forms, job descriptions, PAFs, and personnel evaluations that have been received by HR or Payroll can be destroyed immediately as those offices will retain the documents for the appropriate amount of time. It is at the department's discretion if it wants to keep a copy for a certain period of time (e.g. a year) after it has been received by HR or Payroll.
Last Updated: January 9, 2017