Performance reviews are not only necessary for the process of determining merit salary increases; they also provide an occasion for self-evaluation and reassessment of the role a faculty member is performing, which may evolve significantly during the course of a career. It is an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize good work, point out areas for improvement, and, in a few cases, identify productive new uses of a faculty member's talents. It is a means of ensuring that the diverse talents of the entire faculty are productively applied to the many responsibilities of the University. In addition, performance reviews can help identify resource targets -- places where additional resources could re-energize a faculty member whose energy or morale has run low or could lift an already productive member to new levels of achievement.
