FACULTY ORIENTATION GUIDE

Faculty Rights

The basic functions of the University are teaching, research/scholarship and service/practice. By accepting an appointment in this University, an individual assumes a responsibility to teach, pursue scholarly and professional activities, and participate in the academic life of the University.  Faculty members have the rights and responsibilities set forth in the faculty handbook and in the Faculty Bylaws.  The faculty member’s contract as well as the aforementioned documents establishes faculty rights and responsibilities. The basic functions of the University are teaching, research/scholarship and service/practice. By accepting an appointment in this University, an individual assumes a responsibility to teach, pursue scholarly and professional activities, and participate in the academic life of the University.  Faculty members have the rights and responsibilities set forth in the faculty handbook and in the Faculty Bylaws.  The faculty member’s contract as well as the aforementioned documents establishes faculty rights and responsibilities.

The responsibilities of all faculty members include teaching, research, scholarship and service.  Specific additional responsibilities describing additional responsibilities may be found in each faculty member’s contract.  Faculty rights and responsibilities in these and related areas shall include but not be limited to the following:

  1. Academic Freedom – described in detail in both the University Catalogue and the Faculty Handbook.
  2. Research | Scholarship- faculty rights include scholarly inquiry, scientific investigation, and artistic expression that is published or otherwise disseminated.
  3. Compliance with Applicable Regulations- Faculty members have a responsibility to comply with all regulations governing research imposed by law or University policy, including but not limited to the Conflict-of-Interest Policy and the policies and procedures of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
  4. Teaching – Faculty Members have the following specific responsibilities in connection with their teaching:
    • a. To remain current in their practice and subject matter expertise areas.
    • b. To instruct assigned courses at the scheduled time, promptly beginning and ending each class.
    • c. To complete in a professional, timely and responsible manner all other teaching and academic assignments which the faculty member has accepted as, or which are a normal part of, his or her duties.
    • d. To avoid using his or her position improperly as a faculty member to coerce students to adopt or feign positions similar to the faculty member’s or to prevent the student from holding a view opposed to it.
    • e. To provide students individual evaluations of their academic progress and performance.
    • f. To hold regular office hours adequate for advising and counseling students, including during the registration and pre-registration periods.
    • g. To attend pining and graduation Commencements.
    • h. To notify the Department Chair or Dean of any plans to be absent in order to attend meetings or conferences.
      • Members of the Faculty who must be absent because of illness or other emergency should inform the department chairs and/or Deans of Schools as soon as possible. Arrangements must be made to cover or reschedule any classes missed.
      • Absence to attend meetings is not sufficient reason for the cancellation of classes.

5. Grading – Academic freedom includes the faculty member’s right freely to evaluate student academic performance in his or her classes. A faculty member’s teaching responsibilities include providing grades in the manner and within the deadlines specified by the registrar, doing so honestly, fairly, and without bias, using appropriate criteria and following stated procedures. (note the University Grade Scale must be used)

6. Service – Members of the Faculty have a responsibility to accept a reasonable number of assignments to committee work.  It is also expected that faulty will perform service in their programs, communities or for the overall University as directed.