C. FACULTY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Contents

The basic functions of the University are teaching, research and service. 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 this Faculty Handbook, in the Faculty Grievance Code (Section III. G.), in a faculty member's contract or in other appropriately authorized University documents approved by the Faculty Senate, similarly intended to establish faculty rights and responsibilities. Faculty rights and responsibilities shall include but not be limited to the following:

1.  Academic Freedom
    1. Academic freedom is essential to teaching and research. Such freedom requires free inquiry, free expression, intellectual honesty, respect for the academic rights of others, and openness to change. The rights and responsibilities exercised within the academic community must be compatible with these requirements. All members of the faculty, in common with all other members of the community, share the responsibility for maintaining a professional atmosphere in which violations of academic freedom and responsibility are unlikely to occur. The University endorses the American Association of University Professor's 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, with clarifications that place it in the Georgetown University context (see Section XXI).
    2. A Faculty member has rights and responsibilities common to all citizens, free from institutional censorship. In furtherance of this principle, a Faculty member may be held accountable by the University for his or her private acts only as they substantially affect teaching, research or University service. However, in his or her private pursuits the services of the University shall not be used nor shall the University affiliation be used so as to indicate University approval. When speaking or writing in a controversial field, members of the Faculty should indicate that their viewpoints do not necessarily reflect the official position of the University authorities.
2.  Fair Treatment

Every member of the University has the right to be treated fairly, courteously, and professionally by students, colleagues, the Department Chair and by all members of the University administration, and to be protected from arbitrary or capricious action on the part of any such persons.

    1. Members of the Faculty are to be free from arbitrary or capricious action on the part of the University Administration with respect to the determination of his or her own individual annual compensation. In this regard, faculty members have the right to receive full information concerning all factors material to the determination of his or her own individual annual compensation, provided that an individual is not entitled to receive any information concerning the salaries or the factors material to the salaries of others, nor may the faculty member by this provision be entitled to receive any information received by the University in confidence relevant to initial appointment, the grant of tenure, promotion or retention.
    2. Members of the Faculty must refrain from committing or inciting to acts of physical violence against individuals or property, or acts which interfere with the academic freedom of other persons within the University, or interfere with the freedom of speech or movement of such persons.
3.  Religious Tolerance

Members of the faculty have an obligation to recognize that Georgetown University is a Jesuit university committed therefore to Catholic principles and religious values. While this places no obligation on faculty members with regard to their personal beliefs or religious practices, it does require a respect, in their capacity as faculty members, for the basic religious commitment of Georgetown University.

4.  Confidentiality

Members of the faculty should make themselves aware of various confidentiality requirements imposed by the University and by federal laws, e.g., the University Faculty Grievance Code (Section III. G. infra), the University Procedures for Alleged Misconduct In Research (Section IV. D. infra), and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Members of the faculty are expected to use good judgment in determining which affairs of the University are confidential, and to make conservative decisions in case of doubt. University Counsel can be consulted for advice in this regard.

5.  Research

Members of the Faculty have a right and a responsibility to pursue scholarly activities designed to advance knowledge in their field. In some fields, creative or professional contributions are appropriate.

6.  Service

Members of the Faculty have a responsibility to accept a reasonable number of assignments to committee work.

7.  Teaching

Members of the Faculty have the following specific responsibilities in connection with their teaching:

    1. To remain current in their subjects.
    2. To instruct assigned courses at the scheduled time, promptly beginning and ending each class.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. To give individual evaluations of student performance.
    6. To hold regular office hours adequate for advising and counseling students, including during the registration and pre-registration periods.
    7. To attend Commencements and Convocations.
    8. To notify the Department Chair of any plans to be absent in order to attend meetings. Members of the Faculty who must be absent because of illness or other emergency should inform the Chairs of the Departments 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.
8. 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.

a. The grade submitted by a faculty member to the Registrar at the end of the course may be overruled only as the result of an appeal procedure approved by the faculty governance body responsible for academic policy in the campus or school governed by the policy.

i. Any such appeal procedure should be designed to protect students against evaluation in which the professor uses inappropriate criteria or ignores stated procedures and grading standards.

ii. Such procedures should provide for a faculty committee to review the appeal and authorize any resulting change in a grade.

iii Deans may resolve an appeal only if the faculty committee fails to act in the time specified.

iv. Faculty have a responsibility to cooperate fully with grade appeals conducted according to the approved procedures.

 

b. The faculty member’s ability to change a grade after it has been recorded by the Registrar is limited by School policy. School policies may also authorize the Registrar or Dean to record administrative Fs when faculty members fail to turn in grades, retroactively withdraw students from courses, and convert letter grades when a course is taken pass/fail.

9.  The Academic Year

The Academic Year of the Main Campus and at Law Center consists of the nine month period that begins with registration and terminates with Commencement, provided all University obligations in the matter of marks, grades, theses, and other reports have been satisfied. Twelve-month contracts normally prevail in the Medical Center. Members of the Faculty should not depart for recess or vacation until all their reports, grades, and current assignments, as may be required by Chairs of Departments and Deans of Schools, have been completed and submitted.

10.  Participation in Governance

Faculty members have the right to participate in the governance of the University, and to seek change of University policies by appropriate means and through appropriate channels provided within each part of the University. The principal governance bodies are the University Faculty Senate, the Campus Executive Faculties, and the School Executive Councils (see Section II. C.). In addition, there is a chapter of the American Association of University Professors on campus.

11. Sabbatical Leave

In the interest of self-improvement, professional advancement, and productive scholarship, full-time faculty members of the rank of Assistant Professor and above are eligible for a sabbatical leave after six years or twelve semesters of service, from the date of initial appointment or following completion of the previous sabbatical leave. Leaves of absence neither count as semesters toward sabbatical eligibility nor require the clock for eligibility to restart. Exceptions to this service requirement (e.g., postponement for departmental exigencies) must be agreed upon in writing by the concerned parties. Delaying one sabbatical need not delay eligibility for future sabbaticals for faculty on the Main Campus, though, in order to bank the time, the faculty member must first apply for the sabbatical and get it approved.

Applications must be made in writing through the Chair of the Department and appropriate Dean to the Provost or the appropriate Executive Vice President, not later than December 1 of the academic year preceding the year of absence. Only tenured faculty members on the Main Campus are eligible. An application from those faculty for sabbatical leave will be reviewed by the applicant's departmental Chair, program director, and the relevant Dean (including the Graduate Dean when appropriate). Their recommendations will be forwarded to the Provost or appropriate Executive Vice President, who will convene the Council of Deans with the expectation that all but the most unusual recommendations will be accepted without discussion.

In general, sabbatical leaves will be granted when the University will not suffer undue academic inconvenience by such absence and when the applicant uses leave for research or for formal study and not to teach in another college or university.

Normally the terms of sabbatical leave will be either one academic year at half basic pay or one semester at full salary. At the end of the leave period the faculty member is to report in writing to the Provost or appropriate Executive Vice President on the progress of research or formal study during that time. This report is to be submitted upon completion (customarily within thirty days) of the sabbatical.

It is evident that the number of leaves granted in any academic year must be limited. All full-time faculty members of the Medical Center who are on a twelve-month salary basis are eligible to apply for sabbatical leave for twelve weeks with full salary. These faculty members are eligible to apply for sabbatical leave every four years. The above described procedure should be followed accordingly.

Since the award of a sabbatical is an investment which is meant to profit the institution as well as the individual, faculty are committed by the acceptance of this award to return to Georgetown after a sabbatical to teach for at least one year.

12. Faculty Support
    1. Libraries are provided to support the teaching and research of the faculty and their students.
    2. Computer and information technology is provided to facilitate the teaching, research and communication of the faculty.
    3. Desk and office space and computers are provided as available. These are allotted by the Chair as nearly as possible in order of rank and of seniority of service in the University.
    4. Administrative officers and secretaries are employed in the offices of schools and departments. The services of such personnel must be arranged through the Chairs of Departments, the Deans of the Schools, or the appropriate University official.
    5. Parking facilities are made available by the University to the best of its ability. Faculty members are asked to comply with the parking regulations as promulgated.
13. Outside Professional Activities
    1. All members of the faculty are expected to belong to, and participate in the affairs of, the important professional and educational associations and societies in their respective fields.
    2. To the extent possible, members of the faculty are expected to deliver papers at meetings of professional and educational organizations and to contribute to professional and educational journals and publications at reasonable intervals. Within the limits of the budget, the Chair of the Department may authorize such active participation of a full-time faculty member in the meetings of an important society. Requests for such travel must be made in due time and must be accompanied by an estimate of cost so that the Chair may have opportunity to consider the budget. All expense accounts for authorized trips, itemized and accompanied by receipts, should be submitted through the Chair to the appropriate University Office for payment. Similar approval must be obtained in cases of travel chargeable to grants or contracts.
    3. A regular full-time faculty member shall not accept regular or part-time employment as a full- or part-time teacher during the academic year in another institution, without the approval of the Department Chair and the appropriate Dean(s).
    4. While full-time status will not afford much extra time, faculty members may serve as consultants. Such consultation or other remunerative occupation outside the University, however, should not exceed an average of eight hours a week and must not be undertaken until the Chair of the Department is satisfied that teaching, research, mentoring, and committee and other school obligations will be met.
    5. Occasional participation in traditional scholarly activities such as, but not limited to, service on study sections and review panels, delivery of academic seminars, the review, presentation or writing of scholarly papers, and service on editorial boards is considered part of the routine academic duty of faculty members. No advance review is required for activities of this type so long as they do not conflict with other faculty duties. Major and ongoing extramural academic commitments that are expected to require commitment of University resources and/or to conflict with other faculty duties do require advance consultation and agreement with the Department Chair, the Dean, or other appropriate administrative officer to assure that teaching, research, mentoring, and committee and other school obligations will be met.
    6. When Faculty members use University equipment or facilities in professional work for clients outside the University, the University shall be compensated for the actual burden, including direct costs, borne by the University for such use, and such compensation shall be at a rate determined by the Chair of the Department and the Dean of the School in question, or by other officials of the University who are concerned with the matter.
14. Financial Conflicts of Interest

Despite the frequency and complexity of the relationships of the University and its faculty and staff with industry, government and other entities, these relationships are governed by one basic principle--the full-time faculty and staff of Georgetown University recognize that their primary professional responsibility is to Georgetown University. They must not allow outside obligations, financial interests or employment relationships to compromise their objectivity as teachers, researchers, clinicians, and administrators. In addition, members of the Georgetown University community who are supported by public funds bear a special obligation to preserve the public trust. To further these ends, Georgetown University has developed a policy for the identification and prevention of financial conflicts of interest. The full text of this policy is set out in Section IV. C.

15. The University Policy Concerning Indemnification of Faculty Members

Georgetown University will defend, indemnify and hold harmless its faculty members from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees and disbursements, judgments or settlements, arising out of any act or failure to act by faculty members acting in good faith within the scope of their employment and in performance of their authorized or assigned duties. The University reserves the right not to defend or indemnify a faculty member where the injury or damage results from intentional wrongdoing, gross negligence, or willful violation or disregard of University policies and procedures. Nor will the University defend or indemnify a faculty member (1) in the event that the action or proceeding on a claim is brought by, on behalf of, or in the right of, the University, or (2) in the event that in the action or proceeding of the claim, the faculty member is aligned as a party adverse to the University. Acts or failures to act by faculty members rendering medical, nursing, legal, or other professional services not within the scope of their employment or not part of authorized or assigned duties are not included herein. In addition, indemnification shall not be available to a faculty member to the extent that any damage or loss is indemnifiable under other insurance covering the faculty member.

Defense and indemnification are conditional upon the delivery to the Office of the University Counsel of the original or a copy of any summons, complaint, process, notice, demand or pleading within 10 working days after service of such document. [8] Secondly, the University must be given the absolute and continuing right to take charge of the claim or litigation including the right to direct any litigation, to appoint counsel and to settle any and all claims in a manner deemed appropriate by the University. The University shall give prior notification to the faculty member of any settlement proposals and allow the faculty member the opportunity to comment upon the proposal and shall give reasonable consideration of such comments. To the extent that it is within its control the University shall maintain the confidentiality of all settlement proposals and agreements. Finally, the University and its counsel are to be given full assistance and continuous cooperation of the faculty member throughout the defense of any covered claim or litigation.

In deciding whether a faculty member will be defended or indemnified the University shall presume that the faculty member acted in good faith and within the scope of his or her employment until evidence to the contrary proves otherwise.


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