Policy No. 100

The Role of Faculty

Adopted: 04/23/96
Revisions Approved: 10/29/24

The responsibility for fulfilling the educational goals of the College is entrusted to the faculty. They make recommendations to the academic administration on matters pertaining to instruction and learning and those aspects of student life that relate to the educational process.

The Collegiate Assembly is the forum where faculty present their views and discuss academic issues. Faculty also voice their opinions within their departments and on College committees.

The established functional responsibilities of the faculty at large include:

Curriculum: See Curriculum Policy No. 104

Academic Standards and Discipline: The faculty shall encourage their students to maintain a high level of academic performance. The faculty shall assist the administration in establishing norms and rules for: admissions, academic honesty, evaluation of transfer credit, grading criteria, honors and awards, probation or required withdrawal. Faculty shall also assist in monitoring student performance and student disciplinary actions.

Academic Grades: The academic administration, assisted by the faculty, will develop and publish the College grading system for credit courses. Letter grades, reflecting numerical averages, will be used to measure and evaluate students' progress, determine minimum graduation and retention requirements. Numerical GPA will be used to determine honors status. While grades are recognized as important, faculty shall frame learning as a lifelong endeavor, contributing to personal enrichment, duties of citizenship and vocational success.

A system of appeals has been established and is communicated to the students, so that they can discuss their grades with individual faculty members, appeal to an academic administrator and can participate in a committee hearing where the disputed grades are considered.

Awarding of Degrees: The faculty shall set requirements for the degrees offered in various disciplines, and certify to the President and Board of Trustees that students have met their degree requirements.

Attendance and the College Calendar: The College calendar for classes and the number of class hours required shall be established by the academic administration with faculty advice, in a way that meets state requirements for awarding degrees and that upholds appropriate academic standards. Student regulations for class attendance and absence shall be determined by faculty and reviewed by academic administrators.

Teaching and Learning: Faculty members are primarily teachers and responsible for the preparation and implementation of assigned courses. The College expects faculty to expend three quarters of their time in teaching responsibilities. See Academic Freedom Policy 102. Although grades are recognized as important measures of learning, faculty also engage in other assessment activities to measure student achievement of learning and to inform the continuous improvement of the curriculum. The assessment process, led by faculty, occurs at the course level, at the program level, and at the institutional level through the College’s General Education Program.