Faculty Service

In addition to excellence in teaching, faculty are also required to serve the College and students in the following ways:

1. Full-time faculty members, after their first year of service, are normally expected to assume responsibility for advising students. Department Chairs are responsible for assuring competent advising of declared majors in their departments. The Director of the Student Success Center assigns advisees to faculty members new students as are admitted to the College each semester.
2. Faculty members are expected to contribute to the work of at least one standing College committee.
3. Faculty are expected to interview for Presidential Scholarship Weekend.
4. Faculty may sponsor Discovery Projects, independent study programs, or undergraduate research. Student research projects, if they involve the use of departmental or College resources, must be agreed to by the Department Chair.
5. Faculty may serve as club moderator, faculty sponsor of publications, or as a volunteer athletic coach.
6. Faculty may represent the College at local community affairs. Faculty members are encouraged to respond favorably to requests for their services by local community and church groups, provided that the faculty member's primary obligation to teaching and research is not jeopardized.
7. Faculty may assist the Admission Office in its efforts to recruit students, especially in representing departments and programs to prospective students.

The vitality of extracurricular activities depends very much on the participation of faculty and staff. Every faculty member is expected to participate in some College-sponsored activities, even if participation is limited to attendance (e.g., plays, concerts, athletic events, etc.).

Normally, full-time faculty are expected to be on campus for a full working day on all days when classes are in session, and Discovery Day, unless they are attending a meeting or engaged in College business elsewhere. Faculty should plan to be on campus in their offices in August on the Monday and Tuesday before classes begin and in January on the Tuesday before classes begin so they can be available to advisees and other students.

Continuing Part-time Faculty Service

      While the College recognizes that continuing part-time faculty are not obligated to the same level of service as those with full-time teaching appointments, the expectation is that these faculty members participate as fully as possible.

1.  Participation by persons holding continuing part-time appointments includes the following: Attendance at regular faculty meetings, and when possible department meetings, participation in the faculty/community workshop at the beginning of the year, and attendance at the opening Mass, Baccalaureate Mass, and Commencement.
2. Occasional service on a faculty or College committee or by interviewing for Presidential Scholarship Weekend.
3. Willingness to direct a Discovery project, independent study, or research.
4. Assistance to Admission staff in a manner consistent with their part-time employment.
5. Maintaining regular office hours consistent with the number of hours taught and the needs of students.
6. Endeavoring to be supportive and participate in various College social, cultural, and religious functions

Punctuality

Good order requires punctual attendance by both student and professor.

It is assumed that faculty will model the habit of punctuality for their students by beginning and ending all classes promptly at the time scheduled.

If the faculty member has not begun class within 15 minutes of the time scheduled and no message has been sent from the Provost’s Office or another faculty member giving further instructions, the students will be legitimately excused for that period.

Faculty attendance is required at the following College functions:

1.  Faculty Workshops (except those indicated as optional),
2.  Freshman orientation academic sessions,
3. Opening Mass, in academic attire,
4.  Regularly scheduled faculty meetings, department, and committee meetings,
5. Interview for Presidential Scholarship Weekend,
6. Discovery Day,
7. Honors Banquet,
8. Baccalaureate, in academic attire,
9.  Commencement, in academic attire.

Absences

Faculty are expected to be on campus to teach their scheduled classes, except in cases of personal or family emergency, professional meetings, or other scholarly obligations the timing of which is outside the faculty member’s control, and other situations giving rise to excusable absences (e.g., short-term disability, administrative leave, etc.). The following guidelines should be utilized by a faculty member who will be absent from a regularly scheduled class:

1. When a faculty member finds he or she will be unexpectedly absent, the Department Chair and the Provost’s Office must be informed of the circumstances. In such cases, the Department Chair will notify the class(es) of the faculty member’s absence and of the assignment(s) that the students are to perform or other alternative arrangements.
2. When a faculty member knows in advance of an absence, he or she should obtain permission for the absence from the Provost and make arrangements for a substitute instructor, arrange to provide students with a meaningful educational experience, or reschedule the missed class(es). Whenever possible, members of a department should arrange with each other to serve as substitutes in cases of required absences from classes.

Student Evaluations

All tenured faculty must be evaluated by their students once a year, either fall or spring semester using the IDEA system. All courses in that semester should be evaluated. All untenured and adjunct faculty members must be evaluated in all courses every semester. Evaluations may be conducted during the summer sessions at the request of the faculty member. Student evaluations are coordinated through the Director of Instituional Research. Independent study courses, internships, and labs associated with lecture courses do not need to be evaluated. If in doubt, check exceptions with the Provost’s Office.

The Provost’s Office will maintain an electronic copy of the course instructor summary survey report for all active faculty for seven years. Faculty may access their reports via the Campus Labs site.

Sabbaticals

Sabbatical leaves may be granted to tenured faculty (including those in administrative positions) for the purpose of their professional enrichment and the improvement of their services to the College, subject to the following conditions: Neither student programs nor the College should suffer any grave academic inconvenience by such absence, and the applicant must use his or her leave for research, formal study, or other approved purposes.

Procedures for requesting a sabbatical leave:

1.       a.  The applicant will first consult with the Chair of his or her department as to the feasibility of the proposed sabbatical. The Chair will then complete and sign the form verifying that the sabbatical will not cause grave academic inconvenience to the applicant’s department. If the applicant is a Chair, he or she will consult with the Provost, who will complete and sign the form. Applications are to be received by the Rank and Tenure Committee no later than December 1 of the academic year prior to the year for which the leave is requested. A plan for increasing the faculty member's professional growth and value to the College is included as part of the application along with a brief cover letter and the Chair form. Applications will be evaluated and ranked by the Rank and Tenure Committee based on the thoroughness and persuasiveness of the application, as well as the likely contribution of the sabbatical project to the applicant’s teaching and/or scholarship.
    b.  Faculty members serving as administrators apply to their immediate supervisors. The President of the College applies to the Board of Directors.
    c.  Recommendations from the Provost, the Department Chair, and a letter of application and plan are submitted to the President. The President makes the final recommendation to the Board of Directors.
    d.  Applicants will normally be notified by the Provost immediately after the February Board meeting as to the decision of the Board.
2. Sabbatical leaves may be granted to applicants who have completed six years of full-time employment at Benedictine College or at least six years since having taken an earlier sabbatical leave.
3. The sabbatical applicant may request one semester at full pay or two semesters with half pay.
4. At the end of a sabbatical, a report is submitted to the Provost and to the President. Sabbatical leaves are considered as service for the purposes of advancement in salary and rank.
5. Sabbatical leave recipients are obligated to return to the College for a minimum full-time service of two years following a sabbatical leave. A person who has been granted a sabbatical leave and fails to return to the College is obligated to repay, within three years, whatever monies were paid during the period of the sabbatical leave. This obligation is pro-rated if the faculty member or administrator serves some but not all of the stipulated two years.
6. A sabbatical leave stipend is paid to the recipient on the assumption that he or she is not employed at a full salary by another agency during the sabbatical period. If the recipient receives a grant or external payment, the sabbatical stipend is reduced to affect a net income equal to regular salary plus cost of living differences and moving expenses for the faculty member.
7. At the expiration of the sabbatical leave, and in the absence of another mutual agreement between the recipient and the College, the recipient shall be reinstated in the same assignment held prior to granting of the leave. Persons replacing those on sabbatical leave shall be notified in writing that the assignment shall be only for the duration of the sabbatical leave.
8. No more than 10% of the tenured faculty members may be on sabbatical leave at any given time.

Faculty Development

$200 Fund – Each faculty member receives $200 each year from the faculty development fund. Most faculty members use these funds to buy books or pay for professional memberships. To be reimbursed, the faculty member simply emails receipts in PDF format to the Provost’s Office specifying that it should be paid out of the “$200 fund.”

Travel Grants

Refer to the latest information from the Faculty Development Committee available on Canvas > Faculty Forum.

Extramural/Professional Activities

While Benedictine College recognizes the value of faculty members engaging in outside activities that enhance their academic and professional development, such activities should not interfere with faculty members’ primary professional obligations to Benedictine College. When faculty members wish to engage in anything other than incidental activities in research, counseling, the offering of professional services, or any job that will take them away from the primary commitment to the College for pecuniary gain or otherwise, the conditions of such undertakings shall be approved in advance by the President of the College to ensure that there is no conflict of commitment or conflict of interest.

When the faculty member is engaged in extramural or professional activities unrelated to his or her assignment or position with the College, he or she speaks or writes as a citizen and should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. Therefore, the faculty member should always do his or her utmost to be accurate, exercise appropriate restraint, respect the opinions of others, and make it clear that they are not speaking in their official capacity for the College.

No faculty member, in any opinion or certification that is to be used for advertising or commercial promotion of any product, service, or business organization, may use the official title of the College or any of its parts, or refer to their professional connection with the College without permission from the Provost and the express approval of the President.

Faculty members may not solicit gifts on behalf of the College without approval by the Vice President for Advancement.

All grants and contracts awarded to faculty members are to be promptly reported to the Provost.

Termination of Appointment by Faculty Members      

Faculty members may terminate their appointments effective at the end of an academic year, provided that they give notice in writing at the earliest possible opportunity, but not later than May 15, or thirty (30) days after receiving notification of the terms of appointment for the coming year, whichever date occurs later. Faculty members may properly request a waiver of this requirement of notice in case of hardship or in a situation where they would otherwise be denied substantial professional advancement or other opportunity.

Faculty Searches

In all cases, vacancies within departments return to the College for possible reallocation or elimination.

When searches commence for new faculty members, it is the goal of the College to identify, recruit, and retain highly qualified, diverse, and talented faculty who embrace the mission of the College for position openings. The following “Guidelines for Conducting a Faculty Search” are designed to assist in the faculty hiring process.

1.   Ordinarily, a search for a faculty position will be conducted by the chair of the department seeking to fill the position. Searches for department chairs are chaired by a faculty member designated by the Provost.
2.  The continuing department chair and the Provost, in consultation, will select members of the search committee. All continuing full- and part-time members of the department should take an active role in the search process. Search committees should normally include at least one faculty member from outside the department. If the department conducting the search does not have any female or minority members participating in the search, a female or minority faculty member from outside the department should be invited to join the search committee.
3.  All advertising for positions is coordinated by the office of the Provost. The department chair, in consultation with the Provost, will prepare an advertisement and together they will determine where to place it and any other methods to be used to locate suitable candidates.
4. The chair will designate an administrative assistant to coordinate applications through Paylocity for each candidate.
5.  When the deadline for applications occurs, the committee will meet and review the candidates' files and prepare a short list of names for consideration. They will notify all rejected applicants as soon as possible.
6.  The chair and the committee will undertake further review of the candidates on the short list by phone and other means. They may wish to prepare a list of specific questions to ask each candidate. It is also a good practice to contact one or more of the applicant's references.
7.  After this review, the committee will meet to reduce the list to typically two or three candidates who will be invited to campus.
8.  By this time, the chair should have discussed with the candidate the expectations of the position so as to determine if the candidate is willing to accept the position should it be offered.
9. The chair will advise the Provost that the committee is ready to invite candidates to campus for interviews.
10. The chair or the administrative assistant will make arrangements for the campus visit. These arrangements should be made far enough in advance so as to take advantage of the best airline fares, if needed.
11. The chair will endeavor to make the campus visit for each candidate as identical as possible, i.e., meet with the same people, have the same lecture opportunity, etc.
12. Ordinarily, a campus visit will include interviews with the President, Provost, chair, each member of the search committee, students, and any others the committee or the candidate considers appropriate.
13. The campus visit should also include a presentation to students, an opportunity to teach a class, or some similar forum to judge that aspect of the candidate's suitability.
14. The committee may wish to include a campus tour, some time in the library, and a tour of the city as a part of the process.
15. After all candidates have been to campus, the committee will meet and endeavor to reach consensus on a recommendation and submit it to the Provost.
16. The chair will convey the recommendation of the committee, including any minority concerns, to the Provost who will make the offer, pending the approval of the President. The President of the College has final authority in filling faculty vacancies.
17. After a contract has been sent, the Provost will immediately apprise the chair and may ask the chair to follow up with a call.
18. Job offers shall be contingent on a successful completion of a background check as described in the “Background Investigations” section of the Employee Handbook.
19.  The chair will be responsible for notifying all unsuccessful candidates once a signed contract is received and the College has confirmed that the candidate chosen for hire has successfully passed his or her background check.
20. Internal Candidates: At times there may be one or more internal candidates for an advertised position. In so far as it is practical, internal candidates will be treated in the same manner as outside candidates, however, it is understood that some steps may not be necessary for internal candidates. The Provost and chair together will make a decision as to what will be required of an internal candidate in a given search and will convey their decision to the candidate. Should an internal candidate be a current member of the department, he or she will not serve as a member of the search committee

Preferential Hiring Policy: Benedictine College has a preferential hiring policy with regard to members of the sponsoring religious communities. Any committee engaging in a search will consult that policy and will follow it.

Moving Expenses

      Refer to the Employee Handbook for the latest policies regarding moving expenses.

Academic Freedom

The Board of Directors of Benedictine College affirms its basic commitment to the maintenance of optimal conditions for teaching, research, and learning at Benedictine College. All faculty members are entitled to discuss freely in the classroom all matters germane to the subject of instruction. Faculty members should take care not to violate academic freedom by treating extensively of matters extraneous to the subject.

In their teaching and research, faculty members should be guided by the search for knowledge and truth, not by benefactors, public opinion or partisan policy, nor by any interest group. It is the right of every faculty member of the College to be protected by the College as a whole from all such inappropriate pressures and harassments.

Faculty members should be involved in the search for knowledge and truth while fulfilling their course assignments. The specific material covered in a course is not to be determined by the opinion of administrators, directors, fellow faculty members, or students, so long as it is appropriate to the course objectives, description, or syllabus adopted by the College or school and so long as it adequately prepares students for subsequent courses. Faculty members can and should present to students accepted, as well as, newly discovered facts and laws, new developments or new applications of old knowledge, and accepted, as well as new hypotheses and theories that may be advanced in explanation of facts and laws.

The central freedom of an individual in the College lies within the framework of human activity and human life, and hence is subject also to limitations and norms:

1. Teaching, student counseling, research and scholarly activity, and service to the College and community must be carried on within the framework of legal norms, the ethical requirements of the respective disciplines and professions, and the mission statement of the College.
2. All persons joining the faculty of the College are expected to understand and respect the fact that they are coming into an institution in which Christian scriptures and tradition are recognized as a source of knowledge as valid as natural human experience or reason, and where theology is recognized as a discipline. This expectation, of course, does not prevent them from stating and explaining their own personal views under the norms of this policy.
3. While faculty members are expected to challenge students to reexamine their beliefs and opinions, they are also expected to protect the rights of students. Faculty members must be careful not to attempt to use their positions to force upon students their own personal views and partisan loyalties.
4. Faculty members shall be entitled to full freedom in research and publication of the results, always assuming that such activity will not detract from the time and effort required for the task of instruction.

As required by law, the College has adopted a Notice of Non-Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Notice, Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures, and Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures. (See Employee Handbook.) Actions or words used in the context of the academic and teaching environments that serve legitimate and reasonable educational purposes will not be deemed by the College to constitute prohibited conduct or harassment. Nor will the expression of the beliefs and/or teachings of the Catholic Church, as set forth by the Magisterium, be regarded by the College as constituting prohibited conduct or harassment.

Distinguished Educator of the Year

The Distinguished Educator of the Year is nominated by students, faculty, and staff. This faculty member who is to be selected is recognized by colleagues, students, and staff as a creative and effective educator. The recipient should have good rapport with students, be fully engaged in the life of the College, and reflect a commitment to the Benedictine values that guide the institution. The recipient must have seven years teaching experience at Benedictine College prior to the current academic year. Traditionally, a person may receive this award only once during his or her service at the College.

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