VCOM Faculty Handbook

faculty member’s responsibilities and institutional goals. Individual faculty members have the responsibility of carrying out the academic responsibilities they are assigned. The Discipline Chairs and Course Directors agree upon the assignment of the duties with the Associate Deans and with the appropriate Campus Dean. The execution of these duties constitutes a basis for a faculty contract. When considering interruptions of service or teaching, faculty must recognize the effect of their decisions upon VCOM’s program. Consequently, faculty must give adequate due notice of any anticipated work interruption, so as to prevent any disruption to the work of VCOM. Faculty must be on campus teaching at expected times of the contract unless an excused absence has been granted. The faculty body of each campus, as the Faculty Assembly, meets annually. More information is provided in the Faculty Senate section of this Handbook. The Associate Deans, as Division Chairs hold monthly meetings with their division faculty or Chairs and are responsible for ensuring that the minutes of the meetings are kept and that divisional concerns and needs are expressed to the appropriate Campus Dean or other Officers in writing. Faculty members will represent the interests of their division on college committees, including the curriculum and assessment committees, research committees, admissions committee, facility and IT committees, and the Faculty Senate. Members of each division are expected to provide feedback to other faculty in the division meetings on actions and current items under consideration by the committees on which they serve. Members should solicit comment from division members towards proposed major actions considered by the committees. VCOM respects the academic freedom of students and faculty members and has adopted principles consistent with those promoted by the American Association of University Professors. VCOM faculty members are: • Entitled to full freedom in research and scholarly activity, including publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the administration of the institution. However, faculty members must agree upon research initiatives with the division chair. • Expected to follow certain principles under this freedom, including demonstrating honesty in publication and research and operating within the confines of the law. Faculty who are granted external funding must conduct their research and meet the expectations of the funding agency in a manner that will not threaten the funding of research for other VCOM faculty members. • Entitled to secure commercial development of intellectual and other property resulting from their research to ensure that the resulting benefits reach society at the earliest opportunity; however, all full- and part time faculty must utilize the VCOM Office of Research to secure patents and commercial development for any intellectual or other property resulting from research conducted as an employee by VCOM. Ownership rights to intellectual property shall be governed by institutional policy. • Entitled to freedom in the classroom in teaching and discussing course topics, recognizing that their efforts are coordinated with others who have responsibilities within the same course and program. Faculty should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter that has no relation to their subject. • Free to discuss, in a professional manner, subject matter and content pertinent to VCOM’s educational programs with other faculty and students. Academic Freedom

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