Duties of Faculty Members

Centenary College faculty members aspire to the highest standards of academic excellence and personal integrity. Faculty members are expected to support the Mission of the College, carry teaching loads appropriate to their respective rank and program, perform scholarly research or its equivalent, engage in service to both their department and the College, and participate in the shared governance of the College.

A. Teaching

Faculty members are expected to meet their classes regularly and on time and to inform the chair of their department if they must miss class. All faculty members shall designate adequate hours when they will be available in their offices for consultation with students; they shall post their schedules of office hours in a suitable place and adhere to them as closely as possible. Faculty members shall keep unreturned student work in the department for the student author's scrutiny for at least one semester following submission of the work. Faculty members will be responsible for assessment in courses offered as well as the periodic assessment of their academic unit. Flexible approaches to assessment are encouraged. 

Faculty are expected to contribute equitably to academic advising.

Faculty members should adhere to the College’s regulations during Preparation Week, the week before final examinations in both the Spring and Fall terms. This week has been designated as a special time to review academic work and prepare for final examinations. As of 8 a.m. on the first day of Preparation Week, no papers, tests, or additional work (beyond completion of courses) may be assigned. Lab tests may be given during Preparation Week, and class assignments made earlier in the semester may be due during Preparation Week. Petitions for exceptions to policies governing Preparation Week must be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of the College.

Faculty members taking either family or short-term disability leave should work with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and their department chair to make sure their classes are covered in their absence.

Faculty members should refer to the Academic Policies Handbook for other specific academic regulations.

B. Scholarship and Professional Development

Professional growth is evidenced by work that includes any of the following: traditional scholarly research within a discipline; the exploration of issues relating to pedagogy; publications; participation in professional organizations; public performances; or other creative accomplishments. The scholarly work of the professoriate (as defined by Boyer, Scholarship Reconsidered, Priorities of the Professoriate, 1990) might be thought of as having four separate, yet overlapping, functions. These are the scholarship of discovery, the scholarship of integration, the scholarship of application, and the scholarship of teaching.

C. Service

Service to the faculty member’s department, the College and the broader community is also expected. Faculty members may be elected to serve on particular College committees or be assigned duty on College committees by the Faculty Coordinating Council. For specifics on the College Committee structure, see Section 6. Numerous opportunities to volunteer service to other groups on campus are available and faculty members are encouraged to participate in a variety of these opportunities. Untenured faculty and non-tenure-track faculty are encouraged to seek advice from their department chair and/or the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost before volunteering service.

Attendance at faculty meetings is expected. Faculty members are strongly encouraged to attend First-Friday to meet and greet faculty and administrators. Faculty members are expected to attend commencement exercises, President’s Convocation, and Founders’ Day Convocation for which they must provide their own academic regalia. Faculty should make every effort to be in attendance at the Honors Convocation in which students are honored with awards given by various academic departments as well as College-wide awards. This is usually the last convocation of the Spring semester.

 

D. Annual Reports

All faculty members must submit an annual report and an updated CV to their department chairs and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost by the first class day of spring semester. The report should include the following information:

1. A statement evaluating achievements and activities of the previous academic year regarding teaching aids, methods, techniques, course revision, course development, advising, research and writing, meetings, papers, committee work, organizations, community service, summer study, and other relevant data.
2. A statement of professional goals for the ensuing year, using the same criteria as above.
3. A list of suggestions for improvement of departmental academic goals.
4. Suggestions for feasible changes in any aspect of the College that would improve the quality of the professional experience of the faculty and administrative staff and the educational experience and campus life of the students.

E. Other Professional Activities

Full-time faculty members may engage in professional or business activities of an income- producing nature, so long as these activities are not in conflict with performance of the faculty member's duties or College interests. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost should be informed in advance and approve of such outside activities. Teaching at an educational institution other than Centenary College is not permitted without specific approval by the President.