AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE FACULTY MEETING ON FACULTY GOVERNANCE| Back to King's College |  Back to Faculty Governance

Original Members of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Faculty Meeting on Faculty Governance: 
Tina Evans, George H. Hammerbacher, Margaret M. Hogan, Jayne Klenner-Moore, Robert Liebler, Brian Pavlac, Frederick Sauls

Statement on King’s College Governance 

King’s College is a unique institution. It is an independent four-year college founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross to provide students with a broad based liberal education in the Catholic tradition (Mission Statement). It is not a for profit corporation, although it ought to adhere to the best practices of the business world. It is not a religious community, although it aspires to be a community of love, “characterized by the sharing of the mission, mutual respect, support, and trust” (CI Task Force Report, 3). As an enterprise in higher education, the excellence and integrity of the College depends upon appropriately shared responsibilities and cooperative action among the constituencies, the President, the Board of Directors, the faculty, and the administrators responsible for the institution. In order that the joint effort be effective, all the constituencies of the College must be “aware of their interdependence, of the usefulness of communication among themselves, and of the force of joint action” (AAUP – Statement on Government). While decision making in regard to important issues requires the participation of all institutional members, the weight of each voice ought to be appropriately varied, by reference to the responsibility for the particular matter. Thus, faculty has major responsibility in determining the curriculum and the procedures of student instruction; the board has major responsibility, as trustees of the institution, for shepherding its resources so that the institution may be both effective and continuous. 

I. Role of the Faculty:

 A. As a member of the faculty: 

1. All faculty members will strive to adhere to standards worthy of their learned profession. 
2. Faculty are responsible for subject matter, methods of instruction, and methods of evaluation that are appropriate, fair, and honest in their courses. Faculty are expected to be available at regularly scheduled times for student advisement. 
3. Faculty members are responsible for the integrity of their courses, for the integrity of the degree in their disciplines, and for the integrity of the degree in their institutions. 
4. Faculty are responsible for appropriate professional development to keep them current in their fields. 
5. Faculty are expected to attend all meetings of the faculty, meetings of their department, and meetings of committees on which they serve. Faculty are expected to attend official college functions. Faculty are encouraged to support college extracurricular and co-curricular activities. 
6. Faculty are responsible for faculty status; this responsibility includes appointments, promotion, tenure and dismissal. The primary responsibility of the faculty for faculty status derives from the expertise of the faculty in education in general and the expertise of faculty as a community of scholars to judge the work of their colleagues. The recommendations of the faculty should be communicated to the board and to the academic officers for their approval. Except in rare instances and except for compelling reasons which should be stated in detail, the Board of Directors and academic officers should concur with faculty judgment in these matters. 
7. Faculty are responsible for appropriate service on committees that sustain the excellence and maintain the continuation of the institution. This includes but is not limited to faculty governance committees, Middle States study committees, Curriculum and Teaching committee, Academic and Professional Affairs committee, project teams, ad hoc committees, etc. 
8. Faculty, in conjunction with the administration and the Board of Directors, are responsible for the effective organization of faculty in ways which promote the advancement of the institution, the advancement of the faculty, and the advancement of students. 
9. Faculty are responsible for those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process. This includes, but is not limited to monitoring the attendance of the students in class, sustaining an atmosphere in class that is simultaneously disciplined and open to learning, and being attentive to academic integrity. 

B. As a member of the College: 

faculty ought to participate actively in the government of the college at each level where faculty responsibility is present. 

1. The framing and execution of long range plans: the faculty should receive information about these plans, study them, and be given, through elected faculty members, the opportunity to exercise an advisory role. 
2. Decisions regarding physical resources: the faculty should receive information about these plans, study them, and be given, through elected faculty members, the opportunity to exercise an advisory role. 
3. Budgeting: the faculty should receive information about the budget, study it, and be given, through elected faculty members, the opportunity to exercise an advisory role. 
4. In the selection of administrators faculty have a consultative role in the
   1. choice of a new President: in as much as the President is the chief executive officer of the governing board and the chief academic officer of the institution and the faculty, the President should be chosen by the board in consultation with faculty chosen by the faculty for that purpose.
   2. choice of all academic officers: the academic officers should be chosen by the President in consultation with faculty chosen by the faculty for that purpose.

5. Determinations of faculty status: The building of a strong faculty requires careful joint faculty effort in such actions as staff selection, promotion, and the granting of tenure.
6. Relationship with the Board of Directors: Ongoing communication between the faculty and the Board of Directors contributes to the life and vitality of the College. To ensure ongoing and timely communication faculty chosen by the faculty for that purpose should serve as liaison to the committees of the Board of Directors.

C. As a member of the external community: 

1. A faculty member must remember that only the Board speaks legally for the institution, hence faculty should not affix the name of the institution to public statements implying institutional approval of those statements, unless authority has been delegated by the Board of Directors for that purpose. 
2. A faculty member retains the rights of a citizen to speak on public matters. 
3. Faculty members are encouraged to promote good relations between the College and the community. 
4. Faculty members are encouraged to serve the needs of the community by volunteering their time and their expertise to the community.

A Faculty Meeting was held on October 15, 2002 to discuss the above report, although it lacked a quorum.  For a record of the discussion, click here.

Faculty Council requested that the faculty commit themselves in advance to attend a Faculty Meeting scheduled for November 18, 2002.  Since fewer than a quorum had contacted the Faculty Council Chair by 3:00 p.m. on November 17, the Faculty Council Chair canceled the planned Faculty Meeting.  Thus, no action has been taken on the above Statement of Principles. 

Under direction of Faculty Council in Spring 2003, the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee drew up several basic models of faculty governance.   A Faculty Meeting held on April 22, 2003 discussed these models and suggested further action on several points.  

A Faculty Meeting held on September 26, 2003 discussed concepts of faculty governance, beginning with faculty responsibilities.  The meeting ended with requests for proposals of revision of faculty governance, perhaps based on a proposal of governance without a Faculty Council, but instead centered on C&T and A&P Committees.  A&P has taken up the issue in its deliberations.  It offered suggested revisions in faculty governance to the Faculty Council, which were discussed at the Faculty Meeting on November 21, 2003.  For the proposed constitution of April 2004, click here.  For the current status and history of Faculty Governance Reform, click here.