7 Faculty Governance Faculty Handbook/Information

Faculty Handbook/Information for Faculty (IFF)

The faculty handbook, Policies and Procedures: Information for Faculty, Administrators, and Trustees,” (this link is also found in the Office of the Dean of Faculty Moodle site in Moodle Campus) spells out the College’s policies and procedures relating to faculty responsibilities, privileges and benefits and describes shared governance. It also includes the bylaws and rules relating to faculty organization and describes the committee, departmental and program structures at the College, as well as the structure and responsibilities of the board of trustees. You may be wondering why it’s called, “IFF.” Before a major revision some years ago, its title was simply, Information for Faculty (IFF).

At the end of each section in IFF is a description of how portions of that section can be amended: some policies and procedures are under the purview of the board of trustees, while most can be amended by the faculty. Much of what you will find in this book is faculty legislation, which is generally crafted by the committee called the Faculty Steering and Conference Committee (FSCC). Each piece of legislation written by FSCC and other committees is presented to the faculty as a whole at a faculty meeting where it may be discussed in preparation for a vote at the next meeting.

If you have any questions about the contents of IFF, don’t hesitate to contact the Associate Dean or Dean of the Faculty.

Faculty Meetings

Faculty meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month 11:50-1:05 during the Fall and Spring semesters. September, October and May meetings are held in person in Cro 1962 room and all other meetings are on Zoom. Please see the Pink Sheet for Zoom links and the Current Faculty Meeting Moodle site (in Campus Moodle) for voting during remote meetings. On the Monday prior to the faculty meeting, the meeting agenda, proposed legislation, and other materials are shared with all faculty via email by the Secretary to the Faculty, Amanda Barnes. All continuing faculty are expected to attend, unless they are on sabbatical or leave of absence. Per, IFF 1.4.1.4, visiting faculty members are automatically voting members of the faculty after one year of service. Visiting and adjunct faculty may elect to become voting members starting in their first semester, however requests must be received by September 15^th for academic year or fall semester voting privileges, or by February 15^th for spring semester voting privileges. Per IFF 4.1.2.a , “Requests for voting privileges imply a commitment to attend faculty meetings”. If you would like to have voting status, please contact the Secretary to the Faculty, Amanda Barnes (abarnes@conncoll.edu).

Faculty Committees

IFF is your resource for assistance in figuring out the College’s committee structure. Section 5 Faculty Organization: Committees, explains the general functions, jurisdictions and obligations of all standing committees and then describes each one. Three major committees that you will often hear referred to are the Faculty Steering and Conference Committee (FSCC), the Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure (CAPT), and the Priorities, Planning and Budget Committee (PPBC). FSCC is the lead faculty committee, with responsibilities for charging many of the other committees. FSCC and CAPT are staffed only with faculty members, whereas the PPBC also has student, administrative and staff members. At the end of the fall semester all tenured, tenure-track, lecturers and continuing-part-time faculty are asked which elected committees they are willing to serve for the upcoming year.. Visiting and adjunct faculty are not eligible to stand for committee election, however they may be appointed by FSCC as short-term replacements. Current year committee rosters are posted to the Dean of Faculty Moodle site on CamelWeb.

Shared Governance and Academic Freedom

The principles of Shared Governance are central to the College’s mission. Section 1.1 of Policies and Procedures states: “The Board of Trustees, the faculty, and the administration endorse, as the basis of shared governance at Connecticut College, the 1966 Joint Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities (AAUP Policy Documents & Reports), 2001 Edition, pp. 217-223, excluding footnotes (www.aaup.org), reproduced in Appendix A.” The Shared Governance Covenant is signed each year by the President of the College, the Student Government Association (SGA) President, the FSSC chair, and the Staff Council Chair.

The College’s commitment to academic freedom is codified in IFF Section 1.2: “The Board of Trustees in February 1950, endorsed the document of the American Association of University Professors on academic freedom, the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure (AAUP Policy Documents & Reports, 2015 edition, pp. 13–19) (www.aaup.org), reproduced in Appendix B.