Professional Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty Members and Roles and Professional Responsibilities of Academic Leaders

 

Original   _   Revised X

Approved by: Russell L. Moore, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Authors: Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Policy Contact: Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Effective Date: Feb. 11, 2022

 

I. Purpose

The University of Colorado Boulder (“ Boulder”) seeks to create and sustain an environment conducive to achieving and maintaining excellence in fulfillment of its teaching, research and service mission. In support of this mission, faculty members enjoy certain rights and privileges, chief among these being academic freedom, the freedom within one's fields of competence to pursue and teach the truth as one sees it and in accordance with the applicable standards of scholarly inquiry. Faculty members are also citizens of the University of Colorado (“University”), with an obligation to carry out their high calling according to the highest standards of professionalism.

Recognizing the value of enumerating both faculty rights and privileges and concomitant professional expectations and responsibilities, the faculty and administration collaborated to create the document Professional Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty Members and Roles and Professional Responsibilities of Academic Leaders (“the PRR”). The PRR also provides a mechanism for responding to alleged violations of professional expectations and responsibilities.

This Academic Affairs policy gives force and effect to the provisions of the PRR as approved by the Boulder Faculty Assembly on March 4, 2010, and as amended subsequent to that date.

 

II. Definitions

Academic Leader: A senior faculty member who takes on extra administrative service responsibilities and holds one of a variety of titles, such as chair, director or head. An Academic Leader is appointed by the Dean with faculty input. The academic leader traditionally manages the day-to-day operations of the departments, unit, programs or institute; liaises between the unit and its Deans; and is responsible for both representing their units and implementing campus missions and policies within their units. In some units, the Academic Leader may have broad authority for independent action; in others, many functions are delegated (to differing extents) to standing or ad hoc committees that may be appointed or elected. Where unit rules delegate such responsibility to such committees, the Academic Leader has the ultimate responsibility of ensuring that the committees carry out their functions in an equitable, efficient and timely manner.

Dean: An officer of the administration of the University as defined in Regent Law Article 3.C who supervises a school, a college, libraries and/or other types of primary units employing regular faculty.

Primary Unit: Normally, a department or program where tenured and tenure-track faculty and non-tenure-track faculty in teaching or librarian positions are rostered. However, some tenured and tenure-track faculty may be rostered in a research institute, department or program and have their tenure home in another unit, which may serve as the Primary Unit for purposes of tenure and promotion. In addition, some colleges and schools are divided into Primary Units that are not departments or programs, but that may have distinct needs and policies. For purposes of the PRR, the Primary Unit is also where the Supervising Administrator is housed.

Reviewing Administrator: The immediate supervisor of the Supervising Administrator, typically a Dean or a divisional dean. In unusual circumstances, the Reviewing Administrator may be within the Primary Unit.

Sanctions: Formal consequences for unprofessional conduct by a faculty member.

Supervising Administrator: The academic administrator who is the immediate supervising authority of a faculty member, typically a chair, director, or depending on how a school or college is organized, a Dean, and who is responsible for addressing concerns about the faculty member’s unprofessional conduct. In cases of concern about the unprofessional conduct of an Academic Leader, the Supervising Administrator is typically a Dean or divisional dean. If the faculty member has two supervisors, the Supervising Administrator is the supervisor who has supervising authority over the faculty member’s role that is the context in which the concern about the unprofessional conduct originated.

 

III. Policy

A. The PRR comprises the procedures of this policy. The PRR may define additional terms within this policy as well as terms specific to the PRR.

B. Amendments to the PRR may be initiated by the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the Chair of the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs or the Provost. Amendments require approval by the Provost in accordance with the Academic Affairs policy on Academic Affairs Policy Proposal and Adoption.

C. All concerns regarding the unprofessional conduct of a faculty member will be handled by the faculty member’s Supervising Administrator in accordance with the processes and procedures defined by the PRR.

  1. A Supervising Administrator may delegate inquiry actions to, or otherwise seek the assistance or advice of, a standing or ad hoc committee within the Primary Unit on some or all of the inquiry, as described in the PRR. If the concern regards the unprofessional conduct of an Academic Leader, the standing or ad hoc committee may exist within the academic unit of the administrator who serves as the Supervising Administrator of the Academic Leader. The function of such a standing or ad hoc committee must be established initially in the Primary Unit’s or other academic unit’s bylaws and must accord in all respects with the PRR.

a. Any such committee will act solely in an advisory capacity to the Supervising Administrator. Although the committee may make recommendations, it may not make any final decisions as to the facts of the case or sanctions to be imposed. The Supervising Administrator has the discretion to reject or adopt committee advice in whole or in part. 

b. The PRR is understood as otherwise constituting the entirety of the Primary Unit’s, college’s or school’s processes and procedures.

  1. Either the Supervising Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee established in the Primary Unit’s, college’s or school’s bylaws or policies may delegate certain inquiry actions to and otherwise seek the assistance of the Office of Faculty Relations, in addition to other faculty or staff as appropriate.

a. Anyone acting at the delegation of the Supervising Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee will act solely in an advisory capacity. Those so delegated may make recommendations to the Supervising Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee but may not make any final decisions as to the facts of the case or sanctions to be imposed. 

b. The PRR is understood as otherwise constituting the entirety of the Primary Unit’s, college’s or school’s processes and procedures.

D. All appeals of Sanctions imposed by the Supervising Administrator through the PRR will be handled by the Reviewing Administrator in accordance with the appeals processes and procedures delineated in the PRR.

  1. If the Sanctions were imposed by the Dean of a college or school acting in the capacity of the Supervising Administrator, the Reviewing Administrator is the Provost.
  2. The administrative level of the Reviewing Administrator (Primary Unit, college, school or Office of Academic Affairs) may use a standing or ad hoc committee to assist or advise the Reviewing Administrator on some or all of the appeal processes and procedures as described in the PRR; however, the function of that committee must be established initially in the bylaws or policies of the relevant administrative level (Primary Unit, college, school or Office of Academic Affairs) and must accord in all respects with the PRR.

a. Any such committee will act solely in an advisory capacity to the Reviewing Administrator. Although the committee may make recommendations, it may not make any final decisions as to the facts of the case or the status of the appeal. The Reviewing Administrator has the discretion to reject or adopt committee advice in whole or in part.

b. The PRR is understood as otherwise constituting the entirety of the processes and procedures at the administrative level of the Reviewing Administrator (Primary Unit, college, school or Office of Academic Affairs).

  1. Either the Reviewing Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee established in the in the bylaws or policies of the relevant administrative level (Primary Unit, college, school or Office of Academic Affairs) may delegate certain inquiry actions to and otherwise seek the assistance of the Office of Faculty Relations, in addition to other faculty or staff as appropriate.

a. Anyone acting at the delegation of the Reviewing Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee will act solely in an advisory capacity. Those so delegated may make recommendations to the Reviewing Administrator or the standing or ad hoc committee but may not make any final decisions as to the facts of the case or the status of the appeal.

b. The PRR is understood as otherwise constituting the entirety of the processes and procedures at the administrative level of the Reviewing Administrator (Primary Unit, college, school or Office of Academic Affairs). 

c. In accordance with the hierarchy of university policies established by Regent Law Article 1.C, to the extent that any bylaws or policy of a Primary Unit or policy of a college or school is inconsistent with this policy, this policy prevails and supersedes.

 

IV. History

The original version of this policy was approved by Provost Russell L. Moore on January 16, 2013.

 

End of policy.