K. Policy: Stanford, Faculty discipline (includes suspension, dismissal,
and minor penalties such as censure) for "professional misconduct"
Defined as: the right of the university to maintain the integrity of teaching and research
and preserve academic freedom.
Complaint goes to: Provost.
Procedure:
1. Factual investigation is initiated by the Provost before charges are made.
2. Provost charges faculty member, who is given the opportunity to reply, and to settle by
agreement (with president's approval).
3. Faculty member may contest the charges, in which case the Provost provides formal, written
charges and proposed sanction to faculty member and Advisory Board.
4. The faculty member files with the Board a statement of his/her defense, disputed facts, and
any additional information.
5. The Board may select an outside Hearing Officer if there is a dispute about "material issues of
historical fact" to hold an evidentiary hearing; otherwise, the Board proceeds immediately with
the Final Hearing.
6. If a majority of the Board concludes that "professional misconduct" has occurred, it
recommends appropriate sanctions to the president.
7. The president may resubmit the case to the Board with a statement of questions or objections,
in which case the Board will reconsider the case.
8. The president then makes a final decision; in the case of dismissal, it requires approval of the
Board of Trustees.
Penalties: Include, but are not limited to censure; a fine and/or temporary reduction in
pay; suspension without pay; indefinite reduction in pay; dismissal.
Appeal: not specified.
L. Policy: University of Michigan, Dismissal, Demotion, Terminal
Appointment
Defined as: the right of the university to recommend dismissal, demotion, or terminal
appointment based on "causes accepted by University usage, properly connected with the
improvement and efficiency of the faculty, and consistent with the character of the tenure
involved."
Complaint goes to: Provost and executive VP for academic affairs, or to executive
authority (dean, director, or executive committee).
Procedure:
1. President may direct that faculty member be relieved of some or all of his/her duties (without
loss of pay) pending resolution of the case, in exceptional instances which threaten direct and
immediate injury to the public reputation or essential functions of the university.
2. Two procedures, one for matters internal to the administrative unit (subsection 4) and one for
matters of general university concern (subsection 5): the president shall determine under which
procedure the case will be handled.
3. "Subsection 4" procedures:
- a) Executive authority (e.g., dean) shall give written notice to faculty member and
"Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs" [SACUA] of charge, and right of
faculty member to request hearing.
- b) Dean shall investigate the case and, if requested by faculty member, provide for a
hearing.
- c) Hearing committee shall issue report with conclusions and recommendations; if
dismissal, demotion or terminal appointment is recommended, the report will state the
deficiencies or acts of misconduct on which the proposed penalties are based.
- d) Faculty member may request a review by standing committee on tenure;
alternatively, if Dean chooses to impose sanctions against the recommendations of the
hearing committee, the faculty member may request a review of the case per
subparagraph (d) [not included in document].
- e) The review committee files written report; then the Dean notifies the president of
his/her final recommendations.
- f) The president then issues recommendations and reasons therefor; the faculty
member and SACUA may respond with written comments, which are then forwarded
with the president's report to the Board of Trustees for final action.
4. "Subsection 5" procedures:
- a) SACUA designates its standing Committee on Tenure as hearing committee,
which notifies faculty member of charges (prepared by Provost and exec VP for
academic affairs), and right of faculty member to request hearing.
- b) Hearing committee investigates the case, and files written report with SACUA
with conclusions and recommendations; if dismissal, demotion or terminal appointment
is recommended, the report will state the conduct on which the proposed penalties are
based.
- c) Faculty member may request review by SACUA, which may or may not conduct a
hearing, in which case it may remand the case back to the hearing committee.
- d) SACUA files hearing committee's report and recommendations with faculty
member, president, provost, executive VP for academic affairs, and dean, along with its
own comments; within 10 days, these parties may file written comments with the
president.
- e) President formulates recommendations which are sent to faculty member and
SACUA; they may submit written comments to the president; the entire record is then
sent to the Board for final action.
Penalties: Dismissal, demotion, or terminal appointment; per Jeff Frumkin, Academic
Human Resources, also applies to suspension.
Appeal: not specified.
M. Policy: James Madison University, Faculty misconduct and
sanctions
Defined as: conduct incompatible with the responsibilities of faculty membership
including, but not limited to: academic dishonesty, violation of academic or professional ethics,
incompetence, disregard or failure to fulfill academic responsibilities, moral turpitude,
harassment, felonious [i.e., serious] criminal act.
Complaint goes to: Provost and executive VP for academic affairs, or to executive
authority (dean, director, or executive committee).
Procedure:
1. The following special types of misconduct have specific procedures which supersede these:
harassment and discrimination; research or scholarly misconduct; disability discrimination;
criminal activity.
2. Inquiry: academic head may determine that an allegation of misconduct does not merit a
formal inquiry and may discuss the matter with the faculty member, filing a report with the dean,
and faculty member (who may place a written response in his/her file).
3. Faculty member may request a hearing of the college's standing committee, which shall be
convened by the dean.
4. Hearing: Alternatively, the academic unit head may request that the dean conduct a formal
inquiry, in which case the dean convenes the college's standing committee, as in #3.
5. Hearing committee provides summary of findings and recommendations for sanctions to vice
president for academic affairs with copies to dean, faculty member, and academic unit head.
Dean may add any other recommendations.
Penalties: "Sanctions for misconduct may include, but are not limited to, a reprimand,
oral or written, private or public; a period of suspension without pay; a reduction in salary; a
reduction in rank; removal of privileges; or dismissal.
Appeal: "...if an appealable sanction is imposed on a faculty member by the vice
president for academic affairs, the faculty member may appeal that sanction under Faculty
Handbook, Section III.A.9.g." (Faculty member appeals to the Faculty Appeals Committee; vice
president for academic affairs appoints a respondent to represent the administration; the Faculty
Appeals Committee may convene a new hearing.)
N. Policy: Western Washington Univ., termination and other
severe sanctions
Defined as: Adequate cause for a dismissal [or other severe sanction] will be related,
directly and materially, to the fitness of faculty members in their professional capacities as
teachers or researchers. Dismissal [or other severe sanctions] will not be used to restrain faculty
members in their exercise of academic freedom or other rights. To warrant a removal for cause,
conduct must in a substantial way adversely affect the faculty member's academic, scholarly, or
professional ability to carry out his or her University responsibilities. In cases in which the
faculty member's behavior is alleged to have adversely affected another person, the impact of the
faculty member's behavior must have affected the other person's ability to carry out his or her
academic, scholarly, or professional University responsibilities in an intentional and malicious
way.
A faculty member ƒ may be dismissed for cause from his or her position [or be subjected to
other severe sanctions] only for one or more of the following reasons:
1) A serious and persistent neglect of faculty duties.
2) Unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment. (See Appendix C of WWU FH.)
3) Serious scientific or scholarly misconduct, consisting of, but not limited to, significant
misrepresentation of credentials, falsification of data, plagiarism, abuse of confidentiality,
violation of regulations applicable to research, or failure to meet minimum standards of
professional competence.
4) Conviction of a felony.
5) Intentional and malicious interference with the scientific, scholarly, and academic activities of
others.
Complaint goes to: Dean or Provost; after which Provost may institute
proceedings.
Procedure:
1. Appropriate administrative officer attempts informal resolution with faculty member.
2. Informal inquiry (if resolution per #1 fails) by 3-person panel from Faculty Senate
committee.
3. Provost formally charges faculty member (if resolution per #2 fails); gives written statement to
faculty member and president of faculty senate.
4. Hearing panel is constituted from Faculty Senate committee, presided over by non-voting
Hearing Officer appointed by presidents of university and faculty senate.
5. Emergency suspension with pay is permitted [see AAUP text].
6. Hearing panel makes recommendation to president either that adequate cause has or has not
been established, with recommendations for sanctions, if appropriate.
7. Unless challenged by either party, or if the president elects to reconsider (remanding for
further consideration), the hearing panelÍs recommendations become final decision.
8. If the president rejects the recommendations of the hearing panel, each party comments, and
the issue goes to the Board of Trustees.
9. The board of trustees may support the panel, reverse its decision, or remand, in which case it
goes back to the panel and then back to the board for a final decision.
Penalties: Severe sanctions (those that involve reduction in salary or temporary
suspension with or without pay; and that in no way abrogate tenure) and dismissal.
Appeal: none.
O. Policy: Cornell, Campus code of conduct -- Title Two
(Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order); Title Three (Regulations for the Maintenance
of the Educational Environment); and Title Four (Judicial structure and procedure)
Defined as:
(Title Two) disrupting university operations, refusal to comply with lawful order, carrying
firearms, hazing, discrimination, disrupting invited speakers or recruitment activity, building
symbolic structures without permit; or
(Title Three) refusal to comply with lawful order, misuse of university or other records (fraud,
forgery, etc), furnishing false information, bribery, misuse of university funds, threaten or use
physical force, endanger life or property, harassment, fraud (bad checks, etc.), stealing,
trafficking in goods and services not compatible with university interests, dealing with controlled
substances, attempting or urging others to violate these regulations, assaulting or injuring on the
basis of race, ethnicity, etc., sexual harassment, sexual abuse, rape, damaging computer services,
committing lewd acts, hazing, engaging in disorderly conduct.
Complaint goes to: Office of Judicial Administrator, but president or designee must
initiate enforcement under Title Two.
Procedure: (Per Title Four) Only applies to non-job-related misconduct; for all
job-related misconduct, "determination of whether there was a code violation [which involves
conduct clearly arising in the course of employment] shall be made by the appropriate university
administrative authority or department head or dean who shall also assess sanctions and/or
remedies where appropriate." Faculty may appeal such jurisdictional determinations to the
judicial administrator.
1. Under Title Two:
a) Each case gets a University hearing panel of 8 persons (2 students, 3 faculty recommended by
the Dean of Faculty, 2 non-faculty employees, and a "senior" faculty nominated by president to
serve as non-voting chair).
b) Board serves written notice including charge, and, after hearing, renders decision including
sanctions.
2. Under Title Three:
a) Each case gets a University hearing panel of 6 persons (1 student, 3 faculty, 1 non-faculty
employee, and a "senior" faculty nominated by president to serve as non-voting chair).
b) Judicial Administrator shall "cause an investigation to be made" but only if violation is non-
job-related.
c) Judicial Administrator may offer "summary decision" before issuing charges, or refer matter
to Hearing Board. Note that suspension or dismissal may not be assessed via summary
decision.
d) In extraordinary circumstances (for public order and safety), president may temporarily
suspend the accused pending the hearing of charges.
Penalties:
Under Title Two: Ejection from university (only until the hearing of formal charges);
temporary suspension pending hearing of charges (only to assure public safety).
For faculty (and other employees): written reprimand; fine between $20 and $500; suspension
from university duties not to exceed 1 month "with loss of salary but without loss of other rights
and privileges;" dismissal.
Note: prior record considered, with penalty for repeated violation more severe than for the
first.
Under Title Three: For faculty (and other employees): oral warning, written reprimand,
educational tools (counseling, apology, etc.), community service or fines, suspension from
university duties not to exceed 1 month "with loss of salary but without loss of other rights and
privileges;" dismissal.
Appeal: Under Titles Two and Three, appeal to University Review Board consisting of
4 persons (1 student, 1 faculty recommended by Dean of Faculty, 1 non-faculty employee, and a
"senior" faculty nominated by president to serve as non-voting chair. Appeal Board makes final
decision, affirming, reversing, or modifying (but not increasing) sanctions imposed by Hearing
Board. Under Title Three, it may remand a case to the hearing panel. Faculty may elect to have
the penalty of dismissal or suspension reviewed instead per Board of Trustees dismissal
procedure (Title Four, Article IX.F.3)
P. Policy: Cornell, Committee on Academic Freedom and
Professional Status of the Faculty
Defined as: Scope of concerns include 1. academic freedom and responsibility; 2.
freedom of teaching and learning; 3. professional status of the faculty, including but not limited
to appointments, promotion, retirement, separation, tenure and other related matters. The
committee may "Receive and review written complaints brought by or against a Faculty member
with respect to matters involving academic freedom and responsibility and freedom of teaching
and learning and any other matters that might affect his or her professional reputation, impair the
execution of his or her professional and University responsibilities, adversely affect his or her
economic status, lead to his or her dismissal, or otherwise alter the terms of his or her
employment."
Complaint goes to: typically goes to grievance procedures first; then to this
committee.
Procedure:
1. Committee receives written complaint;
2. Committee prepares written draft report of findings and recommendations; sent to
complainant, other principals in the case, Univ. Faculty Committee, and Dean of Faculty;
3. Committee reviews and replies to draft report; and prepares final report sent to same people
and, when appropriate, to president and provost.
Penalties: All conclusions and recommendations are advisory, unless all involved agree
otherwise in writing.
Appeal: Where the committee renders a decision brought in a complaint on its merits,
such decision is final and is not subject to further appeal within the organization of the university
faculty.
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