Academic Responsibility
The academic freedom of Vernon College faculty members is accompanied by equally compelling obligations and responsibilities to their profession, their students, the college, and their community. Faculty members must defend the rights of academic freedom while accepting willingly the responsibilities enumerated below:
- Faculty members of Vernon College should be judicious in the introduction of material in the classroom without forfeiting the instructional benefits of controversy.
- Faculty members of Vernon College are entitled to all rights and privileges of academic freedom in the classroom while discussing the subjects they teach. No faculty member, however, should attempt to force on his/her students a personal viewpoint intolerant of the rights of others to hold or express diverse opinions. Likewise, it is the responsibility of a faculty member to act in a manner that is not perceived as being abusive, either physically or verbally, by his/her students.
- Faculty members of Vernon College recognize their responsibility to maintain competence in their disciplines through continued professional development and to demonstrate that competence through consistently adequate preparation and performance.
- Faculty members of Vernon College recognize that the public will judge their institution and their profession by their public conduct. Therefore, faculty members should always make clear that the views they express are their own and should avoid creating the impression that they speak or act in behalf of Vernon College or of their profession.
- Faculty members of Vernon College recognize their responsibility to adhere to the policies and procedures of the institution. Therefore, faculty members who have differences with existing or proposed policy or procedure should express these views through the standing committee structure of the College or to his/her supervising administrator. See Policy Manual, EJA (LOCAL)