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Code of Professional Ethics

Vernon College holds all employees to the ethical standards expressed for faculty in the Texas Community College Teachers Association Code of Professional Ethics.

NOTE: The Texas Community College Teachers Association Code of Professional Ethics is available at http://www.tccta.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TCCTA-Ethics.pdf.

Professional educators affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all persons and the right of all persons to learn. Learning best occurs in an environment devoted to the pursuit of truth, excellence, and liberty. These flourish where both freedom and responsibility are esteemed.

In order to more adequately express the affirmation of our professional responsibilities, we the faculty members of the college do adopt, and hold ourselves and each other subject to the following Code of Professional Ethics:

  1. The professional educator shall treat all persons with respect, dignity, and justice, discriminating against no one on any arbitrary basis such as race, creed, gender, disability, or age.
  2. The professional educator shall strive to help each student realize his/her full potential as a learner and as a human being.
  3. The professional educator shall by example and action encourage and defend the unfettered pursuit of truth by both colleagues* and students supporting the free exchange of ideas, observing the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity, and seeking always an attitude of scholarly objectivity and tolerance of other viewpoints.
  4. The professional educator shall work to enhance cooperation and collegiality among students, faculty, administrators, and other personnel.
  5. The professional educator shall recognize and preserve the confidential nature of professional relationships, neither disclosing nor encouraging the disclosure of information or rumor which might damage or embarrass or violate the privacy of any other person.
  6. The professional educator shall maintain competence through continued professional development, shall demonstrate that competence through consistently adequate preparation and performance, and shall seek to enhance that competence by accepting and appropriating constructive criticism and evaluation.
  7. The professional educator shall make the most judicious and effective use of the college’s time and resources.
  8. The professional educator shall fulfill the employment agreement both in spirit and, in fact, shall give reasonable notice upon resignation, and shall neither accept tasks for which he/she is not qualified nor assign tasks to unqualified persons.
  9. The professional educator shall support the goals and ideals of the college and shall act in public and private affairs in such a manner as to bring credit to the college.
  10. The professional educator shall not engage in sexual harassment of students or colleagues and shall adhere to the college’s policy on sexual conduct.
  11. The professional educator shall observe the stated policies and procedures of the college, reserving the right to seek revision in a judicious and appropriate manner.
  12. The professional educator shall participate in the governance of the college by accepting a fair share of committee and institutional responsibilities.
  13. The professional educator shall support the right of all colleagues to academic freedom and due process and defend and assist a professional colleague accused of wrongdoing, incompetence, or other serious offense so long as the colleague’s innocence may reasonably be maintained.
  14. The professional educator shall not support a colleague whose persistently unethical conduct or professional incompetence has been demonstrated through due process.
  15. The professional educator shall accept all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, always avoiding use of the privileges of his/her public position for private or partisan advantage.

*In this code the term “colleague” refers to administrators, teachers, nonacademic personnel, and any other persons employed by the college in the educational enterprise.

REFERENCE for Academic Freedom, Academic Responsibility, and Code of Professional Ethics: Texas Community College Teachers Association

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