VI. Faculty

Amended and Restated - As Amended Through June 6, 2008

1. Academic Service
   1. The academic ranks of teachers at Knox College shall be professor, associate professor, assistant professor and instructor.
   2. Terms of Service and Advancement
      1. The term of appointment for instructors shall be one year; that of assistant, associate and full professors not on tenure shall ordinarily be for two or three years. A faculty member shall not serve at the rank of instructor for more than two years, except upon special recommendation of the President. All appointments under this Section VI-lb(l) are subject to non-renewal without cause. No appointment under this Section confers or implies any property interest in continued employment.
      2. A teaching member of the faculty shall have tenure at Knox College when so voted by the Board of Trustees. If tenure is to be granted, it will be voted before a faculty member completes seven years of full time employment at Knox College at the rank of instructor or above. Once tenure is granted, the services of a faculty member shall be terminated only for adequate cause, as defined in Section VI-1b(3) hereof, except in the case of retirement or financial exigencies of the College as determined by the Board of Trustees and which shall be demonstrably bona fide.
      3. Adequate cause, for purposes of Section VI-lb(2) and Section VI-2b(2)(a), shall be related directly and substantially to the fitness of the faculty member in his or her professional capacities as teacher, researcher and member of the Knox College community.
      4. Regular appointment to the faculty of the College is assumed to be for full-time service unless specifically stated otherwise. The appointive year shall normally run from September 1 to August 31. During the academic year when service is performed in residence, or when on a sabbatical, a full-time member of the faculty shall not engage in other remunerative activities without written permission of the President.
2. Contractual Terms and Provisions
   1. The Making of Contracts: The precise terms and conditions of every appointment shall be stated in writing and shall be in the possession of both the College and the individual before the appointment is consummated. Any subsequent change in the terms and conditions of an appointment shall likewise be stated in writing.
   2. Termination of Service:
      1. Expiration of Contract: Term appointments may on expiration be terminated on due notice to the faculty member. In the case of initial one-year appointments, notice of non- reappointment shall be given no later than March 1. In the case of one-year reappointments and two-year initial appointments, such notice shall be given no later than December 15 of the final year of the term. Any faculty member who has served the College on a full-time basis for at least two years shall be given such notice no later than July 1 before the final year of his or her term of appointment.
      2. Termination for Cause:
         1. Termination for cause, as defined in Section VI-1b(3) above, of a permanent or continuous appointment, or the dismissal for cause of a faculty member prior to the expiration of a term appointment, shall be considered by a committee (the "Hearing Committee") appointed by the faculty, which shall consist of not less than five nor more than nine faculty members. Prior to the hearing of charges before the Hearing Committee, discussions shall be undertaken between the faculty member and appropriate administrative officers of the College seeking a mutually satisfactory resolution of the situation without resort to a hearing. In the event such discussions shall not result in a satisfactory resolution, the faculty member shall be furnished a written statement of reasons for the action sought, and the faculty member shall be given an open hearing before the Hearing Committee unless the faculty member expressly waives such open hearing or unless the Hearing Committee decides the hearing should be closed. Prior to commencement of such hearing, the Hearing Committee may meet with the faculty member for the purpose of simplifying issues, entering into stipulation of facts, exchanging documentary or other information, and otherwise reaching accommodations which will lead to a full, fair, and expeditious hearing.
         2. During any discussions or proceedings, the faculty member shall be permitted to have present and be represented by either or both an academic advisor and counsel of the faculty member's choice. There shall be a full stenographic or tape recorded record made of the hearing which record shall be made available to the parties concerned. If the charge is related to incompetence with respect to teaching or research performance or abilities, the testimony shall include that of teachers and other scholars, either from the College or other institutions of higher learning. While not constituting an adversarial proceeding per se, the hearing shall include the right of the faculty member to cross examine, either personally or through his or her counsel, all witnesses who appear or give evidence against him or her.
         3. In the conduct of the hearing, formal and legal rules of evidence which are applied in court proceedings shall not be strictly applied, and specific authority and discretion shall be vested in the Hearing Committee to consider and rely upon any evidence which it considers to have probative value.
         4. After considering all the evidence, the Hearing Committee shall issue findings of fact and make recommendations to the President. The President and the faculty member shall be notified of the decision in writing and shall be given a copy of the record of the hearing.
         5. Upon receipt of the recommendation and findings of the Hearing Committee, the President shall either:
            1. accept and implement the recommendation as presented;
            2. impose a lesser sanction than recommended; or
            3. reject the recommendation by filing an appeal to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. In the event the President appeals to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, he or she shall set forth in writing his or her reasons for rejection of the Hearing Committee's recommendations.
         6. Right of Appeal: Either the President or the faculty member may appeal the decision of the Hearing Committee to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. Upon appeal, a transcript of the proceedings shall be prepared and forwarded to the Executive Committee of the Board. The Executive Committee shall render its decision based on the record made at the hearing and the brief oral presentations by the faculty member and the President. The decision of the Executive Committee upon the appeal shall be made at the next regular scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee unless the parties agree to an earlier date. The decision by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees shall be final.
         7. Time for Appeal: Any party aggrieved by the decision of the Hearing Committee shall have fifteen (15) days from the date of receipt of the decision of the Hearing Committee to file written request for appeal. Said appeal shall be in writing and shall be served upon the Secretary of the College, who shall provide a written receipt for said notice of appeal. Failure to file an appeal within the time period specified herein shall constitute a waiver of the right of appeal and shall result in the recommendation of the Committee becoming a final binding decision.
         8. Suspension During Hearing Process: Any faculty member subject to dismissal procedures as described herein may, at the discretion of the President, be suspended from classroom activities upon the filing of charges against him or her.
         9. A teacher on permanent or continuous appointment who is terminated for reasons that do not involve moral turpitude shall receive his or her salary for at least a year from the date of notification of dismissal whether or not the teacher is continued in his or her duties.
      3. Financial Exigency: Termination of permanent or continuous appointment because of financial exigency of the College shall be determined by the Board of Trustees and shall be demonstrably bona fide.
   3. Fringe Benefits and Leaves: Knox College presently participates in the TIAA-CREF retirement plan and various life and medical insurance programs. The College also presently provides regular sabbatical leaves for faculty members. Details on current practices, which are subject to change from time to time, may be obtained from the appropriate administrative office.
   4. Academic Freedom: The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in publication of its results, subject to the adequate performance of other academic duties. The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing a subject, but must be careful to avoid introducing controversial matters which have no relation to his or her subject. The college teacher is an individual and a member of a learned profession and of an educational institution. When one speaks or writes as an individual, one must be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but a special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, one must remember that the public may judge the profession and the College by the utterances of individuals. Hence, one must make every effort to be accurate, must exercise appropriate restraint, must show respect for the opinions of others, and must make every effort to indicate that the individual is not speaking for the College. Charges that a teacher's writings or utterances bring the College into disrepute may be considered in cases arising under Section 2b(2) of this Article VI. A teacher during the probationary period shall have the same academic freedom enjoyed by all other members of the faculty.
3. Membership and Responsibility
   1. All teachers holding rank, together with the president, the two academic deans, the dean of students, registrar and librarian, shall be members of the faculty. No other members of the staff of an administrative or service office of the College shall be a member of the faculty except through the action of the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the faculty.
   2. The faculty shall have the responsibility for regulation of educational policy concerned in the requirements of any degree in course authorized by the Board of Trustees. This responsibility includes such matters as standards of admission of students, definition of good standing of students, curriculum, class attendance, grade reports, and the recommendations for degrees. The faculty shall also have supervision over disciplinary action and over student activities, including such matters as athletic eligibility, extra-curricular activities, fraternities, sororities, and the social life of the students.