Faculty Handbook
Section
II| Faculty Handbook
Section
II |
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| A. Appointment to the Faculty |
C. Faculty Workload |
D. Graduate Faculty Status |
E. Annual Evaluation |
F. Attaining Tenure |
G. Promotion |
H. Faculty Development Leave |
B. Academic Freedom and Faculty Responsibility
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According to the Policy Statement on Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure (UNT Policy Manual, Vol. III, #15.1.1), appointment to the faculty of the University of North Texas brings important freedoms and responsibilities. Institutions of higher education share a commitment to the free search for and exposition of truth and understanding wherever and whenever they may be found. The freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States are indispensable safeguards to a democratic society. Within the academic community the vigorous exercise of constitutional freedoms, together with freedom to learn and to teach what scholarship suggests is the truth, to question generally accepted tenets, and to publish without fear of reprisal what scholarship has discovered gives vitality to the university. Indeed, without these freedoms the university cannot fulfill its duty to society and, although these freedoms have long been accepted in democratic societies and upheld when tested, they need continuous reaffirmation and recommitment.
In order for these freedoms to endure within the academic environment, however, a concomitant dedication to academic responsibility is also essential. The academic community, which asks protection from outside interference in order to perform its mission, cannot tolerate actions by its own members that hinder or make less effective the carrying out of that mission.
The right to these freedoms and the demands of academic responsibility apply equally to all those who teach at the University of North Texas, tenured or non-tenured, full time or part time.
Constitutional_Freedoms_and_the_University
The constitutional freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment are enjoyed equally by all citizens under the law. The University of North Texas encourages the exercise of these rights as citizens by members of its academic community with the assurance that they will not be subject to institutional censorship or discipline.
When members of the academic community at the University of North Texas speak or write as citizens, however, they must bear in mind that, by their actions, the public will inevitably judge their profession and their institution. To both profession and institution they are, therefore, under obligation at all times to be accurate, to exercise appropriate restraint, to show respect for the opinions of others, and to make it clear that they are not official spokespersons for the institution.
Academic freedom is an additional assurance beyond constitutional rights to those who teach and pursue knowledge. Academic freedom is not an absolute. It is recognized and protected in order that members of the academic community may perform a vital function. Academic freedom properly applies to rights of expression pertaining to teaching and research within areas of professional competence.
Academic freedom is the right of members of the academic community freely to study, discuss, investigate, teach, conduct research and publish as appropriate to their respective roles and responsibilities. It is the policy and responsibility of the University of North Texas to assure and protect these rights within the governing framework of the institution.
Faculty members at the University of North Texas are, therefore, entitled to full freedom in the classroom to discuss the subjects they teach and to voice their conclusions concerning the significance of evidence that they consider relevant. At the same time, they have an obligation to acquaint their students with the various scholarly views related to their subjects, and they are expected to be judicious in the use of controversial material only as it has a clear relationship to their subject fields. Faculty members are also entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication and dissemination of the results therefrom.
Academic freedom can only endure when it is accompanied by an equally demanding sense of academic responsibility, shared by governing boards, administrative officers, and faculty. It is the responsibility of the governing board of the university to establish overall policy and to interpret the university to the public and the public to the university.
The University of North Texas is committed to open and rational discussion as a principal means for the clarification of issues and the resolution of problems. This commitment can only be effective, however, as all members of the academic community recognize their responsibilities to society, to the institution, and to one another. All must play their roles under self-imposed constraints that preserve the fabric of civilized life. All must protect the right of dissent, including dissent from dissent. No one can be accorded the privilege, under any pretext, of exercising self-defined rights at the costs of those rights that by common consent and usage belong to all. The use of physical force, psychological harassment, or other disruptive acts that interfere with institutional activities, freedom of movement on the campus, or the freedom of all members of the academic community to pursue their rightful goals is the antithesis of both academic freedom and academic responsibility. So also are acts that, in effect, deny freedom to speak, to be heard, to study, to teach, to administer, or to pursue research or other scholarly or creative activity.
A primary responsibility of the teaching faculty member at the University of North Texas is effective teaching. The academic climate that the university seeks to maintain can only be achieved when members of the faculty regularly and conscientiously meet their fundamental instructional responsibilities: preparing for and meeting their assignments, conferring with and advising students, evaluating fairly and reporting promptly student achievement, and participating in those group deliberations that relate to the development of the instructional program of the institution and to the growth of its students.
No less important is the responsibility of University of North Texas faculty members as teachers/scholars to maintain professional competence in their fields of specialization and to exercise such competence publicly in lectures, discussions, publications, or other means whereby scholarly and professional stature are demonstrated and may be appraised.
It is the responsibility of administrative officials of the university to promote, protect, and defend academic freedom, and with the assistance of the faculty, to assure that members of the academic community fulfill their responsibilities. In addition, they have special responsibilities for which they are held accountable — namely, the marshaling of human, physical, and financial resources in order to realize institutional goals.
Faculty members have a responsibility to conform to university policy on dual employment and other activities as adopted by the Board of Regents. This policy is stated in the UNT Policy Manual, Vol. I, #1.2.2 and is discussed below in Section VI. General University Information. Faculty members also are expected to follow university policy on sick, emergency, personal, and military leaves as stated in the UNT Policy Manual, Vol. I, #1.4. Finally, members of the academic community have the responsibility to provide due notice of their intention to interrupt or terminate institutional service.