Statement of Ethical Principles for Citadel Faculty: Preamble
The following Statement of Ethical Principles for Citadel faculty was developed to stimulate reflection, self-examination, and discussion of issues and practices related to teaching, professional relationships (with students, colleagues, institution, and community), and research and scholarship. The intent is to recognize that along with academic freedom there is academic responsibility. The Code includes faculty teaching, faculty’s professional relationships and faculty research and scholarship.
This Code is not a new contractual obligation forced on the faculty, but rather describes general guidelines, expectations, and aspirations for faculty to maximize professional effectiveness. Faculty represent a variety of academic disciplines. These standards are intended to complement The Citadel Ethical Principles for Employees and professional codes of ethics specific to disciplines.
(Under revision by The Citadel Faculty Council and Academic Board)
A. Faculty Teaching
1. Competence
a) Faculty maintain a high level of subject matter knowledge and ensure that course content is current, accurate, representative and appropriate to the position of the course within students’ program of studies.
b) Faculty make reasonable effort to provide course knowledge, recognizing students’ individual learning differences.
c) Faculty provide services, teach, and conduct research only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience or appropriate professional experience.
2. Classroom Environment
a) Faculty encourage students in the free pursuit of learning. They hold before them scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to roles as intellectual guides.
b) Faculty approach topics that students are likely to find sensitive or discomforting in an open, honest, and positive way.
c) Faculty will not deny a student’s access to varying points of view.
d) Faculty will make every effort to protect a student from conditions harmful to learning and/or to health and safety.
3. Commitment to Teaching Effectiveness
a) Faculty strengthen their knowledge and skill competencies through educational activities, clinical experiences, and participation in professional development activities.
b) Faculty keep abreast of research findings and new developments as applied to teaching effectiveness.
c) Faculty present material that is accurate and current. They provide reasonable and timely feedback to students, state clear and reasonable expectations, and conduct fair assessments and evaluations of student performance.
d) Faculty strive to be fair, compassionate, and effective teachers. They prepare lessons effectively, and present materials recognizing bias and respecting diverse points of view.
e) Faculty are readily available to students for consultation and advice pertaining to course assignments.
f) Faculty do not condone or engage in discrimination in any form, including age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or socioeconomic status of students.
g) Faculty who offer clinical supervision services are adequately prepared in supervision methods and techniques.
h) Faculty make students and supervisees aware of ethical responsibilities and professional standards and students’ and supervisees’ ethical responsibilities to the profession.
4. Evaluation and Assessment of Students
a) Faculty inform students about the nature and purposes of assessment and specific uses of results.
b) Faculty respect a student’s right to know results of testing or assessment, interpretations made, and bases for conclusions and recommendations.
c) Faculty respect the integrity and privacy of students by maintaining confidentiality whenever publishing student grades or assessment results.
d) Faculty who engage in assessment, teaching, research or other professional activities maintain an awareness of current scientific and professional information in their fields of activity, and undertake ongoing efforts to maintain competence in those skills.
e) Faculty create, maintain, disseminate, and dispose student records and data relating to research, teaching, and other professional activities in accordance with Citadel policies and Federal and South Carolina State laws and regulations.
B. Faculty’s Professional Relationships With:
1. Students
a) Faculty make every effort to demonstrate respect for students and the confidential nature of the relationship between faculty and student.
b) Faculty avoid exploitation, harassment and/or discriminatory treatment of students.
c) Faculty recognize the importance advising of students regarding academic major, curriculum requirements, and course selection.
d) Faculty recognize that mentoring students in accomplishing individual goals, coaching them to go beyond required work, and writing truthful recommendations to help students either enter a graduate program or secure jobs or internships are important parts of a professional relationship with students.
e) Faculty are committed to promoting students’ academic and professional development.
2. Colleagues
a) Faculty respect the dignity of and work cooperatively with their colleagues.
b) Faculty treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees.
c) Faculty recognize and respect intellectual property rights.
d) Faculty maintain objectivity in professional judgment and evaluation of colleagues.
3. Institution
a) Faculty support the cadet honor system.
b) Faculty are knowledgeable of the educational goals and standards of The Citadel and abide by Citadel policies and regulations pertaining to student education.
c) Faculty are diligent stewards of the resources of The Citadel, wisely conserving funds at all times and never misappropriating funds.
d) Faculty do not allow personal problems to interfere with professional judgment and/or performance or to jeopardize the best interest of students for whom they have a professional responsibility.
4. Community
a) Faculty make clear whether they are speaking as a representative of The Citadel, their department, or from a personal point of view when involved in discussions or events outside the college.
C. Faculty Research and Scholarship
a) Faculty take responsibility and credit, including authorship, only for work they have performed and to which they contributed.
b) Faculty acknowledge the contributions made by others.
* Former Citadel President MG John S. Grinalds presented a Faculty Briefing on 23 August 2002 that included a goal to develop a faculty code of ethics during academic year 2002-2003 for completion May 2003. Citadel Provost and Dean of the College BG Harrison S. Carter requested Citadel Faculty Council to address this issue. A Faculty Council subcommittee for developing a code was formed. The seven member committee chaired by George T. Williams included four other Faculty Council representatives (Jane C. Bishop, Harry D. Davakos, R. Kent Murray, and Eric Niksch) and two faculty who were not members of Faculty Council (Anne F. Jennings and J. Patrick Leverett). Citadel Faculty Council officially approved the code on 1 May 2003 with an understanding that the code will continue to be developed in future years at The Citadel.
(Approved by The Citadel Faculty Council 1 May 2003)