McNeese State University

The University ensures that faculty are involved in academic and governance matters and publishes policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in these matters. There is campus-wide, active participation by faculty members in the development of curricula and in service on departmental, college, and university-level committees. Rotating membership in Faculty Senate seats also affords all faculty the opportunity to serve on the Senate.

University policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in academic and governance matters are published in the Faculty/Staff Handbook and are posted under “Responsibilities of Staff” in the University Policies section of the McNeese State University website.

The University policies reflect those mandated by University of Louisiana Board policy which reads as follows:

The expectations of the governing boards and the university are manifested in the primary work that faculty do. Program content and curricula revisions originate at the faculty level and are usually based on program assessment and evaluation data compiled for the Master Plan process. Regular review and evaluation of curricula offerings and programs begin each spring as faculty and administrators review program outcomes assessment data for inclusion in the Master Plan. In some cases, curricula revisions are necessary to comply with accreditation or professional agency criteria. The process is as follows:

The primary responsibility of the University Curriculum Committee is to review curriculum changes, including revisions, additions, and deletions. Committee responsibilities are delineated in the Faculty/Staff Handbook:

In addition to serving on curriculum development committees at both the departmental and university levels, faculty serve on other committees whose focus is academic. The representative list below illustrates academically-focused committees on which faculty members serve:

In addition to performing their academic duties and serving on curriculum-development and curriculum-focused committees, faculty are also enjoined to participate in University governance at various levels. These responsibilities are published in the Faculty/Staff Handbook and discussed with faculty members in the General Faculty meeting each August and in individual college and department meetings at the beginning of the fall semester. Moreover, applicants for faculty positions are advised during the hiring process that the University requires faculty participation in academic and governance matters. The examples below illustrate the range of governance responsibilities borne by faculty.

The Faculty Senate exists as a body comprised solely of faculty members from each college. The Senate participates in both administrative and academic decisions. Its role is defined in the Faculty/Staff Handbook: “The Faculty Senate was established to provide a means for the general faculty to advise and make recommendations regarding the policies of the University curricula and academics [. . .]. The Faculty Senate consists of faculty members elected by the faculties of the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Liberal Arts, Science, Nursing, and the Library" (Faculty/Staff Handbook, Section 320).

Examples of Faculty Senate standing committees include the following: Academic Affairs which deals “with all matters pertaining to teaching, learning, and scholarship, including competence of faculty, promotions, admissions, grade loads;” Faculty Affairs which “considers all matters affecting the general faculty;” Student Relations which “deals with student matters and provides communication between faculty and student organizations;” Committee on Committees which “recommends to the Senate faculty representatives to serve on the University standing committees;” and Rules which “handles matters pertaining to the Senate’s procedures and may make periodic studies of the Senate to determine its role in the University” (Faculty/Staff Handbook, Section 320).

In addition to having a voice in hiring administrators, faculty also sit on hiring and selection committees for new faculty within their units and on hiring committees for positions in service units as well. The University Hiring Plan describes the role of faculty in the hiring process for new faculty. In the General Guidelines for Unclassified Employment, a three to five member search committee comprised of faculty representing a broad sense of diversity is charged with advertising the position, developing interview questions, screening applicants, interviewing qualified candidates, and recommending candidates to the supervisor of the position.

Tenure and Promotion Decisions

All tenured departmental faculty are expected to participate in the decision-making process for tenure and promotion of faculty within their departments. The Faculty/Staff Handbook states that “all tenured faculty in a department will be consulted in tenure decisions within the department except in extenuating circumstances such as when a faculty member is on leave or is out of the country and cannot be contacted” (Section 203.2). Similarly, when faculty members are eligible for promotion, a department peer evaluation must occur. The Faculty/Staff Handbook iterates that process: “the department head will make the candidate’s file available to tenured faculty within the department. Tenured faculty should review the file, and discuss with the department head the request for promotion” (Faculty/Staff Handbook, Section 204.4.b.).

Annual Performance Review

The importance of faculty participation in academic governance matters and the University's commitment to faculty inclusion is reflected in the faculty evaluation process. As a part of annual merit consideration, each department head reviews individual contributions over the past academic year. One component of the Annual Performance Report (APR), the document used to make decisions regarding tenure and promotion, is service to the University. Newly hired faculty members are apprised of this obligation on hiring. The Faculty/Staff Handbook clearly identifies this job requirement: “Faculty are expected to participate in and contribute to committee work at the departmental, college, and university level” (Faculty/Staff Handbook, Section 207.2.c).

Academic Freedom

To honor the authority of faculty memebers to determine what is appropriate for and within the scope of their discipline, the University subscribes to the University of Louisiana System Bylaws, which guarantee faculty academic freedom to faculty:

A. Academic Freedom. The University of Louisiana System is committed to the principle of academic freedom. This principle acknowledges the right of a teacher to explore fully within the field of his/her subject as he/she believes to represent the truth. The principle also includes the right of a member of the academic staff of the System to exercise in speaking, writing, and action outside the System the ordinary rights of the American citizen, but it does not decrease the responsibility and accountability that the member of the academic staff bears to the system, the state, and the nation.
Among the many implicit responsibilities that must be assumed by those enjoying the privileges of academic freedom shall be that of refraining from insisting upon the adoption by students or others of any particular point of view as authoritative in controversial issues. (ULS Bylaws, Chapter III, Section 1)

The University acknowledges and embraces the concept of academic freedom for all faculty and ensures through its academic freedom policy that such freedoms are safeguarded (Faculty/Staff Handbook, Section 101).