SACS Compliance Certification Report (PDF) - South Florida State ...

Academic | Faculty HandbookDBOT Policy 3.01, Academic Freedom and Freedom of ExpressionFaculty Handbook, p. 51SFCC Administrative Procedure 3010, Freedom of Expression3.7.5Faculty: Faculty role in governanceThe institution publishes policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in academic andgovernance matters.JudgmentCompliant Non-Compliant Not ApplicableNarrativeSouth Florida Community College (SFCC) publishes policies and procedures pertaining to theresponsibility and authority of faculty in academic and governance matters.College publications, including the District Board of Trustees (DBOT) Policies, SFCC AdministrativeProcedures, and the Faculty Handbook, explicitly assign responsibility and obligations of faculty. Otherofficial documents corroborate the active role the faculty take in governance. These documents arereadily available to all faculty on the college Web site and in the public folder on Outlook e-mail.According to DBOT Policy 2.20, the faculty have a role in the governance of SFCC. Facultyresponsibilities described in the policy include a role in the generation of SFCC policies and procedures,renewal of curriculum, selection of instructional technology, service on committees, and advising ofstudent organizations. The policy iidentifies that faculty will serve as a majority on committees thatrecommend the selection of new faculty.SFCC Administrative Procedure 2201 establishes faculty's role in maintaining the quality of thecurriculum, planning improvement activities for departments, divisions, and the college, and serving onhiring committees. Faculty are responsible, in their committee work and in their departments, for allaspects of student learning and assessment activities. Through participation in standing committees,faculty work on improving academic quality, curriculum, student services, and eLearning (FacultyHandbook, pp. 23-24). Additionally, faculty members are fully involved in processes to evaluate courseand program effectiveness and develop the Academic Master Plan and Unit Action Plans (FacultyHandbook p. 11).The Faculty Position Description delineates faculty duties and responsibilities and, thereby, reinforceson every line that faculty members participate in the ongoing governance of the college. Faculty areresponsible (within the boundaries and standards set by state regulations and college policies) forselecting appropriate texts and educational materials for courses in their area: “Texts shall be adopted bythe departmental faculty” (Faculty Handbook, p.35). Faculty are actively involved in improving andupdating the curriculum: “Instructors, chairs/program managers, deans, and other responsible personnelare encouraged to maintain an ongoing review of the current offerings and to recommend changes ornew courses to meet student and community needs and improve learning” (Faculty Handbook, p. 37).Through classroom management, the creation and retention of student grades and records, and thecreation of syllabi and course outlines for each term, faculty provide instruction as well as documentationfor the assessment process (Faculty Handbook, p. 42-49). All of the duties referenced in the FacultyHandbook and in the policies and procedures are part of the position description.The Faculty Council is established as an employee advisory committee by SFCC AdministrativeProcedure 2180. According to the Faculty Council By-Laws, “we [the faculty] shall meet as theFaculty Council to initiate, examine, and recommend objectives, policies, and procedures whichencourage effective teaching and learning within a framework of academic freedom, professionalSouth Florida Community College Page 138 / 202