Faculty members are employed to carry out the educational objectives of the University and are subject always to the responsible and adequate performance of the duties for which they were retained.
Instruction is the most fundamental of the educational objectives of the University. The University fails in its primary mission unless it is able to foster the acquisition of knowledge and skills in its students. Research is of value in its own right, but its presence in the academic program is justified mainly insofar as this research contributes to excellence in the learning of its students. Moreover, a number of service activities within the University so complement the learning of students and faculty that they in fact constitute essential parts of the University's academic program. This is especially true of the services provided by the Library and the Office of Academic Computing and Instructional Technology. It is the stated objective of the University to foster the total intellectual, social, and emotional growth of its students, hence extra-course educational activities must be considered as integral parts of the educational program of the University.
Members of the University Community are free to examine and to discuss all questions of interest to them and to express opinions publicly and privately. They are free to support causes by orderly means including any means of peaceful assembly or advocacy which do not infringe upon the rights or freedoms of others.
Members of the University Community are allowed to invite, to hear, and to see speakers, creative performers and artistic presentations of their own choosing. Guest appearances must not intefere with the University's regular instructional, research, and service programs. Except for ceremonial occasions, invited speakers and art presenters should be prepared for a reasonable public discussion of their expressed views.
Invited speakers and art presenters are accorded the full courtesy and protection appropriate to a university community. Individuals or groups who engage in actions designed to obstruct or in any way to prevent the speaker from speaking and the art presenter from presenting or displaying any form of artistic expression are subject to discipline and to financial responsibility in the event of damage to property or person.
The institutional control of campus facilities is not to be used as a device of censorship. Sponsorship of guest speakers and art presenters does not imply approval or endorsement of the views expressed, either by the sponsoring unit or the University.
The following policies and guidelines with regard to faculty responsibilities in teaching and research have been selected for inclusion in this handbook.
