2.11.1 Professional Ethics
- Although no set of rules or professional code can guarantee or take
the place of a scholar's personal integrity, the University believes
that the "Statement of Professional Ethics" and the "Statement on
Plagiarism" promulgated by the American Association of University
Professors serve as a reminder of the obligations assumed by all
members of the professoriate (see Appendix
C). In
addition, faculty members are expected to adhere to the ethical
standards of their respective professional associations while employed
by the University.
2.11.2 Faculty Work Assignments
- Faculty work assignments consist primarily of teaching and
scholarship, normally in a ratio of 3 to 1. Service to the University
(as described in 2.4.4) is also a component of
the full-time faculty work assignment.
Each local academic unit prepares and maintains a plan for the
equitable allocation of teaching and scholarly activities which will be
components of the individual work assignments of its faculty. For the
purposes of meeting institutional needs while ensuring fairness and
equity throughout the University, the plan of each local unit is
prepared in consultation with the appropriate collegiate dean and/or
the Provost. The 3:1 ratio referred to above may be altered by various
factors: e.g., research, supervision of BIS or MAIS projects or their
equivalent, university service assignments of a particularly time-
consuming nature, or significant service to the profession (see Section 2.4.3).
Faculty may use their unit's grievance procedure to address disputes
about work assignments. If the grievance is against the chair, the
unit's grievance committee is advisory to the dean. If the grievance
is against the collegiate dean or institute director, then the appeal
will be to the Provost or his/her designee. In all cases, the
Provost's decision is final.
2.11.3 Faculty Absences from Class
- Except for illnesses and other emergencies, faculty members should
arrange in advance for absences and notify their local unit
administrator. Faculty members should arrange for qualified colleagues
to assume their duties temporarily and/or leave appropriate assignments
for their students. In emergencies they should make every effort to
notify class members and the local unit or program office as soon as
practicable.
2.11.4 Faculty Availability for
Orientation and Advising
- Unless excused by the local unit administrator, faculty are
expected to be available for advising and other duties during the week
preceding the start of each semester. Faculty are also expected to be
accessible at the conclusion of the semester to answer questions which
might arise about grades. In keeping with Virginia policy, the
University may, under special circumstances, occasionally need to call
upon a faculty member up to two weeks prior to the start or following
the close of a semester.
2.11.5 Faculty Responsibility Under the
Honor Code
- Since the founding of the University, the Honor Code has been and
remains a part of the educational process at George Mason. Although
the students are primarily responsible for preserving and enforcing the
code, the faculty share common interests with the students in matters
of academic integrity.
It is the responsibility of all faculty members to carry out tests and
examinations in accordance with the provisions of the code. The full
code is set forth in Appendix D, and the faculty
role is outlined in it. Faculty are expected to support and abide by
the Honor Code and to give encouragement to students in their pursuit
of its goals and stipulations.
2.11.6 Scholarly Activities
-
- The University expects faculty members to continue their
professional development through research, scholarly writing, advanced
study, consulting, or original creative production as appropriate to
their disciplines. Such activities derive their importance both from
the contribution they make to classroom performance and to the fact
that one of the major roles of any university is the discovery or
application of new knowledge, the synthesis of ideas, and other
creative activities. Joint faculty-student projects have particular
educational value, especially in graduate studies. (See Appendix C for the AAUP "Statement on Professional
Ethics," which discusses the rights of students who contribute to
scholarly activities.) Current University support of scholarly
activity is described in The George Mason University Faculty
Information Guide.
2.11.6.2 Policies on Copyright and
Patent of Faculty Work
- The University's policies and procedures with regard to (i)
copyright and (ii) patent of faculty work are set forth respectively in
Appendices E and F. A
summary
of these policies and procedures will be found in The George Mason
University Faculty Information Guide.
2.11.7 Political Candidacy
- Members of the academic community who consider running for
political office must consult with the President of the University
about possible conflicts of interest and applicable university policy.
2.11.8 Outside Employment and/or Business
Interests
- The University encourages faculty members to keep abreast of
developments in their disciplines and to gain practical experience in
their fields. In many instances, consulting work affords excellent
opportunities for faculty to improve themselves professionally and to
bring added prestige to themselves and to the University. The
University looks favorably on appropriate consulting work by faculty
members insofar as it does not interfere with full, proper, and
effective performance of faculty duties and responsibilities.
Outside employment and paid consulting should not exceed the equivalent
of one day per work week without written authorization from the
collegiate dean or institute director. Normally, full-time faculty who
are consulting or who are teaching part-time at another institution may
not at the same time teach overload courses. Faculty may be required
to document outside employment to insure compliance with these
requirements. Although faculty members are state employees, they
consult as private individuals, and the University is not responsible
for their work outside the University. When consulting, faculty
members should take care to preserve the distinction between projects
undertaken through individual initiatives and projects sponsored or
officially sanctioned by the University. Outside business interests
must not violate the Commonwealth's conflict of interest laws.
Faculty members may use university facilities, equipment, supplies or
computer time in their consulting only after obtaining the approval of
the collegiate dean or institute director. Faculty must also secure
approval of the collegiate dean or institute director before using
university resources to support the activities of professional
organizations.