15. Faculty Discipline and Grievance

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15.1 Faculty Discipline Policy

If a faculty member has conducted him or herself in a manner which requires disciplinary action, the consequences of the action will be based on a range of options including, -but not limited to: oral or written warning, ineligibility for pay raise, restitution, reassignment, suspension, or dismissal.

Matters for which discipline may be administered can be found in, but are not limited to, the issues identified in the following sections of the Faculty Handbook: Professional Ethics, Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, Academic Freedom, and Separation.

Disciplinary action may be considered either for correction and/or punishment, and in general, the above list of disciplinary actions should be followed in an order that is considered progressive in its seriousness. However, certain conduct on the part of a faculty member may warrant more serious discipline up to and including immediate dismissal.

Progressive discipline will typically be applied by the Director/Department Chair to whom the faculty member reports. The person administering discipline should consult with the Office of Human Resources and also has the prerogative to either consult with or refer the case to the Provost or the Vice President for Academic Administration. Suspension or dismissal cases will be referred to the President for a final decision.

All records of the disciplinary action and its supporting documentation will be placed in the employee’s file in the Office of Human Resources.

A faculty member has the right to appeal a disciplinary action based on the Grievance Policy found in the Faculty Handbook.

15.2 Grievance

For purposes of this policy, a grievance is defined as a dispute concerning promotion, salary, work assignments, annual evaluation, the non-renewal and/or termination of a faculty letter of appointment, and/or other benefits or rights accruing to a faculty member. When such a grievance occurs, the following process should be followed:

1. Faculty are encouraged to seek an informal resolution at the level at which the action has occurred.
2. When such informal resolution does not occur, a faculty member should bring a formal, written complaint to the next level in the administrative structure (e.g. if the dispute is with another faculty member, to the Department Chair or Program Director; if with a Department Chair or Program Director, to the Provost, or the Vice President for Academic Administration).
3. A grievance must be filed within 30 days of the incident causing the grievance, or of the action resulting in the incident.
4. Consideration of the grievance will take place in a timely fashion at each level of the appeal process.
5. Recommendations will be made, in writing, within two weeks of filing the grievance.
6. If satisfactory resolution still does not occur, the faculty member may take the complaint to the President of the University, whose decision regarding the grievance is final.