Faculty Handbook

The Hope College Faculty Handbook describes policies, procedural principles, and practices of the College which directly concern members of the Hope College faculty and administrative staff.

Important notice

The Faculty Handbook has been updated. Please see the most recent version of the Faculty Handbook for current policies and information.

View the current Faculty Handbook

The Handbook is the authoritative document on the role of the faculty in college governance (Section A). It also sets forth certain conditions of the contractual relationship between the College and the faculty. These include both faculty personnel policies (Section B) and faculty responsibilities (Section C). Hope faculty and staff are expected to follow the agreed-upon procedures and principles described in the Handbook.

Appendices to the Handbook contain current administrative job descriptions and practices of use and interest to the faculty.

The Handbook describes procedures by which policies are changed. The minutes of board meetings are published promptly on KnowHope. Once policy changes are approved, the electronic Handbook is updated to note the approval and faculty are notified of the change. Informational changes are incorporated from time to time as they are cleared through the Administrative Affairs Board.

This version of the Faculty Handbook was replaced by a new Faculty Handbook in August 2018.

College Governance
Faculty Personnel Policies
1. Procedures to be followed in the Recruitment of Persons to the Hope College Faculty
  1. Principles
  2. Procedures
  3. The Search
  4. Campus Interview
  5. Conclusion of the Search
  6. Legal and Ethical Requirements
2. Faculty Designations
  1. Types of Appointments
  2. Sequential Ranks
  3. Sequential Ranks for Librarians and Archivists
  4. Designations for Part-time Faculty
  5. Other Designations
3. Terms of Appointment: Evaluation, Salaries and Promotions
  1. Contracts
  2. Performance Evaluation Procedure
  3. Salary
  4. Promotion
  5. Personnel File
4. Tenure
5. Resignations and Nonreappointments
6. Disciplinary Measures and Dismissal for Cause
7. Termination of Appointment by the College
8. Retirement Policy
9. Appointment and Evaluation of Department Chairpersons
10. Policies Regarding Part-Time Faculty and Coaches
11. Policy on Outside Employment
12. Policy on Academic Freedom
13. Policy on Public Affairs
14. Policy on Conflict of Interest
15. Harassment Policies
16. Drug-Free Work Place Policy
17. Faculty Benefits
18. Family or Medical Leave of Absence
19. Sabbatical Leaves
20. Other Leaves of Absence
21. Retirement Benefits
22. Appeals and Grievances
Professional Obligations of Faculty

Appendix I. Institutional Services

The Library
The Bookstore
AudioVisual Services, Computer Services, Telephone System
Campus Print and Mail Services
Internal Information Sources
Calendars
Mail Service
Instructional Materials and Student Help
College Vehicles
Parking and Traffic Control
Maintenance and Repairs
Reservation of Campus Facilities
Cash Payment Requisitions
Key Policy
Student Records
Health Services and Counseling Center
Career Services
Academic Support Center
Community Outreach
The Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research
Joint Archives
Dow Center and DeWitt Tennis Center
Walk-to-Work Program

Apendix II. Administrative Staff – Description of Functions

President
Provost
Chief Fiscal Officer (Vice President for Business and Finance)
Vice President for College Advancement
Vice President for Admissions
Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students

Section A. College Governance

A1: The Board of Trustees

Composition of the Board
- The Board consists of not fewer than twenty‑four (24) nor more than thirty‑four (34) members. Twelve (12) are elected by the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America, not fewer than twelve (12) nor more than twenty-two (22) at‑large members are elected by the Board of Trustees, two are elected by the Board of Trustees from among the faculty members, and the President of the College is a member by virtue of his office.
Meetings of the Board
- The Board meets three times annually (January, May and October) and at other times upon call by the Chairperson or the President.
Selection of the Faculty Trustees
- Each of the two faculty members serves a four-year term, with the terms staggered. Thus, each year in which there is a vacancy, two faculty members are nominated by the faculty through nomination balloting conducted by the P.I.C. At its May meeting, the Trustee Affairs Committee of the Board submits the two faculty nominations, and other nominations as the Committee deems advisable. The Board then elects one of the nominees.
- *No member of the faculty may serve more than one four-year term.
Responsibilities of Faculty Trustees
- Duly elected faculty participate as voting members with all the responsibilities and privileges of Board members. They periodically report to the faculty information which is not restricted regarding the actions of the Board.
Faculty Liaison Members on Board Committees
- One faculty member is appointed to serve as a liaison between the faculty and each of the five major standing committees of the Board of Trustees. The responsibilities of this liaison person are to present faculty opinions and perspectives to the Board of Trustees, to respond to questions from Board members, and to serve as a resource person for the Board committee. Appointments to presently constituted Board committees shall be made by the Status Committee, normally from the faculty membership of the campus governance bodies as follows:
  - Academic Affairs Committee – Chair of Academic Affairs Board
  - Admissions Committee –Chair of Committee on Admissions & Financial Aid
  - Business and Finance Committee –Chair of Professional Interests Committee
  - College Advancement Committee –Chair of Administrative Affairs Board
  - Student Life Committee – Chair of Campus Life Board
Committee on Honorary Degrees and Citations
- Functions:
  1. To review and approve nominations of candidates for special citations.
  2. To receive or initiate nominations for honorary degrees and to recommend to the Board of Trustees candidates for honorary degrees.
  3. To advise the Board of Trustees on policies and procedures for the awarding of honorary degrees and citations
- Membership:
  - The chairperson and the secretary of the Board of Trustees; the President and the Provost of the College; the two faculty Trustees; one faculty member appointed by the Status Committee; and the President of the Student Congress. The Provost chairs the committee and prepares all reports and recommendations of the committee.
Student Voice on the Board of Trustees
- The Board of Trustees invites the Student Congress to elect for one‑year terms a student liaison to each of the five major standing committees of the Board.
Functions of the Board of Trustees
- By charter, the Board of Trustees is the legal custodian of the College and assumes ultimate responsibility for the total program of the College. It has direct responsibility for selecting and supporting a President, for long‑range planning, for obtaining the necessary financial resources and facilities needed for the educational program of the College, for establishing faculty personnel policies, for deciding the broad aims of the College program, and for reviewing and establishing policies needed to maintain and develop such a program. The Board of Trustees, in its bylaws, has delegated major responsibility to the administration, faculty and student body to determine and administer the specific policies of all phases of the intellectual, cultural, social, and religious programs of the College.

The remainder of Section A of the handbook is devoted primarily to describing the organization at this second level of College governance, with special emphasis upon the role of the faculty.

At its meeting on May 28, 1970, the Hope College Board of Trustees received as a guideline for College governance the 1966 "Joint Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities" of the American Association of University Professors, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. (Copies of this published statement are available in the Provost's Office.)

A2: The Administrative Structure of the College

Designation
- The chief administrative officers of the College are the President, the Provost (chief academic officer), the Vice President and Chief Fiscal Officer, the Vice President for Advancement, the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, and the Vice President for Admissions.
Election or Appointment
- The President is elected by the Board of Trustees at such time and upon such terms and conditions as it shall determine. An important part of the process of electing a President is providing the opportunity for the faculty, staff, and student body to participate in the nomination and evaluation of candidates. The Board of Trustees is responsible for procedures whereby this can be effectively accomplished.
- The other five officers are appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at such time and upon such terms and conditions as they shall determine. Other administrative staff are appointed by the appropriate administrative officer to whom they will be responsible, in consultation with the President. For the appointment of academic administrators, faculty participate in the nomination and evaluation of candidates (for the appointment of chairpersons, see B9.b).
Faculty Status
- The President and the Provost have faculty status by action of the Board of Trustees. The only other administrative personnel with faculty status are those who concurrently hold academic rank.
Administrative Responsibilities
- In the area of College governance, the administrative officers are to provide leadership in developing policy recommendations for consideration by boards, especially for the areas to which they are assigned as executive officers, and to make administrative decisions essential for carrying out established policies.
- A detailed job description for all administrative personnel is maintained in the President's Office. Appendix II of this Handbook contains a description of the six officers and other selected administrators.
Advisory Councils
- The officers may establish regular meetings of personnel who report to them, to serve as an advisory group. The President presides over the Administrative Council, which consists of the President, Provost, Associate Provost, Vice President and Chief Fiscal Officer, Vice President for Admissions, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, Vice President for Advancement, Director of Human Resources, and Dean of the Chapel; the Administrative Staff, which consists of the Administrative Council, the Dean’s Council, the Director of Admissions, the Director of Financial Aid, the Director of Libraries, the Director of Operations and Technology, The Director of Multicultural Life, the Director of Finance and Business Services and the Associate Vice President for Public and Community Relations; and the Administrative Forum, which consists of the Administrative Staff with the departmental chairpersons/directors, together with others at the President’s discretion. The Provost presides over the Deans' Council, which consists of the Provost, the Associate Provost, the Deans for the four academic divisions (Arts, Humanities, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Social Sciences), the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, the Dean of Libraries, and the Dean for Academic Services/Registrar.
Administrative Structure
- College Administration Organization Chart
- Academic Administration Organization Chart

A3: The Faculty

Designation
- "The faculty of the College shall be composed of the President, the chief academic officer, all full, associate, and assistant professors with regular full-time appointment, and any other instructional and administrative positions as may from time to time be authorized by the Board of Trustees." (Bylaws of the College) Currently faculty designation includes those holding the rank of lecturer, librarian and instructor. (For further details see B2.)
Responsibilities in Governance
- In general, the faculty has major responsibility for determining the academic criteria for admission of students, the curriculum, requirements for earned degrees, nature of the degree to be conferred, and policies for conduct of the educational work of the College. Further, it participates in budgeting, long‑range planning, the selection process for academic officers, and the formulation and administration of policies on such matters of faculty status as appointments, promotion, tenure, non-renewal, salaries, and working conditions. Finally, it plays a major role in determining the policies to be followed for campus student life, including all co-curricular activities and discipline.
Organization and Operation
- Except for a professor-at-large, who reports to the Provost, and for the academic administrative officers, all faculty members are members of a particular department and a particular division. Each full-time professional librarian holding faculty status is assigned by the Provost to an academic division. Faculty members are responsible, therefore, to participate in departmental and divisional meetings, as well as meetings of the full faculty. In all three of these types of meetings, there is opportunity for the individual faculty person to present ideas for new policy and evaluative criticism of current policy. However, the actual shaping of policy and formal evaluation of it is done through the committee and board structure described below. The individual faculty member's role in the structure is first to participate in the selection of the membership on these boards and committees by direct election in the case of boards, and more indirectly by election of the Status Committee, which makes the committee appointments, subject to faculty approval. Second, since significant policy is aired at open hearings, the faculty members who are interested and concerned can best bring their influence to bear on the shaping of policy at this point. They also have opportunity to present their views on committee policy recommendations as they come to the boards. It is therefore important that faculty members read the minutes of these bodies and participate at the proper stage. Finally, faculty members participate when there is a request for full-scale faculty review of policy legislation (see A3.f). Attendance at faculty meetings is open to all full- and part-time faculty.
Voting Privileges
- Voting privileges in faculty meetings and mail ballots are held by all regular faculty (see B2.a1) except visiting faculty; by adjunct faculty (see B2.e5), if teaching at least half-time; and by administrative officers with faculty status (see A2.c). In case of faculty review, voting privileges are extended to the administrators and students serving on the three boards.
Faculty Meetings
1. Quorum. A quorum, defined as 50 percent of the eligible voters, shall be necessary for the transaction of any business.
2. Officers
  - Chairperson: The President is designated chairperson of the faculty for meetings of that body. In the President's absence or at the President's request, the Provost acts as chairperson. The chairperson does not vote except in case of a tie.
  - Secretary: The secretary of the faculty is appointed by the President to serve for an indeterminate period. S/he is responsible for keeping minutes, for distributing them to all faculty members, and for any correspondence that the faculty request be written in their behalf.
  - Faculty Moderator: The faculty moderator works with the Provost to plan faculty meetings. S/he also serves as the member-at-large of the President's Advisory Committee, and is a nonvoting member of the Professional Interests Committee. At the request of the chairperson, s/he assumes the chair of the faculty session, when the chairperson wishes to participate in discussion. The faculty moderator also serves to enhance communication between faculty and administrators.
    - The faculty moderator is elected by the faculty for a two-year term, from a slate of two candidates nominated by the Professional Interests Committee and from any candidates presented by a petition from the faculty that has the signatures of 25 or more voting faculty members. A faculty member may sign only one such petition. If no candidate receives a majority of the ballots cast, a runoff election takes place between the two receiving the greatest number of votes.
    - The Faculty Moderator will:
      1. Not simultaneously serve as an elected member of the Professional Interests Committee, Status Committee, or Board of Trustees.
      2. Be an Associate or Full Professor.
      3. Be tenured
3. Time and Frequency. Faculty meetings are held monthly (except December) during the academic year beginning in September, normally on the fourth Tuesday of the month. During the Pre-College Conference in August there is also a special business meeting, primarily for the purpose of acting on standing committee nominations [see A4.d2b1)].
4. Agenda. Items for the agenda of a faculty meeting may be submitted by administrators, boards or committees, groups or individual faculty members. They should be presented to either the Provost or the faculty moderator, if possible, at least two weeks in advance. The first order of business at the meeting is to consider and act on the proposed agenda.
5. Purpose of Faculty Meetings. Faculty meetings serve several purposes. They are a means of communication between the administration and faculty. (The President and the Provost frequently report on their activities and on other aspects of the College program.) They are a means of communicating current issues before standing committees and boards. (A regular item of the agenda is a brief status report by the chairperson of each of the boards and, when appropriate, of various standing committees.) They are a means to enable faculty members to ask questions about any aspect of the college. (In Question Time questions may be asked directly from the floor or indirectly through the Faculty Moderator). They are a means of addressing as a collegial body issues relating to the College and its mission that are of concern to the faculty. They also serve as a means for professional growth. (On occasion outside speakers or faculty papers constitute a part of the meeting.) Finally, on occasion, they serve as the means for faculty review of policy legislation that has been enacted by any of the three campus boards. (See next item.)
Faculty Review of Policy
- Major responsibility for formulating and shaping policy is vested in the three boards and the committees under them. The faculty as a whole, however, reserves the right of review of policy as formulated and passed by the three boards. This, in essence, is a right to veto.
- Formal faculty review of policy that has gone through the proper procedures at the committee and then the board levels should be relatively rare. The initial shaping of policy legislation will be done, normally, at the level of the standing committees. Through the open hearings, the individual faculty member who is interested and concerned can best bring his/her influence to bear on the shaping of policy. Opportunities also exist to present reactions on the committee policy recommendations as they come to the board that then considers these recommendations. It is imperative, therefore, not only that the studentfaculty committees and the boards follow the procedures outlined below (see A4), but that each faculty member read the minutes of these groups and participate at the proper stage.
- Formal faculty review of policy legislation requires a petition of at least 20 percent of the voting faculty membership in order to be placed on the agenda of a faculty meeting. This request may take the form of a written petition, or it may be by vote at a regular faculty meeting itself. One of the primary orders of business, then, at a regular faculty meeting, shall be consideration of the agenda.
- Review by the faculty is limited to discussion of the policy as presented by the appropriate board, and a vote on that policy. The following actions are possible: acceptance of the recommended policy, rejection, referral back to the board with or without instruction, or postponing of action (to allow further discussion) until the next faculty meeting. When a policy recommendation is to be reviewed, the full membership (including students) of the three policy boards shall be invited to participate in the review discussion and vote.
- Minutes of the meetings of all boards are distributed to every faculty member. Unless the faculty requests review of previous actions of the board at the faculty meeting following release of such minutes, the policy action taken by the board is considered to be approved by the faculty, provided that prior notification of the action taken by the board has been given in writing to the faculty at least six days before a faculty meeting.
- The faculty may, in case of Presidential veto of a policy (See A4.i) approved by the faculty, present its recommendation directly to the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees by twothirds vote of the total faculty membership with voting privilege
Representatives to the GLCA Academic Council
- The GLCA Academic Council serves principally as a means of sampling representative faculty opinion and of informing faculty about projects contemplated, in progress, or completed by the GLCA. The Academic Council serves, further, as an advisory body to the three GLCA elected faculty representatives on the GLCA Board.
- The Hope faculty elects two representatives to the GLCA Academic Council to staggered threeyear terms. Faculty members are initially asked to nominate four people to serve as a Hope College representative, later choosing between the two people who received the most votes on the nominating ballot.

A4: Campus Structure for Policy-Making and Review

Responsibility for taking ideas from any campus source and shaping them into College policy in the areas where responsibility has been delegated by the Board of Trustees is placed upon the standing committees and the three boards of the College. The right of review, and therefore of vetoing any of the policies as shaped, rests with the faculty (see A3.f), the President, and the Board of Trustees. The boards and committees also have responsibility for regular evaluation and, thus, review of existing policy.

The Framework of the Structure:
- The three boards are central for policy formulation. The policy areas of the Academic Affairs Board are the curricular and instructional program and cultural offerings of the College, including the Library. The policy areas of the Campus Life Board are the extracurricular, religious, social, and recreational programs, and regulations for student conduct. The policy areas of the Administrative Affairs Board are the pattern of organization and administration of the programs of the College, matters of general faculty and student welfare, and matters of public relations.
- The standing committees work under and are responsible to their respective boards in policy matters. They may also have other functions, such as:
  1. To initiate policy recommendations to their board, preparing carefully written statements with rationale for the proposals they make.
  2. To examine ideas, recommendations or concerns referred to them by the chairperson of the board to which they report.
  3. To advise administrators on procedural principles and practices.
  4. To assist in implementing policies and procedures.
  5. To make specific administrative decisions when requested by the parent board.
  6. To initiate or carry out evaluative studies of programs in their area.
- The chart on the next page gives a visual picture of the structure of the governance boards and standing committees at Hope College. The specific functions and membership principles of each board and standing committee are given in section A5.
Principles of Representation
- The principles used in determining representation are:
  1. There shall be representation from each segment of the immediate community (student body, faculty, administration) on all boards and standing committees. Regardless of the segment they represent, members are responsible to make judgments in the best interests of the entire community.
  2. On each board or committee, the number of members from a given segment of the College community is approximately proportionate to that segment's knowledge of or experience in the area of the group's jurisdiction, its responsibility for leadership in implementing policies in that area, and the impact of those policies on it.
  3. Individuals from each of the segments should be chosen on the basis of their knowledge, experience, or interest in the area of policy of that particular committee or board.
  4. Representation of both genders shall be a goal in selecting or appointing members of all boards and committees
Principles of Eligibility
1. Committee assignments shall change periodically following a replacement system that assures both continuity and fresh viewpoints, and leads to education of the committee member in the structure and functioning of the whole College program and the philosophy of education underlying it. Membership on a board or elected committee is normally for a three-year term. In order to ensure equitable representation of all segments of the community or when special administrative responsibility necessitates continuing membership on a board or committee, the three-year convention may be superseded.
2. No faculty member shall be overloaded with committee responsibility. Normally, he or she shall be a member of no more than two committees. When possible, members of a policy board shall have some adjustment made in their other responsibilities to the College.
3. To be eligible for election to one of the boards, a member of the teaching faculty with voting privileges must be completing at least two years of service at Hope College at the time of the spring election. Faculty membership on a standing committee does not have this restriction; however, appointment of persons in their first year at the College shall be an exception rather than the rule.
  - A student, to be eligible for board or standing committee membership, must be in at least his/her second semester of attendance at Hope College and must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and a 2.0 grade point average for the semester immediately preceding his/her term of service.
4. No faculty member shall be a member of a board or elected committee during any year in which s/he is scheduled to be absent from the campus for one or more semesters.
5. A faculty member may not serve concurrently on more than one of the following: Administrative Affairs Board, Professional Interests Committee, Status Committee, Advisory Committee on Financial Resources, and the President's Advisory Committee, nor concurrently on two boards. Exception: the Faculty Moderator (see A3.e2). For limitations on Appeals and Grievances Panel membership, see A6f.
6. The Provost's Office should be given notice of faculty appointments to all ad hoc and special committees. This file of committee appointments will then be made available to the Status Committee and other bodies or individuals responsible for making committee assignments. At the beginning of each academic year, the Provost will issue a listing of major ad hoc and special committees and their members, along with the list of board and standing committee memberships.
Selection Procedure
1. Boards
  1. Faculty: Faculty members of the boards are elected so as to ensure representation from each of the divisions. Each spring the divisional dean prepares a list of all faculty eligible for the respective board vacancies. At a March meeting of each division, nominations are made and, when necessary, nominating elections are held to determine the two divisional nominees. A majority of votes cast by those in attendance is necessary for a divisional nomination. Before placing the name of a colleague in nomination, it is a professional courtesy to ask that person's permission. No absent faculty member shall be nominated without advance consent.
    - The Provost then combines the nominations from the four divisions into a single election ballot and distributes it by mail to all faculty members eligible to vote. The representatives are then elected by the full faculty.
    - Board members are elected for three-year terms staggered so that one-third of the members are elected each year. If a faculty board member finds it necessary to resign, the replacement for the remainder of the academic year is the nominee who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding election. If the list of divisional nominees is exhausted, the Status Committee appoints the replacement.
  2. Students: Each of the three members of the Student Congress cabinet (the president, the vice-president, and the comptroller), who have been elected to these offices by an all-student election in April, serves on one of the three boards. The Student Congress, elected in September, elects from its own membership one student to serve on the Academic Affairs Board, one on the Administrative Affairs Board, and three on the Campus Life Board. The Congress president appoints the remaining student members to board positions.
  3. Administrators: The President appoints the administrative personnel who serve on various boards with the exception of those who serve ex officio.
2. Standing Committees
  1. Liaison from Parent Board: To provide liaison with the parent board, the board members select one of their members to serve on each of the standing committees that report to the Board. This selection is made in the spring for the coming academic year by the members of the Board who will serve in that year.
  2. The remaining members of the standing committees are appointed in the following manner:
    1. Faculty: The faculty members are appointed by the Status Committee. The appointees are notified during the summer, and their names are submitted to the faculty for its review at the Pre-College Conference. In making its appointments to the standing committees, the Status Committee will bear in mind that faculty representation from each of the divisions is generally desirable, especially on those standing committees dealing with academic matters.
    2. Students: The student members are appointed by the executive board of the Student Congress with approval by at least two-thirds of the membership of the Student Congress.
    3. Administrators: Administrative members are appointed by the President with the exception of those who serve ex officio.
Committee Officers
1. Boards
  1. Chairperson: The chairperson of each of the three boards is elected in the spring by those new and continuing members who are to constitute the board for the following academic year.
    - The chairperson of each board is responsible for calling meetings, for establishing the proposed agenda, and for determining whether a particular item is within the province of that board. If there is a question of jurisdiction, the three board chairpersons, along with the President, Provost, and the Dean of Students shall meet as an executive committee to determine procedures to be used. These might even include bringing together two or all three of the boards in joint session.
    - The chairperson of each board is responsible for informing the President of any policy decisions made by the board. S/he shall notify the President promptly in writing, attaching a marked copy of the official Minutes of the meeting at which the policy decision was made.
    - The chairperson of each board must file with the Provost and with the newly elected board chairperson before the end of each academic year, a statement specifying all unfinished business of that board, along with copies of any documents relating to that unfinished business.
    - The board chairperson is responsible for submitting to the Provost any revisions in the Faculty Handbook which have been approved by that board. In the case of a proposed change in the campus governance structure, as relating for example to existing or proposed standing committees, the proposal is to be submitted first to the Administrative Affairs Board. Upon positive action by the board, the AdAB chairperson will forward the approved revision to the Provost.
  2. Recording Secretary: The chairperson of the board appoints a recording secretary to serve for the entire year. The recording secretary's role is to prepare minutes and to distribute them in accordance with the policy set forth in Appendix I, 21.b.
2. The Standing Committees
  1. Chairperson: The chairperson is appointed by the Status Committee. The chairperson's functions are basically the same as those of the chairperson of a board. The chairperson of each standing committee must file with the Provost and with the newly elected chairperson of the parent board, before the end of each academic year, a statement specifying all unfinished business of that committee, along with copies of any documents relating to that unfinished business.
  2. Recording Secretary: The recording secretary is appointed by the chairperson. The recording secretary's role is to prepare minutes and to distribute them in accordance with the policy set forth in Appendix I, 21.b
Meetings:
1. Regular meetings of a board are held at least monthly. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson. The three major Boards meet as follows: Academic Affairs Board - first and third Tuesday of each month; Administrative Affairs Board - second Tuesday of each month; Campus Life Board - first Tuesday of each month. If a fifth Tuesday occurs in any month, it will be allotted to the Academic Affairs Board. If additional meetings become necessary, they should be scheduled at times other than Community Hours.
  - The standing committees hold a minimum of two meetings per semester. Thursday during the Community Hour (11:00 a.m. – noon) has been established as the regular meeting time for standing committees of the three major boards according to the following schedule: second Thursday of the month, Academic Affairs Board; third Thursday of the month, Campus Life Board; fourth Thursday of the month, Administrative Affairs Board.
2. With the exception of the Status Committee, the Student Standing and Appeals Committee, and the Judicial Board, meetings of boards and committees are open to the college community. It must be kept in mind, however, occasionally a board or committee may decide to act in executive session, at which time members of the community not elected or appointed to the board or committee may be asked to leave the meeting.
  - The dates of meetings shall be publicized so that faculty and student groups or individuals that wish to present ideas or proposals are aware of deadlines for presentations.
3. A proposed agenda shall be prepared for all regular meetings and consideration of agenda shall be the first item of business at each meeting. If possible, agenda items shall be publicized so that faculty members or students who wish to be present are aware of the items under consideration.
4. The normal rules of order shall be followed in transaction of business. A quorum is defined as 50 percent of the eligible voters. In the absence of a quorum, business may be transacted subject to later ratification. The chairpersons of boards and committees do not normally vote, except in case of a tie vote. Ex officio members of committees have full voting rights and privileges, except that the Faculty Moderator is a non-voting member of PIC (see A3.e.2).
5. In the formulation of significant policy, the committees shall hold hearings so that the views of interested faculty members, administrators, and students can be heard, and their ideas and responses taken into consideration prior to the crystallizing of policy recommendations.
Ad Hoc Committees Reporting to Boards or Standing Committees
- A board or standing committee may wish to appoint an ad hoc committee to make a particular study or to present special policy recommendations. When it does so, it shall prepare a clear statement of the duties of this committee and establish a due date for its reports.
- The membership of an ad hoc committee need not be limited to members of the parent board or standing committee.
Initial Policy Formulation Outside Boards and Standing Committees
- Although, as stated above (A3.f), "major responsibility for formulating and shaping policy is vested in the three boards and the committees under them," other groups may take an initiative in the development of policy proposals, beyond merely asking a board or committee to deal with an issue. In addition to the special committees described in section A6 below, such groups include:
  1. Academic Departments
    - The departmental meeting is a normal and effective means by which each member of the faculty may present ideas on any aspect of the College program and get initial reaction. Departments may prepare recommendations on any matter and send them to the chairperson of the appropriate board or standing committee.
    - Within the framework of policies established by the Academic Affairs Board, departments have some freedom to establish particular departmental policies. To enact such policies, as well as to take up other items of professional stimulation and concern, each department shall hold regular meetings. Minutes shall be kept and copies distributed to members of the department, to the divisional dean, to the Provost, to the President, and to the Archives.
  2. Divisions
    - Divisional meetings may serve as a forum for discussion of matters that have ramifications beyond the individual departments. Therefore, such meetings become a means of preparing divisional recommendations to the appropriate board or standing committee.
    - Other functions of divisional meetings are to provide programs for intellectual stimulation and to become the means of presenting nominations to membership on the boards and on the Status, Professional Interests, President's Advisory, and Financial Resources Advisory Committees.
  3. Department Chairpersons' Councils
    - The departmental chairpersons within each division meet on occasion at the call of the divisional dean, who acts as the chairperson. In addition, all departmental chairpersons meet regularly with the President and the Administrative Staff (see A2.e). The chief function of these councils is that of an advisory body. They may make recommendations to the administration, the faculty, or the various policy-making boards and standing committees for changes in policy, new policies, procedures or programs, studies, and research in any area related to the various programs of the College.
  4. Ad Hoc Committees Reporting to an Administrator or Administrative Department
    - In the interest of the creative academic environment which Hope College seeks to foster, it may on occasion be desirable to appoint an ad hoc committee to address a specific issue, opportunity, or situation. While such ad hoc committees do not have policy-making power, they may forward policy recommendations to the appropriate decision-making body. Ad hoc committees are to observe the following procedures:
      1. The responsibilities of an ad hoc committee should not duplicate the functions of a board or standing committee.
      2. When an ad hoc committee is formed, its task, membership, method and time of termination, and to whom it is to report should be delineated. A statement specifying these matters will be submitted to the Administrative Affairs Board, which will evaluate the ad hoc committee plan and resolve any perceived conflicts with board and standing committee areas of responsibility.
      3. An outline of the ad hoc committee plan (task, membership, duration, to whom it reports), its minutes, and a summary of its conclusions or final report will be reported via KnowHope.
      4. In the appointment of faculty members to ad hoc committees, equitable distribution of extracurricular responsibilities should be kept in mind.
      5. If a policy recommendation results from the work of an ad hoc committee, it is to be presented to the appropriate board or standing committee.
  5. Administrative Departments
    - Initial drafting of policy recommendations is sometimes done by an administrator, possibly with the aid of existing groups such as the Deans' Council (see A2.e). It is the administrator's responsibility, at an early stage of the development of such recommendations, to notify the chairpersons of the relevant board and standing committee that the work is under way, so that the board and committee may decide at what point it wants to become directly involved in the formulating process.
Faculty and Presidential Review of Policies Enacted by the Boards
- All policy actions taken by the committees are recommendations to their parent board. All policy actions by a board are subject to review by the faculty (see A3.f) and by the President of the College, who is the responsible agent of the Board of Trustees.
- If board decisions are of such significance as to require Board of Trustees approval, or if they have such financial ramifications as to require review by the President's Administrative Staff, the President shall upon being notified of such decisions, inform the board promptly of the additional steps needed. Other board decisions shall become official upon approval by the President. The action of the President should be indicated formally within 30 days of notification (see A4.e1a), subject to the proviso that the President is entitled to delay a response until after the time allotted for faculty review (see A3.f) has elapsed.
"Checklist" and Workshop for Board and Committee Officers
1. A "Checklist for Chairpersons and Secretaries of Boards and Committees" is available from the Provost's Office. It contains practical recommendations on the conduct of business--from an initial idea to enacted and approved policy--and a digest of pertinent Handbook regulations, topically arranged for convenient reference.
2. Board and committee chairpersons have an opportunity to discuss problems they have encountered in the governance system and ways of making the system work more effectively, in an annual Governance Workshop sponsored by the Provost's Office.

a5: Description of the Board and Standing Committees

a5.A: Academic Affairs Board

Functions:

To initiate academic policy and to review and take action on all academic policy recommendations.
To review the educational objectives of the College and to propose or engage in studies aimed at making the academic program constantly more effective.
To examine proposals for major academic change, including the addition or deletion of departments and programs. In cases where the proposed change may affect the basic character of the College or have unusual implications for the College budget, the Academic Affairs Board recommendations shall be forwarded to the Administrative Affairs Board for approval. At the discretion of the President, some proposals may even require Board of Trustees action.
To request its committees to consider matters and present recommendations to it.
To act on matters of library policy and cultural offerings.
To advise the Provost and deans on matters they bring to it.
To establish policies on academic advising and to examine the existing advising program.

Membership:

Provost, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, eight faculty (two from each division), and four students (one an officer of Student Congress).

Standing Committees

The following standing committees come under the jurisdiction of the Academic Affairs Board, each having a faculty member as board liaison:

Curriculum Committee
Cultural Affairs Committee
International Education Committee
Library Committee
Teacher Education Council
Assessment Committee
Academic Computing Committee

a5.A.1: Curriculum Committee

Functions:

To review and initiate changes in the patterns of curricular requirements for the degree (both the College's core requirements and the framework of major requirements).
To study and make recommendations regarding proposed new and revised academic major and minor programs, including all curricular, co-curricular, experiential, internship, and other requirements for such majors and minors.
To study and make recommendations on requests for course changes (additions and deletions).
To initiate studies designed to evaluate aspects of the curricular program.
To study and make recommendations on requests for changes in academic regulations, such as:
1. Systems of grading
2. Student load
3. Class attendance
To study and make recommendations on the equal treatment of men and women within the College curriculum.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

A member of the Deans' Council, the Director of Libraries, four faculty members (one from each division), General Education Director, Ex. officio and two student members. (Note: The respective department chairpersons and divisional dean, if possible, shall be present when action is taken on curricular changes in their departments.)

Procedures:

To expedite the evaluation of the many curricular proposals, the committee has established guidelines to be followed by all who prepare and submit proposals. Copies are available on the Registrar’s Office Website. All course proposals must be submitted by October 1, for approval for the next academic year.

A5.a.2: Cultural Affairs Committee

Functions:

To plan and to assist in administering a program of all‑College cultural events ‑‑ chiefly concerts, exhibitions, performances, and lectures of interdisciplinary interest.
To provide limited financial support for a balanced series of lectures and events of a specific disciplinary interest. These programs are planned and administered by academic departments.
To prepare an annual budget request for such a program of cultural activities and to determine policies for administration of this budget.
To assess periodically the programs presented and, with the Student Congress, provide a means whereby student and faculty comments and suggestions may be provided to the Committee for its guidance.
To take up any matters brought to it by the administrative officer in charge of the budget or of the scheduling of events.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

Four faculty members (one from each division), four students, the dean for the Arts Division, the coordinator of the Great Performance Series, and the Student Activities Coordinator. The chairperson of the Cultural Affairs Committee is to be chosen from the previous year's committee membership.

Procedures:

Applications for support of all-College cultural events should be made in writing to the Chair, or the Secretary, of the Cultural Affairs Committee and will be acted upon by the Committee in the order in which requests are received. The Committee sets and announces deadlines by which applications are due (ordinarily, mid-October for first-semester events and mid-January for second-semester events). The following guidelines apply:

The Committee's maximum grant is $700.
Financial support must also be obtained from sources other than the Committee.
All proposed activities must demonstrate campus-wide appeal and be open to audiences from beyond a single department.
The support of the Committee must be acknowledged in advertisements, programs, and announcements associated with the event.
A brief report on the event and attendance at it must be submitted within two weeks after the event takes place.

Application and report forms are available from the office of the Dean for Arts and Humanities.

A5.a.3: International Education Committee

This committee deals most directly with academic questions; however, in the case of establishing off‑campus, overseas programs, much of its planning and decision‑making touches policy areas that are normally under another board. Therefore, any complex new international program may need to have certain aspects reviewed by such boards. The committee is placed under the Academic Affairs Board but becomes advisory to the other committees and boards in promoting the objectives of the international education program of the College.

Functions:

To initiate evaluative studies of Hope's international off-campus programs.
To analyze suggestions for new off‑campus international programs and to recommend programs to the Academic Affairs Board.
To coordinate Hope College's participation in international education programs sponsored by other agencies and associations (e.g., GLCA, Institute of European and Asian Studies, and the Council on International Educational Exchange).
To recommend policies for accrediting non‑Hope College international programs in which students wish to enroll for a portion of their degree work.
To advise the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and directors of the corresponding programs regarding policies in these areas as they affect foreign students.
To advise the Campus Life Board and the directors of counseling and guidance on policies in these areas as they affect foreign students.
To recommend to academic departments, to the Curriculum Committee, to the Committee on Multicultural Affairs, and to the Campus Life Board means of strengthening the goal of international understanding through curricular and extracurricular approaches.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

Four faculty members (one from each division), two student members (with previous experiences in an international program), the Director of International Education, a member from the Committee on Multicultural Affairs, and an administrative officer appointed by the Provost. (Administrative officers should be invited to attend when the agenda includes any items in their special province – e.g., Vice President for Admissions, Director of Financial Aid, Director of Public Relations, Provost.)

A5.a.4: Library Committee

Functions:

To advise the Director of Libraries on the collection, services, staffing, liaison with departments, budget, facilities, security, and other matters which the Director may bring to the Committee, and to assist in evaluating library practices and procedures.
To serve as liaison in communicating faculty and student concerns on operation of the libraries to the Director of Libraries.
To serve as sounding board for library staff members' ideas.
To receive regular reports from the Director on the work of the Joint Archives Council.
To study and make recommendations to the Academic Affairs Board concerning planning and policies which directly affect the academic program.
To support and encourage the Director of Libraries in achieving the best possible library collection, support services, and facilities for students and faculty.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

Four faculty members (one from each division), the Director of Libraries, two or three students, one administrative staff member appointed by the Provost.

A5.a.5: Teacher Education Council

Purposes:

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation calls upon all of its accredited teacher preparation programs to establish and maintain ongoing communication with its Pre-K-12 partners to insure that an institution’s professional education programs are organized, unified, and coordinated in a manner that enables it to fulfill its mission. The Teacher Education Council is that officially designated unit at Hope College. Its primary responsibility is the advancement of the professional education programs by means of discussion of current and anticipated issues and trends in education and offering recommendations for program improvement to the department chairperson.

Functions:

Review, evaluate, and recommend policy to the Education Department Chairperson, as stated in the purposes of the Council.
Review and monitor policies and procedures for admission and retention of students to the teacher education program.
Periodically receive from the Education Department a description of the knowledge base for the professional education sequence.
Engage in dialogue with the Education Department about current and anticipated issues and trends in teacher preparation programs and how to most effectively address them.
Provide a broader context for discussion of issues specific to the Education Department but also important to the campus community.
Provide opportunities to inform and elicit support from the campus community for the Education Department’s mission and programs and foster interaction of the Education Department with other departments.
Foster the interaction of the Education Department with area Pre-K -12 school personnel and secure their advice and support of efforts to prepare teachers for service in Pre-K–12 schools
Examine issues referred to it by departments or individuals regarding the program and policies of the Education Department.
Establish "standing" and "ad hoc" sub-committees to study specific issues relevant to full committee responsibilities (e.g., Secondary Programs) at the discretion of the Committees and Chairperson of the Education Department.
Review and send to the Curriculum Committee recommendations for changes in courses/programs in the professional education program (e.g., in cases where change would result in the addition or deletion of courses or an increase or decrease in the number of semester hours in the approved teacher education program).

Membership:

Standing Members:
1. Chairperson: Chairperson of the Education Department
2. Representatives from the elementary, secondary, and special education programs (one from each).
Rotating Members: (all are appointed by the Education Department Chairperson in consultation with the Department and Pre-K-12 teacher and administrator committees and members of the Education Department)
1. One faculty representative from each of the College's four academic divisions.
2. Four area Pre-K-12 in-service teachers.
3. Four area Pre-K-12 administrators (principal or curriculum director).
4. Two Hope pre-service teachers (junior and senior).

A5.a.6: Assessment Committee

The Assessment Committee is a standing committee of the Academic Affairs Board, although its responsibilities extend to all areas of the College. Whenever appropriate, therefore, the Assessment Committee will also make recommendations to either the Campus Life Board or the Administrative Affairs Board, or to any of their standing committees.

Functions:

To educate the campus community about assessment and its importance.
To assist academic departments and administrative units in the construction of assessment plans and in the use and review of assessment instruments.
To assist academic departments and administrative units with the interpretation of the findings of their assessment efforts and the implementation of plans to improve teaching and learning based on those findings.
To develop and periodically review instruments to assess the outcomes of the general education program.
To monitor the various assessment plans and when needed recommend changes to the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

Eight faculty members (two from each division including the board liaison);
two students (appointed by Student Congress);
the Operations Director of the Frost Research Center, ex officio;
the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, ex officio;
one staff member from the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement;
one staff member from the Student Development Office.

A5.a.7: Academic Computing Committee

Functions:

To assist the college community to develop and sustain an institutional vision for the goals of instructional technology in light of the mission of the college.
To promote the exploration and use of digitally mediated instruction in ways that are pedagogically appropriate to Hope's academic curriculum
To collaborate with the Assessment Committee to ensure the effective assessment of digitally mediated instruction across the curriculum.
To appraise the need for additional equipment, training and faculty support, and to advise the college how to address these needs.
To promote training and support for faculty in implementing technologies in teaching and learning, and to promote innovations that utilize instructional technology in ways that are pedagogically effective.
To administer the faculty technology innovation fund and the annual innovation award.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Academic Affairs Board.

Membership:

The Director of Academic Computing (committee chair), Director of Computing and Information Technology (CIT), a representative from the Deans’ Council, a representative from the Library, four faculty members (one from each division, including the board liaison), and two students.

A5.b: Campus Life Board

Functions:

To formulate policy and to act on policy recommendations in all areas of non-academic campus life. A policy change before the Campus Life Board or the committees under its jurisdiction shall be forwarded to the President of Student Congress at least two weeks prior to its consideration. Student Congress shall have the option to submit recommendations to that Board or Committee regarding the proposed change.
To establish and review regulations for campus life and student conduct and policies for dealing with violations of these regulations.
On a periodic basis have a conversation with Departmental Directors to learn about their mission and services, provide an opportunity for questions, and make recommendations for program modifications or enhancements. The Chair of Campus Life Board will review this expectation and schedule departmental conversations at the first meeting of the board where there is full membership.
To review and enact policies as developed by: Co-Curricular Affairs, Residential Life, Religious Life, and student Communications Media Committee as relates to their programs and operation.
Twice an academic year (beginning and by February) the Chair of the Residential Life Committee and the Director of Residential Life and Housing will present an overview of campus and off-campus housing.
To request its committees or the Student Congress to consider and make recommendations on matters which affect these areas of the College’s operation.
That at the last meeting of fall semester have the Comptroller of Student Congress provide an overview of the budgeting process and criteria for budgeting. The criteria should be approved by the Campus Life Board.
Annually, the committee facilitating Women’s Programming on campus will provide an update to the Campus Life Board. The Campus Life Board may make comments, recommendations, or suggestions as to ways to effectively address the needs of women on campus during these occasions. The update will occur at the last meeting of the Campus Life Board.

Membership :

Three members from the Student Development Division, including the Dean of the Chapel or a Chaplain designated by the Dean; four faculty members (one from each division); and four students (one an officer of Student Congress).

Standing Committees:

The following standing committees come under the jurisdiction of the Campus Life Board:

Co-Curricular Activities Committee
Religious Life Committee
Student Communications Media Committee
Residential Life Committee

A5.b.1: Co-Cirricular Activities Committee

Functions:

To consider and make recommendations to the Campus Life Board on all policies concerning student organizations (except in the areas of religious affairs and student communications). These include policies on:
1. Criteria for student groups to remain in good standing to be monitored by Student Life.
2. Advising of student organizations
3. Organization of new groups
4. Policies which articulate standards and processes of operation.
Within the policies established under i, to act on requests for the establishment of new campus organizations, except groups affiliated with academic departments.
Within the policies established under i., to establish guidelines and procedures for the advising of student organizations.
To recommend to the Campus Life Board policies governing sororities and fraternities in consultation with the Dean of Students, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic Council and Greek Council.
To consider questions or complaints concerning student activities which have not been resolved through administrative channels.
To assess periodically the social and co-curricular program of the College and to recommend to the Student Congress, the Campus Life Board and the Administration ways of improving it.
To review any matters referred to it by the Student Congress, the Dean of Students or the Campus Life Board.

Membership :

Two representatives from the Office of Student Development, two faculty members, three students.

Subcommittees :

The Greek Judicial Board
Greek Council

A5.b.1.a: Greek Judicial Board

Functions:

To review facts pertaining to alleged violations of Greek rules.
To impose sanctions on individuals or organizations which it finds to be in violation of these rules.
To coordinate with the Judicial Board to determine jurisdiction in matters involving violations of both Greek and College rules.

Membership :

Four faculty members appointed by the Status Committee (Campus Life Board liaison not necessary), the Greek Coordinator or his/her appointee to serve as Advisor to the Board, and one student representative and one alternate from each Greek organization. The student representatives and alternates from each Greek organization are selected for membership by the Advisor and the Interfraternity Council President and the Panhellenic Council President.

Procedures :

The Greek Judicial Board is advised by a staff member from the Student Development Office. Detailed procedures for the board are given in the Student Handbook and the Hope College Greek Judicial Board Procedures Manual, which are available in the Student Development Office and the Joint Archives.

A5.b.1.b: Greek Council

Functions:

To serve as the governing body to fraternities and sororities.
To review policies pertaining to Greek Life.
To recommend new Greek Life policy or revisions to existing policy.

Membership:

The council is comprised of the executive board members of the Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council, who are selected by their respective membership. The council is advised by the Director of Student Life or his/her appointee.

Procedures:

The Greek Council is advised by a staff member from the Student Development Office and gains approval for policy change through Campus Life Board.

A5.b.2: Religious Life Committee

Functions:

In relation to Campus Life Board:
1. To promote the broad religious objectives of the College by considering and making recommendations to the Campus Life Board on all policies concerning the religious program of the College and the campus religious organizations.
2. To study and make policy recommendations on any matter referred to it by the Campus Life Board.
In relation to the Office of Campus Ministries:
1. To assess the religious climate of the College and advise the Office of Campus Ministries in preparing programs to meet needs. The Campus Ministries Office generally administers such programs.
2. To advise on matters brought to it by the Office of Campus Ministries.
To provide coordination and prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among various groups ministering to the spiritual welfare of the campus community.
To act on requests for establishing new religious organizations.

Membership:

The Dean of the Chapel or a Chaplain designated by the Dean, three faculty members, and five students - two appointed by the Student Congress and three appointed by the Religious Life Committee. Attention should be given to representation by sex, religious affiliation, ethnic background, and living area (off-campus housing, cottages, residence halls, and apartments). In addition, faculty and student liaison persons to the Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees who are not included in the above list shall be ex officio members of the Religious Life Committee.

A5.b.3: Student Communications Media Committee

Functions:

To study and consider all matters concerning the student communications media, including any matters referred to it by the Campus Life Board, and to make policy recommendations about these issues to the Campus Life Board. The term “student communications media” refers to recognized student media organizations funded by Student Congress (see ii) and news media courses that disseminate to external audiences.
To recommend to the Student Congress Appropriations Committee the distribution of monies allocated for use by recognized student media organizations, including The Anchor, Milestone, Opus, Inklings, and WTHS.
To appoint the editors or managers of all recognized student media organizations, including The Anchor, Milestone, Opus, Inklings, and WTHS, acting upon recommendations from the executive members of the retiring staffs and upon letters of application from the candidates. The appointments of the other editorial and major staff positions in these organizations are normally made by the editor/manager, with approval by the Committee; when necessary, these appointments may be made by the Committee.
To terminate, for just cause, and in consultation with the faculty advisor, the appointment of an editor, manager, or staff member of one of the student media organizations, and to appoint a successor.
To refer controversial incidents involving student communications media to the Media Review Board for discussion and possible action.

Membership:

Membership will include four students (preferably with a background in communication issues, and including the Comptroller of Student Congress) appointed annually by Student Congress; three faculty members (liaison from Campus Life Board plus two other faculty members (preferably with a background in communication issues) appointed for staggered two-year terms; two administrative staff members (one from public relations staff, one from student development staff). The Committee Chair will be a faculty member and will chair the Sounding Board and Media Review Board. Efforts should be made to reflect the diversity of the campus community when making appointments to this committee.

Procedures:

In appointing the media personnel (function ii), the Committee has generally followed these procedures. The media are encouraged to prepare, through in-service training in a variety of staff responsibilities, candidates for the top positions who have ability and experience. Positions are advertised, however, and applications are accepted from any student. The Committee interviews all applicants, not only to aid in selection but also to establish a dialogue with the new leaders concerning objectives and policies for their respective organizations. It has been the practice to invite the editors and general manager of student media organizations to sit on the committee, with voice (including the right to make motions) but not vote, and make regular reports at committee meetings.
The Student Communications Student Media Committee (SCMC) and its subsidiary boards should, in all its procedures, recognize that the processes and objectives of artistic expression, editorial content and news differ. As a result, these organizations have different responsibilities to their audiences and the Hope College community. While most student media organizations serve a strictly news function, the functions of a few organizations are more artistic in nature. Because student media messages are published or broadcast and disseminated to the public, it is important that they be sensitive to the Student Media Guidelines. However, due to the very nature of artistic expression, these organizations should be given broader boundaries than news-oriented organizations. Attention to the nature of the work in question must be considered when providing feedback.

Sounding Board

The Sounding Board will serve an advisory function for student media organizations to discuss the publication or broadcast of sensitive issues prior to message dissemination. The Sounding Board's function is to protect the freedom of speech and press for student media organizations and to promote the responsible use of these freedoms. The Sounding Board will alert student media organizations to potential social and legal implications. The Sounding Board process will be initiated upon request from the media staff or the faculty advisor to the Chair of the SCMC.

Membership:

Membership will be drawn from the SCMC and will include two students, two faculty members (including the Chair of the Committee), and one administrative staff member.

Procedures:

Normally the full Sounding Board will discuss the issues and provide guidance; in cases involving short-notice deadlines, the Chair of the Committee may respond individually or after consultation with other Sounding Board members.
Regarding issues of potential liability, the Committee will contact the Provost’s Office to request consultation with the College’s legal counsel.
The Sounding Board will assess the meaning of the message in its particular context and the justifiable purpose for publishing or broadcasting the sensitive material.
The Sounding Board will convene a round-table discussion of interested parties to explore the potential implications of the message. The Sounding Board will offer advice to the student media organization.
The Committee Chair will vote in the event of a tie.

Media Review Board

The Media Review Board will be responsible for reviewing any controversial incidents involving student communications media. This Board will be convened when a request is made to the Chair of the Committee.

Membership:

Membership will be drawn from the Student Communications Media Committee and will include two students, two faculty members (including the Chair of the Committee), and one administrative staff member.

Procedures:

Any group or individual may initiate the review process by sending a letter to the Chair of the Committee within three weeks of publication or broadcast. The letter should explain the media incident and why it may have violated the Student Media Guidelines. The Committee Chair will convene a meeting of the Media Review Board and all concerned parties within ten class days.

The Media Review Board will first meet as a Board to review the incident and the complaint in light of the Student Media Guidelines.
All concerned parties will be invited to join in a discussion of the incident.
After the discussion, all non-Board members will be excused, and the Board will vote on whether the incident violated the Guidelines.
If the Board determines that the Guidelines were followed and that no further action is needed, the Board Chair will inform the parties of the decision in writing within 48 hours. If the Board determines that the Guidelines were violated, the Board will decide what action should be taken to address the situation, and the Chair will inform the parties of the decision in writing within 48 hours. The Chair may discuss the situation with others affected by the incident or the decision.
Any decision by the Media Review Board may be appealed by any involved party to the Campus Life Board within seven days. The Chair of the Campus Life Board will determine the members of the Appeal Committee and the procedures for this process.
The Chair of the SCMC will vote in the event of a tie.

A5.b.4: Residential Life Committee

Functions:

To review the quality of residential life, including living units (on campus and off), dining hall and food service, and public safety, and make policy recommendations to the Campus Life Board.
To advise on the planning and design of residence facilities.
To review rules and regulations concerning residential life (as defined above) and student conduct, and make policy recommendations to the Campus Life Board. Amendments to the housing terms and conditions for the next academic year shall be forwarded to the President of Student Congress at least two months prior to the conclusion of the spring semester. Exceptions to this time constraint include amendments necessary to maintain student safety or to comply with the laws of the City of Holland, State of Michigan, or United States. In all instances, the President of Student Congress shall be informed of such amendments prior to their taking effect.
To delineate procedures for handling violations of such rules and regulations and set guidelines for the imposition of penalties, subject to approval by the Campus Life Board.
To recommend to the Campus Life Board the procedures to be used by the Judicial Board and to review periodically the areas of its jurisdiction.
To study and make policy recommendations on any item referred to it by the Campus Life Board.

Membership:

The Dean of Students or his/her representative, the Assistant Dean of Housing and Residence Life, a student representative from the Judicial Board, a representative of Student Congress, two students appointed by Student Congress, and two faculty members. Student membership shall include both men and women.

A5.b.4.a: Judicial Board

Functions:

To review the facts pertaining to certain alleged violations by students of the rules of the College:
1. Cases referred by the Director of Housing and Judicial Affairs, who is the first-level disciplinary officer in the Office of Student Development. Customarily, such cases are those without precedent, or those involving students who have a prior record of violating institutional regulations, or those in which the Director deems a board hearing to be preferable to an administrative hearing.
2. Cases in which the student requests a board hearing rather than an administrative hearing.
3. Cases in which the student denies the charge.
To make decisions on cases reviewed and, in the event of a guilty verdict, to determine the penalty.

Procedures:

Procedural "due process" includes the rights of the accused student to be notified in writing of the nature of the charges, to be given time to prepare a defense, to be assisted in defense by an advisor of his/her choice from within the College, and to be held innocent until proven guilty.

Membership:

Six faculty members appointed by the Status Committee (Campus Life Board liaison not necessary), the Assistant Director of Housing or his/her appointee as Advisor to the Board, and a representative of Student Congress. The student membership of ten for the Board is selected by the Assistant Director and/or the Advisor, in consultation with a designated student Chair of the Board and/or a representative of Student Congress. Hearings must have no fewer than two faculty members and four students in order to proceed. The minutes are confidential; periodic summary reports are made to the parent committee.

Notes:

Alleged violations by students of the rules of Greek organizations and alleged violations by Greek organizations of the policies and regulations governing them are dealt with by the Greek Judicial Board (see A5.b1).
Appeals by students from Judicial Board decisions may be made to the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students or, in certain cases, to the Student Standing and Appeals Committee. Details are provided in the Student Handbook.

A5.C: Administrative Affairs Board

Functions:

To formulate policies and to act upon policy recommendations in all areas not specifically assigned to another board.
To design or revise the campus committee structure and areas of responsibility.
To evaluate proposed ad hoc committees and resolve any perceived conflicts with board and standing committee areas of responsibility; and to include in the published minutes of the Board a summary of the ad hoc committee plan, specifying its task, membership, method and time of termination, and to whom it is to report.
To act on recommendations of its committees on matters of policy.
To approve the annual College calendar.
To review periodically the pattern of decisions of the Committee on Student Standing and Appeals, and to provide guidelines for its decision-making.
To review and act on proposals for research and other educational activities that are not part of the degree program, when referred by the administration.
To advise the President or other administrative officers on any matters which they present to it, including unusual budgetary items and major changes in the administrative structure, and to act upon recommendations forwarded to it by the Academic Affairs Board having implications either for change in the character of the College or for the College budget.
To establish policies regarding internally and externally funded research.
To approve certain proposed changes in the Faculty Handbook [see Introduction and A4.e1a)].

Membership:

The President, Provost, Vice President for Admissions, Vice President for Business and Finance, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, five faculty members (one from each division and one at large), and two students (one an officer of the Student Congress).

Standing Committees Under the Administrative Affairs Board

Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid
Athletic Committee
Student Standing and Appeals Committee
Committee on Multicultural Affairs

A5.C.1:Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid

Functions:

To study and make recommendations on admissions policies and broad procedures. (This includes criteria for selection, general patterns and procedures of recruitment, deposits, follow-up studies, etc.)
To study and make recommendations on scholarships, grants-in-aid, and on-campus student employment policies.
To initiate and review studies and reports on admissions and financial aid.
To advise the Vice President for Admissions and the Director of Financial Aid on matters referred to it by them, and to consider items referred to it by the Administrative Affairs Board.

Membership:

The Vice President for Admissions, the Director of Financial Aid, the Registrar or her/his designate, the Director of Multi-Cultural Life or her/his designate, four faculty members (one from each division), and two students.

A5.C.2: Athletic Committee

Functions:

To develop current statements of policy, procedure, and philosophy for the College's athletic programs as required in the statements of the NCAA and the MIAA.
To advise the directors of athletics on any matter of procedure and administration which they bring before them and to conduct, with the directors, periodic evaluations of the program in relation to the committee's own statements and the requirements of the MIAA and NCAA.
To formulate and make recommendations to the Administrative Affairs Board on policies for all intercollegiate sports activities of the College.
To approve all schedules for intercollegiate sports.
To decide on recipients of all athletic awards, acting on the recommendations of the directors or coaches.
To engage in a continuing study of the opportunities and possibilities for the development of the College's athletic program and to make recommendations to the proper boards, committees or administrative officers in such areas as recruitment, public relations, publicity, etc.
To solicit and to consider ideas from members of the College community on the athletic program.
To study and make recommendations on any policy items referred to it by the Administrative Affairs Board.

Membership:

The athletic director(s), a member of the administrative staff (appointed by the President), faculty athletics representatives (one man, one woman) and student representatives (one man, one woman, one alternate) to the MIAA, one other faculty member, and two students appointed by Student Congress.

Notes:

Two Faculty Athletics Representatives to the MIAA ( FARs) are selected by the Provost and the Chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology to serve three-year renewable terms. The current MIAA Operations Manual is in the possession of the college's FARs and Directors of Athletics. A detailed list of FAR responsibilities is on file in the Department of Kinesiology.

Click here to view the MIAA Mission Statement

A5.C.3: Student Standing and Appeals Committee

Functions:

To act on appeals from adverse decisions by the Provost, Registrar or their representatives on students' requests for exceptions to academic requirements.
To determine students' academic standing and make decisions on dismissal from the College for academic reasons, when students appeal administrative decisions on these matters. (The Committee does not have authority to change the grade given for any particular course.)
To act on appeals by students to suspension or dismissal decisions imposed by the Judicial Board, the Greek Judicial Board, or any administrative officer for disciplinary reasons.
To act on requests for permission to complete more than 15 hours of senior-year course work at another educational institution. (The Registrar may grant permission to complete as much as 15 hours of senior-year course work at another institution.)

Membership:

The Vice President for Admissions or his/her representative, four faculty members (one from each division), three students (appointed by the Student Congress and selected to ensure adequate minority and gender representation).

Procedures:

All appeals and requests for exemptions must be in writing in accordance with procedures and details established by the committee. A statement of these procedures and of those used in the hearings is available from the chairperson of the committee.

Appeals that cannot be heard during the regular academic year will be handled by an interim committee having the same functions as the standing committee and following the same procedures. The interim committee will be constituted by the Provost or his/her designee, selecting one faculty member from each academic division to serve from the conclusion of the academic year until the following year's committee membership is in place. The Dean of Students will work with the Student Congress President to select three students to serve during the same period of time. These selections will also be made before the academic year concludes, with preference given to those who have served on the standing committee most recently. Appeals will be adjudicated on the fourth Wednesday and Thursday in June, or on a mutually agreed upon date, but not later than July 15.

A5.C.4: Multicultural Affairs Committee

Functions:

To review, develop, articulate, promote, monitor and evaluate policies and procedures at all levels of College life in order to ensure that Hope College becomes and remains an educational community in which cultural diversity is acknowledged, respected, and celebrated.
To advise and work with standing committees, boards, divisions and personnel throughout the College to ensure that multicultural and minority-related concerns are addressed.
For the purpose of dealing with minority groups' affairs and concerns, the term "minority group" shall apply to U.S. citizens belonging to a racial or ethnic group which is underrepresented at Hope College. This includes but is not restricted to the following: American Indians, Asian Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans.
To monitor, evaluate and publicize guidelines for the recruitment of ethnic minority faculty and the implementation of these guidelines.
To advise the College in the development of specific plans to ensure the hiring of ethnic minority personnel.
To assist the Admissions Department in planning for the recruitment and admission of ethnic minority students.
To promote campus activities (among faculty, administration, staff and students) which will enhance cross-cultural communication and multicultural community living; where possible, to propose specific plans, ideas and suggestions to the Student Development Office, Campus Life Board, International Education Committee, Student Activities Committee and other College boards and committees which will encourage positive relations among all members of the College community.
To monitor and evaluate the efforts of the College to retain ethnic minority students and faculty.
To develop and promote strategies for improving multicultural leadership in the broader Christian community.
To review any College policy which may have negative effects on ethnic minority persons.
To assist in developing effective relations with minority alumni, church and business leaders, and others interested in the mission of Hope College.
To provide a forum for the discussion of the academic, social, and cultural needs of minority students, faculty, and personnel.
To study and make recommendations on any policy items referred to it by the Administrative Affairs Board.

Membership:

Three faculty members, the Associate Provost, the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students or his or her representative, the Director of Multicultural Life, the Director of Human Resources, a member of the International Education Committee and three students including students of color.

A6: Other Campus-Wide Committees

A6.a: Status Committee

Functions:

To review annually the professional status of the faculty and, after considering the recommendations of the chairperson and divisional dean, to recommend to the College administration those members of the teaching staff who merit promotion in rank, merit raises, sabbatical leaves, and/or admission to tenure status.
To act on selection of individual faculty members for special recognition or assignment when requested by faculty or administration.
To act as the nominating committee for faculty membership in the standing committees, following the guidelines as stated in A4.b-c.
To assist in administering the policies on internal faculty development grants (See B17.b9).
To serve as a hearing committee in cases when probationary faculty appeal non-reappointment (See B5.b1).

Membership and Method of Election:

The Provost, who serves as chairperson and spokesperson, and four faculty members - one from each division.

The faculty members are elected by and are responsible directly to the faculty. In March of each year, faculty members are elected for three-year terms. The terms are staggered so that one-third of the membership is elected each year. A faculty member is eligible for reelection for one additional term, but is then ineligible for a term before s/he can be considered again for election.

Each division shall nominate for each vacancy two tenured persons of associate or full professorial rank who are completing a minimum of three years of full-time instructional faculty duties at Hope. From these nominations the faculty as a whole shall elect the members to the Status Committee. A faculty member elected to one of the following may not serve concurrently on any of the others: Administrative Affairs Board, Professional Interests Committee, Status Committee, President's Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee on Financial Resources, Appeals & Grievances Panel. If the election results in a committee whose elected members are all of one sex, a special election will be held to elect, for a one-year term, a fifth member, of the other sex, from the list of those eligible and willing to serve.

Procedures:

In its deliberations the Status Committee shall take steps to ensure that no member of the Status Committee is unduly involved in any discussions or decisions in which s/he has a vested interest. Specifically, a departmental chairperson who is a member of the Status Committee will not vote on a matter in which s/he has prepared a recommendation which is being considered by the committee. Similarly in the case of a review by the Status Committee under the provisions of B5.b1, the Provost will neither preside nor vote.

In carrying out several of the committee's functions, the advice and judgment of the departmental chairpersons and divisional deans will be carefully considered. The committee shall determine whether and when divisional deans and departmental chairpersons are to be invited to a meeting. The President may attend on the committee's invitation or his/her own initiative.

a6.b: President's Advisory Committee

Function:

To advise the President regarding long-range goals, formulation of policy, overall financial matters, campus development, and other matters on which the President seeks counsel.

Membership:

The Faculty Moderator, four faculty members (one from each division) and two staff members (one hourly and one salaried).

The Faculty Moderator is elected by the faculty (see A3.e2). The faculty divisional representatives are appointed by the President from a panel elected by the faculty. The faculty members in each division submit the names of four of its members to the full faculty who, by vote, select two. The President appoints one of these two for a three-year term. Faculty representatives are eligible for reelection one time.

The Staff Advisory Committee will recommend four staff members by name (two hourly and two salaried). The President appoints two of these four (one hourly, one salaried) for a three-year term. Staff representatives are eligible for reappointment one time.

A6.c: Advisory Committee on Financial Resources

Functions:

To serve in an advisory capacity to the President and the Vice-President for Business and Finance on all aspects of the financial operation of the College.
To periodically review all aspects of the financial operation of the College and advise the President and the Vice-President for Business and Finance on efficiencies and economies that might be achieved, on priorities and allocation of resources, and on possibilities for generating new resources.
To be available for counsel at any time the College faces major financial problems or is contemplating major structural changes in the budget.
To receive recommendations and expressions of concern from departments, Boards, Committees, and any member of the College community.
To report its conclusions to those who express concern and to publish its minutes in the standard manner.

Membership and Method of Election:

Four faculty members, one from each division, elected by the faculty according to the procedure described in A4.d1a. Election is for three-year staggered terms. A member may be reelected for a second term but is then ineligible for a term before s/he can be considered again for election. Members ex-officio are the President, the Vice-President for Business and Finance, and the Provost. A faculty member elected to one of the following may not serve concurrently on any of the others: Administrative Affairs Board, Advisory Committee on Financial Resources, President's Advisory Committee, Professional Interests Committee, and Status Committee.

Procedures:

The Vice-President for Business and Finance will chair the committee, exercising this responsibility to ensure full involvement of the members of the committee in preparation of agenda and conduct of the committee's business. The committee will meet monthly during the academic year, with additional meetings scheduled when it is necessary to address specific issues. At its meetings, in addition to current agenda items, the committee will seriatim consider the financial aspects of various facets of the operation of the College, the appropriate staff member (e.g., Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, Director of Libraries) being invited to the meeting when his or her operation is to be discussed.

A6.D: Professional Interests Committee

Functions:

To promote, by working with administrative officers, the professional interests of the faculty in such matters as professional ethics, institutional facilities, salaries, fringe benefits, criteria for promotion and tenure, equitable representation, and other items of faculty welfare.
To compare periodically the Hope salary schedule with faculty salary schedules of other institutions of higher education and make recommendations to the administration.
To review problems or suggestions of faculty members on matters touching their professional status and to endeavor to resolve such matters (see also B22c, Grievances).
To conduct elections for Faculty Trustee nominees and for Faculty Moderator.
To assist in the evaluation of academic administrators.
To take leadership in promoting professional growth within the faculty.

Note: This Committee has no administrative, legislative or judicial powers. The PIC chairperson may also call it into special session when a faculty member or administrator requests it to review problems which arise from decisions which affect the status of the faculty as a whole or an individual faculty member. The purpose of the PIC in this context is to review and recommend, but not to serve as a court or a legislative body.

Membership and Method of Election:

Eight faculty members – two from each division – to be elected by the faculty in the spring of the academic year for three-year staggered terms. A member may be reelected for a second term but is then ineligible for a term before s/he can be considered for further election. Each division nominates two persons, who are completing a minimum of two years of full-time faculty duties at Hope College. From these nominations, the faculty elects by ballot one person from each division. In addition, the Faculty Moderator, elected by the faculty, serves as a nonvoting member of the Professional Interests Committee. Except for the Faculty Moderator, a faculty member elected to one of the following may not serve concurrently on any of the others: Administrative Affairs Board, Advisory Committee on Financial Resources, President's Advisory Committee, Professional Interests Committee, and Status Committee.

A6.E: Appointed Committees

These committees do not report to any governing board, but operate within the framework of policies established by the boards and usually in close liaison with boards, standing committees, administrators, and/or departmental or divisional faculty. The way in which membership is established varies from one committee to another.

A6.e.1: Off-Campus Programs Admissions Committee

Functions:

To screen all applications for admission to off-campus programs (except May, June and summer term courses) for which the student wishes academic credit at Hope.
To advise on the application process and to assist in developing application and recommendation forms for off-campus programs.

Membership:

The Registrar, Director of International Education, Dean of Students or his/her designated representative, and two additional faculty members appointed by the Status Committee.

A6.e.2: A. J. Muste Committee

Functions:

To develop and administer programs which will enhance the College's contribution to the ideals of peace and justice exemplified in the life and career of Hope alumnus A. J. Muste.
To plan and coordinate the annual A. J. Muste Peace Lectureship, established in 1985 to mark the centenary of Muste's birth.

Membership:

The committee consists of such faculty members as may volunteer to work on these programs, together with any members of the administration or students whom they may wish to include.

A6.e.3: Campus Art Committee and Museum Advisory Council

The Director of the Kruizenga Art Museum is responsible for managing the art holdings of Hope College (which is separate from the art produced by students or acquired for the DePree Art Center), on behalf of the Dean for Arts and Humanities, the Provost, the President and the Board of Trustees.

The art holdings of Hope College are divided into two collections:

Kruizenga Art Museum Collection: Art in the Kruizenga Art Museum (KAM) Collection is intended primarily to serve the educational mission of the College. Objects belonging to the KAM collection are subject to the highest standards of care and are managed in accordance with guidelines and best practices established by the American Alliance of Museums. The KAM collection is intended to be a permanent collection, and objects are added to or removed from the collection only after undergoing a rigorous examination and review process.
Campus Art Collection : Art in the campus collection is intended primarily for display in or around campus buildings and for use in hands-on teaching activities. Objects belonging to the Campus Collection are given a reasonable standard of care to preserve their decorative and/or teaching functions. However, the College accepts that artwork in the Campus Collection may occasionally be damaged through use or exposure to everyday working environments, and that objects may be added or removed from the collection with a less rigorous review process.

The Campus Art Committee advises and assists the KAM Director in the management (i.e., the acquisitioning and decommissioning) of items in both the KAM Art Collection and the Campus Art Collection. Specific responsibilities for the Campus Art Committee include:

Reviewing and approving proposed additions to and disposals from the KAM collection.
Reviewing and approving strategic plans for developing the KAM collection.
Reviewing and approving proposed additions to and disposals from the Campus Art Collection.
Reviewing the placement of works from the Campus Art Collection in and around buildings on campus, particularly in public spaces, other than the DePree Art Center.

Campus Art Committee Membership:

The KAM Director, chairperson
The Dean for Arts and Humanities
One Art department faculty member, appointed by the Status Committee
One faculty representative from a department other than Art, appointed by the Status Committee
The Vice President for College Advancement or his/her designee
A representative from or appointed by the Hope College Library
Representatives from Physical Plant and other College departments or divisions are invited to advise the Committee on an as-needed basis.

The Campus Art Committee meets twice a year, in April and November, or as needed, to consider any standing business pertaining to the KAM Collection and the Campus Art Collection. If a decision on some urgent issue is needed between regularly scheduled meetings (for example, approval of year-end gifts), the Committee may vote and authorize actions by phone, email or other electronic communications.

In addition to the Campus Art Committee, the KAM Director is assisted by a Museum Advisory Council. The primary functions of the Museum Advisory Council are:

To assist the director and staff of the museum in the development of temporary exhibitions, and to help identify campus and community constituencies to involve in those exhibitions.
To provide guidance on complementary programming (such as lectures, symposia, musical performances, films, artist demonstrations, etc.) for the museum exhibitions.
To help formulate strategic plans for developing the KAM collection (which will then be reviewed and approved by the Campus Art Committee).
To help identify potential supporters of and donors to the Kruizenga Art Museum.

Membership of the Museum Advisory Council includes:

The KAM Director
The Dean for Arts and Humanities
The Vice President for College Advancement or his/her designee
Two faculty members from different departments, appointed by the Status Committee
Two students from different departments, appointed by Student Congress
Up to five members invited from the community at large, to be appointed by the KAM Director but approved by the Dean for the Arts and Humanities, the Provost, and the President.

The Museum Advisory Council meets twice a year, in March and October, or as needed, to review and advise on past, present and future exhibition and programming plans. The Museum Advisory Council does not have governing authority over the operations of the museum, but its advice and recommendations will strongly influence the directions taken by the KAM Director and approved by the Dean of Arts and Humanities.

A6.e.4: Animal Care and Use Committee

Functions:

To review project for humane treatment and judicious and safe use of vertebrate animals (as required by federal law). See C4.a for description of the ethical responsibilities of faculty using animals in research or teaching. The specific functions are to:

Review, at least once every six months, the institution's program for humane care and use of animals.
Inspect, at least once every six months, all the institution's animal facilities.
Prepare reports of its evaluations as set forth in the Public Health Services (PHS) Policy at IV.B.3. and submit the reports to the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences.
Review complaints about involving the care and use of animals at the institution.
Make written recommendations to the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship regarding any aspect of the institution's animal program, facilities, or personnel training.
Review activities related to the care and use of animals (in relation to PHS Policy, IV.V); grant approval (with or without conditions) or withhold approval. Review proposed significant changes regarding the use of animals in ongoing activities; require modifications in (to secure approval) or grant approval (with or without conditions) or withhold approval of such changes (cf. PHS Policy, IV.C).
Notify investigators and the institution in writing of its decision to approve or withhold approval, or of modifications required to secure approval as set forth in vi and vii (PHS Policy, IV.C.4).
Be authorized to suspend an activity involving animals (PHS Policy, IV.C.6).

Membership:

The Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship shall appoint the committee of at least 5 members to include a doctor of veterinary medicine, a practicing scientist experienced in research involving animals, and a person whose primary concerns are in a nonscientific area (e.g. ethicist, theologian), and one individual who is neither affiliated with Hope College nor a member of the immediate family of a person affiliated with Hope College.

A6.e.5: Human Subjects Review Board

Functions:

To review all research done under the auspices of the College involving human subjects and to ensure that human participants are treated in a just and ethical manner (as defined in federal regulations). See C4.b for the ethical responsibilities of faculty using human subjects.
The chair of the HSRB shall submit an annual report detailing the activities of the board to the Provost.

Membership:

At least six members, appointed annually by the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship: two members from the social science faculty, representing different departments; one from the natural and applied science faculty, one from the arts or the humanities faculty, with professional interests in ethics, religion, philosophy, or a closely related discipline; one with an advanced degree in a health-related profession; one from the Holland Community who is neither affiliated with Hope College nor immediately related to someone affiliated with Hope College. Membership must include both men and women. The Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship chairs the committee.

HSRB website

A6.e.6: Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC)

Functions:

To develop a strong institutional program for advising students interested in pursuing post-graduate programs in health professions that is consistent with the mission of the college. This would include students preparing to enter graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, optometry, chiropractic medicine, podiatric medicine and other health-related careers.
To coordinate and encourage efforts of departments to offer courses commonly required by graduate programs in the health professions that are part of the regular college curriculum.
To annually review reports from the Health Professions Advisor on the acceptance of Hope College students into graduate programs in the health professions.
Members of the HPAC will assist with advising majors in their respective departments who are pursuing a career in one of the health professions.
Members of the HPAC will serve as liaisons between their department and the HPAC regarding pre-professional course requirements that impact of their departments’ course offerings and programs.

Membership:

The committee will consist of the Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences, the Health Professions Advisor (who will serve as chairperson), and eight to twelve faculty members appointed by the chair in consultation with the dean from departments that teach courses commonly required or recommended by graduate programs in the health professions, including general education requirements. Appointments are for a period of three years with reappointment possible. The chairperson of HPAC will report to the Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences and will provide an annual report of the committee’s activities to the Dean and the Provost.

A6.f: Appeals and Grievances Panel

Functions:

To serve on committees established in accord with the procedures set forth in sections B6 (Disciplinary Measures and Dismissal for Cause) and B22 (Appeals and Grievances).
To handle appeals, mediation in grievance cases, grievances, or dismissals.
To participate, on request, in evaluations of the appeal and grievance process.

Membership and Method of Election:

The Panel shall consist of twelve to sixteen members, elected according to the procedures described below. At least four of the members shall be former members of the Status Committee.

In March or April of each year, each division shall nominate two tenured persons, of whom at least one shall be a former member of the Status Committee. From these nominations the faculty as a whole shall elect one member from each division to serve as members of the Panel. If this election results in there being fewer than four Status Committee alumni/ae on the Panel, including members continuing from the preceding year, an additional faculty-wide election shall be held, using the roster of eligible Status Committee alumni/ae as the nominee list, to ensure that four members of the Panel are Status Committee alumni/ae.

All members, except as noted below, shall be elected for three-year terms, so arranged that approximately one-third of the membership is elected each year. A Panel member may be reelected for one additional term, but is then ineligible for three years before s/he can be considered again for election. A Panel member who goes on sabbatical or other leave for one semester or less remains on the Panel but will not be asked to serve on committees during that period. If a divisional representative leaves the Panel before his/her term expires, the vacancy shall be filled at the next spring election for the remainder of the three-year term, following the procedure set forth in the preceding paragraph. A Panel member whose term ends while s/he is serving on a Hearing, Appeal, Mediation, or Grievance committee will continue as a member of that committee until its work is completed.

A faculty member serving on the Appeals and Grievances Panel may not serve concurrently on the Professional Interests Committee, the President's Advisory Committee, the Status Committee, or the Board of Trustees.

The Panel elects its own chairperson.

Section b. Faculty Personnel Policies

B1: Procedures to be followed in the Recruitment of Persons to the Hope College Faculty

B1.a: Principles

As stated in the Articles of Incorporation, the purpose of Hope College is "to provide comprehensive literary and scientific courses of study, including related research and scholarly pursuits, and to do so in relation to the Christian faith with an overall goal of enabling students to grow and mature intellectually, spiritually, culturally and socially and to prepare for positions of leadership in the nation and in the world."

Hope College seeks to fulfill this purpose by maintaining a scholarly learning environment which is characterized by freedom of inquiry and active participation in the higher education community and the academic disciplines, and in which the Christian faith provides an incentive for excellence, a context for values, and motivation for service. For the campus community such faith embraces the search for truth and diversity in worship and practice. The faculty is the key to developing and maintaining this environment. Therefore, the College strives to have a faculty that shares this vision of academic excellence and faith and whose members are eager to be teachers and scholars in such a community. The Board of Trustees (January 27, 1984) has directed the President, administration, and faculty to strive diligently, whenever persons are recruited to the faculty for tenure-track positions, to identify and recruit persons of outstanding ability and character who are dedicated to excellence in teaching and scholarship, and who have a mature understanding of and commitment to the Christian faith. Although it is not required that the faculty should consist only of professing Christians, it is expected that the faculty as a whole will be predominantly Christian and that every member of the faculty will fully support the College's purpose.

Recruiting faculty involves a deliberate effort to identify such persons and to bring to their attention the nature and strengths of the College and the opportunities it offers for excellence in teaching and scholarship. The College will provide equitable incentives and judicious encouragement for the selected candidates to join us at Hope.

More specifically, the qualities the College seeks in the persons it recruits for the faculty are:

Demonstrated ability or potential as an outstanding teacher;
Significant academic and professional achievement;
The desire and ability to continue to advance as a teacher and as a professional through the pursuit of high quality scholarly and/or artistic work, and, if possible, to involve students in such work
A commitment to:
- the ideals of liberal education;
- encouraging students to develop a coherent value system for learning and for all of life;
- the historic Christian faith and to fulfilling with excellence the purpose of the College as outlined above.

Ideally, these qualities are fully evident in every person recruited for the faculty. In reality, these qualities exist in a unique combination in each individual with respect to both nature and degree. Therefore, there is a need to look with sensitivity at each candidate as a whole person, recognizing that someone who does not possess all of these qualities may have such strengths overall as to remain a viable candidate.

Thus, the goal of the search process is to identify truly outstanding candidates who can contribute positively to the College's mission, to select the best-qualified candidates, and to recruit them for our faculty. The primary responsibility for evaluating the academic and professional qualifications rests with the department; all persons involved share the responsibility for evaluating the personal qualities of the candidates.

B1.b: Procedures

To recruit the strongest possible faculty member for each vacancy both expeditiously and effectively, the following procedures have been established:

B1.b.1: Identification of Positions to be Filled

The earlier the recruiting process can begin, the better the possibility of recruiting an outstanding person. Therefore, at the beginning of each academic year each department with an actual or anticipated vacancy will meet with its dean to discuss the rationale for filling the position and the desired qualifications for the person who would fill it. Subsequently, the departmental chairperson will submit in writing to the academic dean a request for approval to fill the position, along with the rationale and qualifications for the position. The dean will promptly review this statement with the Provost so that the department has a response within four weeks of the beginning of the academic year. The Provost will review all requests with the President.

Possible responses include a decision to proceed to recruit, a decision not to fill the position, a decision to advertise but wait for final decision on hiring or a decision to hold for further information on such matters as the specific requirements of the position, enrollment, or finances. A decision to defer action will be discussed with the department and plans developed for arriving at a decision.

When a position becomes vacant during the year, the department will submit a statement of rationale and desired qualifications to the dean. A response as outlined above, including the projected time schedule, will be given to the department within three weeks after its statement of rationale and position description has been submitted.

In certain special cases, a limited search may be authorized. For example, a candidate with extraordinary qualifications may come to the attention of the department or administration outside the ordinary recruitment process. After the special circumstances have been fully discussed by the department and the administration, a limited search will be conducted, provided that the department and the administration are in agreement. The department will initiate the search, following the established procedures as closely as possible.

B1.b.2: The Search Process

After authorization has been given by the Provost to fill a faculty position, the dean will meet with the department to review the appointment criteria and the procedures and time schedule to be followed in filling the position. Any special circumstances that warrant departures from established procedures should be identified and agreed upon at this time.
The chairperson and dean are responsible for conducting a nationwide search to locate the best candidate for a vacancy and for ensuring that special attention has been given to actively seeking and encouraging women and members of minority groups to apply for the position. Such a search should normally include:
1. Contacting appropriate persons in graduate schools for the names of prominent candidates;
2. Placing advertisements in appropriate disciplinary publications, placement bulletins of professional societies, etc. - this is to be coordinated with the Provost's Office.
3. Contacting university placement bureaus, other placement bureaus such as the Cooperative College Registry, and the registries of professional societies, including those oriented to the Christian faith.
4. Contacting equal opportunity recruitment sources (e.g. Women's Caucus of AAHE, American Association of University Women, Office of Women in Higher Education of ACE, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the United Negro College Fund, and the Association of Black Women in Higher Education);
5. Seeking personal recommendations from professionally-knowledgeable sources; and
6. Screening interviews at professional meetings, etc.
Advertisements must normally contain either of the following statements:
- "Hope College is a Christian co-educational, residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Reformed Church in America."
  - Or
- "Hope College is a co-educational, residential liberal arts college with approximately [current enrollment] students, and is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to combine teaching excellence with scholarly or other appropriate professional activity and should be committed to the character and goals of a liberal arts college with a Christian perspective.
- All advertisements must also contain the following statement:
  - " Hope College places a high priority on sustaining a supportive environment that recognizes the importance of having a diverse faculty and staff in order to best prepare our students for successful careers in our multi-cultural nation and global community. Applications from persons with diverse backgrounds and cultures, including women and persons of color are, therefore, welcomed. Hope College complies with federal and state requirements for nondiscrimination in employment."
- All position descriptions and advertisements shall be approved by the Provost and the Dean.
It is recognized that the procedures available to gather information on candidates vary from one discipline to another. Whatever the specific procedures used, it is essential that the initial evaluation (as well as subsequent evaluations) be based on comparable information on each applicant or nominee. Normally, a preliminary file would consist of:
- A complete résumé (curriculum vitae);
- A description of proposed activities for professional development, such as research plans or plans for creative or performance activities;

As this information is received, the department will decide if an applicant or nominee appears to be a viable candidate. The persons so identified will be given or sent appropriate materials describing the College and its programs, the job description, and a statement on the purpose of the College, including its academic and religious character. They will be invited to indicate in writing how they visualize themselves fulfilling this position and contributing to the mission of the College. In addition, candidates should indicate how they can contribute to the College’s commitment to expanding cultural diversity within the academic program and campus as a whole. At this point, the department will normally contact candidates and/or their references and seek to obtain evidence on the candidates' teaching ability and scholarly or artistic ability. For the former, student evaluations of teaching, peer evaluations, and/or the review of a videotape of a class or seminar would constitute the ideal evidence. For the latter, publications, a portfolio of slides or photographs of creative works, and the evaluation of a mentor or other personal references will be sought. The chairperson has the responsibility to collect all information available and create a file on each candidate.

The next step is to decide which of these candidates will be invited to the campus for an interview. It is particularly important at this point for the department, the department chairperson, and the dean to work cooperatively together. The department has the responsibility to review the files again and to identify those that seem to be fully qualified. Every effort will be made to include women and members of minority groups among the top candidates. The dean will review the top candidates with the search committee chair and together they will decide which candidates will be interviewed by telephone to obtain further information on the candidate's academic qualifications, commitment to the liberal arts, ability to contribute to the purpose of the College, and perspective on the Christian faith. Every effort will be made to handle such conversations with sensitivity and discretion and with recognition of the diversity of ways people express the spiritual dimension of their lives. The department at this point may again wish to gain further information on these candidates through appropriate contacts and channels.

With this additional information in hand, the department and the dean will decide which candidates should be invited to the campus for an interview. It is important for all concerned that this decision should be made only after assessing each candidate in terms of all the qualities being sought. Every effort will be made to come to unanimous agreement on which candidates shall be invited, but the dean has the final authority. If reservations persist about any candidate to be invited to the campus, it is imperative that agreement be reached on how these issues will be addressed and evaluated during the interview. Once it has been decided which candidates will be brought to campus, the dean (or his/her designate) will extend the appropriate invitations.

Official transcripts of the highest degree achieved must be submitted before an official contract is offered.

B1.b.3: Campus Interview

The primary purpose of the campus interview is to come to know the candidate as a person and to evaluate his or her qualifications to fill the vacancy and become a member of the faculty. The chairperson and dean will design the interview so that the candidate has ample opportunity to demonstrate his or her abilities and gifts and to understand and respond to the nature and the style of liberal arts education in the Christian context at Hope College.
Normally, all candidates – internal and external – should be expected to:
1. Remain on campus for two days;
2. Meet informally with all members of the department;
3. Have ample opportunity to meet with students (especially majors) in the department;
4. Present at least one colloquium or performance for faculty and students and/or teach a class;
5. Meet with the dean, Provost, and President (NOTE: normally only the Provost will discuss salary and benefits with the candidate, to avoid duplication and possibly conflicting information);
6. Meet with faculty members outside the department;
7. Receive some exposure to the City of Holland.

B1.b.4: Conclusion of the Search

After the candidates have been on campus, it is the responsibility of the department chairperson, the dean, and the Provost to evaluate the candidates. The chairperson collects evaluations and opinions from the department, from other faculty, and from students, and the Provost solicits the view of the President and identifies any college-wide concerns. Every effort will be made to come to unanimous agreement on which candidate (if any) should be invited to join the faculty. If necessary the dean will bring the chairperson and the Provost together to explore the matter in detail. If questions arise during the evaluation process, these will be clarified through communication with the candidate or references. A decision should normally be arrived at no later than one week after all the candidates have been brought to campus for their interviews. While the Provost and President have final authority in matters of appointment, every effort will be made to reach a decision by mutual agreement and thus ensure that each person hired has the full support of the department, the dean, and the Provost.
It is the policy of Hope College to conduct a background check before making an offer of employment. This will be limited to checking criminal convictions, felony charges, state and national sex offender lists, and terrorist watch lists. In the event a particular position involves access to large sums of money, a credit check will also be required. The background check information will be ordered and reviewed by only one person designated at the College. The designee will share this information with the hiring supervisor only when it is relevant to the job performance. All candidates will be informed of their right to review the check for accuracy. If the background check uncovers information that is potentially disqualifying, the candidate will be informed and given the opportunity to respond. Results of this check will remain confidential unless essential for the College’s legal defense in a lawsuit involving the candidate.
The department chairperson, dean, and Provost will decide on the terms of the contract, including any incentives to encourage the candidate to join the College. An oral offer may be made pending the results of the background check. A written contract will be mailed after the background check is complete and cleared through Human Resources. Issuing the actual contract is the responsibility of the Provost in consultation with the President.
In accord with current budgeting conventions, recruitment expenses come from the office of the Provost. At the conclusion of the interview, the dean and/or chairperson will submit to the Provost a statement of expenses incurred.
All materials, including the position announcement(s) and dossiers of all candidates, shall be retained by the department. For candidates who were given serious consideration for a position, i.e. interviewed at a national convention or on a short list of a dozen or so, complete files must be retained for three years. For those who were eliminated early in the screening process, files should be retained for one year.
When a position has been filled, the chairperson will communicate this fact to candidates who visited the campus and other candidates whose applications are pending.
If a candidate is hired with the understanding that he or she will receive a particular degree (e.g. Ph.D.), it is the candidate’s responsibility to forward official transcripts verifying that the degree has in fact been awarded

B1.b.5: Legal or Ethical Requirements

All candidates deserve the courtesy of a response in timely fashion. Chairpersons should acknowledge all letters of application and provide candidates with the timetable for the search. At appropriate times, all candidates should be advised of their status.
At all stages of the process, we must comply fully with all legal requirements.
1. Under no circumstances is it permissible to ask a candidate his/her age, marital status, or any question regarding his/her spouse or family.
2. It is illegal in any discussion of the candidates to mention age or marital status, whether in a departmental meeting or in a caucus.

B2: Faculty Designations

B2.A: Types of Appointment

Appointments to the Hope College faculty are of four kinds:

A regular appointment begins as a one-year appointment and, given satisfactory performance, it may be renewed annually and eventually lead to tenure status (see B4). It is possible by special arrangement for a regular appointment to be made on a fractional-time basis: for example, for a single position to be shared by a couple, or to provide partial leave or released time for personal or professional purposes.
A term appointment is for a specific period not to exceed three consecutive years. It does not lead to tenure status. It is commonly described as "non-tenure-track."
A part-time regular appointment begins as a one-year appointment and, given satisfactory performance, it may be renewed annually. It does not normally lead to tenure status, but may do so if the conditions set forth in B4 have been met.
A part-time lectureship is granted for teaching one or more courses in a given semester. The appointment may be renewed on a semester-by-semester basis. It normally involves teaching responsibilities only. Such an appointment (or series of appointments) does not lead to tenure status.

B2.b: Sequential Ranks

The following description includes the general criteria used in determining the rank for initial appointments and subsequent promotions (see B3.d1) of all full-time teaching members of the faculty (including tenure-track, tenured, and non tenure-track faculty):

Instructor
1. Shall hold at least a master's degree from a recognized graduate school with concentration in the appropriate subject area. In certain special cases, a bachelor's degree and/or appropriate professional experience may be adequate.
2. Shall have evident ability as a teacher with promise for successful career development.
3. Reappointment at the rank of instructor should not ordinarily be expected beyond the seventh year.
Assistant Professor
1. Shall preferably hold the doctoral degree or at least a substantial amount of advanced study beyond the master's degree. In certain special cases, an established professional career and experience may be accepted in lieu of the doctoral degree.
2. Shall have evident ability as a teacher and scholar.
3. Shall give evidence of professional and broad usefulness to the College and sympathy toward its purposes.
Associate Professor
1. Shall hold the doctorate or its equivalent. (see B3.d1)
2. Shall have demonstrated superior ability as a teacher.
3. Shall have demonstrated ability to do scholarly work as indicated by significant research, scholarly publication, public performance, or creative accomplishment.
4. Shall give evidence of professional and broad usefulness to the College and sympathy toward its purposes, with promise of increasing worth.
Professor
1. Shall hold the doctorate or its equivalent. (see B3.d1)
2. Shall have demonstrated superior ability as a teacher.
3. Shall have a record of scholarly publications and other scholarly or creative activities which have earned him/her an established reputation within his/her profession.
4. Shall engage regularly in activities which promote professional growth and have held positions of responsibility in his/her profession and on the campus.
5. Shall give evidence of sympathy toward the purposes of the College.

B2.c: Sequential Ranks for Librarians and Archivists

Faculty appointments to the library or archives staff and subsequent promotions are to one of the following ranks:

Librarian (Archivist) with the Rank of Instructor
Librarian (Archivist) with the rank of Assistant Professor
Librarian (Archivist) with the rank of Associate Professor
Librarian (Archivist) with the rank of Professor.

The criteria for appointment and promotion, approved by the Status Committee in January 1995, are on file in the offices of the Provost, the Director of Libraries, and the Director of the Joint Archives of Holland. Although different, these criteria parallel the standards for appointment and promotion of other faculty detailed in B2b.

B2.d: Designations for Part-time Faculty

Part-time Lecturer is the title usually given to those teaching part-time (see B2.a4).
Adjunct - see B2.e.5.

B2.E: Other Designations

Distinguished Professor-at-Large
- The title of Distinguished Professor-at-Large is a designation given to a limited number of clearly superior faculty members of unusually broad interests and abilities who have attained the rank of Professor. They are normally assigned teaching responsibilities in several different departments, in interdisciplinary studies, and in research roles. While members of several departmental faculties, they are the direct administrative responsibility of the Provost.
Postdoctoral Fellow/Researcher
- A temporary non-tenure track research position held by a person who has completed his or her doctoral studies. Postdoctoral appointments commonly last for periods ranging between six months and five years, and have traditionally been dedicated purely to research. However, so-called "teaching postdocs" will be offered for those who seek to focus on teaching in their careers.
Research Professor
- A non-tenure track research position held by a person who has completed his or her doctoral studies. The initial a ppointment will be at the rank of Research Assistant Professor and requires qualifications corresponding to those of an Assistant Professor but with primary emphasis on research. The initial appointment will be for a three-year term. In the second year, a decision will be made concerning renewal of the appointment for a second three-year term. In the sixth year of appointment, the review for promotion to Research Associate Professor may take place. If promotion is denied, the appointment is extended for a seventh, terminal year. Faculty may be appointed to research professorial ranks on less than full-time basis. The percentage of appointment must be clearly documented at the time of hire.
Professors Holding Endowed Professorships
- Restricted gifts have been given to Hope College for the purpose of endowing professorships. A full description of the currently endowed professorships is contained in the College Catalog. Faculty members are named to these endowed chairs for specific periods of time. Selection of faculty members for these chairs is made by the President, upon the recommendation of the Status Committee and Deans' Council. Benefits include stipends for summer research or for travel related to professional development and the provision of special stationery and other forms of recognition.
Adjunct Faculty
- The title of one of the regular professorial ranks, prefixed by the term Adjunct, is used:
  1. for a part-time teacher having a distinguished record of performance at Hope College over an extended period of time (at least five years and at least 60 credit hours). Persons are normally recommended to the Provost for these appointments by the departmental chairperson and divisional dean;
  2. for a person whose primary identification is with a different institution or with a different profession and who brings extraordinary ability or experience to the part-time teaching position.
- On occasion, a faculty member who holds the title of Adjunct may be given a full-time term appointment.
Visiting Faculty
- The term "Visiting" is prefixed to any of the above titles when the appointee is teaching full-time at Hope temporarily (usually one year or less) while on leave from another institution or position. It is also used to distinguish the shorter term appointments.
Administrative Officers with Faculty Rank
- Those administrative officers concurrently holding faculty status are subject to the same conditions for promotion and tenure as pertain to other faculty members. However, when they are granted tenure, that tenure applies to their teaching position alone.
Affiliated Scholar/Artist
- Under the terms of the Independent Scholars' Protocol developed by the GLCA, as modified by the Administrative Affairs Board, the title Affiliated Scholar or Affiliated Artist may be given to qualified members of the academic community who are pursuing independent work. They may receive access to the library, opportunities to participate in the life of the campus, and various support services. A full statement of their privileges and responsibilities is contained in Faculty Bulletin 14.4 ( 20 Dec. 1984): 9-10. Further information is available from the Office of the Provost.
Emeritus Status
- This designation, bestowed by the Board of Trustees upon certain members of the College faculty and administrative staff holding faculty rank, honors those who have made significant contributions to the College over an extended period, and provides a continuing identification with the College for those persons during their period of retirement. The rank is an honorary designation and carries with it certain limited responsibilities and rights, including but not necessarily limited to: use of College stationery for professional correspondence; a continued faculty ID card for access to the College libraries, admission to the Dow Center and athletic and other events, and discounts for events and Bookstore purchases granted to all faculty; computer and email access privileges; invitations to banquets, receptions and coffees to which retirees are normally invited; tuition waiver (see B17.b.7). A faculty or administrative faculty member who has completed a minimum of seven years of full-time employment at Hope College and has been placed on the retirement rolls of the College is eligible for consideration for Emeritus status. The Provost and the President recommend to the Board of Trustees the conferring of this status on a faculty person; the Board then takes final action. Emeritus status for administrative faculty is upon direct recommendation of the President to the Board.

B3: Terms of Appointment: Evaluations, Salaries and Promotions

B3.a: Contracts

The contract year for faculty begins on an annually appointed date and extends for nine months.

The teaching faculty contract covers teaching and other faculty responsibilities for the academic year (fall and spring semesters) and the normal scholarly activity that is required in the summer as preparation for the academic year.

Faculty members who teach in one or more of the summer sessions receive additional stipends. Certain faculty members with year-round administrative responsibilities may receive a contract based on an eleven-month work period.

Reappointment of a faculty member is by contract letter from the Provost by March 15, for the period of the following academic year. The copy is to be signed and returned to the Provost no later than April 15.

B3.b: Performance Evaluation Procedure

The status of all continuing faculty members is reviewed every year by the Status Committee, which recommends action to the President related to salary increments, promotion in rank, and tenure. Appropriate action is taken by the President, with approval by the Board of Trustees.

Annual performance evaluations of both tenured and non-tenured faculty are conducted in January and February and cover teaching, scholarship, advising, and service during the preceding calendar year. They comprise the following steps (see Section B9 for procedures to be followed in the cases of departmental chairpersons):

The faculty member submits a self-assessment report to the departmental chairperson. The report consists of the Service to Hope form (available on the Provost’s Office website) and a narrative section which includes a statement of professional goals for the following year.
For tenure and promotion, student appraisals are required in designated semesters. For this purpose, a faculty member must employ the currently approved instrument for student evaluation of teaching, available from the office of the divisional dean. All tenured faculty are required to administer the approved instrument one semester every three years in every course a faculty member is teaching that particular semester. Department chairs or the individual faculty member may request evaluation more frequently. Department chairs may use this data as part of assessment of the faculty member’s teaching. Faculty may choose to supplement the approved instrument data with data procured from other self-designed or published instruments. Regardless of the evaluative instruments selected, good data collection procedures should be followed.
The departmental chairperson schedules a conference with each faculty member to discuss his/her self-assessment and goals.
The departmental chairperson completes an initial written evaluation of faculty members in the department.
The departmental chairperson and divisional dean arrive at a mutually acceptable statement for transmission, together with the Service to Hope form, to the Status Committee. In the event that the two cannot reach agreement, the dean will prepare a separate statement containing his/her own analysis and recommendations and forward both statements to the Status Committee.
The chairperson and dean provide the faculty member with an advance copy of their statement(s) which serves as a basis for discussion of the faculty member's major professional objectives for the following year. This procedure will also allow for correction of inaccurate or unfair judgments, if necessary. If a faculty person disagrees with any aspect of what is finally submitted to the Status Committee, s/he is invited to communicate directly with that Committee and the Provost.
The Status Committee presents its recommendations to the President, who makes the final decision. Recommendations of the Status Committee are confidential, as are its deliberations.
The Provost notifies all candidates promptly concerning the decisions reached.

B3.c: Salary

Salary Increases
- Beyond any across-the-board and equity adjustments, increments in salary are given in recognition of significant accomplishment or contribution based on known criteria and arrived at in accordance with the procedures in B3b. These are merit increases, and are determined by the sum of the impact a faculty member has on, and beyond, the Hope community with respect to teaching, advising, scholarship, and service during a given year.
- Recommendations for salary increases normally are made to the Status Committee by the departmental chairperson and the divisional dean. A faculty member who does not find his/her salary acceptable may request a review. Request for such a review should be made in writing and submitted along with supporting evidence to the Provost.
Salary Information
- A summary statement of the faculty salaries offered for a particular year, broken down by division and rank, is prepared annually and distributed to the faculty members. Additional salary information is provided to the Professional Interests Committee for analysis (see A6.d).
Payroll Information
- Salary checks are normally distributed through campus mail. If a faculty member desires to have his/her check deposited directly to a local bank account, s/he may make arrangements with the Hope College payroll office. Faculty may also make arrangements for automatic deposit of summer checks.
- For financial and insurance coverage purposes, faculty members are considered to be twelve-month employees. The annual salary is normally paid in 24 equal installments, although a 20 installment plan is available on request. Summer school salaries are paid in announced installments during the summer session.

B3.d: Promotion

Promotion in rank is determined in light of the criteria established (see Section B2.b.) and in accordance with the procedures described above for faculty evaluation (B3.b).
- Consideration is given to length of time in present rank and to the integrated record of performance, i.e., the sum of the impact a faculty member has had on, and beyond, the Hope community with respect to teaching, advising, scholarship, and service over a period of years. Any candidate hired after July 1, 2009 must possess the terminal degree for the discipline to be promoted to associate or full professor. If the person does not have the terminal degree but does possess equivalent education and/or professional experience, it must be documented in writing at the time of hiring. A faculty member hired before July 1, 2009, may be considered for promotion; however, he/she must fulfill all the criteria, especially scholarship, at the same level as the tenured faculty in that department, and receive the support of the tenured faculty in their department and the divisional dean.
- For appointments above the rank of Instructor, the doctorate or its equivalent is required. The equivalency (e.g., a degree with a different designation from an international institution, an alternative terminal degree, or significant experience in the academic and/or professional field) shall be specified in the original contract, along with an indication of whether the candidate shall be eligible for future promotions in rank. The equivalency should be designated in consultation with the department chair, the appropriate dean, and the provost. If the candidate will be required to pursue further education (e.g., a doctorate or other terminal degree) or professional certification to be considered for promotion, that requirement will be clearly stated in the initial contract. For all promotions, regardless of the degree held by the candidate, the other criteria for promotion must be fully met.
Overtures for promotion normally are made to the Status Committee by the departmental chairperson and divisional dean, but may originate from another administrator or from the individual faculty member seeking consideration. Details of procedures and deadlines are available from the Office of the Provost.
1. Ordinarily, an individual is recommended for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor at the time that he or she is recommended for tenure.
2. The process of promotion from associate professor to professor ordinarily begins no earlier than an individual’s sixth year in rank. At the request of the faculty member, his/her department chair and dean will confer about his/her integrated record of performance (including SIR’s administered during the previous year) and determine whether to recommend the individual for promotion the following year.
3. If an individual is not recommended for promotion, he or she will be notified in writing of the reasons; the dean and the chair will reconsider the decision when the candidate furnishes evidence that he or she now meets the criteria established in section B2b of the Faculty Handbook.
4. Early promotion is possible when the dean and the chair judge an individual’s performance as clearly exceptional in terms of all the criteria established in section B2b of the Faculty Handbook.
Proposals for promotion of a departmental chairperson normally shall be initiated by the divisional dean.
Promotion Procedures for Fractional and Full-time Non-Tenure-Track Faculty
1. The policy for promotion of adjunct faculty is set forth in “Policies Regarding Salaries, Benefits and Status of Part-time Faculty and Coaches."
2. Normally, advancement in rank shall require the following minimum number of years of FTE service at each rank:
  - Instructor to Assistant Professor: 2 years
  - Assistant to Associate Professor: 7 years
  - Associate to Professor: 12 years
3. Advancement in rank shall depend upon consistently favorable performance evaluations during the years in rank, and shall be dependent upon the criteria for each academic rank listed in the Faculty Handbook (B2b).
  - The process shall be initiated by the department chairperson in consultation with the dean.
  - The process shall follow the procedures and schedule established for tenure-track faculty being considered for promotion.
  - Recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding promotion in rank shall be made by the president upon formal action by the Status Committee.
  - The new rank shall become effective with the next contract year.
Persons promoted receive a standard salary adjustment when promoted from assistant professor to associate professor or from associate professor to professor.

B3.e: Personnel File

The Human Resources Office maintains the official personnel file for each faculty member in accordance with state and federal guidelines. The file contains all pertinent employment information including, but not limited to, annual evaluations, tenure and status records, and disciplinary information. Faculty members may review their official personnel file by contacting the Human Resources Office to make an appointment. Unofficial files for faculty members may also be maintained by the Provost, Dean, or Department Chair. These files are also available for review by the faculty member upon request.

B4: Tenure

General Principles
1. Hope College accepts the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure as established by the Association of American Colleges and the American Association of University Professors. This statement includes the following provision:
  - After the expiration of a probationary period, teachers should have permanent or continuous tenure, and their service should be terminated only for adequate cause, except in the case of retirement for age, or under extraordinary circumstances because of financial exigencies.
  - Adequate cause is defined by Hope College to be moral turpitude, incompetence, or academic irresponsibility. Because of pending changes in federal law regarding mandatory retirement, the exception in the case of retirement for age may be discontinued after December 1992.
2. The precise terms and conditions of every appointment should be stated in writing and be in the possession of the College and faculty member before appointment is consummated.
3. The probationary period, which will not exceed seven years, includes all full-time service at Hope College at the rank of Instructor or above. Leaves of absence, including any year in which a faculty member is absent for a full semester or more, and service under part-time employment, are not included in "years of service" in determining eligibility for tenure, unless a specific agreement is made before this part-time service or period of leave begins.
  - In the case of a faculty member who has had prior teaching or professional experience, an agreement regarding the length of the probationary period will be incorporated into the initial contract. As a general policy, the College will grant credit for all full-time teaching service up to three years, if such service is at a four-year institution and at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, and follows completion of the terminal degree. Credit for all other teaching or professional experience will be negotiated.
  - During the probationary period a faculty member has the academic freedom that all other members of the faculty have.
4. Under no condition will any person be considered to have attained tenure automatically. The faculty committee designated for the consideration of all matters relating to tenure and for recommendations to the administration for the granting, withholding, or revoking of tenure, shall be the Status Committee. Once a candidate has been approved by the Board of Trustees for tenure upon recommendation of the College President, s/he is notified of this action in writing.
5. Tenure is granted only to persons holding the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, and expires when the faculty member retires.
6. A person not granted tenure during the probationary period will be given a terminal one-year appointment following that decision, in conformity with the standards for nonreappointment. (See B5.b.)
Overall Tenure Guidelines Set by the Board of Trustees
- In order to maintain flexibility and the opportunity of adding new faculty from time to time, the Board of Trustees has established the guideline that normally no more than two-thirds of the faculty should be tenured, although they may from time to time permit exceeding that limit. The Provost presents a report annually on the tenure status of the faculty to assist the Board in its decisions on tenure recommendations and to enable it to take any other actions that it may deem necessary to maintain the viability and flexibility of the College's programs.
- Recommendations for the granting of tenure for individual faculty members are normally presented to the Board of Trustees at its January meeting. These recommendations for tenure normally are accompanied by written statements from the Provost, the Divisional Dean and the Departmental Chairperson.
Evaluation Criteria
- The principal criteria to be applied in the evaluation of a candidate for tenure are as follows:
  1. Teaching competence, as witnessed by student evaluations (see B3.b2), colleague evaluations, and letters of support from students, colleagues, and other persons who are sufficiently knowledgeable to make a professional judgment;
  2. The predicted ability of the candidate to remain successful as a teacher and scholar or artist in the years ahead based on previous performance;
  3. Effectiveness in serving students outside of the classroom;
  4. Demonstrated leadership abilities in the department and on the campus;
  5. Contribution to the overall goals and objectives of the College.
- In addition, the evaluators must consider the impact of the tenure decisions on the viability and flexibility of the department's program in the years ahead.
Evaluation Process
- During the first semester of the academic year, new faculty will be briefed by the chairperson of the Status Committee on the process outlined below. A guiding concept for the evaluation process is the integrated record of performance, i.e. the sum of the impact a faculty member has on, and beyond, the Hope community with respect to teaching, advising, scholarship, and service.
- Departmental chairpersons and the divisional deans have primary responsibility for helping faculty under regular appointment meet the criteria for tenure. One of the first steps is to help faculty members to establish concrete goals for professional growth and development in the next year(s).
- Every effort will be made during the probationary period to keep the faculty member informed of the prospects for appointment with tenure.
- Evaluations of the performance of faculty members during the probationary period are made annually in accordance with procedures described above (see Section B3.b) and in light of the concrete goals established and the general criteria for faculty members (see Section B2.b). A thorough evaluation takes place at the conclusion of a three-year appointment period so that probationary faculty are informed of prospects for receiving tenure. At the conclusion of this evaluation, the divisional dean provides the candidate with a written statement containing an assessment of progress towards tenure and outlining minimal objectives to be realized if the candidate is to be considered for tenure. A statement of procedures for the handling of Third-year Evaluations of probationary faculty is available on the Provost's Office website.
- In the sixth year, an in-depth evaluation is made so that decision on tenure can be reached and acted upon at the January meeting of the Board of Trustees. A statement of the procedures to be followed is available from the Office of the Provost; it contains a listing of all materials which must be supplied to the Status Committee in support of the recommendation of the departmental chairperson and divisional dean.
- The decision regarding tenure will involve the results of the evaluation as well as an assessment of the overall staffing situation in the department and the College. Should the decision be reached not to grant tenure, the faculty member will then have a terminal one-year appointment.
- A decision regarding non-reappointment can be made at any time during the probationary period, subject to fulfilling the requirements for advance notice of nonreappointment (see B5).
Evaluation of Tenured Faculty
- Tenured faculty are expected to demonstrate continuing development in teaching effectiveness and in scholarly contributions. The sabbatical leave program and the summer grant program are instruments toward this end. The same rigor that is used in evaluating nontenured faculty members is applied to tenured faculty members as they are being considered for merit raises and promotions.

B5: Resignations and Nonreappointments

Resignations
- According to generally accepted ethical principles for faculty recruitment, faculty members may terminate their appointments effective at the end of an academic year, provided that they give notice in writing at the earliest possible opportunity, but not later than May 15 or thirty days after receiving notification of terms of employment for the following year, whichever date occurs later. A faculty member may ask the administration to waive this requirement in case of hardship, but should comply with their decision.
Nonreappointment of Probationary Faculty
1. Decision-making process
  - All contracts offered to regular faculty who have not yet completed the probationary period and have not yet obtained tenure at Hope College are for one year only (see B2.a1). Each year during the probationary period the departmental chairperson completes a written evaluation of the faculty member's performance and at the end of three years the dean completes a comprehensive written evaluation. At any point during the probationary period, if the faculty member's performance is deemed unsatisfactory, the tenured faculty of the department may be convened to consider whether to recommend non-reappointment. If the departmental chairperson and the tenured faculty recommend non-reappointment, the faculty member will be informed of this recommendation and the reasons for it (in writing, if s/he requests), and be given opportunity to present his/her case to the dean. If the dean subsequently recommends non-reappointment and the Provost concurs, the Provost will issue the notice of non-reappointment in accord with the guidelines in subsection b2 below.
  - Thereafter, as a last resort, the faculty member may request to have his/her case heard by the Status Committee, which will make a recommendation to the President. The decision of the President shall be final.
2. Timing of Notification
  - In accordance with the AAUP "Standards for Notice of Non-Reappointment," notice of nonreappointment shall be given in writing under the following time constraints:
    1. Not later than March 1 of the first academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or, if a one-year appointment terminates during an academic year, at least three months in advance of its termination.
    2. Not later than December 15 of the second academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; of, if an appointment terminates during an academic year, at least six months in advance of its termination.
    3. At least twelve months before the expiration of an appointment after two or more years in the institution.

B6: Disciplinary Measures and Dismissal for Cause

Grounds for Discipline
- A faculty member may be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal, for adequate cause. Hope College defines adequate cause for dismissal to be academic irresponsibility, incompetence, or moral turpitude in faculty members' professional capacities as teachers, researchers, and artists. Discipline will not be used to restrain faculty members in their exercise of academic freedom (see B12).
Disciplinary Sanctions Other than Dismissal
- If the administration receives a complaint about a faculty member’s conduct that could subject that faculty member to discipline, the Provost or his/her representative must investigate that complaint promptly. This investigation may begin informally with conversation (documented if appropriate) between the Provost and the faculty member prior to a full and careful investigation that could lead to a sanction. If the Provost deems further investigation necessary, the faculty member should be notified of the investigation and be given an opportunity to respond to the charges and to suggest further avenues of inquiry. After full and careful investigation and within a reasonable time, normally no more than thirty (30) days, the administration, in consultation with the faculty member, may find the charges unfounded, may give an official reprimand, may impose disciplinary sanctions, or may initiate dismissal proceedings (see B6.d.).
- Sanctions that could be imposed include financial restitution, requirement that the faculty member obtain appropriate medical or psychological treatment, suspension from some or all of a faculty member’s duties for a slated period of time (up to one year), or any other action that causes the faculty member to incur a penalty or loss of measureable value. The sanctions must be in writing and will be retained in the employee’s personnel file in the Human Resources Office.
- Disciplinary sanctions other than dismissal may also result from processes undertaken pursuant to the Sexual Harassment Policy (see section B15) or the Grievance Policy (see B22.)
Suspension
- As a sanction, suspension for a stated period of time may be the end result of an investigation by administration or faculty committee.
- Suspension may also be imposed by the Provost as an interim measure before the completion of an administrative investigation or dismissal proceedings. This action may be taken only if immediate harm (whether physical, psychological, educational, or financial) to the faculty member or to others is threatened by his/her continuance.
- The Provost's decision to use suspension as an interim measure should be made in consultation with the faculty member's chairperson, the relevant divisional dean, the chairperson of the Professional Interests Committee, and the President with regard to the propriety, length, and conditions of the suspension. Suspension as an interim measure requires that the administrative investigation and/or dismissal proceedings be completed in a timely manner, and unless legal considerations forbid, any such suspension should be with pay.
Dismissal Proceedings
1. Preliminary steps
  - Initiation of dismissal proceedings will be preceded by the following sequential steps:
    1. Discussions between the faculty member, the Provost, and the relevant divisional dean, with a view toward achieving a mutual settlement;
    2. Informal inquiry, for a maximum period of thirty (30) days, by representatives of the Professional Interests Committee either to help mediate the situation or to determine the advisability of initiating dismissal proceedings, without their opinion binding the Provost;
    3. Written notification of dismissal, together with charges, framed with a reasonable degree of particularity by the Provost or the Provost's representative. The letter of notification will indicate the date, not less than twenty (20) nor more than thirty (30) days away, when a hearing has been scheduled.
2. The Hearing Committee
  - After receiving the written notification of dismissal, the faculty member will have the right to have the case considered by a hearing committee of elected faculty drawn from the Appeals and Grievance Panel (see A6.f). Panel members deeming themselves disqualified for bias or interest will remove themselves from the case, either at the request of a party or on their own initiative. The chair of the Panel will then draw up a roster of nine (9) members available to serve on the committee. Each party, the faculty member and the administration, may remove from the roster a maximum of two names without stated cause. From the names that remain, the chair of the Panel will appoint a hearing committee of five (5), which shall elect its own chairperson.
  - There must be more than one academic division and both genders represented on the committee. If the names remaining on the roster after peremptory removals do not permit these restrictions to be observed, the chairperson will negotiate with the faculty member and the administration for an enlarged roster so that they can be observed.
  - The committee will be in full charge of the hearing process. In consultation with both parties and in accordance with this Handbook, it has the power to determine how the hearing will proceed, what evidence will be taken and how it will be received, and how it will go about reaching a decision. Strict rules of courtroom procedure need not apply, but the committee should seek to ensure a full and fair hearing for both parties.
3. Before the Hearing
  1. The committee may reschedule the hearing at the request of either party or on its own initiative, provided both parties agree to another date within the 30-day limit stated in B6.d1c).
  2. The committee will ensure that both parties have access to the information necessary to support their cases, including witnesses and documents. The administration will cooperate with the committee in making such information available. With the consent of both parties, the committee may hold joint pre-hearing meetings with both parties to provide for the exchange of documents and other information, determine the issues to be covered at the hearing, decide how the witnesses will be heard, and resolve any other matters necessary to ensure that the hearing is fair, effective, and expeditious.
  3. The faculty member may respond to charges in writing at any time before the hearing, with copies furnished to the hearing committee and the administration.
  4. If the faculty member waives the right to appear at the hearing but denies the charges or asserts that the charges are not adequate cause for dismissal, the hearing committee will evaluate all the available evidence and rest its findings on that evidence.
4. The Hearing
  1. The hearing will be closed and its proceedings will be confidential. An audio recording will be made of the proceedings, and a copy or a transcription of the recording will be furnished to either party upon request.
  2. The faculty member and the administration each may choose to have an advocate present. This will be another member of the faculty or administration who would assist in the presentation of the case. Both sides will have opportunity to present witnesses, to introduce documentary evidence, to question the other side's witnesses, and to make oral and written arguments based on the evidence to the hearing committee. In the hearing of charges of incompetence, the testimony will include that of qualified faculty members from this or other institutions of higher education. The committee will grant adjournments to enable either party to investigate evidence of which it claims, and the committee members concur, that it had no previous notice.
5. The Decision
  - The hearing committee may conclude a) that adequate cause for discipline has not been established by the evidence in the record, b) that adequate cause for discipline has been established but that sanctions specified by the committee are more appropriate than dismissal, or c) that dismissal is justified. The committee must base its decision on the evidence introduced in the hearing record. The administration must persuade the committee that the evidence presented justifies disciplinary action. The hearing committee will submit its report to the President with a copy to the faculty member.
6. Action by the President
  - Upon receipt and review of the recommendations of the hearing committee, the President has the following courses of action from which to choose:
    1. If the hearing committee decides that there is not adequate cause for disciplinary action of any sort and if the President agrees, the case is concluded
    2. If the hearing committee decides that disciplinary action short of dismissal is appropriate and if the President agrees, the recommended sanctions are imposed and the case is concluded.
    3. If the hearing committee and the President agree that dismissal is justified and if the faculty member accepts the judgment, the dismissal is effected and the case is concluded.
    4. If the President disagrees with the hearing committee's recommendation, his/her reasons will be stated in writing to the hearing committee and to the faculty member, who will have opportunity to respond before the President takes further action.
    5. If the hearing committee and the President agree that dismissal is justified but the faculty member contests the decision, or if the President continues to disagree with the hearing committee's recommendation after providing the committee and faculty member opportunity to respond to the President's reasons, the President will transmit the hearing committee's report to a committee of the Board of Trustees appointed ad hoc, together with his/her recommendation and the record of the case.
7. Action by the Board of Trustees
  - If the President refers the case to an ad hoc committee of the Board of Trustees, the committee will base its review on the documents transmitted to it, and it will provide opportunity for argument, written and/or oral, by the principals in the case or by their representatives. If the decision of the hearing committee is sustained, the recommendation will be forwarded to the full Board of Trustees for final decision. If the decision of the hearing committee is not sustained, the case will be returned to the hearing committee with specific objections. The hearing committee will then reconsider the case, taking into account the stated objections and receiving new evidence if necessary. The ad hoc committee of the Board will make its final recommendation to the Board of Trustees only after study of the hearing committee's reconsideration. Only then will the Board make the final decision.
8. Publicity
  - Public statements and publicity about the case by either the faculty member or administrative officers will be avoided as far as possible until the proceedings have been completed, including consideration by the Board of Trustees. Any news release to the public should be made through the President's office.
9. Continuance of salary
  - If a faculty member is dismissed for cause, his/her annual contracted salary is paid over twelve months from the date of the letter of notification (see B6.d1c)) or until the conclusion of his/her duties at the College, whichever is later; except that if the notification of dismissal occurs during the faculty member's first year of service, the minimum commitment for continuance is 25% of the annual contracted salary paid over three months, and if during the second year, 50% of the annual contracted salary paid over six months. During the period over which salary is continued, the College shall not be liable for payment of unemployment compensation. Provision for continuance of salary need not apply if adequate cause for dismissal included a finding of moral turpitude.
10. Disposition of records
  - The official record of the hearing, which is to be kept in the President's Office until all processes have been completed, will consist of the following:
    1. All written materials received from the administration, the faculty member, and any other parties seen to be appropriate by the committee;
    2. A copy of the Committee's recommendations;
    3. A log of the Committee's actions, including times of meeting, documents received, and a record of parties with whom the Committee or its members conversed.
  - At the discretion of the President, following the completion of all processes, the records will be transferred to the Archives, where they will remain under seal, with access limited to the President, the Provost, or their designees.

B7: Termination of Appointment by the College*

Termination of a continuous appointment, or the dismissal of a teacher prior to the expiration of a term appointment, is possible on four grounds: adequate cause (see B6), financial exigency, the discontinuance of a program not mandated by financial exigency, and reasons related to physical or mental health.

*Note: The full policy includes explanatory footnotes which are not here reprinted (see Faculty Bulletin 17 May 1995, pp. 6-12).

Termination of Appointments for Reasons of Financial Exigency
1. Definitions
  - Financial exigency is understood as an imminent financial crisis which threatens the solvency of the institution and which cannot be alleviated by less drastic means.
  - Less drastic means include but are not limited to extensive cost-cutting, a freeze on or reduction in compensation, early retirement, elimination of non-tenured and non-academic positions, reassignment of tenured faculty, reduction of faculty appointments to part-time status, and change in investment policy. In the weighing of alternatives, the retention of a viable academic program is the foremost consideration.
2. Process
  - The termination process is a sequence of several distinct decisions: the decision that a state of financial exigency exists or is imminent, the decision of where to cut one or more tenured positions, the criteria for selecting individuals, and the actual selection.
    1. The President initiates the process, after considerable discussion of the situation already in such bodies as the Advisory Committee on Financial Resources, the Administrative Forum, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, and Faculty Meetings and/or open hearings.
    2. A special committee is formed: all members of the Advisory Committee on Financial Resources except the President; the chairs of the Professional Interests Committee, Administrative Affairs Board, and Academic Affairs Board; the Controller of the College; and the Controller of Student Congress. In the event that all the elected faculty in this group are of the same sex, a member of the teaching faculty of the other sex will be appointed by the President, from the membership of the Professional Interests Committee or Academic Affairs Board, if possible.
      - One role of this committee is to study whether or not a condition of financial exigency exists or is imminent, and whether or not all feasible alternatives to termination of appointments have been pursued. A second role is to determine where within the overall academic program termination of appointments may occur. This process should include consultation with those departments and programs being considered for reduction.
    3. This committee shall report its conclusions to the President and the Board of Trustees.
    4. Criteria for identifying the individuals whose appointments are to be terminated are then jointly developed by the full PIC and the expanded Status Committee (the four elected faculty members of the Status Committee, divisional deans, and Provost) as a recommendation to the Administrative Affairs Board.
    5. The Administrative Affairs Board acts on this recommendation. (This and the preceding step may proceed while the decision of the Board of Trustees is pending.)
    6. Using these criteria, identification of individuals whose appointments are to be terminated is then made by the expanded Status Committee.
    7. The recommendations of the expanded Status Committee are submitted by the Provost to the President.
    8. If the President accepts these recommendations, he transmits them to the Board for a decision.
    9. The President notifies persons whose contracts are to be terminated.
3. Continuation of compensation and duties
  - Faculty members so released shall continue to receive salary and benefits for twelve months following notification of termination of appointment.
  - Continuation in duties is at the discretion of the College. During this twelve-month period the College shall not be liable for payment of unemployment compensation.
4. Request for review of decision
  - A faculty member so released will have the right to a full hearing before a faculty committee, constituted and functioning as described in B6.d. The hearing need not conform in all respects with the proceedings described in B6.d4, but the essentials of an on-the-record adjudicative hearing will be observed. The issues in this hearing may include:
    1. The existence of the condition of financial exigency. The findings of the ad hoc committee under B7.a2b) may be introduced.
    2. The validity of the educational judgments and the criteria for identification for termination; but the recommendations on these matters reached under B7.a2d) will be considered presumptively valid.
    3. Whether the criteria are being properly applied in the individual case.
  - The Board of Trustees is available for ultimate review.
5. Eligibility for transfer within the College and for rehiring
  1. Faculty members so released shall have primary claim on other open positions in the College for which they have minimal qualifications in terms of reasonable standards. If retraining is required in order to qualify suitably, the person may be considered on probation for a maximum of three years, after which, in the case of a faculty position, tenure is restored upon successful evaluation by the receiving department on the particular question of qualifications. If such evaluation results in a negative judgment as to qualifications, and there is no successful appeal of the judgment, the person has no special claim on other open positions but is nonetheless free to proceed as an ordinary applicant.
  2. In the event of the reopening of a terminated position within three years, the released faculty member will be offered reinstatement, with tenure status, rank, and salary at least equal to those prevailing at the time of termination, and a reasonable time in which to accept or decline it.
Termination because of the discontinuance of program or department not mandated by financial exigency
1. Decision-making process
  - The decision to formally discontinue a program or department of instruction will be made by the Administrative Affairs Board, based essentially upon educational considerations, as determined by the Academic Affairs Board. Each board action will be subject to the usual review process. "Educational considerations" do not include cyclical or temporary variations in enrollment. They must reflect long-range judgments that the educational mission of the College as a whole will be enhanced by the discontinuance.
2. Reassignment, retraining or severance with compensation
  - Before a faculty member is notified of the intention to terminate his or her appointment because of formal discontinuance of a program or department of instruction, the College will make every effort to place him or her in another suitable position. If placement in a suitable position would be facilitated by a reasonable period of training, financial and other support for such training will be proffered. If no position is available within the College, with or without retraining, the faculty member's appointment may then be terminated, but only with provision for severance salary.
  - Faculty members so released shall continue to receive salary and benefits for no less than twelve months following notification of termination of appointment. During the period covered by the severance salary, computed at the faculty member's most recent rate of pay, the College shall not be liable for payment of unemployment compensation.
3. Appeals
  - A faculty member may appeal a proposed relocation or termination resulting from the discontinuance of a program or department and has the right to a full hearing before a faculty committee, constituted and functioning as described in B6.d. The hearing need not conform in all respects with the proceedings described in B6.d4, but the essentials of an on-the-record adjudicative hearing will be observed. The issues in such a hearing may include the institution's failure to satisfy one or more of the conditions specified in B7.b2. In such a hearing a board's determination that a program or department is to be discontinued will be considered presumptively valid, but the burden of reasonable proof on other issues will rest on the administration.
4. Review
  - The Board of Trustees is available for ultimate review.
Termination for Reasons Related to Physical or Mental Health
- Ordinarily, a faculty member who, because of reasons related to physical or mental health, is unable to fulfill the terms of her/his appointment is counseled to apply for disability. If such counseling is ineffective or impossible, the College may terminate for reasons related to physical or mental health an appointment with tenure or a probationary or special appointment before the end of the period of appointment. Such termination will be based upon clear and convincing medical or psychological evidence that the faculty member cannot continue to fulfill the terms and conditions of the appointment. The decision to terminate will be reached only after there has been appropriate consultation and after the faculty member concerned, or someone representing the faculty member, has been informed of the basis of the proposed action and has been afforded an opportunity to present the faculty member's position and to respond to the evidence. If the faculty member so requests, the evidence will be reviewed by the Professional Interests Committee and the Status Committee before a final decision is made by the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the administration. The faculty member so terminated shall continue to receive salary and benefits for no less than twelve months. This policy is not intended to contravene the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

B8: Retirement Policy

The College defines “normal retirement age" as sixty-five. If a faculty member elects to exercise the legal right of continuing in his or her position beyond the contractual year in which that age is reached, all rights and privileges of faculty membership continue.
- Upon retirement, tenure rights are terminated. In special cases, fulltime employment after retirement may be approved under the following conditions and procedures:
  1. The Provost shall recommend to the President the continued employment or re-employment of the faculty member, and present a supporting statement.
  2. The President shall consider the request and has final authority to approve or not approve the request.
  3. Employment beyond retirement on a full-time basis requires annual approval and may be for a semester or a full academic year. In this situation the retiree will not be eligible for disability or life insurance benefits. Eligibility for health and retirement benefits will be determined in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan.
  4. Except under emergency conditions, no retired faculty member shall hold the position of departmental chairperson.
- Part-time employment of retired faculty members is subject to the same conditions as those for part-time lecturers.

Early Retirement for Tenured Faculty

Purpose
- A tenured faculty member may wish to retire before reaching the normal retirement age of 65. In an effort to be responsive to individual aspirations and needs, as well as to the on-going academic and financial needs of the College, this Early Retirement Program for Tenured Faculty (the “Program") has been developed.
- Any election by a tenured faculty member to participate in the Program is voluntary. The benefits under the Program are in addition to any other benefits available to an eligible tenured faculty member. Further, tenured faculty members who retire under the Program retain all of their college benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled.
Eligibility
- The Program is available to tenured faculty members who have reached the age of 60 and have completed 20 years of full time service to the College. Age determination is made according to the age the tenured faculty member will be on August 1 following their official retirement date. A tenured faculty member who has attained age 60 by the August 1 date, and has served the College on a full time basis for at least 10 years, but has not completed 20 years of service, is eligible for these benefits on a pro-rata basis based upon the ratio of years of full time service to 20. A tenured faculty member who wishes to retire before reaching age 60 may negotiate an individual early retirement program with the College. The terms of any such individual early retirement program are at the sole discretion of the College.

Program Description

On July 15 following a tenured faculty member's early retirement pursuant to this Program, the College will pay to him or her a lump sum equal to a percentage of the retiree's last academic year's salary in accordance with the following schedule:

Age at which a Faculty Member Retires	Fraction of the Academic Year Salary to be Paid Upon Early Retirement
60	60%
61	50%
62	40%
63	30%
64	20%

If the tenured faculty member has served at least one full year since his or her last sabbatical leave, the tenured faculty member will be eligible for a one-time retirement stipend paid to their 403(b) retirement account in accordance with the following schedule:

Age at which a Faculty Member Retires	Fraction of the Academic Year Salary to be Paid Upon Early Retirement
60	60%
61	50%
62	40%
63	30%
64	20%

The stipend will be deposited on July 15 into the tenured faculty member’s 403(b) retirement account up to the maximum allowed by IRS Section 415 limits. Any amount exceeding the limit will be deposited as soon as administratively feasible in the following year in accordance with IRS Section 415 limits.

Until the tenured faculty member reaches normal retirement age, the College will provide tenured faculty members who retire pursuant to the Program with the same medical and life insurance coverage and premium cost sharing that it provides for regular tenured members of the faculty. The life insurance coverage will be based upon the tenured faculty member's salary in the last full-time year of academic service.
A tenured faculty member who elects early retirement cannot return to a full-time appointment by his or her own election.
A tenured faculty member who elects early retirement may accept an invitation by the Provost to teach a course or courses on a part-time basis. In this case, terms of employment will be governed by existing policies for part-time faculty, except that compensation will be at 150 percent of the part-time maximum rate/credit hour and the credit hours taught may not exceed 12 per year.
A tenured faculty member who elects early retirement is eligible for emeritus status on the same basis as a tenured faculty member who retires at normal retirement age, and for all the privileges and benefits accorded emeritus faculty members.
In order to be vested in the benefits under the Program, the tenured faculty member must continue working until the end of the academic year during which written notification is provided as described below, unless the tenured faculty member is unable to do so due to total disability or death. In the event of total disability, the lump sum payment described in (a) above shall be paid within 2½ months of the date the tenured faculty member stopped working due to total disability. In the event of death, the lump sum payment described in (a) above, shall be paid to the deceased tenured faculty member’s beneficiaries within 2½ months of the date of the tenured faculty member’s death. For this purpose, the deceased tenured faculty member’s beneficiaries shall be established in the same manner as under the College’s life insurance plan.

Notification
- A tenured faculty member who wishes to retire early pursuant to this Program must notify the Provost in writing of this intention no later than September 1 of the academic year at the close of which his or her early retirement is to commence. Notification shall occur by completing a written application and delivering it to the College's Human Resources Office. The written application can be obtained from the College's Human Resources Office. It includes a release of any claims the tenured faculty member may have against the College. In no event will a tenured faculty member be required to retire earlier than 180 days after providing the notification.
Termination
- This Program is in effect until July 31, 2019, at which time it shall terminate, unless it is renewed by the College’s Board of Trustees.
Exceptions
- In case a tenured faculty member experiences extraordinary health problems which may require early retirement due to disability, the Provost shall be authorized to negotiate a special early retirement plan for an eligible tenured faculty member, subject to approval by the President. The terms of any such special early retirement plan are at the sole discretion of the College.

B9: Appointment and Evaluation of Departmental Chairpersons

Term of appointment
- Chairpersons are the chief executives of the departments, with responsibility for faculty recruitment, faculty evaluation, curricular planning, the department's program for advising students, and budget (see Appendix II.2d for specific duties). A chairperson is normally appointed to a term of three years by the divisional dean, with reappointment possible for additional terms.
Selection Procedures
1. The divisional dean schedules a personal interview with each member of the department in which an appointment is to be made. In it, the dean seeks frank and confidential advice on a number of matters related to the selection of a chairperson. These include an evaluation of the current departmental program, suggestions for ways in which the department could better serve students in the context of a liberal arts education, and an opinion on whether the chairperson should come from within the existing departmental faculty or be sought from outside the College.
2. When a chairperson is to be designated from within the existing departmental faculty, the dean solicits nominations from each member of the department and, after consultation with the Provost, makes the appointment.
3. If a chairperson is to be selected from outside the College, the dean seeks permission to recruit according to the guidelines in B1. Departmental participation is important, but the dean's office will compile the dossier on each of the candidates.
Performance Evaluation Procedures
- The dean will conduct a performance evaluation of each chairperson in the division during the first year of the chair's term, and again in the third year. The general criteria include a chairperson's performance as a faculty member as well as administrator.
- In addition to asking each chairperson to provide a self-assessment and goals for the next year, the divisional dean will request each member of a department to evaluate the chairperson. Information will be requested concerning a chairperson's teaching, scholarship, advising, and community service, but the chief purpose of the colleagues' evaluations is to solicit responses that promote the development of the chairperson as an administrator. The criteria for faculty evaluation of a chairperson's leadership include:
  1. Ability to create esprit de corps
  2. Skill as liaison between department, administration, and students
  3. Effectiveness in carrying out administrative duties
  4. Record in encouraging professional development of departmental colleagues
  5. Sensitivity and responsiveness to departmental concerns
  6. Capacity to deal fairly with conflict
- The confidentiality of the faculty member's evaluation is assured.

B10: Policies Regarding Part-time Faculty and Coaches

This section applies to adjunct faculty and part-time Lecturers, except those employed solely to give private lessons on a commission basis. It does not apply to fractional-time regular appointments. Implementation of these policies is primarily the responsibility of the divisional deans, in consultation with departmental chairpersons, but exceptions will require the approval of the Provost.

Salaries
- Salary determination is based on a formula which includes earned degrees, experience, hours assigned, and number of different courses taught in a given semester. The dollar amounts for salary base ranges and increments are reviewed and updated annually. Copies of the current salary schedule and of special computations for non-classroom teaching (e.g., laboratory or studio courses, athletic teams) are available from divisional deans and chairpersons.
Professional Relations
1. Part-time faculty are included in the distribution list for all general faculty mailings, in the College's printed directory and, after six semesters of service to Hope, in the College Catalog.
2. Departments are encouraged to include part-time faculty in social and professional functions.
3. All part-time faculty receive notices and agenda of departmental and general faculty meetings. They are not required to attend any of these meetings, although they are invited to attend, normally without vote. However, adjunct faculty are eligible to vote in departmental, divisional and faculty meetings and to serve on boards and committees if they are assigned at least sixteen hours of teaching for the academic year or if their teaching responsibilities represent at least half of a full-time appointment.
Professional Development
1. Evaluation
  1. Part-time faculty (as defined in B2a4) should be evaluated for teaching effectiveness after they have taught two semesters at Hope. Instructor evaluations should be administered in at least one course initially. Department chairs can use either a departmental evaluation form or the currently approved instrument for student evaluation of teaching (see B3b1), available from the office of the divisional dean. Following this initial evaluation, department chairs can evaluate part-time faculty as deemed necessary by the chair and divisional dean. Departments have the freedom to establish earlier or more frequent evaluation procedures in consultation with their divisional dean.
  2. Adjunct faculty are eligible for promotion in rank according to the policy outlined in section B3.
2. Conferences, Professional Travel and Grants
  1. Part-time faculty are encouraged to consult with their chairperson to inquire about opportunities and eligibility for travel to conferences, etc. Because of limited resources, priority will be given to requests for funding in this order: full-time faculty; adjunct faculty teaching at least half time; other adjuncts, part-time lecturers.
  2. To the extent possible, chairpersons or other colleagues should provide advice, encouragement and assistance to part-time faculty who wish to apply for Hope College or external grants.
Fringe Benefits
1. Part-time faculty are issued a faculty ID card for the semester or year for which they are given a contract. This card entitles them to the following benefits:
  1. Free use of the library
  2. Free admission to athletic events
  3. Free admission to the Dow Center
  4. Discounts at the Hope-Geneva Bookstore
  5. Free parking sticker
2. Part-time faculty hired before July 1, 2006 are eligible for the tuition waiver benefit (see section B17).
3. Adjunct faculty are eligible to have the 10.5% retirement benefit deposited to an approved carrier under the INVEST umbrella.
Other Considerations
1. Travel Allowance: Part-time faculty who must commute more than 25 miles round trip shall be entitled to reimbursement at the standard college rate for the excess beyond 25 miles.
2. Maximum Teaching Assignment for Part-time Faculty
  1. Only in exceptional circumstances should a part-time faculty member teach more than two courses or a maximum of eight credit hours per semester.
  2. Assignments beyond these limits will require the prior approval of both the dean and the Provost, whereas the dean has the authority to approve assignments up to these limits.
3. Dates for Issuance of Contracts:
  1. Fall Semester: Normally by August 1
  2. Spring Semester: Normally by December 15
  3. Adjunct faculty will receive a single contract for the entire academic year. This contract will normally be issued no later than July 30.
4. Dates for Issuance of Paychecks: each contract letter will contain a paragraph specifying the frequency and beginning and ending dates on which paychecks will be issued for that semester.

B11: Policy on Outside Employment

Faculty members are considered to be on full-time service to the College. Writing, consulting, performing public service activities and work with professional associations, whether paid or unpaid, are considered to be a desirable part of the faculty member's total load if the following conditions are met:

They contribute significantly to the professional development of the individual, to the strengthening of scholarship, to the recognition of the faculty member in his or her field, or to the reputation of the College;
They are consonant with the faculty member's teaching or other responsibilities at Hope College.

Faculty members may accept outside teaching assignments during the academic year only after consultation with the chairperson and approval of the divisional dean. Approval will be given only if the assignment meets the conditions stated above (such as teaching advanced courses not offered at Hope), or fulfills the emergency needs of another institution. Commitments for any other outside employment during the academic year must be approved also by the Provost.

In all cases of outside employment requiring absence from the campus, the faculty member is responsible for seeing that the progress of his/her courses is uninterrupted and, in the case of performance or studio courses, that the lessons missed are made up.

B12: Policy on Academic Freedom

Effective liberal learning is dependent upon an environment of free inquiry in which human knowledge, achievements, culture, and even aspirations can be subjected to searching scrutiny. Hope College, on the premise that only God possesses the undivided truth and that all human apprehensions and expressions of truth are partial and relative, affirms the right, in an education that is both Christian and liberal, to criticize and construct without restraint within the canons of scholarship and of the Judeo‑Christian ethic. It denies that the popularity of an idea affirms its truth and that an idea which is unpopular is for that reason suspect. It claims for its students and faculty the right to criticize, examine, hold, express, controvert, and create within that tradition of learning which is both Christian and liberal.

In general support of these beliefs Hope College entitles the members of its faculty to academic freedom as defined in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure formulated by the Association of American Colleges and the American Association of University Professors, as follows:

The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.

The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing his/her subject, but should be careful not to introduce controversial matter which has no relation to the subject.

The college teacher is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When speaking or writing as a citizen, s/he should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but his/her special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, s/he should remember that the public may judge the profession and the institution by his/her utterances. Hence, s/he should at all times be accurate, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and make every effort to indicate that s/he is not an institutional spokesperson.

Since immunity from undue outside interference implies a capacity for self-regulation and self-renewal, it is important that these additional qualifications and limitations be understood and accepted:

There should be freedom to invite to the campus representatives of points of view which are important to an informed understanding of the conflict of ideas in our own time.
Every college has limits to its expertise and resources, and the right should be reserved to confine its attention and efforts to the issues and areas where its contribution can be the most significant.
In the examination of a highly controversial issue or in the presenting of a highly controversial speaker, the President should have the right to determine the nature of the presentation (public lecture, debate, nonpublic classroom presentation, etc.).
The college should not be assumed to endorse the beliefs or statements of the speakers it presents nor the private expressions of opinion of its faculty members. The college may disassociate itself from any such statements of points of view and may publicly regret and deplore such statements.
Faculty members may not speak for the college on their own authority. Only the President or persons designated by the President may issue public statements for the institution.
Within the context of its mission, the college should preserve neutrality, for the promotion of liberal learning and for the sake of public confidence.
The principle of academic freedom does not justify any action threatening or causing destruction of property, injury to the personal or intellectual rights of others, including the disruption of the educational program or the free flow of traffic on the campus, or the unauthorized use of sound amplification equipment on the campus. It also does not justify plagiarism, slander, libel, or incitement to force or violence. Freedom of advocacy and action does not entail a right to violate the regulations of the college or the public laws with impunity.
Since Hope College buildings are not public buildings, the presence of outside agencies and organizations for the purpose of recruitment, espousal of a cause, or noncollege purpose is at the explicit invitation of the college, its faculty, administration, or officially recognized student organization. The college does not endorse or support the positions of these guests, but should be open to any recognized agency that has received an invitation from one of the above college sources.
Public events making use of college facilities, unless sponsored by the academic unit of the campus related to the field of knowledge of the event, must have administrative approval.

B13: Policy on Public Affairs

All members of the College faculty are encouraged to participate in lawful political and public activity, so long as that activity takes place on their own time and at their own expense, and so long as it does not jeopardize performance of their responsibilities.
While encouraging all such activity, the College disassociates itself from the political activity of any faculty member, supports no individual or party either with finance or influence, and maintains an official neutrality towards the political activity of any faculty member.
It is proper and necessary that the administration of the College concern itself with public and political affairs which affect the College's economic or academic welfare. Information concerning the administration's position is available from the Office of Public Relations.

B14: Policy on Conflict of Interest

All employees of the College are urged to consult with their supervisors concerning any potential conflict of interest.
All dealings with students, suppliers, contractors, employees, and job-seekers must be free from prejudice and personal considerations, and must be in the spirit of the College's goals and purposes.
No faculty member will do business on behalf of the College with a close friend or relative unless authorized by his/her superior to do so; nor shall any faculty members authorize purchases or contracts from or with any persons or organizations with which they have any personal agreement, contract, or understanding that might tend to influence their decisions.
No faculty member will seek or accept, directly or indirectly, any payment, loan, service, non-business travel, personal gifts, or excessive entertainment from any persons or businesses doing or seeking to do business with the College.
When a conflict or potential conflict arises, the College reserves the right to request pertinent information from the individual or individuals involved.
The President of the College has the authority and the responsibility to apply the foregoing policies; to determine what action should be taken to correct violations of these policies; and to initiate disciplinary action when necessary. Therefore, the President should be informed of violations, or potential violations, of this policy.
College personnel who apply for grants from federal agencies must adhere to the Conflict of Interest Policy for such research.

B15: Harassment

All employees are responsible for assuring that our workplace is free from harassment based on or as the result of an individual’s race, color, national origin, age, religion, weight, height, disability, veteran status, marital status, sex, or any characteristic protected by law whether or not this behavior results in violation of the “law.” Any employee violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including discharge.

Hope College has a very in depth policy and process in regards to maintaining an environment free of discriminatory and sexual harassment. This information and key contacts can be found on the Human Resources Policy website. Any employee who feels that he or she is being subjected to harassment is urged to contact the appropriate personnel as outlined in the policy and/or the Director of Human Resources immediately.

B16: Drug-Free Workplace Policy

(see also sections 18–21)

The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires all employers receiving federal contracts and grants to maintain a drug-free workplace. It is the policy of Hope College to prohibit the unlawful manufacture, distribution or use of a controlled substance on College properties. Employees who violate this prohibition are subject to dismissal upon conviction.

Faculty, faculty or student employees working on covered contracts must notify the Office of Human Resources within five days of their conviction for violating any criminal drug law by an action in the workplace.

The Hope College Counseling Center provides substance abuse counseling for students and referrals for longer term treatment. Upon request, referrals for faculty and faculty needing assistance will be made.

For covered employees, the College Health Insurance Program provides for substance abuse treatment coverage.

Drug abuse in the workplace is a serious threat to the personal safety and wellbeing of the abuser, as well as co-workers. For that reason, the College strongly supports the humane treatment of drug abusers while protecting the College community from adverse consequences of drug abuse.

The Hope College Department of Campus Safety will investigate and prosecute violations in accordance with the requirements of the statutes. Suspected violators of the drug abuse policy shall be subject to drug testing by appropriate local authorities.

B17: Faculty Benefits

(see also sections 18–21)

General Policies
1. Eligibility:
  - All faculty who are on regular appointment at 0.75 FTE or greater (see B2.a1) are entitled to all the benefits described in this section. Visiting faculty and faculty on term appointments are eligible for inclusion in hospitalization and health insurance, life insurance, travel accident insurance, and Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance, but are excluded from the tuition waiver, INVEST retirement fund (see B21.b), and long-term disability insurance, unless specific provision is made in their individual contracts. Normally, full benefits are extended to visiting faculty and faculty on term appointments after the completion of one full year of service to the College.
  - Part-time faculty hired before July 1, 2006 are included in the tuition waiver program on the terms described below. Adjunct faculty are also included in the INVEST retirement fund (see B21.b).
2. Prior notification of any reduction in benefits or increase in cost to the faculty of the benefits program will be given no later than the date of issuance of contracts (normally March 15) following consultation with the Professional Interests Committee, or a faculty subcommittee which reports to the Professional Interests Committee, and following clearance through the Administrative Affairs Board for inclusion in the Faculty Handbook.
3. All necessary forms for participation in the benefits program can be obtained from the Office of Human Resources.
Benefits
1. Hospitalization and Health Insurance
  - Eligible faculty may elect to participate in the College group health insurance plan, a major portion of the cost of which is paid by Hope College. The plan provides basic medical/surgical coverage and major medical protection. Selection of a plan option is made upon employment and changes may be made annually during the open enrollment period. Full information on the plan is available in the Human Resources Office.
2. Long-Term Disability Insurance
  - The College continues to offer supplemental Medicare insurance for faculty members upon retirement at age 65 or later. If a faculty member becomes disabled, the insurance will pay 60% of the basic monthly earnings not to exceed the current maximum allowable monthly benefit ($6,000 as of 1998). Payments begin after six months of disability and continue until age 65 or when the employee can return to work. The College pays the full contracted salary for the first six months.
  - The plan will deduct from the monthly benefit amounts received from Social Security, Workers' Compensation, and any other payments received as a result of a Hope College benefit plan. Thus the maximum will be 60% from all sources unless one has other personal disability insurance.
  - An additional 10% of coverage may be purchased through long-term disability supplementary insurance. Income received under the Supplemental Plan is taxable. Full benefit details are available in the plan booklet provided to each participant.
3. Life Insurance
  - All full-time members of the faculty are covered by term life insurance. The entire premium is paid by the College. The amount of the insurance is equal to $12,000 plus one-and-one-half times the academic year contract salary. Life insurance terminates when the faculty member leaves the College. Beneficiaries are designated by the faculty member, and may be changed at any time.
4. Travel Accident Insurance
  - The College provides accident insurance for all faculty members while traveling on College business, or on an approved activity outside the campus limits. The coverage provides accidental death and dismemberment insurance in principal amount of $50,000. Coverage is automatic. A faculty absence form should be completed by a faculty member before departure on such College business so that there is no question about the College related nature of the travel.
5. Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance
  - The College maintains policies which fulfill the requirements of state and federal laws.
6. Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  - The Employee Assistance Center provides Hope College employees with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This benefit is designed to offer confidential assistance to Hope employees, their immediate family members, and significant others whose personal problems affect quality of life and/or job performance. The Employee Assistance Program provides access to professional Masters degree-level counselors in offices throughout West Michigan (including Holland, Grand Haven, Grandville, and Grand Rapids). The program provides up to 6 visits with a counselor at no cost to the employee or family.
  - The Center can be contacted at (800) 227-0905. Client Service Representatives are available during the day to schedule an appointment, but counselors are available 24 hours a day for urgent matters. For additional resources for work/life situations, visit the EAC website (access passwords are available on the Human Resources website).
7. Tuition Waiver:
  - Eligibility:
    - The tuition waiver applies to eligible members of the faculty, their spouses, their children by birth or adoption (to age 30, without a dependency requirement), and their dependent stepchildren (to age 25, with a dependency requirement).
    - Dependent status shall be granted to those unmarried, stepchildren that have been members of the Hope College employee’s family for a minimum of three years prior to their first application for a tuition waiver. As a member of the employee’s family, it is required that the stepchild’s regular, permanent residence be the same as the Hope College employee. Upon request, the Hope College employee shall verify that the stepchild has met the residency requirement.
    - Those eligible may receive a complete or partial waiver of tuition when enrolling in courses offered by Hope College, including off-campus programs sponsored and administered by Hope College, such as the Washington Honors Semester and the programs of the Philadelphia Center. (For GLCA consortial programs, see below regarding the reciprocal plan.) The tuition waiver does not apply to costs other than tuition itself.
    - The tuition waiver will be complete or partial according to the following table:
      1. For eligible full-time and fractional-time faculty and their families, 100%.
      2. For adjunct part-time faculty hired before July 1, 2006 and their families, 100% of a pro-rated amount based on their average annual workload, based on twenty-four (24) credit hours per year as the full-time equivalent (see B8.d3c) above), over the latest three-year period.
      3. For other part-time faculty hired before July 1, 2006 and their families, 10% per year of service (up to a maximum of 100% after 10 years of service) of a pro-rated amount based on their average annual workload, using 24 credit hours per year as the full-time equivalent, over the previous 3-year period.
      4. For the children of full-time and fractional-time faculty members hired prior to July 1, 2006 and deceased while in the employment of the College, ten per cent (10%) of the normal benefit for each year of service completed.
    - Faculty on a full-time regular appointment (see B2.a1) are eligible to participate in a reciprocal tuition-waiver plan (Tuition Remission Exchange) which exists among the twelve member colleges of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and two colleges of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. Faculty on a fractional-time regular appointment (see B2.a1) who were hired into at least a .67 FTE position prior to the academic year 1999-2000 are also eligible to participate in this program. Details of this plan are available in the Human Resources Office. Application must be made at the Human Resources Office in advance of registration for each semester or term in which the tuition waiver is sought.
  - Benefit Description:
    - The waiver will be applied to the student account under the following conditions:
      1. The waiver will be calculated on the basis of net tuition charges after all other scholarships/grants have been determined.
      2. Financial aid will exclude loans but will include all forms of gift assistance. Only students enrolled prior to 2008-09 academic year will have the exception of Hope sponsored merit scholarships used to live on campus.
      3. Effective with the 2008-09 award year, for all incoming, first-time, degree-seeking Hope / GLCA TW beneficiary, the following applies:
        
        All internal and external gift assistance, including Hope merit scholarships and all other scholarships, grants, and benefits (with the exception of the Federal Pell Grant and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) are considered applicable only to a student’s tuition charges; such gift assistance is not applicable to a student’s room/board/activity fee charges or expenses. The TW benefit is calculated by applying the appropriate benefit percentage against the student’s net tuition charges. Net tuition charges are those charges remaining after all other gift aid awards (excluding Federal Pell/Supplemental Grants) are applied against the student’s total tuition charges.
        
        If, in any given award year, a student receives gift aid (i.e., scholarships and grants) from internal Hope sources and/or external sources that in combination exceed tuition, a beneficiary can choose to receive the greater amount of gift aid and thereby forfeit TW eligibility during the enrollment period s/he receives said gift aid.
      4. Effective with the 2007-08 academic year, TW beneficiaries are limited to ten (10) semesters of eligibility under this program (regardless of part-time/full-time enrollment). Any beneficiary who at the effective date of this policy has already received 10 semesters of assistance under the Hope/GLCA Tuition Waiver program, is ineligible to receive any further assistance in 2007-08 and beyond. A summer term is not counted as a semester; however, once the 10-semester limit is reached, the student is ineligible to receive the TW for subsequent summer term enrollment. Any semester during which a student enrolls at Hope while dually enrolled in high school is not counted as a semester in monitoring this 10-semester limitation. The 30th birthday age limitation will still apply.
        
        This provision does not impact spouses of faculty or staff.
        
        This policy change does not alter the age limitation of 25 for step-children. However, step-children do fall under this 10 semester limitation.
  - Death and Disability Benefits:
    - Spouses and dependent children of employees on long-term permanent disability will be eligible for benefits. Eligibility will be based on years of service prior to disability. If an employee dies while in the service of the College or on disability leave, the following provisions will apply:
      1. Natural or adopted children will receive a 10% tuition waiver for each year of service completed by the employee. This waiver will apply until the child has reached 30 years of age. Only those dependent non-adopted, step-children eligible at the time of the employee's death will continue to be eligible to the age of 25.
      2. Spouses will be entitled to the same tuition waiver benefits that were in effect when the employee was living. Spouse benefits will be discontinued if the spouse remarries.
  - Retirement Benefits:
    - When an employee retires from active service, tuition waiver benefits will be extended to them and their spouse. Benefits will be available to natural and adopted children until they reach the age of 30 and to dependent stepchildren until they reach the age of 25. Benefits awarded to non-dependent natural and adopted children will be treated as taxable income to the retired employee. To be considered a retiree for the purpose of this benefit, an employee must have attained the normal retirement age of sixty-five or retired under an early retirement plan approved by the College.
  - Miscellaneous:
    - If an employee terminates his/her employment prior to the start of any semester or mini-session, the tuition waiver will not apply for that semester or any thereafter.
    - If an employee terminates his/her employment during a semester or mini-session, the tuition waiver will remain in effect for that semester only. No further tuition waivers will be granted.
  - Application Procedure:
    1. The required tuition waiver form must be completed prior to each semester the benefit is desired. Forms are available at the Human Resources Office.
    2. The Financial Aid Office must be contacted to determine if financial aid sources may be available. If so, the required financial aid statement must be filed within the deadlines. Contact the Director of Financial Aid for forms and information.
    3. The tuition waiver form must be completed and returned to the Human Resources Office for processing. The Financial Aid Office also completes part of the form and the entire process may take several weeks. The employee will be responsible for paying all amounts not covered by the waiver on a timely basis.
  - Definitions:
    - Eligible Programs: Tuition covered by the waiver includes only the following:
      - Hope College on-campus courses
      - Student teaching, and
      - Off-campus courses listed below which are sponsored by Hope College.
        
        May-June-Summer Sessions
        
        Washington Semester
        
        Philadelphia Semester
        
        Vienna Summer School
    - Dependent Status: To be considered a dependent child, the dependency test as outlined by the Internal Revenue Service will be used. The student must be a dependent on the federal tax return for the calendar year the tuition waiver is used. Benefits awarded to non-dependents will be treated as taxable income to the employee and added to the W-2 form.
8. Faculty Travel Fund
  - This fund, budgeted and administered through the divisional deans' offices, contributes a major portion of the expenses involved in travel to professional meetings and conferences that promise to further faculty growth and improve the institutional program.
  - Support toward the actual expense is normally provided for approved travel by faculty who are:
    1. Program Participants in the meetings
    2. office-holders in the association sponsoring the meetings, or
    3. representing the College at the request of the administration.
  - Limitations on transportation costs are a per-mile amount when private cars are used, or air coach fare, whichever is more economical.
  - For faculty members attending professional meetings as observers or general participants, payment is normally limited to transportation (as above) and a per diem.
  - Information on the current mileage and per diem figure is available from the Business Office. When College cars are used for faculty travel, the mileage amount will be charged against the appropriate Divisional Dean's travel budget. A College credit card is provided for operational costs.
  - Since the Faculty Travel Fund is a budgeted item and has limits, faculty members should make application for use of these funds as far in advance as possible. Application procedures include the faculty member's submitting two forms:
    1. The Absence Form, available in the departmental or the divisional dean's office, is the request for permission to be absent from campus and for reservation of the approximate amount of money needed to fulfill the request. When approved by the departmental chairperson and divisional dean, it authorizes attendance and reserves these funds.
    2. The Travel Payment Request form is needed to authorize payment of funds. Preferably, this request is submitted after the travel and includes an accurate statement of expenses incurred, with attached receipts (at least hotel, airline tickets, and other major items). If it becomes necessary for a faculty member to request a cash advance for authorized travel, the advance is charged to a special account in his/her name, and the account is not cleared until an expense report is completed following the travel and the necessary refund or additional payment is made.
9. Faculty Development Grants
  - The College, from its current operating budget and from income from endowment funds, as well as gifts and grants designated for this purpose, annually makes grants to faculty members for summer study or research that will assist them in their development as teachers and scholars. Occasionally such grants are also available during the academic year.
  - A number of special endowment funds have been established toward this end. They are listed in the College Annual Report under the category of Specified Endowed Funds – The Jacob E. Nyenhuis Faculty Development Funds. A description of each fund along with the special conditions (if any) of the annual award is set forth there. In addition, grants made to the College by charitable foundations are often available to supplement these funds. Some grant monies are designated for faculty in a specific discipline (e.g., music, religion, economics), and some are available to the faculty-at-large.
  - A statement of the procedures to be followed in making application for a Faculty Development Grant is available on the Provost’s Office website.
  - Applications are reviewed and awards are made by a committee composed of the faculty members of the Status Committee, divisional deans, and Provost. The Provost serves as the chairperson of the committee.
  - Normally persons accepting a grant agree to return to the faculty of Hope College for the following academic year. Faculty members who have been awarded a grant and find it necessary to change their plans substantially should obtain permission from the Provost for the change or relinquish the grant by April 15. Faculty development grants are not to be used in support of degree work which can be interpreted as a normal requirement for the teaching position which a faculty member holds.
  - It is expected that a faculty member receiving a summer grant will not accept summer commitments to the College which will exceed a total of eight (8) weeks not counting May Term. (Research funded through faculty development grants, teaching in the summer sessions, special administrative assignments, etc., are to be counted in the total.) Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Provost.
10. Faculty ID Card
  - Upon appointment members of the Faculty and Staff are issued an identification card which entitles them and members of their immediate family to certain privileges. These include use of the Van Wylen Library and the Dow Health and Physical Education Center, as well as free admission to most athletic events and all concerts, lectures, exhibitions, with a few exceptions, for which special faculty rates are provided.
11. College Bookstore Discount
  - Hope faculty members receive a faculty discount (currently 15%) on some books and supplies purchased at the Hope Geneva Bookstore, if paid within the month of billing.
12. Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy
  - All full-time members of the faculty are covered by an Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy equal to $12,000 plus one-and-one-half times the academic year contract salary.
13. Adoption Benefit Plan
  - An Adoption Benefit Payment Plan is available to all employees enrolled in the health insurance program. This is a taxable benefit. There are maximum benefits per calendar year, and during the employee's total time of service to the College. Additional information is available through the Office of Human Resources.
14. Dow Health and Physical Education Center
  - The Dow Health and Physical Education Center is open to faculty and their dependents. Detailed information on the facility and services available is published in a brochure which is distributed to new employees.
15. Employee Liability Insurance
  - All employees are covered under a general liability policy while acting within the scope of performing their duties for the College, on or off campus. The policy will protect and provide defense up to $6,000,000. Further details are available from the Office of Human Resources.
16. Flexible Benefit Plan
  - Eligible full-time employees may participate in the College-sponsored tax savings plan for medical, dental and dependent care expenses. Annual enrollment in this optional plan takes place mid-April to mid-May, and the plan year runs from July 1 to June 30.
  - New employees may enroll during the first month of their employment. Enrolled employees agree to a fixed payroll deduction and receive the benefit of lower federal, state and FICA taxes. Employee deductions go into their personal flexible spending account. Employees must submit a reimbursement form with receipts to receive tax-free reimbursement from their account for eligible expenses.

B18: Family or Medical Leave of Absence

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
- Eligibility
  - Employees eligible to take a family medical leave of absence are those with at least twelve months of service who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the twelve months immediately preceding the commencement of the leave. Eligible employees are entitled to up to a total of 12 work weeks of family and medical leave during the rolling 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee uses any family or medical leave. Up to 26 weeks of leave is available for situations involving a covered family member's service in the Armed Forces.
- Reasons for Leave
  - Family or medical leave will be granted to an employee only for one or more of the following reasons: the birth of a son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child; the placement of a son or daughter with an employee for adoption or foster care, and to care for the newly placed child; to care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent who has a serious health condition; or a serious health condition that makes an employee unable to perform the functions of his or her position. If both spouses work for Hope College, combined leave time for new child leave or leave to care for a parent with a serious health condition is twelve weeks.
  - Eligible employees may also take leave for a covered family member's service in the Armed Forces ("Servicemember FMLA"). Servicemember FMLA provides eligible employees unpaid leave for any one, or for a combination, of the following reasons: a "qualifying exigency" arising out of the fact that the employee's spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on active duty, or has been notified that he or she will be called to active duty, in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation. An eligible employee may take up to 12 workweeks of leave during any rolling 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee uses any family or medical leave. Leave for this reason, when combined with other FMLA-qualifying leave, may not exceed 12 workweeks in the rolling 12-month period: to care for a servicemember who is the employee's spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin who has incurred an injury or illness in the line of duty while on active duty in the Armed Forces, provided that such injury or illness may render the servicemember medically unfit to perform duties of the member's office, grade, rank or rating. An eligible employee may take up to 26 workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for the servicemember. Leave to care for an injured or ill servicemember, when combined with other FMLA-qualifying leave, may not exceed 26 weeks in a single 12-month period.
- Notice of Leave
  - In cases involving the birth or adoption of a child, planned medical treatment, or other circumstances where the need for leave is foreseeable, employees must give the College at least 30 days' prior notice of the need for a family or medical leave. In extenuating circumstances where 30 days' notice is not possible, the employee must give as much advance notice as is practicable. Employees must make a reasonable effort to schedule any medical treatment for a serious health condition so as not to unduly disrupt or interfere their duties and/or the operation of the College. Employees must also follow the College's process for reporting absences even though the absence may be FMLA-covered.
    - Additional Information and Questions
      - MLA has many facets and is complex, please review the complete policy and/or if you have any questions about FMLA leave or would like to confidentially discuss if a particular situation is eligible for FMLA, please contact the Human Resources Department. This policy replaces any prior College FMLA policies.
Paid Leave of Absence
- The College will provide a paid leave of absence to eligible faculty members for absences due to major personal illness, pregnancy, surgery, or other medical conditions which render the faculty member unable to teach or provide other contracted services. The length of absence will depend upon the individual circumstances and will normally require a written statement from the physician as well as regular progress reports. The College reserves the right to secure a second opinion from a medical doctor.
Parental Leave of Absence
- The College recognizes the importance of the family, which the Parental Leave policy is designed to support. Therefore, the College not only complies with the requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, but also provides additional support to the parents of a newborn or newly-adopted child. The College will provide paid leave of absence to eligible faculty members for the purpose of caring for their newborn or newly-adopted child or children on the following basis:
  1. For the birth of a child, the mother of the child is entitled to paid leave at full pay for up to six (6) weeks, as is true also for any other major personal illness or surgery. If her medical doctor certifies that additional time is required by her medical condition, the Provost has the authority to grant additional leave with pay. For longer-term disability, however, the provisions of the Long-Term Disability Insurance policy will come into effect.
  2. For the adoption of a child, the parent who is the primary caregiver of the child is entitled to paid leave at full pay for up to four (4) weeks without question. For the College's Adoption Benefit Plan see B17.b13.
  3. For the purposes of caregiving, the designated caregiver may request additional leave, without pay, subject to the limit of twelve (12) weeks within each twelve-month period for any of the purposes specified in the first paragraph of B18.a.
  4. The caregiver may also request one of the following options:
    1. Substitution of other professional responsibilities to allow for a one-course reduction in teaching responsibilities, without reduction in pay, either during the semester in which the birth or adoption occurs, or during the semester immediately following the birth or adoption. A further reduction in teaching responsibilities in either of these semesters would require a pro rata reduction in salary.
    2. A one-semester leave of absence during the semester in which the birth or adoption is expected to occur or the semester immediately following the birth or adoption. If certain professional responsibilities will be covered during this leave, partial payment of salary will be granted by the Provost, normally not to exceed one-sixth of the faculty member's annual salary. Any payment during this leave of absence will also be subject to the conditions specified in c1 and c2, above. Full medical and life insurance benefits will be continued during this leave of absence. The College's contribution to the INVEST retirement benefit plan will be governed by the conditions set forth in B20h and B21c.
  5. The College administration will normally provide a paid replacement for the faculty on parental leave.
  6. Parental leaves of absence will count as time in service toward salary increments and sabbatical leaves. At the request of the faculty member on parental leave, the academic year in which the leave occurs may be excluded from time toward tenure consideration.

B19: Sabbatical Leaves

Purpose
- The sabbatical leave program at Hope College is designed to encourage the professional development of faculty members. This in turn will advance the educational objectives of the institution. The program provides for paid leaves as a privilege, not as a routine award for years in service. Faculty members can qualify for sabbatical leave by submitting a written proposal which demonstrates that the above stated objectives of the program can be realized. A faculty member awarded a sabbatical leave is encouraged to reside and study outside the familiar environs of Hope and Holland for the benefits that may accrue.
Conditions
1. Tenure-track faculty members are eligible for sabbatical leave after completion of six years of full-time faculty employment at Hope College, provided that they have been granted tenure by the time they apply for the leave. Term (non-tenure-track) faculty are eligible for sabbatical leave after nine years of full-time (1.0 FTE) service. Tenured faculty members are eligible for further sabbatical leave after at least six additional years of full-time service to the College following a sabbatical. Term faculty are eligible for further sabbatical leave after at least nine additional years of full-time (1.0 FTE) service to the College following a sabbatical. Sabbatical leave time is not cumulative.
2. Sabbatical leaves are granted either for one semester at full salary or for both semesters of an academic year at one-half salary.
3. The salary during a sabbatical leave is based upon the salary that the individual would be paid for regular academic responsibilities that year, and the grantee is entitled to normal fringe benefits.
  - For a faculty member on a full year sabbatical, the College will pay the cost of medical insurance for the full year on the same basis as for faculty teaching full time. The College will continue its usual contributions to all other benefit programs on the following basis: 1) For the INVEST retirement plan, contributions will be continued at the normal percentage of actual salary paid by Hope College; 2) for disability insurance and life insurance, payments will be made on the basis of the normal annual salary for 1.0 FTE appointment. If a faculty member on leave is receiving external compensation while on leave that includes contributions to these benefit programs, the College's contribution will be reduced accordingly, except that retirement benefits will not be reduced unless the aggregate contribution exceeds the amount allowable on a 1.0 FTE appointment.
4. Normally, a sabbatical leave is not granted for work which fulfills requirements of an advanced degree.
5. The chairperson of the department of which the applicant is a member and the divisional dean are responsible for submitting an economically feasible plan for maintaining the academic efficiency of the department during the absence of the applicant. The department must make every reasonable effort to cover the sabbatical leave without requiring additional resources.
6. Acceptance of a sabbatical leave carries with it an obligation on the part of the faculty member to return to Hope College for not less than one year after the end of the leave. Waiver of this requirement will be considered only in special circumstances.
7. Acceptance of a sabbatical leave carries with it agreement not to accept remunerative employment during the period of the leave unless specifically authorized by the College. A sabbatical leave for a full year at half salary normally carries with it the privilege of half time employment during the period of leave.
8. Persons on sabbatical leave will disassociate themselves from campus responsibilities and any community responsibilities that would detract from accomplishing the objectives of the leave. They will not volunteer for nor be asked to assume departmental, board, committee, or advising and counseling responsibilities.
Procedures
1. Requests for sabbatical leave for the Fall or Spring Semesters of the following academic year or for the entire academic year shall normally be in the Provost's office no later than the first week of October. (Spring Semester applications may be provisional with later revision.)
2. Applications are submitted to the Provost through the applicant's department chairperson, who in consultation with the divisional dean adds a cover letter describing how the department's program will be maintained during the applicant's absence. The applicant shall either request the chairperson and dean to include an evaluation of the proposed activity or present other supporting evidence for its soundness and value.
3. The Provost then refers the application to the Status Committee for review and recommendation.
4. Upon recommendation of the Status Committee, the Provost and the President are empowered to approve applications for sabbatical leave. The applicant is informed of the action taken upon his or her request within two months of the deadline for application.
5. Each application shall contain the following information:
  1. A statement of the purpose and detailed outline of the program to be followed;
  2. An itinerary and schedule of times and places where the work will be carried out, from the beginning of the leave to the end.
  3. A statement proposing the manner in which the results of the project can be evaluated by the Status Committee in considering the applicant's total performance at Hope College. Sabbatical leave proposals must demonstrate the ability of the professor to accomplish a substantial scholarly or creative project and/or execute a project that will enhance the ability of the faculty member's department or program to fulfill its mission with excellence. Sabbatical leave proposals must provide clear and compelling evidence that the applicant's previous sabbatical (if any) was successful in accomplishing its proposed goals for research, creative production or service to the college/department/program.
Report
- A written report describing outcomes and how the objectives of the proposal were met shall be submitted to the department chair, dean and provost not later than three months after termination of the leave.

B20: Other Leaves of Absence

A leave of absence other than a sabbatical leave may be granted for a period of up to one year. Normally, a faculty member receives no salary during such a leave. Given extraordinary circumstances, it may be extended for an additional semester or year. Application may be made in writing and submitted to the Provost through the appropriate department chairperson and divisional dean. After consultation with the dean, the Provost will recommend an action to the President, who will make the final decision.

The following conditions apply for leaves of absence:

Leaves are granted for professional or personal reasons.
1. Professional reasons may include the completion of an advanced degree, acceptance of an unusual research opportunity, an invitation to serve as a visiting professor/ scholar at a distinguished college or university, the acceptance of a post doctoral service in a government agency, travel related to professional development, etc.
2. Personal reasons may include, child-bearing, family illness, exploration of an alternative career direction, etc.
A Faculty Member is eligible to apply for a leave of absence after two years of full-time teaching at Hope College.
If, under special circumstances, the faculty member is to receive any remuneration from the college, it will be determined by the provost in consultation with the faculty member prior to the granting of leave.
If remuneration is approved by the college, the faculty member is is obligated to return to the college for one semester of service for each semester of leave.
Leave shall be granted upon recommendation of the provost and approval by the president. If approved, the provost will issue a letter of authorization which must include a statement of any special conditions which are applicable.
The departmental chairperson, divisional dean, and Provost will determine whether a temporary replacement is needed.
If the faculty member, while on leave, decides not to return to the College, he or she must notify the Provost no later than March 1. Approval of an extension of leave beyond one year may carry with it the requirement of earlier notification of the intention not to return.
For leaves other than those covered by B18, Family or Medical Leave of Absence, Hope College will provide full health insurance coverage but will make no contributions to the employee's retirement account, unless the faculty is receiving some remuneration from the College. For any faculty member granted a leave of absence, Hope College will pay the entire premium for all other benefits which are included in a normal faculty contract, with payments based on the full annual salary that would have been paid if the faculty member were on campus teaching.

B21: Retirement Benefits

Social Security
- All faculty members are enrolled in the social security program during the calendar year. The amounts paid by the faculty member and by the College change as the social security laws change.
INVEST
- All full-time regular faculty members are covered by a noncontributory retirement plan entitled INVEST. This defined contribution plan allows faculty to choose from several investment companies preselected by the College.
- Details of the various investment options are available from the Office of Human Resources.
- The College contributes an amount equal to 10.5% of the annual contract salary for faculty. Special assignments and summer work are excluded from INVEST contributions. Faculty members may opt to invest a portion of their salary also in INVEST or any of the other 403b Tax Deferred Annuity Contracts. Such contribution can be made on a tax-deferred basis through a payroll salary reduction agreement. Income tax on these contributions is thus deferred until payment at retirement, when the tax rate may be lower.
- The INVEST plan is fully vested and participants retain ownership of their funds should they leave the College.

B22: Appeals and Grievances

Purpose
- The Appeal and Grievance processes have as their aims:
  1. To uphold principles of equity and academic freedom;
  2. To bring the case to prompt and final resolution;
  3. To achieve mutual understanding through patient consideration of facts, careful weighing of all evidence, and scrupulous attention to the rights and duties of the concerned parties;
  4. To promote an atmosphere of mutual confidence in the college community;
  5. To enable review and improvements of policies and practices.
Appeals
1. Definition: An appeal is a formal procedure which is the last administrative channel in cases of tenure and promotion. The full process consists of two stages: 1) A faculty member who has been denied tenure or promotion by the Status Committee or higher authority may request a review of the decision by the Status Committee: 2) if the faculty member is not satisfied with the outcome of the review, s/he may appeal the decision.
2. Grounds for review: A request for review may be based on any one or more of the following grounds or allegations:
  1. Discrepancy between stated criteria, the evidence presented and the reasons given for the decision;
  2. Failure to follow established procedures;
  3. New evidence to refute the reasons given for denial;
  4. Violation of academic freedom; or
  5. Illegal discrimination.
3. Grounds for appeal: An appeal may be based on any one or more of the grounds or allegations for review, and the following:
  1. Improper handling of the review, such as the failure to follow published guidelines or procedures or the prejudicial conduct of the review.
  2. Lack of adequate consideration, based on an apparent lack of reasonable congruence between the evidence and the decision;
4. Process:
  1. Review
    1. Once the faculty member has received from the Provost the written reasons for denial of tenure or promotion, s/he may ask for a meeting with the Provost to request elaboration on these reasons.
    2. A request for review, stating the grounds on which the request is based, should be submitted to the Provost within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving written notification of the Status Committee's recommendation; tenure candidates may be given a ten-day extension upon request.
    3. The Provost notifies the President and the Status Committee that the request has been submitted and sets up a meeting of the Status Committee with the dissatisfied faculty member. This meeting and any additional meetings that may be necessary shall be governed by the procedures listed in subsection b5 below.
    4. Within twenty (20) calendar days of the request for review, the review must be completed and written notification of the Status Committee's decision be given by the Provost to the faculty member, with copies to the President, divisional dean, and chairperson. If additional time is needed to allow both sides to deal with new considerations that arise in the course of the review, this deadline may be extended so long as the total time for steps b) through d) is not more than fifty (50) days from initial notification, or sixty (60) days in the case of tenure candidates.
  2. Appeal
    1. Within ten (10) days of notification of the results of the review, a faculty member who chooses to appeal this decision shall file an appeal with the chairperson of the Appeals and Grievances Panel (see A6.f), stating grounds, with copies to the Provost and the President.
    2. The chairperson of the Appeals and Grievances Panel will draw up a list of panel members available to serve on an ad hoc appeal committee, excluding any who would face a conflict of interest and excluding if possible those already serving on a committee in either an appeal or grievance process. From this list the chairperson will present a roster of six possible committee members to the appellant and the Provost, offering each the opportunity to request removal of one name from the roster without stating reasons. From the remaining names on the list, the chairperson then appoints the committee of three (3), who will select their own chairperson. At least one member of the committee must be a former member of the Status Committee. There may not be more than one representative from any single academic division nor only one gender represented on the committee.
    3. All relevant material will be given to the named Appeal Committee, including copies of the reasons given the faculty for the initial negative decision, copies of all materials initially submitted to the Status Committee by the dean and chairperson, any new material presented during the review, the written notification of the outcome of the review, and the grounds for appeal with all supporting documents from the faculty member.
    4. For meetings of the Appeal Committee, a quorum shall consist of all members of the committee.
    5. The Appeal Committee will schedule a hearing with the appellant. The hearing will be conducted in accord with established principles, such as the calling of witnesses at the discretion of the Appeal Committee, with the Appeal Committee having authority to determine precise procedures, including time limits.
    6. Whenever the Appeal Committee deems it advisable to interview the Status Committee, the entire Status Committee shall be invited to attend. Members may be questioned individually, at the discretion of the Appeal Committee, in the presence of at least two other members of the Status Committee, including the chairperson.
    7. The Appeal Committee may conclude that the appeal is not sustained and no further action is required; or that the recommendation of the Status Committee should be reconsidered, because of irregularity, impropriety, or inadequate consideration. By April 15 the committee will report its findings and conclusions to the President, with copies to the appellant and the Provost.
    8. If the Appeal Committee sustains the appeal, the President may (1) ask the Status Committee to repeat the decision-making process and submit its recommendation to him/her, or (2) overrule the Status Committee (notifying the Status Committee of this action with reasons) and submit the faculty member's name to Board of Trustees for confirming action, or (3) reject the conclusions of the Appeal Committee (notifying it, with reasons).
    9. The President will notify the appellant and the Provost of his/her decision.
5. Procedural Rules
  1. In both the review and appeal stages, the faculty member shall have these rights:
    1. Access to documents (except confidential letters);
    2. To be accompanied by a faculty colleague as advisor in both review and appeal hearings;
    3. Due process including the right to speak, submit material, ask relevant questions and receive answers; and the right of the accompanying advisor to do so on his/her behalf, subject to the respective committee's responsibility to ensure that the proceedings continue in an orderly fashion.
  2. The burden of proof rests with the faculty member, not with the College.
Grievances
1. Definition: A grievance is a formal petition for redress on any matter of professional concern which has not been resolved through administrative channels, except those listed as subject to appeal (B22.b1) and those provided for under Nonreappointment (B5) and Dismissal for Cause (B6.d).
2. Process:
  1. Before filing a formal petition, the aggrieved faculty member may go to the Professional Interests Committee and/or the Faculty Moderator for advice on whether to file a formal grievance and on the best procedure for doing so.
  2. A written grievance should be filed with the chairperson of the Appeals and Grievances Panel, containing:
    1. A brief statement of the grievance, enumerating the separate points if necessary, and naming the person(s) against whom the grievance is directed;
    2. Supplementary materials, including the grievant's explanation of the perceived injustice and a brief history of attempts to solve the problem.
  3. The chairperson of the Appeals and Grievances Panel will form, from the Panel, a two-person Mediation Committee to make inquiry and attempt through informal means to bring about a settlement satisfactory to all. Any member of the Panel who is either directly involved in the case or has a conflict of interest will at this point disqualify him/herself from serving on this committee or on the Grievance Committee described below. The person(s) against whom the grievance has been filed shall be notified promptly by the Mediation Committee of the charges brought by the grievant. The Mediation Committee will report to the Panel chair the results of its efforts.
  4. If the matter has not been resolved, and if within fifteen (15) days of the Mediation Committee's report the Mediation Committee and the grievant agree that the grievance process should be continued, the chairperson forms a Grievance Committee, secures from the Mediation Committee a written report of its work, and notifies the chairperson of the Professional Interests Committee (in summary form, protecting confidentiality) of these steps being taken. In the event that the grievant requests that the grievance process be continued, despite a contrary recommendation of the Mediation Committee, the chair of the Panel may form a Grievance Committee only after full consultation with the Mediation Committee. The three-person Grievance Committee is selected in the same manner as an Appeal Committee (see B22.b4b)2), excluding the members of the Mediation Committee and the chair of the Panel.
  5. If more than one faculty member files a grievance at approximately the same time on the same problem or similar problems, the chair of the Panel may propose to combine them into a single grievance to be handled by a single Mediation Committee and a single Grievance Committee, provided all parties (grievants, person[s] against whom the grievance was filed, and committee) agree.
  6. The Grievance Committee shall be charged with (1) ascertaining the facts of the case and drawing it to a conclusion; (2) making a report to the President, which may include recommendation of action(s) and/or of reprimand or censure; and (3) when it deems advisable, recommending to the Professional Interests Committee or other appropriate body, or to an administrator, such changes in policy or practice as might prevent similar problems from occurring. A draft of its report(s) should be reviewed by the Panel chairperson for advice (especially as regards continuity and consistency with the approaches taken by other similar committees). The committee will then report its recommendations to the President, with copies to both parties to the complaint, to the PIC chair, and to the Panel chair for the Panel's archives.
  7. The Grievance Committee and both parties will strive to complete the process expeditiously. Under normal circumstances, thirty (30) days should suffice.
  8. The President should act promptly on the committee's recommendations. If the President rejects any of the Grievance Committee's recommendations, he/she will so inform them, providing reasons for his/her decision and providing an opportunity for the committee to respond, before taking action.
3. Procedural rules
  1. Timely notice of the formal filing of a grievance will be given by the chairperson of the Appeals and Grievances Panel to the person(s) against whom the grievance was filed. Such notice will include the specific point(s) of the grievance.
  2. Once appointed, the Grievance Committee will be in full charge of the entire process. Strict rules of courtroom procedure need not apply. The Grievance Committee shall designate one of its members as its chairperson, with responsibility and authority to call and preside at meetings, maintaining order and fairness.
  3. All parties will have an opportunity to be heard and to present their position on the matter. The Grievance Committee may interview any other persons, as it may deem advisable. Subject to the approval of the Grievance Committee, the parties have the right to present evidence, both in written form and through the use of witnesses. Both parties will cooperate with the Grievance Committee in obtaining evidence, including relevant documents and testimony.
  4. If a grievance is filed against the Status Committee, the entire Status Committee shall be invited to attend any meeting of the Grievance Committee called for the purpose of interviewing the Status Committee. Members may be questioned individually, at the discretion of the Grievance Committee, in the presence of at least two other members of the Status Committee, including the chairperson.
  5. For meetings of the Grievance Committee, a quorum shall consist of all members of the committee.
  6. The burden of proof rests with the grievant.
  7. The hearings of the Grievance Committee will be private and strict rules of confidentiality will be maintained. Each party has the right to be accompanied at hearings by a faculty colleague as advisor and observer. The Grievance Committee will ensure that a careful and complete record of the proceedings is kept.
Official Records
- The official record of each Appeal or Grievance Committee, which is to be kept in the President's Office until all processes have been completed, will consist of the following:
  1. All written materials received from the administration, the faculty member, and any other parties seen to be appropriate by the committee;
  2. A copy of the Committee's recommendations;
  3. A log of the Committee's actions, including times of meeting, documents received, and a record of parties with whom the Committee or its members conversed.
- At the discretion of the President, following the completion of all processes, the records will be transferred to the Archives, where they will remain under seal, with access limited to the President, the Provost, or their designees.

Section C. Professional Obligations of Faculty

C1: General Responsibilities

General Philosophy of the Faculty's Professional Obligations
1. The professional obligations of a department include teaching as a primary determinant and other appropriate responsibilities (such as coaching, directing, conducting, advising, recruitment, and administration). Determination of a faculty member's individual obligations must take into account all these components. Student contact hours (SCN) and student credit hours (SCH) data are to be considered along with the other components of the faculty member's obligations.
2. The Provost has the responsibility to allocate resources to departments. His/her goal will be to achieve equity in staffing relative to the obligations carried by each department. A corollary to this goal of equity will be to provide, given the fiscal constraints of the college, the best possible academic program for the students enrolled in the college.
3. It is the province of the Provost to review all faculty obligations within departments and divisions in order to ensure (a) that the overall objectives of the academic program are being achieved, (b) that a reasonable student/faculty ratio is maintained, and (c) that the concept of a liberal arts institution is maintained, i.e., that balance be maintained within the curriculum.
4. It is the province of the divisional dean to review all faculty responsibilities within each department and within his/her division(s) in order to ensure (a) that equity of responsibilities has been discussed and implemented within a department, (b) that student needs and interests are being met in terms of courses offered to both majors and non-majors, (c) that sufficient staff are employed for the optimum functioning of the department and/or division, and (d) that determination of staff increases or decreases be made in an intelligent and conscientious manner.
5. It is the province of the department, and thus ultimately of the department chairperson, to make assignments to its faculty, the rationale being that the department and the chairperson of the department are in the best possible position (they are the closest to the facts and the persons) to make these assignments. In the making of these assignments, the following must be considered:
  1. Student needs and interests for the discipline must be met in a reasonable manner, i.e., courses needed either by students in other majors or by the department's own majors or by those students who have an interest in the discipline must be offered.
  2. Academic advising for the general student or for the major within the department must be provided.
  3. The professional development of the faculty within the department needs to be assured.
  4. The visibility and prestige of the department as represented in research, grants procured, publications, performances, exhibitions, etc. should be promoted.
  5. Time for community service and the advising of student groups (cf. C8.b) should be considered as obligations are distributed.
  6. An overarching consideration is equity among the members of the department.
Normal Components of a Faculty Member's Professional Obligations
1. Teaching assignment:
  - Requisite faculty contact hours (FCN), normally 12 per semester, or student contact hours (SCN) as determined by the department and as approved by the academic dean and the Provost.
  - The strategy used in determining teaching assignments will be first, given the number of faculty available in a department, to determine what is a viable program in a department, and then to divide equitably, by departmental consensus, the responsibilities of the department.
2. Academic advising of up to 25 students, either majors or nonmajors.
3. Membership on one standing committee or board and on one ad hoc faculty or administrative committee.
4. Sustained professional development as evidenced by publications, research, performances, exhibitions, etc.
5. Departmental committee assignments and/or administrative duties as assigned by the department chairperson.
6. Under certain conditions, a faculty member may be assigned duties in one area which exceed those listed above. When possible, s/he should be compensated by reducing his/her obligations in another area. If this is not possible, the overload should be compensated by a reduction of responsibilities in the succeeding semester or academic year. If a reduction cannot be granted, monetary compensation will be paid, subject to approval by the Dean and Provost.
Additional Guidelines for Assignment of Responsibilities
1. Faculty involved in team-taught courses, or assisting in laboratories, will receive proportional credit for this work. If student assistants do work normally done by a faculty member, such as grading tests or papers, the same principle applies.
2. New faculty members are normally excused from advising and from committee assignments in their first year in order to enable them to concentrate on their teaching and/or research responsibilities. If they are in their first year of college teaching, their course load may be reduced if this is feasible within the department.
3. Faculty members engaged in major administrative or planning tasks may be granted a reduction in teaching responsibilities upon approval of the divisional dean and Provost.
4. Department chairpersons, because of their administrative responsibilities, may have their teaching assignments reduced according to the following schedule:
  - 12+ FTE Faculty - 1/2 reduction
  - 8 - 11 FTE Faculty - 1/3 reduction
  - 4 - 7 FTE Faculty - 1/4 reduction
5. An enrollment of eight students is the normal minimum for offering a course. Courses with enrollments of fewer than eight may be offered if, in the judgement of the department chairperson and the divisional dean, the course is essential for their students' programs.
Implementation of Policies Regarding the Professional Obligations of Faculty.
- Implementation of the above can best be achieved if the following are adhered to:
  1. Prior to each academic year, the department chairperson is required to summarize for the dean the proposed distribution of teaching responsibilities or the next academic year for each faculty member within his/her department. A rationale for assignments made will accompany this summary. Following registration for each semester, the chairperson will update this information for the dean.
  2. SCN and SCH data and any other data deemed important by the Provost and divisional deans will be reported to the divisional deans and Provost by the Registrar so that, insofar as possible, comparisons can be made across departments and divisions. It should be noted, however, that overall comparisons (college-wide) will be avoided because of the different ways in which departments and divisions constitute a faculty member's professional obligations. Comparisons will be made across departments, divisions, and college-wide only when common criteria are evident.
  3. Department chairpersons will be supplied data pertaining to the distribution of teaching responsibilities in their division (and, where significant, college-wide) so that questions of equity and questions of staffing priorities can be addressed on the basis of common data

C2: Classroom Responsibilities

General Academic Regulations
- College policy on such academic matters as the system of grading, the Pass/Fail option, incompletes and withdrawals, academic standing, changes of courses, academic appeals, and student load are found in the section of the annual College Catalog entitled "General Academic Regulations." Faculty members should acquaint themselves with these policies, be able to explain them to students, and operate within their framework.
Admission to Classes
- Class lists are available through the faculty member's KnowHopePlus account. Class lists are updated in real time and are considered to be the list of those students officially enrolled in a course. Faculty members should inform the Registrar's Office of any discrepancies in the class lists and should require those attending the class, but not officially enrolled, to register for the class before the end of the drop/add period.
Grades and Grading
- The College Catalog describes the system of grading used at Hope College. Each faculty member should determine with clarity the criteria upon which the final grade for his/her courses are to be based; adopt clear, adequate and consistent methods for securing evidence of student growth and achievement; and inform students early in the semester of these criteria and methods.
- To help faculty persons, the Academic Affairs Board has authorized the Registrar to publish grade distribution studies annually. These enable instructors to examine their own grading practices in comparison with the practices of their colleagues.
- The letter "I" (Incomplete), according to the College Catalog, "is given only when unusual circumstances beyond the control of the student prevent giving a specific grade." Teachers must use personal judgment in interpreting such circumstances; however, such circumstances are not to include student negligence. Nor should an "I" be given for poor or inadequate performance which the student, by additional work, may raise to a passing grade.
Grade Reports
- Faculty members report to the Registrar for each student a grade estimate at the middle of the semester and a final grade at the close of the semester. The final grade is the only one that appears on the student's permanent academic record (transcript). The midterm estimate is useful for the student and his/her advisor and also gives the instructor a good basis for conferring with his/her students, especially those who are performing poorly. Since student grades are distributed to the student, to his/her advisor, and, in some cases, to parents, it is essential that faculty members observe the deadlines established for such grade reports.
Faculty Class Absences
- Regular meeting of classes at the scheduled times is considered important at Hope. Because students pay for instruction, they have the right to expect that the contracted class schedule will be followed and that the faculty will be available to provide instruction. Illness, serious family emergencies, and occasional attendance at important professional meetings are the only legitimate reasons for class absence by the instructor. When such occasions arise, the faculty member is responsible for informing the departmental chairperson as far in advance of the class session as possible. The faculty member and chairperson will decide upon appropriate action to be taken.
- When the cause of absence is other than illness or emergency, the faculty member must request, in advance, permission to be absent by completing the absence form and submitting it for approval by the departmental chairperson and the divisional dean or Provost.
Student Class Absences
- The Student Development Office notifies a student's teachers and advisor of any illness which is expected to result in hospitalization, more than three days of missed classes, or the need to go home temporarily. The Health Center Staff does not write excuses. A professor who wants to know if a student is being seen for illness may call Health Services for verification.
- When a student is absent from class over a period of time – a week or two – the teacher should make a sincere effort to contact the student and/or the student's academic advisor. If the student needs counseling or if the advisor cannot contact the student, the advisor shall report this to the Office of the Dean of Students. Such reporting is often helpful in discovering illness or personal problems for which help can be given.
- The teacher is responsible for determining how and under what conditions any absence may be made up, for determining what effect of such absences on the course grade, and for informing students during the opening week of class of the absence policy for that course.
- In most instances, the mode of instruction and learning at Hope includes group sessions. Here, teachers make their primary impact through lectures, the asking and answering of questions, and the discussion of ideas. Here, too, occurs the exchange of ideas among students, which also can be very illuminating. When a course is so structured that the class session is considered an integral part of the learning process, and when students contract for such a course, they miss an irreplaceable element when they miss class. Teachers, therefore, may legitimately claim that all absences have an adverse effect upon the student's expected progress in that course, unless such absence is made up to the satisfaction of the professor. Students may, however, be denied makeup privileges. If the professor does not allow the student to make up the class absence, the faculty member should discuss the negative impact of such absences with the student, so that the student may make an informed decision about elected absences.
Absences Related to Performance or Other College Activities
- Occasionally, another College activity (e.g., a sporting event, field trip, music or theatre performance or Model U.N.) conflicts with regularly scheduled classes. The College recognizes the value of such activities, but also realizes the difficulties resulting when such activities conflict with regularly scheduled classes. In an effort to reduce these difficulties, the Academic Affairs Board adopts these guidelines for students and faculty members:
  - Students
    1. Students involved in athletics and other organized campus programs are expected to schedule their classes not to interfere with practice sessions or meetings.
    2. Students with class conflicts resulting from field trips or on-campus events scheduled in other courses or from officially-sanctioned athletic events are responsible for informing their teachers of these conflicts as early as possible in the semester and for ascertaining whether these absences can be made up.
  - Faculty
    1. If students have informed them in advance, faculty are encouraged to make an effort to accommodate students with conflicts resulting from off-campus field trips and on-campus events assigned in other courses, as well as officially-sanctioned athletic events.
    2. If a course requires field trips at times different from when the class sessions are held and the teacher knows those dates and times when the schedule is ready for printing, such sessions should be listed in the Schedule of Classes.
    3. If there is flexibility in scheduling field trips, faculty are encouraged to consider weekends or class days when their students would accrue the fewest absences in other courses.
    4. Faculty members should provide alternatives for outside activities which they require but have not included in the syllabus.
    5. Faculty members should provide alternatives for exams scheduled outside class meeting times.
    6. Since tours and trips scheduled during spring break often require numbers of students to be absent from class, every effort should be made to confine officially-sponsored spring tours and field trips to the actual spring recess period. If such confinement appears to be impossible, a written request should be made to the Provost for permission to extend the time of absence from the campus. Any such request should be for class days following rather than preceding the spring recess. Such extension will not be allowed beyond two class days.
    7. For overseas travel by athletic teams and student performance groups, a separate administrative policy has been established. Copies of that policy are available from the Office of the Provost.
Communication Skills
- All faculty bear a share of the responsibility for bringing their students to an adequate level of skill in communication. Insistence on clarity and correctness of expression in oral and written work is one of the criteria each teacher should include for each course.As appropriate, faculty should refer to the official guide to writing form and style adopted by the College, and distributed to all faculty.
Examinations
- Some indication of students' progress in achieving the goals of a course should be given no later than the end of the first month. Where the chief means for sampling performance is by written or oral testing, an hour test should be given no later than the end of the fourth week.
- For freshmen or beginning students, it is good to provide evaluation even earlier.
- Unless some other form of assessing student progress is appropriate, all courses end with a final examination that is to be given in the two hour block provided in the examination schedule published by the Registrar's Office. In fairness to students and other faculty, all faculty members are required to hold final examinations at the scheduled time; any variation from this requirement shall be granted only in severe emergency and with the express approval of the Provost. For the same reason, the final week of regular class sessions shall be kept free of hour tests whenever possible. Ideally, such testing should be incorporated in the final exam in the scheduled examination time.
- In the cases of individual students with schedule conflicts known in advance or students who have been prevented by illness or emergency from taking the examination at the scheduled time, their final examinations may be rescheduled at the faculty member's discretion.
Term or Research Papers
- When such assignments are given, instructors should provide instruction in the process of research in their discipline and be available for conference with their students during the process of defining the topic, discovering relevant materials, arriving at sound conclusions, and organizing the results in a meaningful way. The College library staff is ready to assist teachers in some of this instruction, especially in explaining the resources of the library and methods for finding data.
- In order to ensure adequate time for study for final examinations, term papers should be due, whenever possible, prior to the final week of classes. Reasonable exceptions to this policy might include a seminar in which oral presentation of the results of research constitutes the culmination of the semester's work.
Code for Academic Integrity
- Preamble
  - As it seeks to fulfill its mission, the Hope College community assumes that each of its members will operate with integrity and honesty, with a sense of personal responsibility, and with mutual trust and concern toward others in all facets of the life of the College. In order to apply this principle to academic life in a fair and consistent manner, the following policy has been adopted to clarify the expectations regarding conduct, and to establish a set of procedures for dealing with situations that violate these expectations.
- Expectations
  - ACADEMIC INTEGRITY is based on principles of honesty and individual responsibility for actions. As these principles are applied to academic life at Hope College, it follows that a student will not:
    1. Give, offer or receive aid on examinations other than that specifically allowed by the professor.
    2. Do course work in a manner that is inconsistent with the standards of conduct set forth by the professor.
    3. Knowingly represent the work of others as his/her own. This includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism.
    4. Falsify or fabricate data. This has particular application to laboratory work and research.
    5. Engage in conduct that destroys another person's work or hinders another in her/his academic endeavors. This has particular application to computer files, library resources, and laboratory or studio work.
- Violations
  - With the aim of maintaining and promoting integrity in the community and in a spirit of helpful concern, every member of the community is encouraged to address any perceived violations of integrity directly by confronting the appropriate party. The following procedures have been defined to ensure that apparent violations are handled in a prompt and just manner.
    1. If a faculty member observes an apparent violation of academic integrity, the faculty member should arrange an informal, private meeting with the student within one week. At that meeting the faculty member will discuss his/her suspicion with the student and inform the student of the options below, and of the student's right to appeal any action taken by the faculty member.
      1. If the student has an explanation, which is acceptable to the faculty member, the case may be closed with no written record or further action.
      2. If the matter is not resolved, the instructor may impose a sanction, taking into consideration the circumstances and seriousness of the violation. In the case of major violations the faculty member may assign a failing grade in the event (test, paper, performance, etc.) or for the course. Sanctions for minor violations may include downgrading the work or assigning additional work to replace the work in question. The faculty member may also recommend to the Provost that additional non-grade sanctions be imposed.
        
        In the event that any sanction is imposed by the faculty member, the incident and the action taken must be reported in writing to the Provost (with a copy to the student) within one week of the informal meeting.
      3. If a sanction has been imposed, the student has the right to file a written appeal to the Provost (with a copy to the instructor). This appeal must be filed within one week after the student receives notification of the sanction. The Provost will then review the incident, resolve it to the satisfaction of both parties, or refer it to the Student Standing and Appeals Committee (SSAC).
      4. If the incident is referred to the SSAC, the SSAC may act on the basis of the written record, or may invite the parties to submit additional information. If the student is found to be innocent, the faculty member will be notified and any academic sanction imposed against the student will be nullified.
      5. If the student is not found innocent, the Provost will decide whether to impose a non-grade sanction. The Provost will take into account the faculty member's recommendations, any related record in the Provost's office, and recommendations from the SSAC or the office of the Dean for Student Development.
      6. If additional non-grade sanctions are imposed by the Provost, the student may appeal these to the SSAC.
      7. If, after meeting with the student to discuss an apparent violation, the faculty member is unsure of what action to take, she/he may refer the matter to the SSAC through the Provost even if no sanction has been imposed. The faculty member may seek advice from the Provost and SSAC at any time.
    2. All proceedings will be conducted with strict confidentiality by all those involved in the matter. Records of alleged violations resulting in innocent findings will be promptly destroyed. In cases where guilt is established, reports from the faculty member and the SSAC will be retained by the Office of the Provost for the duration of the student's academic career at Hope College. The record will also allow the recording of the student's defense. All related reports shall be destroyed upon graduation. The record of a student suspended or expelled for a violation will be retained for three years before being destroyed. All provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act shall apply regarding release of information from these records.
    3. Course syllabi should contain a reference to these procedures and detail their applications for that particular course. Syllabi may refer students to the Student Handbook for the full text of the Code for Academic Integrity.
    4. Faculty are encouraged to create environments conducive to fostering integrity by all. This means that proctoring examinations may be necessary in some instances, but it also calls for positive action on the part of the instructor to remove undue temptation.
    5. The Administrative Affairs Board will maintain its charged oversight of the conduct of the SSAC and will also take overall responsibility for encouraging and maintaining an atmosphere supporting academic and social integrity.

C3: Advising Responsibilities

Nature of Responsibilities
- After the first year of teaching at Hope College, faculty members participate in the academic advising of students.
- The instructor of a First-Year Seminar (IDS 100) section serves as the academic advisor for students enrolled in his or her section, and continues to advise these students until they select a major, normally by the end of the sophomore year, and have been assigned an advisor by the major department. In addition to normal academic advising about course schedules and academic progress, the freshman advisors are responsible for helping students make adjustment to college and discover career directions.
- When a student declares a major, the chairperson assigns an academic advisor from the departmental faculty. Several faculty members have special assignments as advisors to students in particular pre-professional or professional programs.
- The academic advisor in all cases is responsible for helping advisees plan their course schedules and for counseling them on their progress in their course work. Advisors are expected to meet with their advisees periodically (usually after midterm grades have been reported or just before the end of the semester, at which session the next term's schedule is worked out). They maintain a file on each advisee and include in it notes on the conferences with the advisee.
Change of Advisor
- A student may request a change of advisor at any time in consultation with the Office of the Registrar. A faculty advisor may also initiate such a change.
College Resources Available to Assist Students
- If advisees have major academic problems, they may be referred by the advisor to an academic administrator (Registrar, divisional dean, or Provost) for special advice. If advisors sense serious personal problems beyond their counseling competence, they are urged to acquaint the student with the special services provided by the College and to advise the student to make use of them. On occasion, they may even wish to make a direct referral to one of these services. Subject to principles of confidentiality, reports from these services are available for examination by the faculty advisor.
- These special services are available: The Academic Support Center; The Counseling Center; The Career Planning and Placement Center; Campus Ministries; the Office of Multicultural Life; the Office of Disability and Accessibility Resources; the Office of Special Programs, and the College Health Clinic. A description of the nature and dimension of these services is provided in the College Catalog.

C4: Ethical Responsibilities

Animal Care and Use
- Hope College policy and federal law require a review of projects for humane treatment and judicious and safe use of vertebrate animals. At Hope College, the review is conducted by the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) from which principal investigators and course instructors must obtain approval from before initiating any research, testing or instructional project involving the use of vertebrate animals. The U.S. Public Health Service requires verification of such approval within 60 days after submission of a grant application or proposal. ACUC's principal areas of concern are housing and husbandry, health status of animals, veterinary medical care, measures to minimize pain or discomfort, and the adequacy of training or experience of the personnel using the animals. The Committee does not review projects for scientific merit except as the question of merit bears on humane treatment or safe use of animals.
- ACUC maintains an information file on anesthetic, analgesic and tranquilizer agents, laws and standards, and other aspects of the humane care and use of animals. The USPHS Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is available from ACUC on request. Consultation or assistance on these matters is available from the chairperson of ACUC or the Dean for the Natural Sciences.
Use of Human Subjects
- Hope College is committed to the ethical treatment of all human participants in research conducted by its faculty, staff, and students. The Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) is responsible to review all research done under the auspices of the College and to ensure that, in each project, human participants are treated in a just and ethical manner. Hope College complies with the regulations of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (Part 46 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended) and with the principles set forth in the Report of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, entitled "Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research" (the “Belmont Report"). Copies of both documents are available in the offices of the Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research. The three basic principles of the Belmont Report are respect for persons (acknowledging autonomy and protecting those with diminished autonomy), beneficence (maximizing possible benefits while minimizing possible harm), and justice (sharing equitably the burdens and benefits in the population). For each research project conducted at Hope College, the HSRB is responsible to ensure that:
  1. Any costs and risks to participants are so outweighed by the sum of the benefit to the participants and the importance of the knowledge to be gained as to warrant approval of the proposed project.
  2. The rights and welfare of all participants will be adequately protected.
  3. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants in accordance with HSRB guidelines.
  4. On-going projects will be reviewed at timely intervals, (not less than once a year).
- The HSRB shall have jurisdiction over the collection and analysis of data from projects that utilize human participants and are intended primarily for research purposes. Projects done primarily for pedagogical or administrative purposes do not require prior HSRB approval, but they may be submitted to the HSRB at the discretion of the project director.
Research Misconduct Policy
- Hope College expects all faculty, staff, and students to maintain the highest standards of conduct in pursuing research activities. Any form of research misconduct is contrary to the principles upon which Hope College was founded and adversely affects the reputation of all individuals in the Hope community.
- The purpose of this policy statement is to inform those participating in research activities of both the College's and funding (private and public) agencies' research misconduct policies, to identify general types of research misconduct, and to set in place mechanisms to deal with alleged violations of these principles. Applicable law, regulations and requirements by the research sponsor shall include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, current regulations appearing in the Code of Federal Regulations at 42 CFR 50.101-.105 (1989) and 45 CFR 689.1-.9 (1991), as hereafter amended in 1998, followed by a second revision in 2003. In 2005, the federal government issued a revised version of its research regulations pertaining to research misconduct, 42 CFR Parts 50 and 93 (http://ori.hhs.gov/documents/FR_Doc_05-9643.shtml).
- The Research Misconduct Policy can be found in its entirety on the Human Resources policies website.
Time and Effort Reporting Policy
- The federal Office of Management and Budget requires Hope College to document time and effort spent on externally sponsored activities. The system is an after-the-fact activity process, under which the distribution of salaries and wages by Hope College will be supported by activity reports as described in the Time and Effort Reporting Policy, which can be found in its entirety on the Human Resources policies website.
Policy for Providing Training in Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
- Faculty and staff who receive federal funding to conduct research or to supervise student researchers are responsible for ensuring all work is done in compliance with Hope College’s Research Misconduct Policy and Procedures and governmental policies (see below). Hope College’s policy for providing training on ethics and responsible conduct of research (RCR) can be found in its entirety on the Human Resources policies website.
- In addition, the above 3 policies can also be found on the websites of the Provost’s Office, Arts & Humanities, Natural & Applied Sciences and Social Sciences divisions.

C5: Professional Growth

Rationale and Responsibility for Professional Growth
- Faculty members are expected not only to promote intellectual inquiry by their students, but to illustrate it continually in their own behavior. Scholarly growth is essential for good teaching, and it is therefore a significant criterion for promotion and tenure.
- Every faculty member is responsible for designing his/her own program of professional development in consultation with the departmental chairperson. The principal goals of any such program are the maintenance of vitality in teaching and the fostering of growth as a professional in his/her area(s) of scholarly interest and expertise.
Internal Resources Available to Faculty to Assist in Growth
- To assist each faculty member in realizing these goals, the College provides various forms of assistance. Included are:
  1. The Initium program for new faculty, which includes an August workshop, fall and spring semester seminars, a spring retreat, and a mentoring component. Participation by all new full-time faculty is expected. Some components will be open for participation by continuing faculty.
  2. The sabbatical leave program (see B19);
  3. Funds to enable travel to professional conferences (see B17.b8);
  4. Summer development grants to assist research and other forms of faculty development (see above B17.b9).
  5. President's Discretionary Fund, available year-round for special projects;
  6. Faculty study carrels in Van Wylen Library, assigned by the Library Committee for a semester or summer through an application process;
  7. Colloquium series and short-term workshops organized within departments, divisions, or special groups such as the Senior Seminar faculty;
  8. Funds to enable attendance at meetings aimed at the improvement of teaching (e.g., GLCA Workshop on Course Design and Teaching)
- Department chairpersons have further information on the above programs.
- Several departmental and divisional offices regularly post announcements of conferences and of grant and fellowship competitions.
Requests for External Funding for Scholarly Work
- Since the resources of the College are insufficient to support all scholarly work by Hope faculty members, individuals are encouraged actively to seek funds from outside sources, especially to sustain their scholarly work on an ongoing basis.
- The Office of Sponsored Research Programs (SRO) provides assistance to faculty in locating funding sources and developing successful proposals through a variety of services provided. It is important for faculty members to contact the Director of Sponsored Research Programs as well as their Chairperson and divisional Dean to enlist their assistance in formulating grant requests.
- There are college requirements related to submitting an external grant proposal such as completion of the online “Early Notification Form” informing the SRO and Chairperson of the faculty member’s intentions, paper copies of the “External Support Routing Form” seeking authorizations by designated College officials prior to submission and the “Institutional Cost Share Form”, if College commitments are required for the project. All information regarding the Office of Sponsored Research can be found on the SRO website. Institutional information needed in preparing external proposals and budgets such as College’s tax ID and negotiated indirect cost rate can be found on the institutional data page of the SRO website.
Use of Other College Resources
- Research that 1) may require financial support by the College; 2) entails extensive use of equipment or facilities; or 3) requires released time from teaching assignments must be approved in writing by the Provost.

C6: Faculty Meetings

Attendance at faculty meetings is expected of all those holding faculty voting privileges. All other college teaching staff are invited to attend these meetings. (See Section A3.d-f for a full description of the faculty meeting schedule and procedures.)

C7: Formal Convocations

Each faculty member is expected to be present and to participate in the academic procession with appropriate academic garb on the occasion of formal convocations unless excused by the Provost. There are three regularly scheduled annual formal convocations in the college year: the opening convocation in late August and Baccalaureate and Commencement on a Sunday in early May. Special convocations to honor a guest or event may be scheduled by the President.

C8: Faculty Roles in the Life of the College Community

There are several ways in which faculty members are encouraged to make contributions to the life of the College on campus and off, although they are not contractually required to do so.

Faculty Role in Religious Life of the Campus
- The religious dimension of Hope College is described in the section of the College Catalog entitled "The Spiritual Dimension." As leaders of the College community, faculty members are urged to share in this program as participants and models, both on campus and in the community.
Faculty Advisors to Student Groups
- When faculty members are invited to become official advisors to student groups and accept this responsibility, they serve as representatives of the faculty and administration to provide their best counsel on the nature and the quality of that group's activities. Advisors should help the group to understand the principles and regulations of the College under which the group operates and to be sensitive to the public implications of the group's activities. (Policies governing student groups are the responsibility of the Campus Life Board [see A5.b, esp. sections b1-b3).]
- As official representatives of the College, advisors must indicate to a group when it is not In compliance with the regulations of the College. Advisors should also exercise due care characteristic of a reasonable person with regard to the safety of the members of the group. They should encourage the students to provide creative leadership in planning and carrying out their purposes. When the group's activities involve a College budget item, budget submissions must carry advisor approval. When a group plans a special activity that has significant public relations implications (e.g. fund raising projects or performances for the general public), it must carry approval from the advisor and the Student Activities Office. In the case of an unresolved difference of judgment between advisor and group, the matter is to be referred to the Dean of Students or the appropriate campus board or committee.
Faculty Role in Public Relations
- Public relations may be defined as what an institution is and does, as well as how the institution influences the public's perception of it. Faculty are representatives of the College and contribute to its public relations function in many ways. Information about the professional and public service activities of a department and its faculty is potentially excellent material for public relations. It is important, then, that faculty keep the Public Relations Office informed about their academic activities, off‑campus professional engagements, attendance at conferences, papers read, publications, and participation in research or consultant groups. Other contributions might include being community speakers or expert resources (listing areas of expertise with the College Speakers' Bureau), representing the Admissions Office in recruitment, or aiding the Office for College Advancement in its work with the many constituencies of the College. These efforts on the part of faculty, together with public coverage of student extracurricular activities, promote a balanced public image of the College.

C9: Hope College Open Access Policy

The faculty of Hope College affirms the core value of Hope College to contribute to the body of knowledge in the academic disciplines with a vision to pursue truth so as to renew the mind, enrich the disciplines, and transform the culture. Furthermore, the faculty of Hope College recognizes that knowledge and understanding are gifts from God and are to be shared with others. Thus the faculty is committed to the broad dissemination of its scholarly works, and as a result of this commitment the faculty of Hope College adopts the following policy:

Each member of the faculty of Hope College grants to Hope College permission to make her or his scholarly work as defined below openly accessible in the College’s Institutional Repository.

The permission granted by each member of the faculty of Hope College is a nonexclusive, irrevocable, non-commercial, paid-up, worldwide license. Hope College is permitted to exercise any and all rights under United States copyright law related to the scholarly work designated above provided that (a) the works are neither sold for a profit nor used for any commercial purposes and (b) the faculty member has not formally designated that a specific scholarly work is not to be so disseminated. The permission also allows Hope College to authorize others to do the same.

This policy applies to all peer-reviewed, published scholarly journal articles and conference proceedings written while the author is a member of the faculty of Hope College and written after the formal adoption of this policy. Faculty members shall submit all such scholarly articles for addition to the College’s Institutional Repository. A faculty member may formally designate that a specific scholarly work is not to be disseminated by requesting a waiver. Reasons for doing so may include the existence of an incompatible licensing or assignment agreement before the existence of this policy or the reasonable potential for the author to expect to receive royalties for the work. However, faculty members may opt out of such dissemination of a scholarly work for any reason.

How it Works

To assist the College in cataloging and distributing the published scholarship of its faculty, each faculty member will make available an electronic copy of his or her final version of the article at no charge to the designated representative of Van Wylen Library in an appropriate format (such as PDF) specified by the library. The article will be submitted no later than the date of its publication and will be embargoed until it has appeared either in print or online at the publisher's website, whichever comes first. Van Wylen Library will make the works available to the public in an Institutional Repository.

The library representative will automatically waive application of the policy for a particular article upon written request by the author, explaining the need for the waiver. The license will be waived for a given article at any time upon request of the author stating the reason for the request after the bibliographic data for an article has been submitted.

The Library Committee, acting under the authority of the Academic Affairs Board, will be responsible for interpreting this policy, resolving any disputes related to its interpretation and application, and recommending changes in the policy, if needed, to the Academic Affairs Board. The Library Committee and Academic Affairs Board will review the policy after three years and present a report to the faculty. The faculty authorize the Director of Libraries, working with the staff of the Hope College Libraries, to develop the Hope College Institutional Repository and to develop, initiate, and monitor a plan for adding scholarly works of the faculty, disseminating those works to the general public without cost, and communicating a formal acknowledgment to a faculty member when she or he designates that Hope College not disseminate a specific scholarly work.

Additional Information

Hope College faculty members are encouraged to consider Open Access journals when deciding where to submit their scholarly work for publication. If publication of scholarly work will occur in a non-Open Access journal, faculty members are encouraged to work with the publisher to retain a limited copyright of the scholarly work. Designated members of the Hope College Libraries will work with faculty members in this regard.

While this policy only covers peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, in order to provide a complete record of the scholarly output at Hope College, faculty are strongly encouraged to provide bibliographical data and, where possible, the full text, of any other publication (such as chapters and essays in edited volumes, reference articles, non-peer-reviewed articles, and monographs, plays and creative performance), for inclusion in the Institutional Repository. The Repository will provide links to the final published versions of all publications whenever possible.

Hope College Institutional Repository
http://digitalcommons.hope.edu/

This policy is effective October 15, 2011.

Appendix i: Institutional Services

1: The Library

Mission
- The mission of the Library is to serve as a vibrant center of intellectual and cultural life at Hope College by assuming a significant educational role in a college community committed to excellence in learning and teaching.
Buildings and Collections
1. Van Wylen Library: Van Wylen houses the main collection and central library services for the college. It also contains the Curriculum Materials Library, Copy Works! and the TechLab.
2. Many of the resources and services supporting the curriculum are available electronically from both on and off campus.
Services
- Van Wylen Library offers reference, instruction, circulation of books, reserve circulation, interlibrary borrowing, and document delivery services. In addition to research assistance at Van Wylen Library’s Reference Desk, help is available to students, faculty, and staff online and by appointment.
- Van Wylen Library, in conjunction with other campus units, provides multimedia production services in the TechLab and at the Media Services Desk, a Hope Copy Works! Site. Services include assistance with computer software applications, audio and video editing, photocopying, scanning, poster production, and color laser printing. Van Wylen Library holds several computer labs, offers wireless internet access, and houses audio-visual playback equipment. Laptop computers are available for checkout.
- Van Wylen Library’s Granberg Room is a multimedia classroom available to the faculty by reservation for class use. The Library Teaching Lab (LTL) is equipped with ten student workstations and can be used for library instruction and computer-related instruction in other courses. Reservations may be made with the library’s administrative assistant.
- The library offers several faculty study carrels each year to faculty members who use the space while on sabbatical, conducting research, writing a book or article, etc. Faculty who would like to be considered for a study carrel should contact the library director or administrative assistant. Requests for Spring Semester and May Term may be made in October and November. Requests for Summer and Fall Semester may be made in March and April.
Curriculum
- The library takes seriously its role as a partner in teaching students research and information literacy skills. Two courses in the curriculum are flagged as courses where students receive basic research education, First Year Seminar and Expository Writing (English 113). The librarians offer instruction for classes at all levels and in all curricular areas to help students make effective use of library resources and be prepared for graduate school or the workplace.
Other Libraries
- The Beardslee Library of Western Theological Seminary, adjacent to the Hope campus, is available for use by the Hope faculty. Its holdings are included in the online catalog. Faculty may borrow materials from the seminary by using their Hope College ID card. Herrick District Library is also available for use, but faculty must register there for a public library borrower’s card. Other area libraries available for use include those at Davenport University in Holland, Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College, Calvin College, and the Grand Rapids Public Library. Faculty may also borrow materials from other libraries in Michigan through MeLCat, the Michigan Electronic Library Catalog. Requests for items from MeLCat can be initiated by individuals from the Hope College library catalog and are usually filled within a few days. Participating institutions include academic and public libraries.
Selection of Books and Other Materials
- Library faculty work closely with faculty from other departments to select material in all formats. A member of each department is appointed to be the library liaison; their most important duty is to coordinate material orders from within the department. Faculty are expected to funnel purchase requests through the library liaison. Each librarian is assigned to work with a specific set of departments and serve as a primary contact point for information about library materials and services. Your departmental secretary knows who the liaison is for your department, and the library administrative assistant can tell you which librarian is assigned to work with you. Many tools exist to help both the liaison and the librarian evaluate possible materials purchases. Reports are provided monthly detailing materials ordered and received. The primary goal of this close collaboration is to build a purchased collection which supports Hope’s undergraduate curriculum and ensures that materials needed for course work will be available when needed.

2. The Bookstore

The Hope-Geneva Bookstore is wholly owned and operated by the College under a full-time director. Its purpose is to support the educational goals of the college by making available all books, supplies and other materials required for use in classes. In addition it strives to provide the college community with a wide selection of goods and services that enhance the educational and residential quality of the college. The "Geneva" in the bookstore's name reflects the fact that a portion of the store's profits are used to fund the international Geneva Scholarship Program for International Students.

Course Materials:
- Textbooks and other classroom materials are ordered through the bookstore. The textbook manager informs instructors about deadlines and procedures for the ordering process.
Copyright Clearance:
- Hope College strictly adheres to U.S. copyright law and any course packet or reader containing copyrighted material must have written permission for its use. The bookstore offers a copyright clearance service to assist faculty in obtaining permissions.
Custom Publishing
- It is college policy to avoid the direct sale of course materials in class. Custom-published materials should be made available for sale through the bookstore. Store personnel can assist faculty in a variety of ways in the production of custom-published material and should be consulted before any such project is undertaken.
General Reading Books:
- The bookstore maintains a general book section of over 3,000 titles on various subjects including current bestsellers. In addition, the staff will special order any title available in print in the U.S., as well as limited titles from England. Faculty suggestions of titles to be added are welcome.
Other Goods and Services:
- In addition to books, the bookstore stocks a wide variety of merchandise including computer software, International Faculty ID Cards,office supplies, greeting cards and college imprinted items. The bookstore also sells postage stamps, cashes checks and offers a photo finishing service.
Academic Regalia:
- Some official college functions require that faculty members wear academic vestments. Academic hoods, cap and gowns may be either rented or purchased through the bookstore.
Discounts and Charge Accounts:
- Any faculty member with a current staff card may maintain a charge account at the bookstore subject to store policies regarding such accounts. This service is a convenience to be used only for the personal purchases of faculty members and their immediate families.
- The bookstore also grants a 15% discount to faculty members on cash as well as charge sales. (Some sale and low-margin items are not discounted.) Please be ready to present your staff card to ensure getting this discount.

3. Audio/Visual Services, Computing, Telephone Services

The following information is accurate as of the date of this publication. Contact Computing and Information Technology (CIT), x7670 or https://hope.edu/resources/cit/ for up-to-date information.

Audio/Visual Services
- The following equipment is available to faculty for instructional support: Slide projectors, overhead projectors, VCR/DVD/CD players, video projection systems, microphones, and sound systems. Some equipment is permanently installed in classrooms; some is assigned by reservation.
- If a faculty member is unsure of the procedure for using requested equipment, this fact should be included with the request. CIT will make every effort to schedule staff to assist with the equipment.
- When using departmental funds for equipment purchases over $200, approval from the division head and the Director of Computing is required. CIT will provide best-effort repairs at the cost of materials.
- Requests for video taping of live events should be directed to Video Services in the Communication Department. The Van Wylen Library staff also offer some audio/visual services (see Appendix I.1).
Computing
- A computer network is provided to facilitate access to resources such as fileservers, network printing, email, course management systems, the Internet, and other online tools. Use of this network for College business is provided without charge to members of the College community. Accounts and additional information are available from CIT.
- Computers for faculty offices are purchased with centralized replacement funds administered by CIT. Upgrade requests are solicited from individual faculty members by division on an annual basis. Additional computers for other purposes (research, student work, etc.) must be funded from departmental, divisional, or other funds.
- Regardless of the funding source, all technology purchases over $200 require approval from the division head and the Director of Computing.
- User support is provided for computer hardware and software meeting the campus standard. Assistance is available by phone (CIT Help Desk, x7670) or by email (cit@hope.edu).
- Each faculty member will be provided with a Hope College email account. The address will be published on the College’s website, and thus it should be used for correspondence involving teaching, research, and/or professional activities. Faculty may wish to use an additional account (through another provider) for personal communications.
- The College supports the purchase of computer equipment for personal use through interest-free loans which can be repaid by payroll deduction. Information about current policies is available from Business Services.
Telephone Services
- The College telephone system is supported by CIT. Directories are available on the College website.
- Each faculty member is assigned a unique direct inward dial (DID) phone number which enables the receipt of calls from on or off campus without operator intervention. Incoming calls can be screened by a departmental secretary. This service can be arranged within the faculty member's department.
- Each faculty member is assigned, upon request to CIT, a unique authorization code for use in placing long distance calls for College business. Expenses incurred through the use of this code are paid from the academic department's budget. Reports of such calls are provided monthly to departmental chairpersons, who review the reports and inform CIT immediately of any irregularities. Authorization codes are personal and confidential.
- Cellular telephones for College business are provided by CIT at the discretion of the department/divisional head. Expenses are paid from the academic department's budget.
- Information about specific procedures and available features of the telephone system is available from CIT.

4. Campus Print and Mail Services

Campus Print and Mail Services
- Whenever possible, faculty should utilize Campus Print and Mail Services for document duplication. Materials should be submitted electronically using the online form available from the College website. Normally, a 24‑hour lead time should be allowed for completion of work. Additional time may be required during certain peak periods, such as registration, the beginning of semesters, midterm or final examination periods.
Departmental / Building Copiers
- Light duty copiers are available in departments and buildings throughout campus. These devices are more environmentally and financially expensive to operate than those at Campus Print and Mail Services and thus should only be used for low volume duplication. Use of inkjet or laser printers for creation of multiple copies is strongly discouraged.
Alternatives to Duplication
- Faculty members are strongly encouraged to consider alternatives to photocopying whenever possible. Email attachments and posting to the College’s course management system are among the options.

(Please be aware of copyright regulations as described on the Library’s website)

5. Internal Information Services

KnowHope
1. The Office of Public Relations, in cooperation with the Office of Computing and Information Technology, maintains a campus intranet website known as KnowHope, accessible by all students, faculty and staff using their email login and password.
2. This website contains a wide array of information menus intended to keep the campus community informed. Submissions for KnowHope may be sent via e-mail to knowhope@hope.edu
3. Messages of an official nature from the College, departments, or individual faculty and staff members may be distributed to all faculty/staff via email to campusmail@hope.edu.
4. As needed, KnowHope is also used to post urgent messages such as warnings of severe weather and security alerts in accordance with the federal Right-to-Know Act.
The Where of Hope College
1. The Where of Hope College is posted on KnowHope, the college intranet website. It includes a calendar of events and announcements of campus interest. Announcements and calendar items can be submitted by email to whereofhope@hope.edu.

6. Calendars

Academic (College) Calendar
- The Academic (College) Calendar is prepared by the Office of Academic Records/Registrar and approved by the Administrative Affairs Board. Ordinarily, this process is completed two spring semesters in advance, so that the calendar may be distributed to students, faculty, and staff and posted on KnowHope well in advance. This calendar provides the official list of the dates for vacations, registration, orientation, examination periods, and similar events.
Campus Master Calendar
- A complete calendar of events is posted on the college's website. Several departments have responsibility for keeping it up-to-date. Calendar items may also be submitted for posting by sending an email to whereofhope@hope.edu.

7. Mail Services

Mail service for all academic and administrative departments is provided in the central mail center located on the main level of the DeWitt Center. Each department is assigned a mailbox into which both U.S. and intra-campus mail is sorted. Window service for packages, large mailings, etc. is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The mailboxes are accessible whenever the DeWitt Center is open. The Mail Center website contains detailed information on the following services:

U.S. MAIL SERVICE: incoming and outgoing mail services
INTRACAMPUS MAIL: individual interoffice correspondence; mass mailings to all employees; mail to students living on campus
SHIPPING/RECEIVING: The mailroom is a United Parcel Service (UPS) service center.
EXPRESS MAIL SERVICE: UPS, FEDEX, Express Mail ( U.S. Postal Service)
FAX SERVICE: A general use fax machine is available at the mail center for a fee.
DEPARTMENTAL POSTAGE CHARGES: All of the above mail services may be charged to an academic or administrative department having a valid account number. A valid account number must be clearly visible on the outside of the envelope or package.
PERSONAL POSTAGE CHARGES: UPS and USPS packages may be sent out through the mailroom on a cash basis, or charged to your college account. Postage stamps are available for purchase in the mail center.

8. Instructional Materials and Student Help

Faculty members who desire instructional materials, supplies or equipment must request them through the departmental chairperson, since these items fall within the departmental budget. The departmental chairpersons will requisition the needed items through the Business Office, with the exception of capital equipment items, which are requisitioned through the Provost's Office. The chairperson is responsible for keeping such expenditures within the approved departmental budget.

The departmental budget also covers expenditures for student help. All requests for Student Employment budgets should be coordinated through the Human Resources Office. Requests for student help are done via jobstop.hope.edu, and must be approved by the Human Resources Office.

9. College Vehicles

A number of College-owned vehicles are available for use by faculty members while on College business. Mileage is charged at the current College rate to the departmental budget of the faculty member using the vehicle.

A faculty member may apply for use of a College vehicle and obtain regulations governing such use from the Transportation Office.

College vehicles may be operated only by Hope College Faculty and staff members and others approved by the College's insurance carrier. A list of approved drivers is kept in the Transportation Office. Students may be placed on the approved list by passing an examination which can arranged through the Transportation Office.

10. Parking and Traffic Control

The Department of Campus Safety is responsible for the enforcement of the College's motor vehicle regulations as they apply to faculty, staff and students, and for the use of parking areas on campus.

Students, faculty, and staff of the College must register their motor vehicles (including motorcycles and mopeds) with the Department of Campus Safety to obtain a proper parking permit. The Department of Campus Safety annually publishes regulations governing on-campus parking and operation of motor vehicles and provides special parking permits for short-term visitors.

11. Maintenance and Repairs

Requests for repairs, maintenance, remodeling, and equipment set-up are made by submitting a work order to the Physical Plant. If requests involve any unusual or costly items, the Director of the Physical Plant will seek the approval of the Vice President for Finance and Chief Fiscal Officer. The purchase of materials may be charged to the budget of the requesting department. All requisitions require the approval of the departmental chairperson.

12. Reservation of Campus Facilities

These procedures should be followed when reserving campus facilities:

All meeting rooms and facilities are reserved through the Events and Conferences Office via the online registration system (EMS) at http://events.hope.edu/VirtualEMS/Login.aspx.
The Registrar's Office schedules all classroom space for classes only.
Approved student groups can reserve space. If a student is not associated with a student group, they must have the approval of Student Development before space can be reserved, even if they are working with a faculty member.

If your event requires catering, it may be added to a reservation up to 48 hours in advance through EMS, or by calling the Catering Department directly.

13. Cash Payment Requesitions

Requisitions for the payment of expenses incurred by faculty members for official College business must be submitted to and approved by the department chairperson, who will forward them to Business Services for payment. Requisitions must be submitted with valid receipts for all expenditures before payment will be authorized. Payments are issued once a week, on Friday. Requisitions must be received by Business Services by noon on Tuesday in order for payment to be received on Friday of that week. Forms are available online on KnowHope under College Services, Business Office forms.

14. Key Policy

In order to maintain the security of College-owned buildings and equipment and the safety of personal possessions in College-owned buildings, requests for keys, either original or reproduced, shall be directed to the supervisor of Campus Safety, who shall determine the need and justification for the request and respond accordingly. If the request warrants additional approvals, the Director of Campus Safety will contact the Provost, the Dean of Students, or the Business Manager for decision and authorization.

Any individual who, without authorization, reproduces keys to any College building, office, room or equipment, or who has such keys in their possession shall be subject to disciplinary action by the College.

Upon leaving the employment of the College (either voluntary or involuntary), employees are required to turn in all keys issued to them. If the employee signing for does not have in their possession the key(s) listed, the employee's department may be charged a fee of $10 dollars per office key and $100 dollars per master key to help offset the cost of reissuing and rekeying college property and/or facilities. Keys are required to be turned in to the Human Resources Department during the exit interview

Key Request Website

15. Student Records

The Registrar's Office stores and maintains files containing academic records and application and advising materials of students and alumni. The information in these files is available to faculty members when needed in the discharge of their responsibilities. With the exception of public or directory information, this information is released to others only with the authorization of the student.

Medical and psychological records are confidential and are not available to faculty members.

The Career Services Office maintains student portfolios containing letters of recommendation from faculty. Students may or may not waive their right of access to these letters. Faculty members who write such letters should be aware of the student's decision.

A detailed "Statement of Policy re Student Records" is published by and available from the Registrar's Office and is available on KnowHope under the Registrar’s Home Page.

16. Health Services and Counseling Center

The purpose of Health Services is to assist students in attaining positive wellness behaviors and to provide health assessments, diagnosis, and treatment of acute medical problems. Services are available Monday through Friday. After-hours and weekend emergencies are handled through calling a local "Physicians' Exchange." Registered nursing staff provide most of the primary treatment supplemented by physicians.
- Faculty members may not use the services of the health clinic.
The Counseling Center's primary task is to support the mission of the College through the following strategies:
- Developing a student's ability to achieve academic and personal goals; develop interpersonal skills; and resolve conflicts, losses, traumas, and other concerns that interfere with academic and personal performance and understanding.
- Developing and supporting student community life through providing in-service education and consultative relationships to residential life staff.
- Working closely with faculty and staff to provide intervention and support for any student at risk.
- Promoting healthy behavioral choices and relationships, as well as fostering responsible involvement in student community life through peer education and counseling activities.
- Providing crisis intervention and debriefing services on campus, individual and group counseling, and outside referral.
- Coordinating preventive health and educational efforts with other departments, faculty, and staff.

17. Career Services

While the principle focus of the Career Services staff and operations is to serve students and alumni, Career Services staff are available to meet with faculty members to discuss résumé/vita revision and development, interview preparation and practice and career change issues.

The following resources may also by used by faculty: personality and career interest assessment (Sigi+[computerized career assessment program], Strong-Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), books, directories and files on hundreds of various occupational areas, Peterson's Guide to Graduate Study, college catalogs, corporate and organization files, employment bulletins from other colleges and universities, workshops addressing career exploration and decision making issues, résumé preparation, interview preparation and practice, and using the Internet in the job search process.

18. Academic Support Center

The purpose of the Academic Support Center is to help students achieve their academic goals. Though the use of the Center is voluntary, faculty often refer students to the Center for help.

The Academic Support Center provides the following services to students:

Tutoring – Both peer and staff tutoring is available in specific courses, writing, and study skills, such as time management, note taking, test taking, and reading comprehension.
Small Group Help Sessions – Faculty can arrange help sessions for specific courses through the Academic Support Center, which will assist in leading and/or monitoring these sessions.
Coping Skills/Aids for Students with Learning or Physical Disabilities – Students with learning or physical disabilities often require test scribing, test proctoring, or assistance with note taking or written material. The Academic Support Center offers these services in close consultation with the faculty who teach courses for these students.

19. Community Outreach

Hope College sponsors, maintains and staffs a number of educational programs for children of the community. These constitute a significant service to the Holland community and serve to enhance the College’s reputation in the community, as well as the community’s acceptance of and support for the College. The following are the most significant of these programs and also those of longest standing:

Children's After School Achievement (CASA)
- CASA, founded in 1987, serves at-risk children who are struggling in school. Through collaboration with the College, local schools, community members and organizations, disadvantaged at-risk children (grades 2 – 5) are provided the tools they need to become successful students and leaders. CASA offers one-on-one tutoring during the academic year and individualized academic instruction and cultural enrichment in small classroom settings during the summer.
Program for Academically Talented at Hope College (PATH)
- PATH, the Program for Academically Talented at Hope College, began in 1986 as a cooperative project of Hope College and the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District. Today it serves over 150 academically talented seventh, eighth and ninth grade students from Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon and Van Buren counties. PATH offers fast-paced accelerated instruction in language arts, mathematics and sciences and is funded through tuition provided by local districts and/or participating students, with Hope College providing in-kind support.
Project TEACH
- Project TEACH is a mentoring, scholarship program developed and funded by Hope College and designed to contribute to the ethnic balance of quality educators within the Holland area school districts. The program offers to deserving, committed, minority students the means, both academic and financial, to become K-12 teachers. High school students from Holland, West Ottawa & Holland Christian are invited to apply to the program during their freshman and/or sophomore year in high school.
Upward Bound
- Upward Bound is a pre-college program designed to help low-income and first generation students develop the motivation and skills needed to successfully graduate from high school and enter a postsecondary institution. Seventy-five students in grades 9-12 from three area target schools receive academic and college readiness assistance, personal and academic advising, and participate in career exploration and cultural activities throughout the academic year and a six- week summer residential component.

20. Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research

The Frost Center is an endowed institute of the Social Sciences Division supervised by the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship. Participating departments are Communication, Economics and Business Administration, Education, Kinesiology, Sociology and Social Work, Political Science, and Psychology.

Established in 1990, the center offers financial, methodological, and technical support to a wide variety of student-faculty collaborative research projects in the social sciences. In addition, the center provides research services for the college and for corporate, non-profit, and educational organizations. Through its courses, the center provides opportunities for students to learn about research methods and computer-assisted data management and analysis. Students also enroll in research practica in which they obtain research experience while working on projects of interest to community organizations.

The Frost Center is named for Dr. Carl Frost, a pioneer in the theory and practice of participatory management. A Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University, he is an expert in the field of organizational development and is known for his research and consulting with organizations nationwide.

For information on procedures for requesting service or submitting project proposals contact the Director.

21. The Joint Archives of Holland

Mission and Services
- The Joint Archives of Holland maintains the archival collections of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary. Its purpose is to collect, care for, promote, and make available the unique historical resources in its care and to serve as a history research center for students, faculty, and the general public.
- The Joint Archives offers a variety of services:
  - Curriculum support. The Joint Archives develops structured research experiences for students, support for instruction, and specific class sessions on topics that relate to archival resources.
  - Reference Services. The Joint Archives provides reference services to faculty, students, and visiting scholars, assisting them in locating historical materials and working with primary sources.
  - Copy of Record. The Joint Archives serves as the official repository of all Hope College "copies of record." This includes the minutes of all campus boards and committees, the minutes of the Board of Trustees, departmental records and all campus publications.
  - Departmental Records. The Joint Archives works with departments and administrative offices to help them preserve historically significant materials.
  - Papers of Retired Faculty. The Joint Archives collects the professional papers of Hope faculty. Such papers help explain how particular disciplines were taught in the past, illustrate the activities of Hope and its faculty in years past, and provide a corporate memory for the college.
  - Papers of Alumni. The Joint Archives collects papers of Hope College alumni which will enhance its collections.
  - Public Outreach. Because a significant number of patrons are from the Holland area, the Joint Archives serves as a significant link between Hope College and the local community. In addition, the Joint Archives publishes a quarterly newsletter and other occasional publications.
  - Educational Programming. The Joint Archives sponsors lectures, workshops, and other events to build awareness of local/regional history, Hope College history, Dutch immigration, and archival issues. The Archives maintains a special relationship with the Holland Area Historical Society and sponsors monthly programs on topics pertaining to local history.
  - Photographic Services. The Joint Archives can help illustrate publications, course materials, etc. by drawing on both the 150,000 images and the other printed materials in its collection.
Policy for submission of Minutes to the Archives
- The Joint Archives is charged with collecting materials which document the history of Hope College. The deliberations and actions of campus boards and committees are an important part of that history. The Minutes & Agendas Blog (https://blogs.hope.edu/minutes/) is where the official "copy of record" of all proceedings of college boards, committees and organizations are housed for both current and future reference.
- It is important that the Archives receives the final and most accurate copy of those minutes so that it can maintain them as a true historical record of boards and committee actions and make them available now and in the future. With this in mind the Administrative Affairs Board has adopted the following policy for submission of minutes to the Archives.

Boards and Standing Committees:

Secretaries of Boards and Committee should prepare draft minutes immediately after a meeting and circulate these minutes to all Board/Committee members together with a request that additions, corrections, etc. be returned within a week.

In light of what is reported to them, secretaries should revise the draft minutes, and then present the corrected minutes to all Board/Committee members for final approval by vote as a regular part of their meeting agendas. Final minutes must then be submitted by electronic mail to archives@hope.edu or via the online submission form.

If submitted by email, the minutes must include the words “FINAL APPROVED COPY” plus the name of the committee, date of meeting, those in attendance, and the name of the person who prepared the minutes. If submitted via the online submission form, all fields must be completed accurately and submissions will be regarded as the final approved copy. Email archives@hope.edu to confirm that your submission is approved for immediate publication to the Minutes & Agendas blog. The Joint Archives will post these minutes to KnowHope and the Minutes & Agendas blog, as well as print a copy for the board or committee file.

Adopted by Administrative Affairs Board, 04/14/1998; latest revision 08/25/2014.

22. Dow Center and DeWitt Tennis Center

Dow Health and Physical Education Center
- The Dow Health and Physical Education Center is open to faculty and their dependents. The faculty identification card gives faculty access and additional cards for dependents can be obtained at the Dow office. Children over the age of 11 are eligible for their own cards, while younger children are authorized by having their names written on the parent’s faculty ID card. These cards must be shown at the door to gain admittance. A variety of activities are available including weight lifting, swimming and diving, running, volleyball, walleyball, racquetball, etc.
Dewitt Tennis Center
- All faculty and their dependents have an automatic membership in the DeWitt Tennis Center. The center features six indoor tennis courts in a beautiful and functional building which was completed in 1994. A brochure outlining the open hours of the facility may be obtained at the tennis center. Court costs are also outlined in the brochure; however, court fees for all faculty and dependents are 1/2 price. Permanent court times are available, as are walk-in or random times.

23. Walk to Work Program

A stable core-city neighborhood is vital to the mission of Hope College and to the Holland Community. The "Walk to Work Program" has been established to combat neighborhood deterioration, to improve the quality of life for members of the community, to serve as a catalyst for further efforts to improve core city neighborhoods, and to assist employees in building equity with home ownership.

The "Walk to Work Program" provides financial purchase and renovation incentives for benefit eligible Hope College and Creative Dining Services employees desiring to live in these targeted neighborhoods surrounding the College.

Appendix II: Administrative Staff – Description of Functions

1. The President

"The President shall be the chief executive officer of the College and shall have such authority as usually is vested in or incidental to the office of president of a college. The President shall preside at all meetings of the faculty, and shall be the official medium of communication between the faculty and the Board of Trustees and the students and the Board of Trustees."
(From the Bylaws of Hope College)

Major Functions:

The President is the chief executive officer of the College. He or she shall be vested with full administrative authority, subject only to the approval and direction of the Board, in all such matters that ordinarily fall within the province of the chief executive officer of the College.
The President of the College shall be the executive officer of the Board of Trustees and shall be responsible to the Board only. He or she shall execute directions given by the Board and carry into effect policies prescribed by the Board.
The President of the College shall submit the budget to the Board and shall be responsible for the carrying out of its provisions.
The President shall be the official medium of communication between the Trustees and the faculty, or any individual, or College officer.
The President shall have authority, subject to the approval of the Board, to employ teaching staff and other necessary personnel, to fix their terms of employment and compensation and to prescribe their duties.
The President shall convene faculty meetings and be the presiding officer at such meetings. The President may vote as a member of the faculty and shall have final authority in the internal affairs of the College and may exercise the right of veto over any policy question which he believes to be not in the best interests of the College.
The President shall have a general charge of the intellectual, religious, moral and social life of the students, and shall be the final authority in cases of discipline.
The President shall be assisted in the administration of the College affairs by the administrative officers whose roles are summarized on the following pages. The President will be involved in matters of College policy and particularly critical decisions regarding College personnel, property, and public relations.

2. Chief Academic Officer (Provost)

The Provost is responsible to the President for the total academic program of the College, both curricular and co-curricular. He or she is charged with the development and supervision of instruction, the selection, assignment, and development of instructional staff members, the improvement of the course of studies and instructional facilities, the maintenance of high academic standards, and the encouragement of campus scholarly activity. More generally, the Provost is concerned with the welfare of the College, the well-being of students and faculty, co-curricular activities, academic and personal discipline, admissions, and housing insofar as these are related to the educational programs of the College. In this regard, he or she works closely with other administrative responsibilities for these areas under the supervision of the President.

The Provost has the responsibility to develop an effective organizational structure for the academic administration of the College and for the supervision and development of those reporting to him or her. See the Academic Administration Organization Chart for current structure.

Major Functions:

To direct the planning of the academic program so that it will continue to meet the needs of students; that there will be a faculty of appropriate size and suitable distribution and a level of competency needed to offer it; and that there will exist adequate facilities to house both program and faculty;
To develop, with faculty and staff, programs to realize academic plans;
To develop and administer policies and procedures for engaging members of the academic staff;
To initiate the evaluation of all academic programs;
To define the responsibilities of the persons who report directly to him or her, to coordinate their activities, and to evaluate their performance;
To plan with the faculty moderator the agenda of faculty meetings and preside in the absence of the President;
To act as chief administrative officer in the absence of the President;
To serve as a member of boards and committees as designated elsewhere in this book;
To chair the Status Committee, forward its recommendations to the President, and serve as corresponding secretary;
To establish priorities for securing programmatic and faculty development funds from outside sources, and to work with the senior administrative staff in securing such funds;
To formulate the faculty salary and the academic capital and operating budget requests, and to oversee these budgets;
To monitor, update, and interpret the Faculty Handbook;
To represent the College in the GLCA Deans' Council and other external academic organizations and agencies.

As a consequence of these responsibilities, the Provost is concerned also with academic advising; the maintenance of academic records; the library; computer services; summer sessions; off-campus programs, both foreign and domestic; adult education programs; and cultural affairs programs.

2a. Associate Provost and Dean for International and Multicultural Education

Major Functions:

Assist the Provost in translating the President's vision for a multi-cultural campus into reality by helping to
1. Establish an effective plan for recruitment of multi-cultural faculty;
2. Develop a program for faculty to enable them to be more aware of the needs of multi-cultural students and faculty and more responsive to those needs;
3. Develop multi-cultural curricular models, in concert with individual faculty or faculty committees;
4. Establish a program for staff development to encourage greater responsiveness to multi-cultural students, staff and faculty.
Serve as co-chair and executive secretary of the Critical Issues Symposium Committee, with specific responsibilities for recruitment of committee members, budget development and control, negotiations with speakers, handling arrangements for speakers and campus facilities, as appropriate, and shared responsibility with a faculty co-chair for providing overall leadership.
Identify programs and funding sources to foster cultural diversity at Hope College, and disseminate this information to deans and chairpersons, as appropriate.
Serve as liaison to Hope's chapter of the Michigan Campus Compact.
Serve as liaison between the Office of the Provost and the Office of Student Development.
Represent the Provost at official functions, when asked.
Handle other tasks and responsibilities delegated by the Provost.

2b. Divisional Deans

Dean for Arts and Humanities
Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences
Dean for Social Sciences

Each dean is responsible to the Provost for overseeing the departments within the appropriate division(s) (Performing and Fine Arts, Humanities, Natural and Applied Sciences, Social Sciences) and for directing or overseeing special programs and activities related to the areas of these divisions.

Major Functions:

To oversee the departments in the four divisions, which include:
1. Leadership in curriculum development, review of curricula, and evaluation of proposed curricular changes;
2. Direction of faculty recruitment for approved positions;
3. Allocation and appointment of part-time faculty and paraprofessionals;
4. Selection of departmental chairpersons in consultation with the Provost;
5. Working in concert with the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, engage in faculty development;
6. Mentor and develop departmental chairpersons;
7. Monitoring and approval of 295 and 495 courses;
8. Review of departmental budget requests and monitoring of budgets;
9. Monitoring and approval of teaching loads;
10. Allocation of space assigned to the divisions and direction of planning for the future space needs;
11. Participation in the evaluation of faculty and recommendation for salary increases, promotion, tenure, leaves of absence, and grants.
To formulate and control the faculty travel fund budget allocated to the division (s), discretionary funds, and the dean's office budget.
To participate in fund raising, especially preparation of proposals for programmatic funding for the division(s).
Working in concert with the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, provide leadership in the development of research programs and assistance to faculty applying for research opportunities and grants.
Other responsibilities assigned by the Provost.

2c: Associate Deans

Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning
Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship

Each associate dean reports to the Provost and carries out the responsibilities assigned to him or her, including supervision of the programs delineated on the Academic Adminstration organization chart. Associate deans work with divisional deans across disciplinary boundaries.

2d: Departmental Chairpersons

Departmental chairpersons are responsible to their divisional dean for the successful operation of their departments. They are the chief executives of the departments, but matters concerning the welfare of the department as whole are the subject of discussion and decision by the entire departmental staff.

Major Functions:

To advise the President, Provost, and divisional deans on the selection and retention of the departmental staff after consultation with that staff;
To conduct an annual evaluation of staff members and, after individual consultation with them, make recommendation to the dean on such matters as tenure, promotion, and merit increases;
To call periodic departmental meetings at least monthly for decisions on such matters as departmental budget requests, and changes in course offerings; and for the consideration of ideas for the development and improvement of the departmental offerings, as well as ideas on any aspect of the College program (see A4i).
To take the initiative in planning, with the staff, all curricular and policy changes desired for the development of the department and to present them to the proper policy making body;
To provide for the academic advising of students majoring in the department;
To prepare, with the advice of the staff, the annual department capital and operating budget requests and forward them to the divisional dean;
To advise and encourage the members of the department in the attendance and participation in professional and study opportunities for their continuing development as effective teachers;
To compile an annual report on the activities and accomplishments of the department and its individual members during the past academic year, including information on immediate and future staff, faculty, equipment, and administrative needs. The report is due to the divisional dean by June 1 and to the Provost by June 15. The report is to be submitted electronically for posting online.
To requisition equipment and supplies, and supervise student help;
To coordinate requests of departmental library budget and oversee expenditure of designated funds;
To prepare tentative schedule of classes for departmental courses with attention to the equitable distribution of load.

3. Chief Fiscal Officer (Vice President for Business and Finance)

"The Chief Fiscal Officer shall have custody of the corporate funds and securities and shall keep full and accurate account of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the College. He or she shall deposit all money and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the College in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Trustees. The Chief Fiscal Officer shall disburse the funds of the College as may be ordered by the Board of Trustees or the President, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements. He or she shall render to the President and Board of Trustees, at such times as they may request, an account of all his or her transactions as Chief Fiscal Officer and of the financial condition of the College. In general, he or she shall perform all duties and have all the posers as are usually incident to the office of a treasurer and such other duties and powers as may be assigned to him or her by the Board of Trustees." (From the Bylaws of Hope College)

Major Functions

To maintain integrity and discipline in all matters relating to the financial well-being of the College;
To assist in determining goals and objectives of the College and to provide proper financial data on which decisions can be based;
To prepare the annual budget and support and assist the President in the presentation of the budget to the Board of Trustees;
To ensure proper budget control through the use of modern accounting techniques;
To supervise the following areas:
1. Business Management
  1. Accounting and Budget
  2. Purchasing and Accounts Payable
  3. Student Accounting
  4. Bookstore
  5. Word Processing
2. Financial Aid
3. Non-Academic Personnel and All-College Fringe Benefits
4. Plant Operations and Maintenance
5. Campus Safety
6. Computer and Information Technology
7. Auxiliary Operations
8. Human Resources

4. Vice President for College Advancement

The Vice President for College Advancement is directly responsible to the President for the fund raising, promotional, and college relations activities of the College.

Major Functions:

To establish, in conjunction with the President and other senior administrative officers, the overall goals for the division;
To formulate plans to achieve these goals and to implement these plans by developing specific programs;
To participate actively in major gift, annual funds, and foundation solicitation and in college relations work;
To control the budget for these areas and participate in its formulation;
To direct the selection, continuing development, and evaluation of staff members;
To supervise the following areas:
1. Annual Funds
2. Foundation Support
3. College Relations
4. Alumni Affairs
5. Donor Financial Planning

5. Vice President for Admissions

The Vice President for Admissions is responsible to the President for maintaining a complete program of information, personal contact, and recruitment with prospective students and their schools.

Major Functions:

To prepare and distribute promotional and informational material for the use of high school and community college counselors, parents, and prospective students.
To supervise all communication with persons contemplating enrollment at the College.
To supervise recruitment policies and activities, including personal conferences, visits to high schools, on-campus programs for prospective students, college nights, college fairs, etc.
To recommend to the proper authority policies for admission and to implement the approved policies.
To maintain complete prospective-student files.
To supervise the preparation of applicant files needed for the Admissions Review Committee.
To inform candidates for admission of the decisions of the Review Committee and maintain continuing contact with accepted students.
To supervise all admissions matters related to international students.
To prepare the annual Admissions Office budget requests.
To arrange for overall office management and supervision of staff.

6. Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students

The Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students is responsible to the President, for developing a living/learning environment which supports the mission of the College and the personal development of each student.

Major Functions:

To develop and maintain relationships with students in order to understand their concerns, issues, beliefs, and questions. To communicate matters of concern to the appropriate person(s) so that the issue may be addressed through programs, policy, or process.
To promote individual development of students personally, as members of society, and interdependently with others. Such development should occur through co-curricular programs, living environments, student groups, and relationships with fellow students, faculty, and staff.
To plan and coordinate the College's program of student services. The areas include:
1. Residential Life
2. Student Organizations
3. Social Activities
4. Counseling
5. The Health Clinic
6. Career Services
7. Multi-Cultural Life
8. Disabilities
9. Student Leadership
10. Special Programs
11. Greeks
To staff and supervise the offices of these areas and to ensure that students and faculty are fully informed about these services and the personnel and offices where they are available.

Faculty Handbook

Important notice

Table of Contents

Appendix I. Institutional Services

Apendix II. Administrative Staff – Description of Functions

Section A. College Governance

A1: The Board of Trustees

A2: The Administrative Structure of the College

A3: The Faculty

A4: Campus Structure for Policy-Making and Review

a5: Description of the Board and Standing Committees

a5.A: Academic Affairs Board

a5.A.1: Curriculum Committee

A5.a.2: Cultural Affairs Committee

A5.a.3: International Education Committee

A5.a.4: Library Committee

A5.a.5: Teacher Education Council

A5.a.6: Assessment Committee

A5.a.7: Academic Computing Committee

A5.b: Campus Life Board

A5.b.1: Co-Cirricular Activities Committee

A5.b.1.a: Greek Judicial Board

A5.b.1.b: Greek Council

A5.b.2: Religious Life Committee

A5.b.3: Student Communications Media Committee

A5.b.4: Residential Life Committee

A5.b.4.a: Judicial Board

A5.C: Administrative Affairs Board

A5.C.1:Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid

A5.C.2: Athletic Committee

A5.C.3: Student Standing and Appeals Committee

A5.C.4: Multicultural Affairs Committee

A6: Other Campus-Wide Committees

A6.a: Status Committee

a6.b: President's Advisory Committee

A6.c: Advisory Committee on Financial Resources

A6.D: Professional Interests Committee

A6.E: Appointed Committees

A6.e.1: Off-Campus Programs Admissions Committee

A6.e.2: A. J. Muste Committee

A6.e.3: Campus Art Committee and Museum Advisory Council

A6.e.4: Animal Care and Use Committee

A6.e.5: Human Subjects Review Board

A6.e.6: Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC)

A6.f: Appeals and Grievances Panel

Section b. Faculty Personnel Policies

B1: Procedures to be followed in the Recruitment of Persons to the Hope College Faculty

B1.a: Principles

B1.b: Procedures

B1.b.1: Identification of Positions to be Filled

B1.b.2: The Search Process

B1.b.3: Campus Interview

B1.b.4: Conclusion of the Search

B1.b.5: Legal or Ethical Requirements

B2: Faculty Designations

B2.A: Types of Appointment

B2.b: Sequential Ranks

B2.c: Sequential Ranks for Librarians and Archivists

B2.d: Designations for Part-time Faculty

B2.E: Other Designations

B3: Terms of Appointment: Evaluations, Salaries and Promotions

B3.a: Contracts

B3.b: Performance Evaluation Procedure

B3.c: Salary

B3.d: Promotion

B3.e: Personnel File

B4: Tenure

B5: Resignations and Nonreappointments

B6: Disciplinary Measures and Dismissal for Cause

B7: Termination of Appointment by the College*

B8: Retirement Policy

B9: Appointment and Evaluation of Departmental Chairpersons

B10: Policies Regarding Part-time Faculty and Coaches

B11: Policy on Outside Employment

B12: Policy on Academic Freedom

B13: Policy on Public Affairs

B14: Policy on Conflict of Interest

B15: Harassment

B16: Drug-Free Workplace Policy

B17: Faculty Benefits