Professional Obligations Of Faculty

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.