Obligations and Responsibilities of Officers of Instruction and Research

The University is committed to maintaining a climate of academic freedom, in which officers of instruction and research are given the widest possible latitude in their teaching and scholarship. However, the freedoms traditionally accorded those officers carry corresponding responsibilities. By accepting appointment at the University, officers of instruction and research assume varied obligations and duties.

Officers of instruction are expected to teach unless they are on an approved leave of absence or are serving in a full-time administrative capacity. With the exception of those who are appointed solely to offer instruction, they are expected to conduct research or its equivalent in the professional schools. Most faculty are also asked to serve on committees and otherwise to assist in the governance of their department, Faculty, and the University. Officers of research are appointed to participate in the research programs of the University, and they may also be called on to provide University service. Some may be asked to teach on a part-time basis in addition to performing their primary responsibilities, in which case they are given a second appointment as a member of the faculty for the period they are providing instructional services.

Guidelines for the standards of conduct expected of officers of instruction and research are provided in the University Senate's resolution "Statement on Professional Ethics and Faculty Obligations and Guidelines for Review of Professional Misconduct," which is reprinted as Appendix E. The Health Sciences has prepared separate guidelines, which are reprinted as Appendix F, and may be found on the Web at http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/research/priv/miscond. The present section discusses the responsibilities of the faculty and research staff in further detail and describes other University policies relevant to the discharge of their duties.

Academic Freedom

The University's commitment to the principle of academic freedom is defined in Section §70a of the University Statutes, which is reprinted as part of Appendix B. That commitment assures officers of the freedom to determine the content of what they teach and the manner in which it is taught and the freedom to choose the subjects of their research and publish the results. It also guarantees that they will not be penalized for expressions of opinion or associations in their private or civic capacity.