Reaffirmation of Accreditation


Compliance
Certification
Core Requirements
2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.7.1 | 2.7.2 | 2.7.3 | 2.7.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.10 | 2.11

Quality Enhancement Plan
2.12

Comprehensive Standards
3.1.1 (Mission)

3.2.1 | 3.2.2 | 3.2.3 | 3.2.4 | 3.2.5 | 3.2.6 | 3.2.7 | 3.2.8 | 3.2.9 | 3.2.10 | 3.2.11 | 3.2.12 | 3.2.13 | 3.2.14 (Admin.)

3.3.1 (Effectiveness)

3.4.1 | 3.4.2 | 3.4.3 | 3.4.4 | 3.4.5 | 3.4.6 | 3.4.7 | 3.4.8 | 3.4.9 | 3.4.10 | 3.4.11 | 3.4.12 | 3.4.13 | 3.4.14 (Educational Program)

3.5.1 | 3.5.2 (Undergraduate Program)

3.7.1 | 3.7.2 | 3.7.3 | 3.7.4 | 3.7.5 (Faculty)

3.8.1 | 3.8.2 | 3.8.3 (Library)

3.9.1 | 3.9.2 | 3.9.3 (Students)

3.10.1 | 3.10.2 | 3.10.3 | 3.10.4 | 3.10.5 | 3.10.6 | 3.10.7 (Resources)

Federal Requirements
4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8

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Compliance Certification Report

Comprehensive Standard 3.7.3 - Professional development of faculty

The institution provides evidence of ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners.

Judgment of Compliance

Davidson College is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.7.3.

Rationale for Judgment of Compliance

The Davidson College Statement of Purpose identifies the basic qualities the College considers desirable for faculty, giving primary consideration to the highest earned degrees in their disciplines, academic competency, continuous growth and development, and dedication to excellence in undergraduate teaching.

Davidson College provides its faculty with academic support via its facilities, including the E. H. Little Library, laboratories and studios, special research and teaching facilities in the science buildings, a visual arts center, and performance/practice spaces. Instructional support services include a language resource center and a center for instructional technology with an emphasis on curricular development and multimedia. Financial resources support summer research, professional opportunities for traveling to academic conferences, information technology services for teaching and research, teaching improvement, and creative research in a continuous process of professional development.

Davidson College’s full-time faculty must demonstrate their ongoing growth in the areas of teaching, professional development, and service on an annual basis, as well as in accordance with the criteria and evaluation procedures required for tenure and promotion. The post-sabbatical report, a summary of sabbatical activities submitted to the Dean of Faculty as the faculty member resumes teaching responsibilities after a leave of absence, as well as the post-tenure reviews every five or seven years are evidence of the continuous growth and development of the faculty at Davidson College at diverse stages of their professional careers.

The Faculty Activities Report submitted to the Dean of Faculty documents teaching of new courses and/or pedagogical change, scholarly activities conducted on campus and away from campus, published or edited works, professional exhibits, concerts and/or drama productions, special academic honors, activities or fellowships, research work in progress, publications and publication in press, consulting related activities, presentations of research or scholarly work at national or international professional meetings, honors and awards, collaborative research with students, and affiliation with professional organizations, including leadership roles in those organizations. The report also details committee work and service to the community.

A listing of faculty publications and elected offices is provided on the Academic Affairs Office Web site. As per the policy on personnel files in the Faculty Handbook, the Faculty Activities Reports are kept in the Office of the Dean of Faculty.

Among the means of supporting the continuous growth and development of its faculty, Davidson College provides full-time faculty with sabbaticals for study and research. There are also grants available for research and teaching, and funds for faculty travel to attend and participate in professional meetings. Davidson also considers requests for reduced teaching load and financial assistance for other scholarly pursuits such as teaching improvement. Sabbatical and other faculty development policies are detailed in the Faculty Handbook.

Among the grants available to faculty are the summer research grants. Davidson College provides financial assistance for research, including that focused on teaching improvement or innovations that where such research requires resources not available at Davidson (for example, special libraries, archives, laboratories, or site-specific explorations). The Faculty Research Grants can also cover expenses for student research assistants. The Committee on Faculty Study and Research allocates these funds. Faculty members are also encouraged to apply for travel grants from the Dean Rusk International Study office.

There are a limited number of individual and collaborative grants for improvement of teaching. The results of these investigations are shared with other Davidson faculty members.

Davidson maintains a Grants and Contracts Office to assist faculty members who seek outside financial support. This office provides the faculty with advice on proposal development, budget planning, and institutional policies related to external funding and/or solicitation of external grants. The office also keep faculty up to date on opportunities for professional development through the NSF E-Bulletin, Associated Colleges of the South Grant Programs, and Global Partner Project Grants.

Finally, the Library at Davidson College represents a unique form of support for faculty development and growth. The faculty carrels, acquisitions, interlibrary loan service, specialized consultation in the reference desk, and the unique disposition of the Library staff provide support not only to pursue teaching development, but also to continue pursuing research, curriculum development, new professional projects, and publication. This unique resource is also available for retired faculty who actively continue to pursue professional projects and research at Davidson. The Davidson College Archives serve the College faculty by maintaining a collection of faculty publications, providing reference services for archival collections and college history, and hosting student research projects. Copies of faculty articles are housed in the Faculty/Alumni Publications files in the Davidsoniana Room. Books by faculty are also cataloged and housed in the Davidsoniana Room. The Faculty Library Committee advises the Library Director on policies of operation and development of the Library; it also allocates the library materials budget among the academic departments.

Davidson College fosters an outstanding academic environment in which faculty professional development and growth are encouraged, supported, and valued. Professional development and growth are also tied to the support and coordinated efforts of Davidson College to set clear expectations about professional development, to provide financial resources and support for faculty to engage in research, and to value and recognize a life of leadership and service in the community.

Supporting Documentation

 

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