Faculty and Staff

The central mission of the Institute is education, and we take great pride in our programs of original scholarship, research, and service to the community and to society at large. Exceptional faculty members are the key to world-class education. The Institute's balanced commitment to scholarship, teaching, and research attracts some of the finest scholars in the world.

Our faculty and staff make essential contributions that enrich students' learning experiences, support research and clinical endeavors and help achieve excellence in all that we do. Each member of the Academic Division has a unique opportunity to contribute to making the Institute an inviting environment where learning and discovery can flourish. The extraordinary achievements of students, faculty and staff are made possible because of the contributions and dedication of all members of the Institute.

 

Academic Freedom

 

We subscribe to the UCU Statement on Academic Freedom:

 

1. One of the purposes of post-compulsory education is to serve the public interest through extending knowledge and understanding and fostering critical thinking and expression in staff and students, and then in society more widely. Academic freedom is essential to the achieving these ends and therefore to the development of a civilised democracy.

 

2. Academic freedom includes the right(s) to:

freedom in teaching and discussion;
freedom in carrying out research without commercial or political interference;
freedom to disseminate and publish one's research findings;
freedom from institutional censorship, including the right to express one's opinion publicly about the institution or the education system in which one works; and
freedom to participate in professional and representative academic bodies, including trade unions.

3. Academic freedom is also bound up with broader civil liberties and human rights. Higher and further education staff have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly. Staff must not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens, including the right to contribute to social change through free expression of opinion on matters of public interest. We recognise that this may touch upon sensitive or controversial issues.

 

4. Academic freedom also comes with the responsibility to respect the democratic rights and freedoms of others. In particular, the University and College Union (UCU) expects all its members to respect national rule 6.1.*

 

5. Academic freedom requires the development of open, democratic and collegial forms of institutional governance, including access to proper whistleblowing procedures. UCU believes that academic and academic-related staff must play the pre-eminent role in determining the curriculum, assessment standards and research priorities. Academic freedom means that academic and academic-related staff should also have the right to elect a majority of representatives to academic bodies (Senates, Academic Boards etc) within their college or university, as well inclusion on governing bodies. Collegial decision-making should encompass decisions regarding curricula, research, administration, outreach and community work, the allocation of resources and other related activities.

 

6. Academic and academic-related staff must be free to criticise and publish without fear for their jobs. Academic freedom, therefore, is dependent upon proper employment conditions for higher and further education staff. Security of employment in the profession constitutes one of the major procedural safeguards of academic freedom and against arbitrary decisions by managements and funders.

 

*Rule 6.1: All members and student members...shall refrain from all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination whether on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, colour, class, caring responsibilities, marital status, sexuality, disability, age or other status or personal characteristic.