Difference between revisions of "Standard 9"

Revision as of 12:50, 15 May 2008

Institutional Integrity

The institution adheres to the highest ethical standards in its representation to its constituencies and the public; in its teaching, scholarship, and service; in its treatment of its students, faculty, and staff; and in its relationships with regulatory and accrediting agencies.

9.A.1 The institution, including governing board members, administrators, faculty, and staff, subscribes to, exemplifies, and advocates high ethical standards in the management and operations and in all of its dealings with students, the public, organizations, and external agencies.

As a public institution, Evergreen’s framework for institutional integrity begins with the applicable state laws. These include the Ethics in Public Service Act (Link to RCW 42.52), the Open Public Meetings Act (Link to RCW 42.30) and the Public Records law (Link to RCW 42.56). These laws in turn are implemented in college policies, including the college’s ethics policy (Link), its whistleblower policy (Link) and others (Link). In 2005, the college re-established the staff position of Internal Auditor to provide a more systematic and professional implementation of these policies.(Link) In the past decade, the expansion of the Web resulted in improved transparency, as meeting minutes and other college documents are now routinely posted on the Web site.

9.A.2 The institution regularly evaluates and revises as necessary its policies, procedures, and publications to ensure continuing integrity throughout the institution.

The college's publications are regularly reviewed and updated. Policies and procedures are generally reviewed and revised as needed. In 2008, the President's Office began a comprehensive review of college policies and procedures, hiring a half-time Policy Coordinator and establishing an interdivisional Policy Coordinating Committee to undertake the project.

9.A.3 The institution represents itself accurately and consistently to its constituencies, the public, and prospective students through its catalogs, publications, and official statements.

Evergreen's distinctive approach to curriculum planning requires regular review and revision on the college's catalogs and other publications. Historically, the primary challenge the college faced in keeping publications accurate stemmed from changes to the curriculum that occurred after publication deadlines had passed. In the past year, the college took significant steps to address this issue by moving the on-line catalog into a content management database. Changes to the curriculum can now be posted on-line much more easily. As a result, the on-line catalog is both more current and more easily searchable.

9.A.4 Institutional policy defines and prohibits conflict of interest on the part of governing board members, administrators, faculty, and staff.

<<Insert reference to ethics law>>

9.A.5 The institution demonstrates, through its policies and practices, its commitment to the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge consistent with the institution's mission and goals.

The college’s foundational policy documents include strong statements supporting academic freedom. The college subscribes to the AAUP's Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure as modified by the college's Faculty Reappointment Policy. (See Faculty Handbook 4.600.) The Vice President for Student Affairs notifies new students each year of key college policies, including the Social Contract. Evergreen’s Social Contract has been in place for many years, is widely known on campus. The Social Contract includes a strong statement of academic freedom:

"Evergreen's members live under a special set of rights and responsibilities, foremost among which is that of enjoying the freedom to explore ideas and to discuss their explorations in both speech and print. Both institutional and individual censorship are at variance with this basic freedom. Research or other intellectual efforts, the results of which must be kept secret or may be used only for the benefit of a special interest group, violate the principle of free inquiry.

"An essential condition for learning is the freedom and right on the part of an individual or group to express minority, unpopular, or controversial points of view. Only if minority and unpopular points of view are listened to and given opportunity for expression will Evergreen provide bona fide opportunities for significant learning.

"Honesty is an essential condition of learning, teaching or working. It includes the presentation of one's own work in one's own name, the necessity to claim only those honors earned, and the recognition of one's own biases and prejudices." (Link to Social Contract.)

The college has re-affirmed these commitments on several occasions during the past ten years. Following the selection of a controversial graduation speaker in 1999, President Jervis resisted nationally-organized pressure to revoke the speaking invitation and used the commencement ceremony as an opportunity to speak on the importance – both to an academic community and to a democratic society -- of hearing from unpopular points of view.

In 2005, in response to events at another university, the faculty passed a resolution reaffirming the value of academic freedom. (Link) In response to that resolution, President Purce published an essay on academic freedom in the local newspaper. (Link to Purce, “We must neither short-circuit the truth nor silence ideas,” Olympian (March 28, 2005) The administration’s public statements during times of controversy and protest on campus have consistently sought to reinforce these principles. (Links to Dodge, “Evergreen president opens door to protest,” Olympian, March 6 2003 and Purce, Astolphi, Minneart, “School presidents stand united against neo-Nazi hatred,” Olympian, July 2, 2006).

Finally, and most fundamentally, the structures and processes that Evergreen uses to construct and deliver its curriculum reflect a deep and continuing commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry. Evergreen remains committed to supporting its faculty in continuously designing and delivering the curriculum through an extraordinary interdisciplinary effort, without the constraints of academic departments or majors, under the guidance of Deans who are chosen from and return to the faculty. We remain “an institution and a community that continues to organize itself so that it can clear away obstacles to learning’s academic work.” (Link to Social Contract)

Standards

Standard 9.A - Institutional Integrity

Supporting Documentation

See Supporting Documentation for Standard Nine