Performance Standards
First and foremost, Centre College requires and values effective teaching. Second, the College expects evidence of scholarly and professional activity and achievement, and third, of service to the College and community. (The language for Performance Standards for Effective Teaching, Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement, and Service to the College have been changed according to the Minutes of the Faculty Meeting on April 17, 2017 and approved by the Board of Trustees at the October 2017 meeting.)
Effective Teaching
Effective teaching involves caring for students as people; stimulating interest in the area of study; promoting students' mastery of the facts, theories, and methods; encouraging students to learn independently and/or collaboratively; helping students improve skills in thinking, writing, and speaking; assisting students in identifying and clarifying the values that infuse learning; and encouraging students to become creative, responsible members of society.
In teaching, the faculty member shall exhibit high professional and personal standards of performance and shall demand high standards of performance from students. There is no one path to effective teaching; candidates for tenure and promotion may demonstrate success through a wide range of practices. The College shall utilize the best Faculty-approved evaluation procedures it can devise to provide a sound basis upon which to make judgments about effective teaching.
Scholarly and Professional Activity and Achievement
Effective for faculty members hired prior to August 2018: A faculty member's scholarly and professional activity and achievement shall be judged in terms of maintaining professional competence and academic currency through research and other creative endeavors; publication, the presentation of work, performances, and exhibits; participation in scholarly seminars and institutes, and attendance at professional meetings; or other activities, such as professional consulting, advising professional organizations, and holding membership or offices in professional organizations.
Effective for faculty members hired August 2018 and after: A faculty member's scholarly and professional activity and achievement shall be judged in terms of maintaining professional competence and academic currency. Scholarly and professional activity includes research, writing, and other creative endeavors; the presentation of work, performances, and exhibits; collaborative research with students; participation in scholarly seminars and institutes, and attendance at professional meetings; or other activities, such as professional consulting, advising professional organizations, and holding membership or offices in professional organizations. Achievement requires the establishment of a record of professional visibility through peer reviewed scholarship, significant exhibits or performances, and/or other markers of professional recognition such as invited talks or competitive grants and awards.
Service to the College and Community
A faculty member’s service to the College and campus community shall be evaluated in terms of their contributions to the College through advising, committee work, administrative assignments, sponsorship of student organizations, and similar activities. Contributions to the larger professional academic community, and to the local off-campus community shall be taken into account insofar as they pertain to the purposes of the College and to the individual's professional responsibility.