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severance to any terminated faculty member whose cause for termination involves moral
turpitude or similar reprehensible conduct. The College will be mindful of the AAUP
guidelines
( http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/RIR.htm )that
suggest either salary or notice equal to three months, six months, or twelve months
depending on the faculty member’s length of service to the College. The College shall
consider the circumstances of the case including the cause for termination, the immediacy
of the discharge itself, the length of service and the tenured or non-tenured status of the
terminated faculty member in deciding whether any notice or salary continuation is to be
granted and, in either case, how much is granted. The College’s decision on notice
and/or severance pay in the event of termination for cause is not subject to further review.
III.B.8. Discontinuance of an Academic Program or Department and Terminations Due to
Educational Considerations
SACSCOC considers the discontinuation of an academic program as a substantive change and
requires prior notification and prior approval per the
SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy .The decision to discontinue an academic program or department of instruction shall be based
solely on educational considerations. Any decision to discontinue an academic program or
department shall be based on long range judgments that the educational mission of the College
will be enhanced and the liberal arts core of the curriculum maintained by the discontinuance.
The costs of maintaining the program, as well as the revenue generated by and available to
support the program, shall be considered. The potential costs associated with relocation and
retraining of faculty members, as well as termination of faculty members with continuing
contracts, should also be considered in the decision making process. When the Provost proposes
the discontinuance of an academic program or department, the Provost shall inform the members
of the affected department or program and notify the Faculty Advisory Committee, which shall
constitute a Faculty Review Committee in accordance with the following paragraph.
III.B.8.a. Constituting a Faculty Review Committee
Upon notification, the Faculty Advisory Committee shall notify the chairs of the other
elected committees of the Faculty (Promotion and Tenure, Faculty Development, and
Curriculum and Standards). Each elected committee shall designate two faculty members
to serve on a Faculty Review Committee. No faculty member from a department or
program proposed for discontinuance shall serve on the committee. Additionally, no
faculty member from a department or program housed or served by the department or
program being proposed for discontinuance shall serve on the Faculty Review
Committee. When duly constituted a Faculty Review Committee shall adopt both the
form of organization and the procedures the members deem appropriate to address the
issues before it. The Faculty Review Committee represents the Faculty to ensure that in
the case of a proposed discontinuance of a department or program, educational
considerations are the basis for any decision.
III.B.8.b. Procedures for Discontinuance of an Academic Program or Department