Professional Conduct
Professional Conduct
Policy
________________________________________
Document Number: StaffHR--109 Revision #: 2.0
Document Owner: Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs Date Last Updated: 08/17/2012 (currently undergoing revisions)
Date Last Updated: 11/01/2025
Primary Author: Director of Human Resources Status: Approved
Date Originally Created: 01/11/2012
________________________________________
General Description
Description: Information about professional conduct relative to HR policy.
Purpose: Delineation of policy.
Scope: All faculty, staff, and administrators
Responsibility: Human Resources
________________________________________
Requirements
Relevant Knowledge: In order to comply with this policy, you should know:
Current University policy
Standards of good practice
Terms and Definitions: Additional training
Corrective Action
Loss of privilege, general
Termination
________________________________________
Policy Provisions
1. Professional Conduct
Cumberland University has a strong commitment to excellence, and it depends on its members to uphold the highest professional standards. Cumberland also strives to cultivate an environment defined by trust, unquestioned integrity, and a genuine concern for the welfare of the institution, the students, its faculty and other-community members. As representatives of the institution, Cumberland University faculty and staff should adhere to existing state and federal laws, all Cumberland University policies, and standard academic ethics.
In accepting their responsibility as representatives of the institution, faculty and staff at CU should maintain the following professional standards:
(1) practice intellectual honesty and not distort, falsify, or misrepresent subject matter or professional qualifications;
(2) treat all students and colleagues with courtesy, dignity, and respect, and avoid preferential treatment; and
(3) protect confidential information about students and colleagues unless disclosure is required by law or serves a compelling professional purpose acknowledged by the institution.
When interacting with students, faculty and staff should:
(1) encourage the free pursuit of learning by holding students to the highest scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline;
(2) respect students as individuals and avoid harassment, exploitation, or discrimination;
(3) foster honest academic conduct;
(4) prohibit discriminatory, abusive, or offensive language, including threats, insults, and harassment;
(5) ensure interactions with students occur in transparent and appropriate settings and do not engage in inappropriate relationships or conversations in class or directly with students; and
(6) never intentionally expose a student to embarrassment or disparagement.
Individuals should refer to their job description for specific expectations of their position. If a staff or faculty member has questions regarding the expectations associated with their position, or University policies and procedures, they should contact their immediate supervisor or the Director of Human Resources.
Issues of poor performance or misconduct may compromise the interests of both the individual and the organization. For this reason, Cumberland expects all of its employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Because of this expectation, any performance or conduct-related issues that arise, which do not warrant immediate discharge, will typically necessitate dedicated attention from those in the individual’s supervisory chain. If a violation of this policy, other university policies, community standards, or any expected standard of conduct occurs, the individual’s supervisor will identify appropriate remediative actions, which may include the creation of a personal performance plan that will outline appropriate corrective measures. Should any employee or faculty member of the university engage in egregious actions that violate the standards incorporated into this policy, any other university policy, community standards, or general professional expectations of the institution, the individual’s employment can be terminated at any time, with or without prior notice or action on the part of the university.
1.2 Appeal of Disciplinary Action
Faculty and staff members who believe that any disciplinary action or termination undertaken is not consistent with the University or departmental policies have the right to appeal the action. More information is available in the Grievance and Conflict Resolution policy. This Grievance Process is not available if the staff member chooses to resign, even if the resignation is in lieu of a discharge, since the staff member initiated the action.