Article 2 – Academic Purview and Management Rights

Section 1. Lesley faculty, including Unit Core Faculty, are responsible for setting academic standards, for awarding academic credit, and for recommending conferral of degrees when those standards are met. The faculty has primary responsibility for deciding the academic standards and integrity of such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter, methods, design and models of delivery of instruction.

Section 2. Lesley faculty, including unit core faculty, have primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum. Faculty have a substantive voice in matters of educational programs, faculty personnel, and other aspects of institutional policy that relate to their areas of responsibility and expertise.

Section 3. Inherent in the responsibilities of the faculty is a duty to preserve and transmit the values of academic standards and integrity through example in their own academic pursuits, and through the learning environments that faculty create for students. As part of creating a strong and unique learning environment, the faculty body is also responsible for mentoring of adjunct professors, instructors and graduate teaching fellows.

Section 4. The University’s Provost is directly responsible to the President, and in concert with the faculty and other academic administrators, is responsible for the quality of the academic program. The University’s organization and governance structure assure the integrity and quality of academic programming however and wherever offered. Off-campus, continuing education, distance education, correspondence education, international, evening, and weekend programs are clearly integrated and incorporated into the policy formation, academic oversight, and evaluation system of the University.

Section 5. The power of review or final decision for academic matters is lodged in the governing board or delegated by it to the President and Provost. The President and/or the Provost will give careful consideration before overriding faculty decisions and the President and/or the Provost’s reasons will be communicated in a timely fashion to the faculty. The faculty shall, following such communication, have opportunity for further consideration and further transmittal of its views to the President or the Provost.

Section 6. Management of the University is vested exclusively in the University. Except as set forth in this Agreement (including Sections 1-5 in this Article), this includes but is not limited to the following rights:

1. The right to establish, direct, and control its programs, services, organizational structure, and operations in all particulars and to take such action as is necessary to maintain the mission, efficiency, and effectiveness of the University operations;The right to direct, supervise, and train employees; to appoint, assign, schedule, transfer, evaluate, promote, and retain employees in positions; to determine qualifications, hiring criteria and standards of work; to establish standards of productivity and performance; and to suspend, demote, discharge, or take other disciplinary actions against an employee;
2. The right to lay off employees due to lack of work, budgetary reasons, or organizational changes;
3. The right to determine the means, methods, budgetary and financial procedures, and personnel by which the University’s programs, services, and operations are to be conducted;
4. The right to take whatever actions as may be necessary to carry out the mission of the University in situations of emergency, the determination of such situations to be the prerogative of the University, provided that the University shall subsequently and in timely fashion negotiate the effects of such action on the terms and conditions of employment of members of the bargaining unit. For the purposes of this section "emergency" is defined as any condition or situation out of the ordinary which requires immediate action to avoid danger to life, property, or to prevent losses affecting the University, its employee(s), student(s), or the general public.

Section 7. The above enumeration of academic purview and management rights is not exhaustive and does not exclude other areas of academic purview and management rights not specified above.

Section 8. The Unit Core Faculty and the University agree to work together cooperatively and expeditiously on matters of mutual concern.

Section 9. The parties recognize that from time to time disputes may arise regarding institutional governance and the proper allocation of responsibilities and rights between the administration and core faculty. Such disputes deserve a timely, considered conversation between the parties. Accordingly, any such disputes may be raised and considered through a special meeting with the Provost and/or the President. Such disputes shall not be subject to arbitration.