Faculty Handbook

The Duke University Faculty Handbook

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Preface

This Faculty Handbook outlines the policies and procedures pertinent to faculty at Duke University as well as a number of useful resources. It defines the mutual understanding of our faculty and our administration regarding those policies and procedures -- and as such it represents the foundational document for Duke's culture of shared governance. Its content has been approved both by Duke's Academic Council on behalf of the faculty and by Duke's provost on behalf of the administration.

Duke’s shared governance model ensures that its faculty – both individually and through their elected representatives on the Academic Council – are engaged participants in the processes that shape our University. This model, first adopted in 1972,^[1] is continually re-affirmed by mutual agreement of our faculty and our administration. The core principles of shared governance at Duke include the establishment of the role of the Academic Council as the primary delegate of decision-making powers retained by the University faculty, the commitment by University administrative leadership to meet regularly with the Academic Council and its Executive Committee. Except in emergencies, all major decisions and plans that significantly affect academic affairs should be submitted to the Academic Council for an expression of views prior to implementation or submission to the Board of Trustees. Both the Duke faculty and its administration affirm the role of shared governance both for establishing the policies and procedures of this handbook and for supporting the broader mission of Duke University.

This edition of the Duke University Faculty Handbook contains policies and procedures pertinent to faculty at Duke University as of March 2024. While there is an expectation that revisions to the Faculty Handbook will periodically occur, any changes to policies that directly engage the faculty will be brought to the Executive Committee of Academic Council (ECAC) each semester for consultation and review. Because of the range of subject matters and authority for them, these policies and procedures are subject to change, with approval by Academic Council, at any time. Duke faculty are responsible for checking the website https://provost.duke.edu/faculty-resources/faculty-handbook/ to keep abreast of alterations and additions.

Individual units are responsible for keeping all referenced links in the Faculty Handbook up to date.