Overview

Prince Sultan University values all stakeholders on campus and recognizes that each person contributes to the overall success of the institution. The University further recognizes that it is through the efforts of its faculty, administrators, and staff that it achieves national and international prominence and delivers a world-class education to its students. The culture of the University is one of respect, civility, trust, cooperation, and collaboration among all its members. We believe all members of the University are entitled to an environment that ensures collegiality and mutual respect.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on the code of ethics of PSU’s faculty members. It is intended to help maintain a high standard of professional conduct and personal integrity. It provides the grounds for informing faculty members of the acceptable behavior that is consistent with the university mission, the system of values of the society, and the universally-accepted principles or norms of academic professionalism.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic faculty members at PSU regardless of academic rank.

Policy

This code of conduct states the levels of conduct and behavior expected from a faculty member. It is divided into five categories, each of which relates to a given area of interaction or behavior. Faculty responsibilities, ethical principles, and types of unacceptable behavior are organized around the individual faculty member’s relation to students and teaching, to scholarship, to the university, to colleagues, and to the community. The list of statements given under each category is not assumed to be exhaustive. The recognizing of what is acceptable conduct and what is not lies in the faculty member’s wisdom of understanding his/her role as a professional in a given environment. All faculty members are expected to observe a high standard of professional conduct. All faculty members are encouraged to treat students, colleagues, administration officials, and other members of the community with respect, honesty, and the utmost consideration. Faculty members should also observe legal and social restrictions. Failure to meet the ethical, legal, and social responsibilities can endanger the whole mission of the university.

General:

• Faculty members shall dedicate their time to perform their assigned duties in compliance with Article 20 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall commit to teaching the assigned teaching load in accordance with article 21 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall include 5 hours in their schedule for office hours in compliance with Article 23 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members will seek approval from the University’s Rector for conducting business or providing consultation with any other entity in KSA refer to Articles 25 & 26 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall be aware of Article 72’s Termination stipulations of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020 and agree not to commit any of the stated infarctions.

Students:

Students have joined the university to be well-educated and well-received by all parties in the university. It is our primary responsibility as faculty members to prepare these students for a successful future and to avoid using the power we have by making wrong judgments about the relationship between faculty members and students. Thus:

• Faculty members are expected to provide students with a class environment free from bias and cultural prejudice, and interact with them professionally.
• Faculty members are expected to assess students in a non-capricious manner and provide them with prompt feedback on their achievements. They should make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to assure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit.
• Faculty members are expected to serve as role models of professional conduct. They should demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors.
• Faculty members are expected to respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student and keep the students’ personal records in any course confidential as well.
• Faculty members must refrain from seeking or accepting any personal or financial advantage, such as gifts, loans, etc., that might reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to influence the faculty member in the conduct of his/her duties.
• Faculty members are expected to improve their teaching performance, to find more efficient ways of accomplishing their work, and to use opportunities to increase their skills.
• Faculty members are expected to enter their attendance in Edugate in a timely manner.

Colleagues:

Faculty Members are part of a professional community of scholars that has its own set of values and ethical responsibilities and obligations. They should acknowledge the fact that colleagues, including administrative support staff, are essential to the development and mission of the university. Thus:

• Faculty members must encourage each other to create a professional environment in which all engage in positive and respectful behavior toward one another.
• Faculty members must treat fellow employees with courtesy, respect, and dignity. In the exchange of constructive criticism and ideas, professors show due respect for the opinions of others.
• Faculty members must refrain from malicious gossip about colleagues, strive to be objective in their professional judgment of other colleagues, and acknowledge their academic contributions and intellectual work.
• Faculty members must avoid discrimination against any individual for reasons of race, color, religion, age, national origin, or disability.

University:

The university’s mission and objectives cannot be achieved without the full involvement of all parties, including administration, faculty, staff, and students. Regulations, policies, and procedures are established to achieve the mission and objectives of the university with respect to teaching, research, and community service. As a member of an academic institution, faculty members should seek to be as effective as possible in contributing to the development of this institution. Thus:

• Faculty members will give due regard to the university’s guidelines, policies, and regulations.
• Faculty members will avoid intentional disruption of functions or activities sponsored or authorized by the university.
• Faculty members will avoid situations with the potential for conflict of interest or conflict of commitment.
• Faculty members will refrain from engaging in activities outside the University that conflict with his/her required hours of work, job performance, obligations, and responsibilities to the university.
• Faculty members will exercise care in the use of property and funds entrusted to them. They should refrain from using university time, facilities, or property other than for officially approved activities.
• Faculty members who hold managerial positions are expected to provide effective leadership for those they supervise, to set an example by their own proper conduct, attitude, and work habits, and to have concern for the rights, privileges, and general welfare of their employees.
• PSU stationery and mail services are to be used only for official University business.
• Unauthorized solicitations of any kind on PSU time and property are not permitted. Requests to conduct solicitations, other than PSU sponsored activities, must be submitted in writing to the University Rector.

Public:

The university is an institution that has been established to serve its community. The work and conduct of its employees will be directed toward this end. The society has a system of values, regulations, and policies which the university should comply with and provide support for. Thus:

• Faculty members should treat the general public with courtesy, respect, and dignity.
• Faculty members should provide the community with programs that are relevant, accessible, and of high quality.
• Faculty members should avoid intentional misrepresentation of personal views as a statement of the position of the university.
• Faculty members should promote good citizenship by participating in activities that lead to the progress of the community, including volunteer work.
• Faculty members should avoid public discussions of political or religious issues. Preaching and group worshipping other than Islam are prohibited.
• The use and/or importation of drugs or alcohol are criminal offenses, with very serious penalties in the courts. Smoking is also prohibited in all buildings on campus.
• Female faculty members are expected to dress conservatively (i.e., Abayas and scarves) in public places.

Scholarship:

The fact that faculty members are expected to be active and preferably at the forefront of their professional areas in science, technology, research, and scholarship, means that they have a major responsibility of contributing to the advancement of knowledge in their areas of concern. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. Thus:

• Faculty members should devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence.
• Faculty members should accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge.
• Faculty members should apply all measures of honesty, reliability, and objectivity in carrying out their scholarly work. Recognition of the scholarly work of others is at the heart of doing research.