Faculty are expected to conform to all the conditions in this handbook and all University and SOM policies. Non-compliance could lead to a range of results. For example, depending on the severity of the issue, faculty may be issued a warning letter, lose their eligibility to receive their performance bonus, be suspended pending investigation, be placed on unpaid leave, and/or have their employment ended (either via non-renewal of appointment, or dismissal for cause), individually or in combination (e.g., suspension and loss of performance bonus). Generally, a warning letter is accompanied by loss of eligibility to receive performance bonus, as well as 1 year delay to applying for promotions to the next academic rank, with the year counting from the date that the letter is issued.
Examples of some issues that could lead to the above include, but are not limited to: (note: this is a non-exhaustive list):
- continuous underperformance in content delivery as demonstrated by student evaluations of 1 or 1.5 standard deviations below the mean, for 4 or more academic terms
- demonstrable and documented non-cognitive issues including irregularity/lack of timeliness, lack of dedication, lack of congeniality, creation of hostile work environment, etc.
- unreasonable or unjustifiable requests for Leaves of Absences (LOAs)
- unprofessional behavior that is inconsistent with the professional expectations of faculty of St. George’s University School of Medicine
- consistent failure to execute departmental responsibilities
- delayed return without appropriate notification and authorization (e.g., without a medical leave of absence)
- unexplained lateness in resuming duties after the annual summer and winter breaks scheduled for the relevant course.
- failure to conform to required SGU standards as per FERPA, policies on harassment, anti-fraternization policy, and/or any other school or SGU policy and/or manual.
Faculty who are placed on an unpaid leave of absence for any reason will resume their academic activities at the determination of the relevant senior associate dean. They will receive clearance and the timeline for their re-introduction to the academic program from that office.
If the department chair or senior associate dean of basic sciences recommends dismissal of a clinical instructor or a teaching fellow prior to the end of their appointment, the clinical instructor or Teaching Fellow will be given one month’s written notice by the senior associate dean of basic sciences.