General Employment Information

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Employment information should be obtained from the Department of Human Resources at hr@bamsibahamas.edu.bs. Additional information can also be found in the BAMSI Employee Handbook.

Definitions of Terms

In this Handbook, unless the context otherwise requires:

ACADEMIC YEAR - The Academic Year shall consist of two (2) semesters, Fall and Spring, and a Summer session. This period will normally run for one (1) year beginning one (1) week prior to the start of the Fall Semester classes.

ADJUNCT/PART TIME FACULTY- An appointment that is on a semester to semester basis according to the needs of the Institute. Such Faculty shall not teach more than two (2) courses per semester.

FACULTY – All full-time and adjunct Faculty Members of BAMSI’s academic and professional staff

ONLINE COURSE - A web-based course where all course activities are available electronically utilizing various components of an online course management tool.

SEMESTER – One of the two (2) fourteen (14) week teaching periods plus the examination period.

WORK WEEK – 40 hours, inclusive of lunch hours, normally Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The workday is between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. In certain cases, activities and classes may be scheduled outside of these hours. These will be discussed with the relevant faculty and appropriate rescheduling will be considered.

Appointment of Instructional Faculty

Instructional Faculty shall be appointed to one (1) of five (5)

Faculty ranks:

  1. Instructor
  2. Lecturer
  3. Assistant Professor
  4. Associate Professor
  5. Professor

The criteria for appointment shall be as follows:

  1. Instructor: A bachelor’s degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution. A minimum of two (2) years teaching or research or public service or work experience or two (2) years of any combination of the above.
  2. Lecturer: An earned master’s degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution. A minimum of one (1) year tertiary-level teaching is preferred.
  3. Assistant Professor: An earned master’s degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution and a minimum of five (5) years tertiary-level teaching experience. OR An earned doctoral degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution and a minimum of one (1) year tertiary-level teaching experience.
  4. Associate Professor: An earned master’s degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution and a minimum of eight (8) years tertiary-level teaching experience. OR An earned doctoral degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution and a minimum of five (5) years tertiary-level teaching experience. A record of effective teaching. A record of research and scholarship. A record of service.
  5. Professor: An earned doctoral degree in a relevant area/discipline from an accredited institution. A minimum of ten (10) years tertiary-level teaching experience. A record of effective teaching. A significant record of research and scholarship. A record of outstanding service. Professional recognition as an authority in his/her field or specialization.

Candidates with credentials other than those identified above shall be assessed on a case-by case basis.

For purposes of appointment, two (2) years of part-time, relevant, post-baccalaureate tertiary level teaching experience (inclusive of serving as a graduate teaching assistant) shall be considered equivalent of one (1) year of full-time experience.

Procedures for Promotion in Rank and Reappointment

Faculty who wish to be considered for promotion shall prepare professional dossiers that document their accomplishments within the past five (5) years or since being hired or last promoted.

Dossiers:

The dossier must have pertinent information from the faculty member, peers, and students. The dossier must be organized and coherent and shall contain

  1. An up-to-date curriculum vitae.
  2. Candidate’s Summary evaluation statement on Teaching/ Counselling /Nursing/Professional Activities/Duties, Research/ Scholarship/Creative Work and Professional Service.
  3. Documentary evidence on duties and responsibilities
  4. Teaching/Counselling/Nursing/Professional Activities/Duties;
  5. Research, Scholarship, Creative Work; and
  6. Service to the Institute, the profession and/or the community.
  7. End-of-year evaluations.
  8. a Statement of Professional Goals and Priorities
  9. Other supporting evidence or documents such as classroom observations, evaluations, sample of course materials, etc. as appropriate.

Application for promotion in rank may occur at any year within the multiyear faculty contract. Procedure, timeline, and requirements will follow those provided for a contract renewal.

Professional Ethics

Although no set of rules or professional code can either guarantee or take the place of a scholar's personal integrity, BAMSI believes that the "Statement on Professional Ethics" published by the American Association of University Professors in AAUP Policy Documents and Reports, may serve as a reminder of the variety of obligations assumed by all members of the academic profession. See: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/statementonprofessionalethics.htm. Because all faculty members should strive to make these recognized standards of the profession an integral part of their personal and professional lives, they are reproduced below

  1. "Professors, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this end professors devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty. Although professors may follow subsidiary interests, these interests must never seriously hamper or compromise their freedom of inquiry.
  2. As teachers, professors encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them the best scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Professors make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to ensure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students. They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom.
  3. As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates, even when it leads to findings and conclusions that differ from their own. Professors acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. Professors accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.

  4. As members of an academic institution, professors seek above all to be effective teachers and scholars. Although professors observe the stated regulations of the institution, provided the regulations do not contravene academic freedom, they maintain their right to criticize and seek revision. Professors give due regard to their paramount responsibilities within their institution in determining the amount and character of work done outside it. When considering the interruption or termination of their service, professors recognize the effect of their decision upon the program of the institution and give due notice of their intentions.

  5. As members of their community, professors have the rights and obligations of other citizens. Professors measure the urgency of these obligations in the light of their responsibilities to their subject, to their students, to their profession, and to their institution. When they speak or act as private persons, they avoid creating the impression of speaking or acting for their College or university. As citizens engaged in a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, professors have a particular obligation to promote conditions of free inquiry and to further public understanding of academic freedom.”

Examples of Faculty Behavior That Violate Ethical Standards

  1. Arbitrary denial of access to instruction.
  2. Significant failure to adhere, without legitimate reason, to the rules of the faculty in the conduct of courses, meeting classes, keeping office hours, or holding examinations as scheduled.
  3. Violations of the BAMSI Confidentiality and Privacy Policy. Faculty members must comply with all laws, agreements with third parties, and Institute policies and principles pertaining to the use, protection, and disclosure of various types of confidential, proprietary, and private information. Such policies apply even after the faculty member’s relationship with the Institution ends.
  4. Evaluating faculty members by criteria not directly reflective of professional performance.
  5. Intentionally misrepresenting personal views as the position of the institution.
  6. Engaging in a romantic or sexually involved relationship with a student whom the faculty member teaches, advises, coaches, or supervises in any way.