Vice Chancellor and Provost Freund convenes Committee on Academic Integrity

Vice Chancellor and Provost Freund convenesCommittee on Academic IntegrityNovember 11, 2004Edward Byrnesedbyrnes@syr.edu

Vice Chancellor and Provost Deborah A. Freund has convened a committeeto assess the current state of academic integrity at SU, and to make recommendations and suggestions for improvement if necessary. The Vice Chancellor and Provost’s Committee on Academic Integrity (VPCAI), made up of faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students and SU administrative staff, will submit an interim report of its findings to Vice Chancellor Freund to decide if any further action is necessary.

“We currently have a decentralized approach to matters of academic integrity, which has led to some inconsistencies in sanctions and occasional breakdowns in communication between the different schools and colleges,” says Freund. “I’ve asked this committee to determine if the current policies should be amended and how to best uphold our ideals of academic honesty.”

The committee will be gathering information on and reviewing existing SU policies, best practices at other universities, and academic integrity research. Additionally, the committee will be asking all SU and SUNY-ESF students, teaching assistants and faculty members to participate in an online academic integrity survey. The survey will be administered by the Center for Academic Integrity, a national consortium of more than 320 institutions affiliated with the Kenan Center for Ethics at Duke University. Data collected from the survey will be compared with data collected from other post-secondary institutions and used by the committee to focus its efforts. The survey is available online at:

Undergraduate and graduate students – http://integrity.rutgers.edu/syracuse.asp

Faculty – http://integrity.rutgers.edu/syracusefac.asp

Teaching Assistants – http://integrity.rutgers.edu/syracuseta.asp

All SU and SUNY-ESF students, teaching assistants and faculty are encouraged to participate.

“The input we receive from the university community is critical to the committee’s success,” says Elet Callahan, chair of the committee and associate professor of law and public policy in the Whitman School of Management. Callahan adds that in addition to assessing SU’s current academic integrity programs and policies, the committee aims to learn more about the attitudes of students, faculty, and teaching assistants concerning academic integrity and identify areas-from sanctions to educational programs-that may need to be addressed.

Callahan emphasizes the fact that the processes of the committee will afford the University community significant opportunities to comment on its recommendations. In addition to conducting the survey, the committee will consult with each of the schools and colleges, a number of university offices, and the appropriate committees of the University Senate. A VPCAI Web page will be set up to provide information about the committee’s activities and an opportunity for comments.

The VPCAI will provide an interim report to the Vice Chancellor summarizing its research and providing its recommendation as to whether SU should adopt a single academic integrity policy or honor code and uniform procedures for dealing with violations. If the committee recommends a university-wide approach or other changes to existing policy and practice, the report will include a timeline and proposed further activities. As modified by the Vice Chancellor, with input from the appropriate Senate committees, the final recommendations will be proposed to the University Senate.

In addition to Callahan, the members of the committee are: Jessie Cordova (undergraduate student, Chair, Board of Elections and Membership, Student Association); Barbara Fought (associate professor, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications); Noreen Gaubatz (assessment consultant, Center for Support of Teaching and Learning); Ernie Hemphill (associate professor, Biology); Rebecca Moore Howard (associate professor, Writing Program); Art Jensen (professor and associate dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts); Abby Kasowitz-Scheer (head of instructional programs, Syracuse University Library); Bruce Kingma (professor and associate dean, School of Information Studies); Michael Olivette (associate professor and associate dean, College of Human Services and Health Professions); Dana Penza (undergraduate student, University Senate member); David Potter (associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences); Amardo Rodriguez (associate professor, College of Visual and Performing Arts); Stacey Lane Tice (assistant dean, Graduate School); Charles Tinney (graduate student, Graduate Student Organization member); Patrick Wilcox (graduate student, Graduate Student Organization vice-president); and Juanita Perez Williams (director, Office of Judicial Affairs).