The New School of Biblical Theology

Faculty Handbook

Introduction

New School of Biblical Theology (hereafter “NSBT” or “the school.”) is a new venture in graduate-level global theological education.  Founded in 2019, the school is related to the Christian Cultural Center (CCC), a non-denominational church with campuses in Brooklyn, NY, Orlando, FL, and online.  The school from its inception operates entirely online.  As of July 1, 2020, NSBT is in the process of completing the registration process in the state of Florida, USA.  Until this process is complete, NSBT will operate as a ministry within CCC as it begins offering classes and moving toward awarding degrees and certificates.  

The pages that follow constitute the inaugural Faculty Handbook that serves to govern the work of the faculty of NSBT both individually and collectively during the first years of its institutional life.  Although the school is not yet accredited by any internationally recognized accreditation body, the board of trustees and members of senior administration are committed to adhering to the accepted standards governing higher education and graduate theological learning globally.

The initial version of this Handbook is to be formally approved by the board of trustees of

NSBT.  Any revisions of the Handbook during the first five years of the operation of NSBT (2019-2024) must be approved by the board of trustees, with the advice (but not necessarily consent) of the members of the faculty.  It is envisioned that a full review and revision of the Handbook with the participation of members of the faculty will take place in 2024, leading to its adoption by the board of trustees in 2025.

Mission, Vision, and Learning Outcomes

The Mission of NSBT is to prepare men and women for effective Christian ministry and leadership in a global context by deepening their understanding of the Bible, attending to intellectual and spiritual formation, and equipping them to demonstrate the Good News of the love and compassion of Christ to the world through service and social engagement.

NSBT’s vision is to create a dynamic educational institute that fosters growth in the Spirit while preparing leaders to answer Christ’s call to ministry and mission in the world today.

To these ends, all NSBT graduates are expected to acquire and demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1.     An overall understanding of the Bible and the capacity to interpret biblical texts effectively in culturally diverse ministerial contexts.

2.     An understanding of the dynamic nature of Christian orthodoxy as documented in diverse expressions throughout the historical scope of Christianity. 

3.     A relevant understanding of globally contextual theological issues requisite for ministry in the contemporary world.

4.     A capacity for skilled and effective leadership in a diversity of ministries.

5.     An understanding of the significance of moral character and spiritual formation for leadership in ministry.

As an educational institution related to CCC, NSBT is committed to the standard of faith that guides CCC and is historically known as the Nicene Creed.  While members of the faculty are not required formally to affirm this historic standard of the Christian faith (not all Christians globally accept it today), all are expected to recognize and affirm its overall role in guiding the life and work of the school.

NSBT seeks to prepare religious leaders who demonstrate personal integrity and professional readiness for ministry, who express a religious or faith identity, and who are committed to service and social engagement in the contemporary world.  These same expectations apply to members of the faculty who teach at NSBT.  

Constitution of the Faculty

The faculty of NSBT is comprised of the President, the Executive Vice President, the Academic Dean (who carries rank), other members of the administrative faculty (who are also ranked), and affiliate and adjunct faculty members (who are not ranked).  The President, Executive Vice President, Academic Dean, and members of the administrative faculty are appointed to their positions by the board of trustees and collectively form the administrative faculty of the school.  The President of NSBT is the President of the faculty with an academic title appropriate to his or her discipline.  The President may delegate responsibilities to the Executive Vice President, who is the Chief Operating Officer and who also may carry an academic title and is a member of the administrative faculty.  The Academic Dean, who is the Chief Academic Officer and who carries title and rank, is appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Vice President, reports to the President through the Executive Vice President, and is responsible for direct oversight and administration of all matters related to teaching and learning at the school. 

Affiliate and adjunct faculty members are not a part of the administrative faculty but are invited to join faculty meetings during the sessions in which they are teaching.  Teaching assistants and readers are not considered members of the faculty but serve under the direction of a faculty member to assist in carrying out instructional duties including evaluating and grading the work of students.

Members of the administrative faculty will to the degree possible represent a range of theological disciplines including biblical studies; history, theology, and ethics; the practical field, which includes arts of ministry, ministry and leadership studies, and public theology.

All members of the administrative faculty other than the President, Executive Vice President, and Academic Dean are expected to be regularly engaged in offering courses in the various degree programs of NSBT.  Faculty members who have not been appointed to additional administrative roles are expected to offer at least one class in each session during the academic year, and by mutual agreement with the Academic Dean may occasionally offer two, with a maximum of 8 classes offered in any given academic year.   

All full-time NSBT faculty, including the administrative faculty, are allowed to petition the Academic Dean to teach a class for an institution outside of NSBT. Ordinarily, permission would be restricted to one outside course per academic year (AY).

Upon mutual agreement with both the Vice President and Academic Dean, members of the administrative faculty may be appointed to specific responsibilities related to educational management and administration.  In such cases the administrative faculty member will be expected to teach in at least three sessions annually in the academic year.  The President, Vice President, and Academic Dean may also offer courses regularly throughout the course of any academic year, as the occasion arises and dependent on the availability of their time.

As an institution committed to academic excellence, NSBT expects all members of the administrative faculty to be engaged in learning as well as teaching.  Research is a critical aspect of both learning and teaching.  To this end the school encourages members of the faculty to be engaged in research that is relevant to their field of interest and study and seeks to support such endeavors.  Members of the administrative faculty who have specific research interests are encouraged to speak to the Academic Dean to explore ways in which the school can support their endeavors.  As an institution equally committed to ministerial relevance, NSBT also expects members of the faculty to be engaged in service in ministry or in the wider community, including service to the academic community and to the work of global theological education.

Faculty Titles and Rank

The President of NSBT is the President of the faculty with an academic title appropriate to his or her discipline.  The Executive Vice President, who is the Chief Operating Officer and who also may carry an academic title and is a member of the administrative faculty.  The Academic Dean, who is the Chief Academic Officer and who carries title and rank, reports to the President through the Executive Vice President and is responsible for direct oversight and administration of all matters related to teaching and learning at the school.  Other members of the administrative faculty carry title and rank.

Faculty titles are established by the President in consultation with the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean and reflect the area of academic expertise of the faculty member.  Rank is established by the President in consultation with the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean and confirmed by the board of trustees on the following basis:

Instructor:  a faculty member who does not hold a terminal degree and/or who has not had previous experience in graduate theological education, but who shows promise in learning and teaching, and in either research or service in ministry.

Assistant Professor:  a faculty member who holds a terminal degree, who has had up to six years of experience in teaching in graduate theological education or a similar field, and who has demonstrated promise in academic research, administrative competency, and/ or professional service in ministry, as determined by the President.

Associate Professor:  a faculty member who holds a terminal degree, who has had more than six years of experience in teaching in graduate theological education or a similar field, and who has demonstrated significant accomplishments in academic research, administrative competency, and/ or professional service in ministry, as determined by the President.

Professor:  a faculty member who holds a terminal degree, who has had at least ten years of experience in teaching in graduate theological education or a similar field, and who has demonstrated significant accomplishments in academic research, administrative competency, and/ or professional service in ministry, as determined by the President.

 Adjunct faculty members are approved by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean and are appointed to teach specific courses by the Academic Dean on a session-by-session basis, contingent on there being sufficient enrollment to support offering the course.  Adjunct faculty members must hold at least one graduate degree and are expected to hold either a terminal degree or have significant professional experience in the area in which they are invited to teach.  Compensation for adjunct faculty members is on a course-by-course basis, at a rate established by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean.  Currently, compensation for adjuncts is ordinarily on the following basis: 

•       First 8-week session course [minimum of 8 students, $2,500; possibly prorated if less than 8];

•       Second & following 8-week session course(s), $3,000 [same minimums apply];

•       Creating a new 8-week course and/or significantly revising a current 8-week course, $350; •         Teaching/supervising an independent study course, $350;

•       The lead reader on a Capstone Completion Paper, $350.

Affiliated faculty members are approved by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean and are appointed by the Academic Dean to teach at least one course a year continuously on a year-to-year basis for at least three years, contingent on their being sufficient enrollment to support offering the courses.  Affiliated faculty members may carry other academic responsibilities as determined by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean.  Affiliated faculty members must hold at least one graduate degree and are expected to hold either a terminal degree or have significant professional experience in the area in which they are invited to teach.  Compensation for affiliate faculty is on a year-to-year basis, at a rate established by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean.  The Academic Dean handles all correspondence with affiliate and adjunct faculty members and keeps up-to-date academic CVs on file.

Appointment to the Administrative Faculty

During the inaugural period of the school (2020-2025), all members of the administrative faculty are appointed by the board of trustees on a year-to-year basis and are expected to carry administrative duties in addition to their work in teaching as part of their responsibilities to the school.  Appointments are for the academic year that begins with beginning of the Academic Year (AY), Session (approximately June 1).  Members of the administrative faculty can expect to undergo an annual faculty evaluation conducted by the Academic Dean and Executive Vice President each spring prior to their re-appointment and will be informed in writing by the Academic Dean of the terms of their re-appointment for the coming year.

The annual evaluation covers three areas of faculty performance:  (1) commitment and effectiveness in teaching; (2) commitment and effectiveness in administrative tasks to which the faculty member is assigned; (3) overall commitment and contribution both to NSBT and to the wider community of church and theological education.  Following the annual evaluation, the Dean and/or Executive Vice President will make a written report to the President and to the faculty member.  Any increase in rank will occur following such an annual evaluation and be contingent upon the recommendation of the Academic Dean.

In the case of an unfavorable academic review, or in the case of a position being eliminated for financial reason, NSBT makes no promises to offer a settlement to a faculty member other than to complete the appointment within the academic year.  The school will endeavor as much as possible to provide for the retention of faculty members.  In such a case where a position is eliminated for financial reasons, the Dean and other members of senior administration will provide support for the faculty member in locating a new position, in the form of letters of recommendation or other such means as may be of assistance.

Recruitment of New Faculty Members

During the initial period of 2020-2025, appointments to the faculty will be made by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean, acting in consultation with the rest of the administrative faculty.  Following the inaugural period of 2020-2025, NSBT expects to be ready to make new academic appointments following a formal faculty search.

To this end, new faculty appointments after 2025 will begin with the board through the President and Executive Vice President formally announcing in writing to the Academic Dean the opening of a position.  The President through the Executive Vice President and in consultation with the Academic Dean will announce the composition of the faculty search committee.  Normally the committee will be chaired by the Academic Dean and will include a minimum of two additional faculty members plus one member of the staff and one student.  The Dean will proceed to set up the search committee, oversee the manner in which it conducts its work, and be ready to bring the results before the full faculty for consideration in due time.  Approval by the full administrative faculty will be required for the candidate to advance in the appointment process.  The Academic Dean will report the decision of the faculty to the President who is not bound by the action but shall take it into consideration.  In no case after 2025 will the President, board, or others in senior administration make an appointment to the faculty which has not been considered and approved by the rest of the administrative faculty.

Academic Freedom

NSBT, like many schools of theological education, does not offer tenure to its faculty members.  Tenure historically served to protect academic freedom of inquiry, which is essential to the pursuit of knowledge.  NSBT respects the traditional right to academic freedom of inquiry and respects the manner in which it serves to protect the integrity of learning.  As noted above, all members of the NSBT administrative faculty are not required formally to affirm the historic standard of the Christian faith known as the Nicene Creed but are expected to recognize and affirm its overall role in guiding the life and work of the school.  Faculty members are also expected to demonstrate personal integrity and professional readiness for ministry, to be able to express a personal religious or faith identity, and to be committed to service and social engagement in the contemporary world.

In classes and other settings in which a faculty member exercises teaching functions, faculty members have the freedom to teach and discuss matters on which they have academic competence, including ideas that are controversial or are considered by some to violate the standards of orthodox doctrine, without fear of reprisal.  Faculty members are expected to respect one another’s beliefs and not violate one another’s academic freedom in the classroom by interfering in one another’s work or demonstrating public disrespect.  By the same token, faculty members may not require a student to consent either implicitly or explicitly to any particular theological or doctrinal position or to any particular spiritual discipline or practice, other than to demonstrate that the student has studied it and understands it. 

Outside their classes, faculty members have the freedom to express themselves and act upon their convictions as individuals without reprisal so long as such actions do not violate the wellbeing of another person or commit NSBT explicitly or implicitly to any particular position or action that has not been officially approved by the President or Executive Vice President of the School.  Faculty members should as much as possible refrain from making social media postings, public statements, or other such means of community expression that might reflect poorly on the life and work of NSBT, and especially of its founding President or the CCC community.

Tasks of the Faculty

Under the direction of the Academic Dean, the administrative faculty is responsible for the overall academic life and work of the school.  Specific tasks include:

•       Overseeing all aspects of the curriculum, including courses, practicums, and field education experiences

•       Engaging regularly in academic assessment of all degree programs, making any changes to the curriculum based upon the outcomes of assessment with the approval of the Academic Dean, and addressing any other overall program assessment concerns

•       Engaging regularly in assessment of individual students in all degree programs, addressing both issues of academic performance and personal or professional readiness for service

•       Engaging in regular and timely communications with current students in individual courses, as well as with advisees as appropriate (NOTE: in dealing with advisees enrolled in the course that the advisor is teaching, it is always appropriate, and potentially recommended, that concerns of the advisee regarding that class should be forwarded to the Dean). This also includes a weekly, Zoom Community Meeting in each instructed course for the purpose of: (a) building community among the students; (b) expanding unofficial interactions with online-course students; (c) praying with them; and (c) discussing past assignments, as well as previewing upcoming assignments, etc.

•       Regularly reviewing academic policies and procedures and recommending any changes, subject to oversight of the board

•       Establishing guidelines for admissions and consulting with the Director of Admissions and / or Academic Dean regarding admissions issues as requested 

•       Recommending annually to the board through the President the names of all students who have met the requirements for graduation, along with their specific degree that they are recommended to receive

•       Regularly reviewing issues in theological education and in the wider academic world that affect both members of the faculty and the school as a whole.

To carry out these functions the faculty (including administrative full-time, affiliate, and current instructional faculty (including adjuncts who are currently teaching an NSBT course) meets twice monthly for two hours via teleconferencing.   On occasion, non-teaching adjuncts may be asked to attend a particular meeting should the particulars dictate as established by the Executive Vice President and Academic Dean.  Normally the Dean chairs the faculty meetings, although the task may be assigned to the Executive Vice President.  Faculty meetings should cover regular business of the faculty as noted in the items above.  They can also include a brief devotional experience, time for community sharing, opportunities to explore professional and academic development, and other such actions as are appropriate to a graduate faculty in theological education.

In addition to these collective tasks, individual members of the faculty are expected to attend to the following:

•       Carrying out all agreed upon teaching assignments with due diligence and consideration, including timely assigning grades on individual assignments, providing regular and timely student feedback, and turning in final grades to the registrar according to assigned deadlines (ordinarily the Wednesday immediately following the last day of each session), and according to the published grading scale (see Student Handbook, rev., p. 10). For the NSBT incomplete policy, see Student Handbook, rev., p.11. [NOTE: all faculty are to use the assigned NSBT.ORG email for all NSBT related communication.]

•       With particular emphasis on finalizing the end of each course session, all course instructors are required to alert the Dean, as well copying the Registrar and the Bursar, when a student does not finish all work on time unless it is previously arranged with the Dean. This is essential to NSBT’s proper management of student progression in subsequent course work enrollment and the role of possible incomplete work by students.

•       Instructors are to monitor those in attendance in the weekly Zoom community meetings, not based on required attendance, but to guarantee that all persons in attendance are registered students in the current course in question (or official faculty or staff). For privacy and confidentiality reasons, students are not to share the Zoom links with students or persons not enrolled in the present course and faculty are not to record these Zoom meetings. Once the meeting is terminated, there should be no record of the meeting in the cloud or on the host’s computer.

•       Advising on a regular basis those students assigned to them by the Academic Dean, taking care to assure that students are progressing through their selected degree programs in good standing, and where necessary, helping students make adjustments in their educational plans to ensure their optimum success in NSBT

•       With regard to students who have critical thinking and/or formal writing issues, teaching faculty in the NSBT master’s programs should consult with the NSBT Writing Lab and its Director, either to refer the student(s) to the Director of the Writing Lab or to consult with the Director as to previous and/or on-going remediations by the Writing Lab Director regarding these issues.

•       Participating in annual graduation exercises, either online or in person, as assigned by the

Academic Dean

•       Participating in other programs of the school as are deemed by the Academic Dean as being a part of the NSBT administrative faculty

Faculty members who carry additional administrative responsibilities and tasks are supervised by the Executive Vice President and / or Academic Dean, as appropriate to these positions for their individual tasks.  Such supervision takes place apart from the full faculty.

Compensation and Benefits

NSBT seeks to offer faculty members adequate compensation to support their work at the school.  As a new institution, on the other hand, it does not have the resources that many other schools have that support faculty in their endeavors.  Each member of the faculty is invited to negotiate salary expectations and needs with the Executive Vice President at time of initial appointment, with an agreement signed by both parties.  Increases in salary compensation are only made on an annual basis at the time of re-appointment and are strictly subject to the judgment of the Executive Vice President.

During its inaugural period of 2020-2025, NSBT will not offer any benefits to faculty members in the form of health care or personal pension plans.  Faculty members should factor in their needs regarding health care coverage in particular when negotiating salaries with the Executive Vice President.  The school will pay withholding taxes as stipulated by law.  As a theological school that is attached to CCC, NSBT is able to provide faculty members who are ordained with the option of a clergy housing allowance, thereby reducing their tax exposure.  

During its inaugural period of 2020-2025, NSBT will also not be in a position to offer faculty members study leaves or sabbaticals for conducting research.  Any faculty member who wishes to pursue research and is in need of special considerations is invited to discuss such matters with the Academic Dean and Executive Vice President.  To this end faculty members are also free to pursue outside grants and stipends to support ongoing academic research in addition to the compensation they receive from NSBT.  

Faculty members may carry ecclesiastical or other vocational appointments with compensation while they serve at NSBT, provided that these other responsibilities do not interfere with the faculty member’s work for the school.  Any additional adjunct teaching that a member of the faculty pursues outside NSBT must be reported to the Academic Dean and Executive Vice President.  In no case should a member of the full administrative faculty carry an additional fulltime appointment at another school without taking a formal leave from NSBT. 

As an institution registered in Orlando, Florida, NSBT is bound by all applicable and relevant the laws of employment that apply in the state of Florida. 

Employment-at-Will 

All NSBT employees, administrative faculty, full-time faculty, and full-time staff, not under contract are employed at the will of NSBT for an indefinite period. Employees not under contract may resign from NSBT and may be terminated by NSBT at any time, for any reason. No statement or representation in this handbook or any other NSBT publication or by any NSBT employee should be construed as a promise or guarantee of permanent employment.

Supplementary Employment

The Board of Trustees believes that a non-adjunct/affiliate faculty position at NSBT is one of full-time employment involving significant work beyond the limits of the classroom. Individual faculty members who accept supplemental employment do so with the understanding that NSBT is the primary employer, and any supplemental employment shall not negatively affect the fulfillment of the faculty member’s responsibilities to NSBT in any way. Under no circumstances shall a faculty member accept a full-time position concurrent to a faculty position at NSBT. Members of the faculty who desire supplemental employment shall obtain prior written approval from the Academic Dean, normally at the beginning of each new academic year or session, as applicable. This policy should not be construed as discouraging supplemental employment during holidays, vacation periods, or during non-contracted months, though as fulltime employees faculty members must remain reasonably accessible and engaged even during these periods. No faculty member of NSBT shall use NSBT resources (employees, students, or materials) to further any external business venture(s).

If you would like to pursue supplemental employment this fall, please submit a request to the Dean.

Chatbot Policy for Faculty Handbook

OpenAI, a company attempting to produce what is called artificial general intelligence, has released programs that make it fast and easy to generate texts of various genres and lengths. ChatGPT is the latest and most powerful. In seconds it will generate a plausible seeming essay on virtually any topic one might wish. Students may already be using this technology to write their essays.

As a theological institution, our focus is not only to teach skills and information, but to help our students grow in their relationship with God, to uncover or clarify their calling, and to inspire and solidify their commitment to ministry in a global context. One way we seek to accomplish our goals is through written essays and discussions. Essays are designed to help our students sharpen their capacity for theological reflection, not just to learn information.

We believe that the use of chatbots can be a valuable tool for students, but it is important that the students use of Chatbots be transparent and in accordance with academic integrity standards of NSBT. This can be achieved by the following policies in place regarding the use of chatbots for the students in the submission of academic work:

1.     Students may not submit work that has been produced in whole or in part by a chatbot without properly citing the use of the chatbot and including a disclaimer stating that the work has been assisted by the chatbot.

2.     Any work that has been produced with the assistance of a chatbot must be the original work of the student and must not be copied or plagiarized from any other source.

3.     Students who use a chatbot must inform the professor of the use of a chatbot and must provide the search parameter in the bibliography.

4.     Students who violate these policies will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include but is not limited to revocation of their degree, suspension, or expulsion from the graduate program.

By adhering to these policies, we can ensure that the use of chatbots in academic work is fair and in line with the values of our graduate program. 

There are, however, limitations with Chatbot that all faculty be aware of:

1.     These programs are very good at producing readable English, and that is a challenge. They are less good, for now, at using concepts in convincing ways. By all reports that we have so far received, their analytical skills are so poor that anyone who knows that material at all can see that the papers are hopelessly confused.

2.    We understand that the ChatGPT, and other chatbots, typically avoid taking a stand, and produce papers that are more “on the one hand, on the other hand”. So, assignments that require a clear thesis that is argued for and defended over their course are less liable to spoofing. essays.

3.    Apparently, these programs are not good at citing sources. And so, requiring that students refer to, quote, and appropriately cite sources is another helpful tool in ensuring that papers are written by humans rather than bots.

4.    There is, finally, a demo of a bot-detector that is, for now, freely accessible, and  the demo can be accessed here.

5.    Suggest to students they might use editing programs that can record their entire editing history, such as GoogleDocs. And remind them the best research to use is academic literature, i.e., DTL, University Research libraries, NYPL, etc.

As the use of chatbots increases, it will behoove us to learn of their limitations. Here are samples of noted limitation responses encountered on ChatGPT:

In response to a search asking for a specific author

I’m sorry, but I am not able to browse the internet or access external information. I am a large language model trained bt Open AI, and my knowledge is limited to what I have been trained on. My knowledge cutoff is 2021, so I do not have information on any developments or research that may have occurred after that date. I can only provide general information on the topic of ethics in First John based on what I have been trained on.

In response to a search asking for a specific length

As a large language model, I am not capable of providing information in a specific format or length. My responses are generated based on the information I have been trained on, and I am not able to provide a specific number of pages or words on a given topic.

Suspensions and Dismissals

Inasmuch as NSBT is an at-will institution regarding its faculty. As such, employment exists within the parameters of each academic year (AY) only. In addition to the non-renewal of the annual faculty employment, the President, or her/his delegated representative (such as the Executive Vice President), may summarily remove a faculty person for malfeasance.  In addition, the President, or her/his delegated representative (such as the Executive Vice President), may recommend to the Board of Trustees the suspension or dismissal of any employed faculty member, administrative or full-time, for good cause. Good cause is defined as, but not limited to, the following: immorality, dishonesty, misconduct in office, insubordination, or willful neglect of duty. The President, or her/his delegated representative, may immediately suspend a faculty member who is recommended for dismissal by the Executive Vice President and/or the Academic Dean.  Such suspension shall continue until a final decision is reached by the Board of Trustees as to dismissal or continuance of said faculty member.  Said faculty member's salary will be paid during the period of suspension, with a maximum amount ordinarily not to exceed the remainder of the current employment session.

When a faculty person has been summarily removed or suspended, the President or her/his delegated representative will report the action to the full faculty at its next regular meeting, or at a special meeting of the faculty called for such purpose; to the appropriate members of the Board of Trustees, as well as to the full Board at its next meeting following the President's action.  The suspended faculty person will be permitted to attend both the faculty meeting and the meeting of the Board of Trustees, to participate in the discussion of his or her case.  The faculty will advise the Academic Dean who will then apprise the President and/or the Executive Vice President who will propose to the Board the permanent action to be taken (e.g. termination, reinstatement, or reinstatement with stipulations).  A faculty member who is on suspension will continue to receive salary and benefits during the session in which the suspension occurred, unless other arrangements agreed to by both Board and faculty person are made.

Grievance Procedures  

From time to time within any institution, including Christian institutions, one can expect grievances to arise.  Any faculty member who believes that he or she has a personal or professional grievance with another member of the NSBT community other than one that is strictly concerns the lines of academic accountability (the annual evaluation process) or is a matter of sexual harassment (see the next paragraph below) with any other member of the NSBT community should first seek to resolve that grievance directly with the person involved.  If a faculty member is unable to resolve the grievance to his or her satisfaction through such means, the person should reach out to the Academic Dean in writing concerning the issue, or if the Dean is compromised by the situation to the Executive Vice President.  The Dean and / or Executive Vice President will seek to resolve the grievance and may consult with other members of the community who might be involved, for the purposes of resolving the issue.  If a grievance cannot be resolved through this means, the Academic Dean and / or Executive Vice President will bring the matter to the President for resolution.  The board has final authority to review and act on such matters.  All such grievances will be documented and included in the ongoing reporting to NSBT to the various bodies exercising oversight.

Sexual Harassment Policy

Sexual harassment is a serious problem even in the Christian community.  In many cases it is a problem especially within the Christian community because of a long-standing tendency to deny that there are episodes of sin in our midst.  As part of an online school of theology, NSBT students and instructors can expect to find a minimal amount of opportunity to engage in direct sexual harassment, yet the issue must be addressed.  As an institution that seeks to embody Christian principles, NSBT is bound by the injunction to seek the well-being of all who teach, work, study or pass through its programs.  

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.  It may take place in a person-to-person encounter, or online.  Harassment of anyone based upon sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is a violation of NSBT policy.  Sexual harassment is also illegal under USA federal law.  No member of the NSBT community may take action against an individual for reporting sexual harassment.  Prompt investigation of allegations will be made on a confidential basis to ascertain the veracity of complaint, and appropriate corrective action will be taken as necessary.  Questions regarding this policy or initiation of a grievance regarding sexual harassment should be directed to the Academic Dean. In a case where the Academic Dean may be compromised, questions or any report should go directly to the Executive Vice President or President.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

NSBT takes seriously its responsibility to identify and maintain standards that are fundamental to providing a quality online, academic program at the graduate level, while ensuring the rights of all individuals with disabilities.  A disability is a medically diagnosed impairment that limits substantially the academic, emotional, and/or mental activities of the NSBT student. Faculty members with a diagnosed disability may be entitled to accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Faculty members who seek such an accommodation must be prepared to submit documentation by a licensed health provider (physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor). The Dean will see that reasonable accommodations are made for such a person in each course, and that disclosure of this information is strictly on a “need to know” basis for other members of the community.  

Confidentiality

Confidentiality stands as a core feature of all faculty processes at NSBT, both concerning personnel and students. It grounds the ability of the faculty to make collective, deliberative decisions concerning faculty and certain student matters.  Faculty members should never discuss confidential personnel meetings with anyone who was not present at the meeting. The need for confidentiality and the duty to report discriminatory language or actions should be reiterated regarding hiring, as well as promotion.

Confidentiality is a requisite for NSBT faculty members in order to protect the privacy of students. NSBT staff and are legally and ethically responsible for safeguarding student information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires that the faculty maintain confidentiality of student records and classroom activities