POLICY FOR FACULTY RETENTION

Human Values:

Faculty retention is a pivotal issue in the educational sector, especially within the context of higher educational institutions where well-qualified, motivated and experienced faculty is an asset to the college. The Policy recognises that retaining dedicated and valued faculty members in the institution ensures the continuity of high-quality education and research by fostering a stable academic environment which benefits both students and the institution. Surendranath Law College values faculty retention as a larger vision and the most integral component of success and stability in an educational institution.

Professional Ethics:

In recognition of the importance of retaining a motivated faculty team, Surendranath Law College is sensitive towards the various needs of teachers and believes in building a long-term professional relationship. The college strives to address and remove any barrier that may limit or restrict their opportunities to participate in activities that enhance their growth. The assurance of support, security, safety, and an enabling academic atmosphere in college has been richly rewarding to instil a spirit of oneness and improve teaching outcomes. This has been possible by adopting some best practices for faculty retention subject to existing financial, infrastructural and logistical constraints in the college.

Some of the measures taken by the college for faculty support and retention are as follows –

1. Support for Professional Development

• As professional development is a long-term goal, the college facilitates and encourages faculty members to participate in workshops, seminars, conferences, capacity development courses and training programs that enhance their teaching skills, research capabilities, and overall professional growth. In this regard, faculty members are given ample opportunities to participate in professional development activities and organise co-curricular, extension and field-based activities.
• Candidates in service are allowed to do Ph.D., provided all the eligibility conditions under Ph.D. regulations of UGC are met. The college extends full support to faculty members who are pursuing Ph.D. and encourages them to take maximum academic benefit from the library and E-resources of the college.
• The college ensures that faculty members get full opportunity to fulfil the terms and conditions towards Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) as prescribed by UGC regulations. The institution is committed towards providing promotional benefits to the teachers in timely manner. The IQAC has chalked out future goals in this regard. Online and Offline account of teachers’ performance is proposed to be introduced wherein the teachers can submit annual self-appraisal reports etc. within due time. The system will help in maintain documentation records and preparing the CAS files expeditiously at the time of promotion.

2. Financial Support to faculty members

• The College has formed a Research & Development Cell that disseminates information to faculty members about research grants and project opportunities available at national and international agencies.
• The college prepares a budget plan to fund academic events held in the college so that faculty members do not face financial constraints in executing co-curricular programmes.
• Faculty members are encouraged to participate in State Government/UGC sponsored Regional/ National/ International Seminar/ Conference Training Programmes/ Faculty Development Programmes/ Orientation Programmes and Refresher Courses and may be provided financial support as per the availability of college funds.

3. Provision of Research Infrastructure

• In consultation with the Governing Body, the Finance Committee and the Academic Sub-Committee, the college allocates funds for investment in research infrastructure such as ICT infrastructure (computers, smart class equipment, printers etc) and library resources (books, journals, e-resources), furniture, air-conditioning units, audio-visual aids and equipment to create a conducive research environment that can enhance the quality and scope of research activities for teachers.

4. Collaborative Research Opportunities

• The College encourages and facilitates a progressive work culture for collaborative research projects, both within the institution and with external partners. The College has signed various MOUs with different academic institutions, law firms and NGOs to collaborate in enhancing opportunities for academic exchange, research, and experiential learning. This initiative aims to enhance collaborative initiatives and connect teachers with the legal academia to expand their professional networks.

5. Leave benefits for Academic and Research Work

• The College grants ‘On-duty’ leave to faculty members who may be participating in training/seminars/conferences outside the college. Faculty members are required to submit a timely written application seeking prior permission, and the same is placed in the GB meeting of the College for approval. Permission of ‘on duty’ benefits allow faculty members to focus solely on learning and achieve the best outcomes from training programmes. To facilitate participation of faculty members in academic events such as seminars and conferences, the faculty members can claim reimbursement of travel fare for Economy AC 3-tier round-trip train fare for participation outside Kolkata and local taxi/bus/train fare for participation within Kolkata. The travel fare may be re-imbursed provided the participant submits original travel bills/tickets along with participation certificates, and is subject to availability of college funds.

6. Publication Support

• The College encourages faculty members to publish original research papers in the peer-reviewed journals of high repute. Towards this, the college provides research assistance through access to journals, subscription to digital libraries and access to several online resources to facilitate research in legal studies. The college continuously strives to expand such facilities by expanding its subscription to more e-resources. The college has also purchased a premium Plagiarism Detection Software for use of students and faculty members. This is expected to be a significant measure to support ethical academic research in the college as students and teachers enter a highly competitive domain of academic publishing.

7. Supportive Atmosphere

• The head of the institution leads the faculty members in their professional journey by building a team that offers each other a supportive network. Apart from academic needs, faculty members, who have given a long-term commitment to the college, need a supportive atmosphere to work. The best minds are known to work efficiently in a stress-free and supportive environment. Faculty retention is to a large extent driven by a work-culture that supports good mental-health and cooperation within the academic fraternity of the college.

The College strives to establish a democratic and amiable ambience where faculty members feel free and comfortable to approach the head of the institution for any kind of discussion or guidance that is required. Any grievance or problems can be shared and is given a fair and patient hearing. This culture allows faculty members to work as a team and solve problems related to work, with minimum distress. The college also looks after the recreational needs of teachers. The college organises annual picnics and sport events where faculty members bond with each other and in the process strengthen professional links.

Faculty retention policy is therefore framed keeping in sight the need to ensure the provision of comprehensive academic and research support for teachers in their long-term journey of professional development.