Dec 11, 2024  
Faculty Handbook 
    
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Faculty Handbook

Introduction

Foreword

The purpose of this handbook is to inform faculty members about matters relating to the adequate performance of their jobs. There are other sources of information that may be helpful, and faculty not fully oriented may seek them out. These include the Course Catalogs, the Employee Handbook, the Student Handbooks and Student Guides, various reports to accrediting agencies, and appropriate officers of the institution.

A faculty position is not just a job but also a ministry through which we glorify God in service to students. It requires the utmost each person can provide in classroom and extra-curricular leadership. Opportunities to serve are numerous and diverse and each faculty person is urged to be an active member of the JBU community.

John Brown University evolved from a junior college that began in 1919. The school was established near Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on the site of its present campus. It was then a farm, the property of the late John E. Brown, Sr., and his wife. Dr. Brown was, at that time, a national leader in the field of evangelism. Out of his many contacts with young people, his convictions concerning the inadequacy of traditional educational methods deepened until he felt a definite call to establish a college dedicated to “threefold training.” Many of his original ideas have continued as the standard for the university. Dr. Brown’s educational ideal is expressed in the motto, “Training the Head, Heart, and Hand.”

This faculty handbook is not a contract. It contains helpful information for all faculty employees of John Brown University (hereafter “the University”) regarding current practices and procedures, any of which may be changed at the University’s sole discretion by giving notice thereof in a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. Statements in this handbook do not confer any additional employee benefits nor do they create obligations of the University. Material in this handbook is intended to identify current practices and procedures and to generally describe those without necessarily providing the full description, legal identification or exact text. Therefore, since this handbook is only a summary, please review it with the vice president for academic affairs if you have any questions.

Statement of Faith

The doctrinal position of the institution is contained in the following Articles of Faith which have been adopted by the National Association of Evangelicals:

  1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative word of God.
  2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
  4. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
  5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
  6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
  7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Mission of John Brown University

The statement of educational philosophy, which appears in the catalogs, was first developed and adopted by the faculty in the late 1940s; it is in harmony with the philosophy of threefold training held by the founder, John E. Brown Sr.

There are five sections in the educational philosophy. These describe the qualities the faculty hope graduates will possess: that they will reflect the love of Christ, possess intellectual integrity and enthusiasm for continuing self-development, be able to function effectively in a multicultural world, perform a share of the world’s work, and make worthy contributions to their communities.

In 2005, the mission statement of JBU was updated to say: To provide Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives.

Accreditation and National Memberships

The University was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org) in 1962 and re-accredited in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002, 2012, 2022, and is scheduled for review in 2032.

Current information about accreditations can be found on JBU’s website at https://www.jbu.edu/academics/accreditation/.

Institutional memberships in national organizations:

  • The Council of Independent Colleges
  • The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
  • The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
  • The Lilly Network of Church Related Colleges and Universities

Any department that desires to seek professional accreditation for its program should present its request and rationale to the vice president for academic affairs.