When one becomes part of a community like the faculty, students, and staff at Hendrix, a typical component involves the genuine desire to be part of the process that makes and maintains that community. “Service,” then, is a natural outgrowth of campus life. Moreover, the community to which service is rendered may be on campus or more widely conceived, extending into the local community, state, nation, or world.
Hendrix seeks Faculty who aspire to model the College’s motto “Unto the whole person.” Clearly what we seek are Faculty who believe in and work to strengthen and support our liberal arts community. This participation may be represented in diverse ways. Accordingly, Hendrix Faculty typically seek to do many of the following:
- Contribute to the collective work of the Faculty by engagement through committees and active participation at Faculty meetings;
- Serving as needed as department, program and area chairs;
- Help to oversee and direct the work of student organizations;
- Support the life of the College through planning, participating in, and attending campus events and activities.
In addition, involvement in the community beyond Hendrix is recognized as “role modeling” service. It is seen as supplementing, though not supplanting, the commitment to remain engaged in the on-campus community. Thus, many Faculty become involved in service beyond Hendrix, and such service is recognized in the evaluation process.
Assessment of Community Development
- Both the more and less visible forms of community engagement will be chronicled in the Faculty member’s self-evaluation letter. This is the primary source of information about the Faculty member’s contribution to the Hendrix community and, if the Faculty member so wishes, to the community beyond the College.
- The Department Chair’s letter as part of the evaluation process will also evaluate the Faculty member’s commitment to the community through his or her work.
- Colleagues with whom the Faculty member has had close working relationships on community-enhancing endeavors may be invited by the Faculty member to write evaluations of his or her service in a peer letter to be included in the evaluation materials.