Loyola University New Orleans faculty handbook has been out of date since 2006. The goal for the Handbook Committee is to have a solid, updated faculty handbook for fall of 2011.

Laurie Phillips, associate dean of Technical Services, said the handbook is definitely out of date.

“They have been trying to get the handbook finalized since the beginning of construction,” Phillips said.

“The handbook is not in alignment with the new colleges and it states things that are no longer valid. The language needs to be updated.”

The faculty handbook is an extension of the faculty’s contract that describes the rights and duties for being a member of Loyola’s faculty.

Each year the faculty has a meeting and Edward Kvet, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, gives a charge of the year.

The charge of this year is to establish a new Faculty Handbook.

The proposed changes have to go to the University Senate to be read and acted upon, then to the provost to make sure all language is correct, and finally to Board of Trustees where it is voted and carried out, said Dee Harper, spokesman for the Faculty Handbook Committee.

English professor Barbara C. Ewell said, “The faculty handbook is always changing. It is a living document.”

The committee plans to add five new committees and take away five old committees. The proposed new committees consist of a new common curriculum committee, an online education committee, a resurrection of the Office of Continuing Studies, and an education abroad committee.

They also plan to refigure three other committees by combining two committees into one. For instance they plan to combine the grants and leaves committees.

Robyn Matthews can be reached at [email protected]