Policy on Faculty Academic Files

[Section ID of Handbook]

Faculty academic files are defined as those files containing both academic and administrative records of a faculty member. They are initiated prior to employment, and currently maintained throughout the employment period of the named faculty member. Such files or partial duplicates thereof may be kept in the office of the Executive Vice President and Provost (hereafter Provost), the office of the Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education, offices of the deans of the colleges, offices of the deans of the regional campuses, offices of chairs of departments, and offices of directors of schools, and are under the custodianship of administrative officers supervising said offices. For the purposes of this document, all faculty academic files referred to above are considered to be in the same category. 

Faculty files are considered public records and as such are subject to the public records statutes of the State of Ohio. With very few restrictions, these statutes currently require that public records be open to inspection by any member of the general public. Access to medical records or certain classes of legal records, should there be any in the file, is not permitted. But access to letters of reference, even if solicited under a promise of confidentiality, is not restricted under public records statutes of the State of Ohio. 

Except in the case of faculty members reviewing their own files, persons seeking permission to review faculty files or other public records in the University must make the request to the Office of Legal Affairs. When faculty files are requested in this manner, the Office of Legal Affairs will make a good-faith effort to inform all current faculty members whose files are included in the request. Files may not be removed from the office where they are maintained, but copies will be provided upon request and at reasonable cost. These restrictions do not apply to use of the files for official University business by authorized individuals. 

Faculty members are permitted to add materials to their academic files as they wish. 

When a faculty member disagrees with officials in whose offices faculty files are maintained concerning faculty access to material or apparently unauthorized use of faculty files he/she/they may appeal to the Professional Relations Committee following the prescribed faculty grievance procedure for matters other than promotion and tenure.