Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

Faculty Handbook Glossary


Academic Clemency - Students who leave the university with a poor academic record are eligible to request that courses be removed from attempted hours (AHRS), earned hours (EHRS), quality hours (QHRS) and the grade point average (GPA) calculations.

Academic Misconduct - This act is intended to foster student academic integrity and to address cases of student academic misconduct which may include, but are not limited to lying, cheating, plagiarism, and misappropriation of course-based intellectual property.

Admitted (Matriculated) Students - Students admitted to the University, attending full- or part-time, pursuing a bachelor’s degree.  They are either in good academic standing or on academic probation.

Admission Revoked Students - Students on probation who fail to return to good standing or who fail to meet the criteria which allows them to remain on probation will have their admissions revoked and their academic standing changed to restricted status.

Arbitrary/Capricious Grading - The assignment of a course grade to a student on some basis other than performance in the course, by unreasonable application of standards different from the standards that were applied to other students in that course or by a substantial and unreasonable departure from the instructor’s initially articulated standards.

Cheating - The act of wrongfully using or attempting to use unauthorized materials; information; study aids or the ideas or work of another in order to gain an advantage.

Closed Site - A program offered for a particular organization or constituency that is not open to the general public, e.g. military base, hospital, or business organization.

Commercial venture - A start-up company, limited partnership, joint venture or any other entity that has obtained an option or a license to university technology.

Confidential Disclosure Agreement - An agreement or section of an agreement that prevents parties to the agreement from releasing knowledge or information without the other’s permission.

Copyright - The intangible property right granted by statute for an original work fixed in a tangible means of expression.  A copyright provides the owner with the following exclusive rights over a work: to reproduce, to prepare derivative works, to distribute, to perform publicly, and to display publicly.  Copyright comes into existence immediately at the time the work is fixed in a tangible means of expression.

Creative works - “Original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form of expression that may be protected by copyright. The fixation need not be directly perceptible so long as it may be communicated with the aid of a machine or device.  Copyrightable works include the following categories: (1) literary works; (2) musical works, including any accompanying words; (3) dramatic works, including any accompanying music; (4) pantomimes and choreographic works; (5) pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; (6) motion pictures and other audiovisual works;  (7) sound recordings; and (8) architectural works.

Creator - Refers to an individual or group of individuals who make, conceive, and reduce to practice, or otherwise make a substantive intellectual contribution to the creation of intellectual property.  “Creator” follows the definition of “inventor” used in U.S. patent law and the definition of “author” used in the U.S. Copyright Act.

Credit by examination - Provides undergraduate students with opportunities to earn up to sixty semester credit hours by examination (e.g., through AP, CLEP, International IB, and/or departmental challenge exams. See Non-Traditional Credit Policies in the Registration and Student Records section of the University Catalog.

Cross-listed courses - A cross-listed course will have different departmental listings (Course Prefix), but the same number, title and course description.

Disclose - Formally record the essence of a potentially patentable concept, the circumstances in which it was conceived, the persons participating in the invention, and the steps taken to reduce it to practice, if applicable, in accord with the requirements of U.S. patent law for establishing precedence.

Dismissed Students - Previously-enrolled students who are no longer allowed to attend the University (for at least five years).

Diversity - Refers to the range of human interests, life experiences, perspectives, and values, which is impacted by factors such as age, ancestry/national origin, color, disability, education, gender identity/expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and wealth.

Dual Enrollment -  Taking courses at the collegiate level while still in high school and receiving college and high school credit simultaneously.

Emeritus - A title of distinction conferred upon retiring faculty who normally have completed at least ten years of meritorious service to Salisbury University.

Equity - Refers to the creation and proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, and attitudes that promote fair treatment, opportunities, resources, and outcomes for all.  Whereas equality provides for all people equally, equity accounts for individual circumstances and provides each person with what is needed for success. To achieve equity, structural inequalities must be acknowledged and addressed.

Equity or equity shares (as related to business) - Shares of common or preferred stock, warrants, options, convertible instruments, units of a limited partnership, or any other instruments conveying ownership interest in a commercial venture, or options or rights to purchase an ownership interest.

Essential Employees - Those in positions that have been designated as vital to the operation of the facility, whose presence is required regardless of the existence of an emergency condition, and whose absence from duty could endanger the safety and well being of the campus population and/or physical plant.

Final Thirty Hours - Students must take (30) of their last (37) hours at Salisbury University (special cooperative programs exempted).

First sale - The principle that gives the purchaser of a copyrighted work the right, among other things, to lend it to others.

Ghost policy - Instructors of courses that have reached maximum enrollment may drop from their rosters any student during the drop/add period based on the student’s non-attendance. See Registration and Student Records in the University Catalog for more information.

Golden Identification Card Program - Eligible senior citizens may apply for the card which be used throughout the University System.  Gold Card holders may be entitled to attend events as determined by the institution.

Harmful interest - An interest which is found to be so influential as to imply partiality in the conduct of the research, the interpretation of the results of the research, and/or the determination of research or other professional and employment priorities.

Home Institution - The institution where the student is currently admitted and is enrolled as an undergraduate degree candidate.

Host Institution - The institution at which the student is registered to pursue courses through the inter-institutional registration program.

Inclusion - Refers to the creation of opportunities that allow any individual or group to be welcomed, respected, supported, and valued so they can fully participate in and contribute to a community’s success.

Inclusive Language - Avoiding generic masculine words or titles to refer to all persons and avoiding terms or expressions that reinforce demeaning attitudes or assumptions about persons or groups without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.

Institution - Each constituent institution of the System, University System of Maryland Administration, the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, the Center for Estuarine & Environmental Studies, and any other Unit of the System that the chancellor shall designate.

Intellectual property - The intangible value developed by human creativity that is protected by the legal mechanisms of patents, trademarks, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets, mask works, and plant variety protection certificates.  Rights derived from legislation include ownership and disposition, including commercialization.  Intellectual property encompasses inventions, discoveries, know-how, show-how, processes, unique materials, copyrightable works, original data, and other creative or artistic works that have value.  It also includes the physical embodiments of intellectual effort such as models, machines, devices, designs, apparatus, instrumentation, circuits, computer programs and visualizations, biological materials, chemicals, other compositions or matter, plants, and records of research.

Invention - Any discovery which is or may be patentable or which may be commercially licensable.

Liberal Leave - The President or designee may declare a policy of liberal leave in which case non-essential employees who fail to report to work, or who report late, or choose to leave early, because of dangerous traffic or highway conditions, hazardous weather, civil disorder or other circumstance not yet declared as an emergency, shall be excused.  Such excused absence must be charged to appropriate paid or unpaid leave.

License - A contract in which an intellectual property owner grants permission to exercise one or more of the rights that an owner holds.

Lying - Communicating untruths or withholding information as part of an investigation, or in order to gain an academic advantage.

Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) - Maryland’s higher education coordinating board responsible for establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and private colleges and universities and for-profit career schools. MHEC also administers state financial aid programs that affect students on a statewide basis.

Mask work - A series of related images representing a predetermined, three-dimensional pattern of metallic, insulating, or semiconducting layers of a semiconductor chip product.

Material Transfer Agreement - A contract covering transfer of physical possession and use of tangible research property into or out of the university.

Misappropriation of Course-Based Intellectual Property - The term “Course-Based Intellectual Property” shall include lectures delivered by instructors, as well as course materials instructors create and distribute. Course-Based Intellectual Property is protected by federal copyright law. Misappropriation of intellectual property is the act of intentionally taking the intellectual property of an instructor or the sale or distribution of class notes, tests, assignments or class projects for commercial purposes, either directly or through a third party, without the express consent or permission of the instructor.

Nepotism - A relationship in which one family member reports to another family member, or one family member otherwise participates directly in making personnel decisions regarding another family member.

Off-Campus Program - Any program delivered in any format to a site other than that of the main campus of the institution offering the program.

On-Campus Program - Any program offered in any format by a USM institution at its own main campus.

Open Site - A program site that is open to the general public, i.e. access to program offered at an open site is not restricted to members of any particular group or organization.

Patent (U.S. only) - The intangible property right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention in the United States or importing the invention into the United States. In order to obtain patent protection, an invention must be useful, novel and unobvious.

Plagiarism - Intentionally or unintentionally presenting thoughts or ideas from another source as one’s own or without appropriate attribution; intentionally or unintentionally disregarding proper scholarly procedures; and other acts generally recognized as plagiaristic.

Plant variety protection certificate - Registration under the Plant Variety Act of 1970 that protects sexually propagated cultivars that are distinctive, uniform and true breeding.

Program - A sequence of courses that leads to the awarding of an approved degree or certificate.

Relationship -  Any interest, service, employment, gift, or other benefit or relationship with an entity that would be prohibited by Title 15, Subtitle 5 of the State’s Public Ethics Law if not disclosed and approved pursuant to this policy and procedures adopted pursuant to it. “Relationship” includes any relationship of the spouse or other relative of an officer or employee if such a relationship creates restrictions on the officer or employee under the conflict of interest provisions of the Ethics Law.

Research or development - The basic or applied research or development, and includes the development or marketing of university-owned technology, the acquisition of services of an official or employee by an entity for research and development purposes, or participation in State economic development programs.

Removal for Cause - The president of the university may terminate the appointment of library faculty with permanent status for cause. Cause shall include moral turpitude, professional or scholarly misconduct, incompetence, and/or willful neglect of duty, provided that prior to the termination necessary steps are taken.

Restricted Status Students - Previously-admitted students who have been dismissed because of poor academic performance and who are no longer degree-seeking students.  These students are allowed to continue to attend the University under the direction of the associate vice president of Academic Affairs (AVPAA).  Students on restricted status are advised by the Director of the Academic Advising Center. 

Royalty - Payment made to an owner of intellectual property for the privilege of practicing a right held by the owner of the intellectual property under applicable law.

Shared Governance - Shared governance allows for meaningful input and deliberation of campus constituencies in institutional decision-making. SU’s Governance Consortium (previously known as the Salisbury University Forum) facilitates and coordinates communication among SU faculty, staff, and students for the purpose of ensuring timely information sharing and shared decision-making among the representative bodies when issues affect the broad campus community and collective interest.

Students in Good Academic Standing - Students whose SU cumulative GPAs are at least 2.0.  Students who are not in good academic standing are either on academic probation or on restricted status.

Students on Academic Probation Students who are not in good academic standing but who are still admitted and pursuing degrees.  Such students have academic (and other) limitations placed upon them.

Swing Courses - A course that is offered for both undergraduate and graduate credits.  The course will have the same title and description and will have both an undergraduate and a graduate number (preferably the same last two numbers, e.g., 468 and 568).  Students taking the course for graduate credit will be required to complete additional work and will produce higher quality work, which will exemplify the advanced characteristic of graduate work. Also may be refered to as a dual-listed courses.

Tangible research property - Includes the physical embodiments of intellectual effort such as models, machines, devices, designs, apparatus, instrumentation, circuits, computer programs and visualizations, biological materials, chemicals, other compositions of matter, plants, and records of research.  Tangible research property is distinct from intangible properties such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets, mask works, and plant variety protection certificates.  Individual items of tangible research property may be associated with one or more intangible properties.

Trade dress - Distinctive and unique packaging, color combinations, building designs, product styles, and overall presentations identifying the source, product, producer, or distributor of goods and services where the appearance distinguishes the product or business from other similar products or businesses but is not distinctive or specific enough to be considered a trademark.

Trademarks and service marks - Distinctive words or graphic symbols identifying the source, product, producer, or distributor of goods and services.

Tuition - The price students pay for their education, including those mandatory fees that do not fund auxiliary enterprises or other self-funded activities.

Undergraduate Non-Degree Students (UND) - Students who usually pursue one or two courses for personal or professional development and are not assigned an advisor.

University System of Maryland (USM) - Maryland’s public higher education system which includes 12 institutions, 3 regional higher education centers, and a system office work closely together to leverage their collective expertise and resources, share best practices, increase the system’s effectiveness and efficiency, and advance USM’s mission to improve the quality of life in Maryland.

 

 

Salisbury University Faculty Handbook ©