Full-time faculty members are expected to be active in their respective fields of scholarly and/or artistic endeavor. Please refer to Article XII in the Faculty Bylaws; this article is based on the Criteria for Reappointment and Promotion of Faculty adopted by the Purchase College faculty on April 6, 2005. Its preamble states:

An outstanding faculty of scholars and artists is the very foundation of an academic community, defining its distinction and enduring character. Such distinction is achieved through excellence in teaching, in artistry and scholarship, and in participation in a vital and stimulating campus community. To assure such excellence, the faculty has developed standards and criteria to be used in evaluating merit for the purposes of reappointment and promotion.