Adjunct Appointments

Individuals with unique skills and special abilities can enhance teaching, research, and extension programs in the college. Such individuals can receive adjunct “courtesy” appointments to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

General

Board of Regents and institutional policies provide that regularly appointed faculty in the University may hold adjunct appointments across departments, schools, and colleges. Similarly, eligible allied staff employed by state and federal agencies may be awarded adjunct appointments to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Adjunct or other honorific appointments in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences must be distinguished from regular joint appointments within or across disciplines.

Adjunct appointments (which are subject to Regents approval) are considered purely courtesy appointments. Persons holding adjunct appointments are not considered members of the faculty, although they may be entitled to selected faculty privileges as determined by the department head. Adjunct faculty are not paid for duties although they may be University or college employees. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for tenure.

Duties and Responsibilities

Commensurate with their training and experience, adjunct faculty appointed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences may participate in the normal instructional, research, and extension responsibilities of a regular faculty appointee. They may teach undergraduates, direct graduate students (if members of the graduate faculty) in the conduct of their research for thesis and dissertations, or participate in technology transfer, or outreach/service activities.

Adjunct faculty may not vote or otherwise participate in departmental faculty governance.

Appointment, Rank, and Titles

The procedure for appointment of adjunct faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences shall be the same as for appointment of regular faculty. All such appointments shall originate in an academic department. However, rank and titles of adjunct faculty may differ depending upon whether the applicant is a regular employee of the University or a member of an allied agency. As used herein, the term “allied agency” includes state, industry, and other organizations whose employees seek a professional affiliation with academic units in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Since an adjunct appointment is a courtesy appointment, it may be revoked by a faculty vote at any time.

• Regular Faculty Appointee — In specialized cases, departmental faculty may approve adjunct appointments at the ranks of lecturer and/or instructor.
• Allied Faculty Appointment — Commensurate with experience and training, an eligible employee of an allied agency may be awarded regular academic rank or an approved special title if circumstances dictate. In either case, the recommendation to offer adjunct rank or title to an allied faculty must be made by the academic department head subject to the approval of the granting faculty.

Promotion

Adjunct faculty with professorial rank are eligible for promotion. The responsibility for ensuring that such faculty meet the standard promotion criteria applicable for the intended rank resides with the department in which the faculty is home-based.

Process

The initial step in an adjunct appointment is the submission of a vita for evaluation by the appropriate faculty. The cover letter transmitting the vita must bear evidence that the applicant has coordinated with his/her department or supervisor at the time of requesting appointment consideration. When transmitting adjunct appointment papers to the dean and director for approval, the submitting department head will ensure that a copy of the document is sent to the department head or supervisor of the potential adjunct employee.

Privileges

Adjunct faculty are eligible for such regular faculty privileges as use of the library, parking permits, athletic tickets at reduced employee rates, and other discounts available to holders of faculty ID cards. Such faculty are not eligible to participate in the University Retirement System, the group life or health insurance programs nor waiver of non-resident tuition.

Review of Adjunct Appointments

Each unit is encouraged to review adjunct appointments for consistency with this policy statement. Changes in adjunct titles or rank aimed to comport with this policy must be made initially at the departmental level with full faculty governance. All adjunct appointments will be reviewed using same criteria as for appointment every five years. Department heads may request a change for a current adjunct appointee as outlined in this policy. A ranks and titles for use in the college appear below for your consideration.

Initiation of Adjunct Appointments

A request for review of adjunct status can be initiated by any member of the faculty in which an adjunct is appointed. At the request of any member of the faculty, the department head will call for a review of the request followed by appropriate actions that are inherit in the adjunct process.