- At the outset, a clear decision should be made regarding which department bears the primary responsibility for an individual faculty member’s salary, benefits, space, career advancement, and promotions. That department is considered the primary appointing department, and the other department is the secondary department. At the time of initiation of a search for a joint appointee, whether or not at professorial rank, the distribution of support should be negotiated between the two departments, along with a mutual commitment to career development.
- Secondary appointments are renewable appointments available for five (5) year terms for Professors and Associate Professors and three (3) year terms for Assistant Professors.
- Secondary appointments at the Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor level are evaluated sequentially. First, a faculty member is evaluated for promotion in the primary department based on the established metrics for Area of Excellence and rank. Once that appointment is approved, the evaluation for an appointment in a secondary department may proceed. The secondary appointment evaluation focuses on the candidate’s contributions to the secondary department and the rationale for the need for the secondary appointment.
- Ordinarily, secondary appointments between departments for part-time ladder faculty, annual appointees (e.g., Instructors, Lecturers, Associate appointments) or trainees are not permitted.
- It is possible, in rare cases, for faculty to hold different ranks in different departments based on different levels of accomplishment in each field, but the rank in the secondary department cannot be higher than the rank in the primary department. Additionally, a faculty member may not hold a non-ladder appointment in a primary department and a ladder appointment in a secondary department simultaneously. Promotion may not proceed solely in the secondary department.
- For faculty with primary and secondary appointments at the same rank, the primary and secondary appointments can be switched if requested by both departments.
Last updated June 2023