The following change effective January 2022 does not apply to the School of Medicine. The School of Medicine continues to handle its own non-tenure-track hires.

Overall goals:

• Oversight of language in visiting offer
  
  • Offers to be reviewed in the Office of Academic Affairs (acadhr@iupui.edu)
• A more equitable and inclusive approach for visiting employment, since this is an important part of faculty recruitment and retention; “visiting” is a common pathway to a career in academia (outside of School of Medicine, there were 41 visiting lecturers, 9 clinical, and 10 tenure-track visiting in 2020). 
  
  • Some positions to require a search.
• More consistent planning for search and staffing
  
  • Distinguishing between emergency fill-ins, emergency hires while a search is planned, non-tenure-track/non-permanent but non-visiting positions. 
• Avoiding personal and legal problems when people misinterpret their visiting positions. 

Starting with hires effective January 2, 2022:

• All offer letters must be approved by the Office of Academic Affairs before hire.
• Units may hire in visiting positions without a search but only for a brief period and also with plans for a regular search. This is best for positions where the need is stable but the position needs someone right away; an immediate no-search visiting hire gives time for a regular search for a non-visiting/permanent person.
• All other visiting positions must involve a search. This is best for positions where the ongoing need is uncertain. Search waivers may still be requested. 
• If the need is uncertain but may last 2-3 years or more, units should hire clinical or lecturer faculty on one-year regular appointments. 

Without a Search, Visiting Hire:

• Units may identify and select individuals of their choice without any requirement for a search. 
• An offer packet must be sent to the Office of Academic Affairs at ude[dot]iupui[at]rhdaca for approval by EVC Johnson:
  • Description of duties, including rank/status/qualifications.
  • Candidate CV
  • Draft offer letter. The draft offer letter must be for no more than one or one and half academic years (depending on when it starts), with no reappointment. It may indicate that the person is welcome to apply for a permanent position in a regular search. 
  • A faculty vacancy search timeline or an explanation that the position will go away (e.g. filling in for someone on leave). 

With a Search, Visiting Hire:

• Units will use the faculty vacancy process, indicating it is a visiting position. Use the vacancy approval form, search committee, PeopleAdmin posting, e-docs (vacancy, interview, and offer), and discipline-appropriate advertising. 
• The offer packet sent via eDoc Lite will contain:
  • Position description as advertised
  • Candidate CV
  • Draft offer letter. The term may be 1 or 2 years, or, 1 year with possible reappointment for a second year. If the candidate is qualified for a “visiting assistant professor” position, it may be useful to note whether work completed during the appointment will count as “in rank” should the person apply for and obtain an IUPUI tenure-track appointment. 
  • If there is an unexpected problem, EVC Johnson may approve a third and final year.

Scenarios (clinical and lecturer faculty, even visiting, cannot be assigned research responsibilities):

• Undergraduate Biology Program, resignation of a full-time lecturer in June. 
  • Response: 
    • Hire someone as visiting without search
    • Begin a search for a replacement lecturer. Visiting appointee may apply. 
• Psychology Department, faculty to be on sabbatical in the fall. 
  • Response: 
    • Adjuncts if possible.
    • Hire someone as visiting without search, for fall semester only.
• Unsure Size Department (department is likely to persist, but you don’t know if you will need as many faculty going forward):
  
  • Response:
    • Hire visiting with search; maximum of 2 years. In May of 1st year, consider whether to extend it for a second year. If there is likely to be an ongoing need, begin a permanent-position search.
    • OR
    • Hire permanent lecturer position on a one year renewable appointment.
      • In January, determine if you want the person the next year.
      • In October, determine if you want the person in the following (3rd year).
      • In April of every subsequent year, determine if the next year will be their last, or, if they should be extended. 
• New Research Area Department:
  
  • Response:
    • Hire a visiting assistant professor with search for 1 year with ability to renew for a second. 
    • During second year, if the research area is promising, launch regular tenure-probationary position search. 

If you encounter situations where the policy requires a search but you have an exceptional candidate, you may ask IUPUI Office of Equal Opportunity for a search waiver.

Offering a 1-year initial term allows you to make decisions about retention:

• In January of the first year, to keep them a second year.
• In October of their second year, to keep them a third year.
• In April of each subsequent year, to keep them the fourth year and beyond.

Offering 1 vs. 3 year initial terms is up to the school/unit/dean. It may affect the attractiveness of the position to candidates. About half of IUPUI units use 3 years, about half use 1 year.

IU Policy

• Visiting appointees have no rights in faculty governance; visiting faculty may not be program directors or design new courses or programs without a regular-faculty partner.
• Visiting appointees are not eligible for paid family formation or family support leave; if they meet FMLA minimums, they are eligible for unpaid leave. 

IU Policy ACA-14 (Classification of Academic Appointments):

Visiting Appointments. The qualification “Visiting” indicates a temporary appointment that may continue for no more than two years, except in special circumstances approved by the campus’s Academic Officer. Visiting appointees shall have the qualifications appropriate to the appointment classification indicated.

Explanation and comment on Visiting Appointments:Visiting appointments are appropriate where there is a temporary need, for example, to fill the place of an appointee on leave, where there is an increased need for academic personnel in circumstances where there is uncertainty the need will continue, or where a position has become available or open with insufficient lead time to conduct an appropriate search. The university is not obligated to count service as a Visiting appointee as credit toward tenure or long-term contract status if the appointment is later changed to a regular appointment, but exceptions may be made in accordance with the procedures used by the university in making regular academic appointments.

Reviewed: 11/16/2021