The appointment of a faculty member to a department, in addition to that faculty member’s primary appointment, is a secondary appointment. Secondary appointments play important roles in the development and achievement of interdepartmental and interschool goals. A faculty member shall be eligible for a secondary appointment in another department or school when a benefit to the department and institution can be clearly demonstrated. The proposal for a secondary appointment must indicate that there is a genuine and meaningful commitment of the faculty member to relevant programs and activities of the department offering the secondary appointment.
The secondary department should give the same scrutiny and apply the same standards for secondary appointments as it would for making a primary appointment. The rank of the appointment in the secondary department must be at an equivalent or lesser rank as the faculty member’s appointment in his or her primary department. When the primary department proposes a faculty member for appointment or promotion, the department in which the secondary appointment resides should review the candidate’s qualifications and notify the primary department of its decision to appoint or promote, not to appoint or promote, or to terminate an existing joint appointment.
In general, qualified candidates are eligible for only one secondary appointment. However, exceptions can be requested. In cases where more than one secondary appointment is recommended, documentation of the reasons for more than one secondary appointment must be provided.
The term of a secondary appointment can be for one, two, or three years but cannot exceed the end date of the faculty member’s appointment in the primary department.
Tenure may be held only in the department of the primary appointment.
Approved by the Executive Committee 10/12/10