Courtesy Faculty Appointments
OFFICIAL DIVISIONAL POLICY
Policy regarding Courtesy Faculty Appointments
Contents
3.0 Reservation of Appointment Authority
4.0 Policy Manager and Responsible Party or Office
5.0 Departments/Offices Affected by this Policy
6.0 Procedures Related to this Policy
7.0 Related Policies, Documents or Forms
1.0 Policy Statement
1.1 The major purpose of making courtesy faculty appointments is to stimulate interaction between the appointee and the students and faculty of the College of Charleston. This interaction could take the form of teaching, advising, research, and/or service. Courtesy faculty appointments are reserved for individuals of accomplishment and ability, whose professional achievements are consistent with and will contribute to the outstanding reputation of the institution.
1.2 Courtesy faculty appointments may be offered to persons who visit the College of Charleston (hereafter, “College”) from other institutions; who work outside the College and contribute without compensation to the College or to a specific Department, School, Program, or Academic Center of the College; or who otherwise contribute without compensation to the College or to a specific Department, School, Program, or Academic Center of the College. Courtesy faculty appointments may be disciplinary or interdisciplinary. The individual is given the title of Faculty Affiliate, unless some other title is approved by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (e.g., Research Scientist, Distinguished Fellow, Executive in Residence, Scholar in Residence, Courtesy Associate Professor of French).
1.3 Courtesy faculty appointments are normally made for three years and should typically be aligned with the academic calendar. However, courtesy appointments of any length may be made at the sole discretion of the President or of the Provost, subject to the review and determination of the President. The title “Distinguished Fellow” is ordinarily reserved for those given an open-ended or lifetime courtesy faculty appointment.
1.4 Persons with courtesy faculty appointments receive neither salaries nor benefits from the College for the completion of any tasks associated with their courtesy appointments. However, persons with courtesy faculty appointments may have faculty or other appointments at the College, separate from the courtesy appointment, where compensation is received for work performed in those other appointments.
1.5 This Divisional Policy does not create any contractual rights or entitlements.
2.0 Procedure
2.1 Making a Courtesy Faculty Appointment A Department, School, Program, or Academic Center requesting a courtesy faculty appointment shall:
- Ask a prospective appointee to submit a current curriculum vitae or resume and, ordinarily, a letter of interest indicating how she or he would contribute to the Department, Program, School, or Academic Center. In addition to the submitted materials, the relevant Dean(s) and/or the Provost may request the submission of other materials concerning the background, qualifications, or interests of the individual requesting the courtesy appointment.
- Forward the relevant recommendation(s) for the courtesy appointment, delineating the terms of the appointment, to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (hereafter, “Provost”), with a copy to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs (or other Provost’s designee).
- If approved, the Provost will send a letter of the appointment to the individual, with copies provided to the appropriate Dean(s), the Department Chair or Program Director, the Vice President of Human Resources, and other relevant administrators. No provision of this Procedure shall restrict the ability of the President or of the Provost, subject to the review and determination of the President, to make a courtesy faculty appointment to any academic unit of the College. All courtesy appointments are subject to completion of employee background checks, consistent with College Policy 9.2.1. Courtesy faculty are subject to various College and Divisional Policies of the College of Charleston.
2.2 Resources Available to Courtesy Faculty
With the approval of the Provost, which may be revised or revoked at any time, individuals given courtesy faculty appointments may, for the duration of the appointment:
- Be issued a College identification card
- Be given library privileges
- Be provided with a College email account
- Have the courtesy faculty appointment recognized at appropriate College websites and in other published materials
- Be given the opportunity to purchase a parking permit for a designated College parking lot or parking garage, consistent with other applicable policies or procedures of the College Individuals receiving a courtesy appointment and requesting College identification cards, library privileges, or email accounts must complete a Personal Data Sheet and such other forms and documents as are required for the provision of services by the relevant College office.
2.3 Courtesy Faculty Serving as Instructors of Record
Individuals with courtesy faculty appointments who wish to serve as Instructors of Record, including those wishing to supervise theses or independent projects, must also receive Instructor-of-Record appointments via the Adjunct Appointment and Teaching Effort Process and be credentialed by their Department, Program, or School, consistent with the provisions of the Divisional Policy on Instructors of Record and Faculty Credentials. These faculty must submit official graduate transcript(s) and any other required credentials documentation, as required by institutional and divisional policies.
2.4 Termination of Courtesy Appointments
Individuals who wish to resign courtesy appointments should submit an appropriate resignation letter to the Provost and the relevant Dean(s). The President or Provost may terminate a courtesy appointment at any time without notice or reason.
3.0 Reservation of Appointment Authority
No provision of this Divisional Policy shall interfere with or limit the appointment authority of the President, or such authority as may be delegated by the President to the Provost.
4.0 Policy Manager and Responsible Department or Office
Provost (or Provost’s Designee), Office of the Provost
5.0 Departments/Offices Affected by this Policy
Office of the Provost
All Deans, Departments, Programs, and Academic Centers
6.0 Procedures Related to this Policy
None.
7.0 Related Policies, Documents or Forms
Faculty/Administration Manual
College Policy 7.8.1, “Policy on Creation, Reorganization, and Elimination of Academic Units”
College Policy 9.2.1, “Background Checks Policy”
Divisional Policy on Instructors of Record and Faculty Credentials
8.0 Review Schedule
Approved: April 2005
Revised: July 2016
Revised: September 2016
Revised: February 2017
Revised: August 2017
Revised: January 2018
Revised: April 2018
Next Review Date: October 1, 2023