Information about Visiting Faculty Positions
At IU Indianapolis, full-time academic appointees may hold a “visiting” position.
- The “visiting” status may modify any instructional category, e.g. “visiting assistant professor” or “visiting clinical associate professor” or “visiting lecturer”.
- Visiting appointees should have the title that corresponds to their academic qualifications.
- An appointment as a visiting faculty member does not confer any entitlement to any other position, nor to special consideration for any opening. If a non-visiting position becomes open, it must have a regular search or obtain a search waiver from the Office of Institutional Equity.
“Visiting” is not the same as “acting” or “interim”.
- The title “acting assistant professor” may be used by someone hired in a tenure-track position who starts before the completion of their terminal degree; the title changes to “assistant professor” on receipt of the degree confirmation.
- “Interim” is used only for administrative positions such as dean, chair or director.
Hiring Decisions
Some visiting positions need a search; all visiting positions need their offer letters approved by Faculty Affairs (see visiting faculty coversheet). Send offer packet to ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca for approval if you are not using PeopleAdmin.
See visiting hiring options for more details; in brief, a visiting appointment will only be allowed if there is a definite and limited time frame for a specific temporary need, or a search is planned. In the latter case, the visiting appointment allows the unit time to do a good search.
Time Limits
- A visiting appointment is generally for one year, but a semester is also possible.
- A second year may be approved by the unit.
- In extraordinary circumstances, an extension into a third year may be authorized, upon request to Office of Academic Affairs at ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca. Some examples include sudden resignations or fiscal emergency within the unit.
- People may not move from one visiting appointment to another in order to avoid length of time restrictions. Someone in one visiting position may be hired in another visiting position only if there has been an open search for that position and it represents a distinctly different set of duties.
- If a person in a visiting position is hired (after a search) in a non-visiting position, their unit should determine at the time of hiring whether the visiting time will count as time-in-rank; normally it does not.
Benefits
- Visiting faculty in 10-month positions have the same campus breaks as other 10-month faculty. They are entitled to 3 weeks informal sick leave, and 6 weeks (fully paid) plus 9 weeks half pay for serious medical leave for their own medical needs, per calendar year, when appropriately documented. Pregnant visiting faculty are eligible for medical leave for childbirth.
- Visiting faculty in 12-month positions are eligible for 22 days of vacation per calendar year, pro-rated by the portion of the year they are appointed for. Vacation days cannot be carried over from one year to the next, and cannot be paid in cash.
- Visiting faculty are not eligible for any paid family support leave or parental leave. They are eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid family support or parental leave. The original end date for the visiting appointment remains, and is not extended by any leave.
- IU has a 3-year vesting period for IU retirement contributions. Total full-time service years count, so someone in a visiting position for 1 year and then in a regular position for 2 years would vest at that time.
Governance
- Visiting faculty members do not have voting status in the IU Indianapolis Faculty Council or the University Faculty Council. Schools and departments may choose to grant them voting rights if this meets school or department needs.
- Visiting faculty members have the right to pursue grievances in their schools and at the campus level.
- In general, visiting faculty are not invited to “new faculty” events, but they are welcome to attend general promotion and tenure workshops and other forms of professional development.
Restrictions/Obligations
- Visiting faculty have the same expectations as all full-time faculty with regard to conflicts of interest and commitment.
- While in a full time IU position, visiting faculty may not teach, do research or other activities for another university or organization, which are part of their IU responsibilities.
For questions, contact Faculty Affairs at ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca.
Reviewed and revised: 7/2023.