Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion of Adjunct Faculty Members
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About This Policy
- Effective Date:
- 03-12-2002
- Date of Last Review/Update:
- 03-21-2024
- Responsible University Office:
- Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
- Responsible University Administrator:
- Executive Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
- Policy Contact:
- Director, Operations and Faculty Systems
- Policy Feedback:
- If you have comments or questions about this policy, let us know with the policy feedback form.
- Print or view a PDF of this policy
- Many policies are quite lengthy. Please check the page count before deciding whether to print.
Scope
This policy applies to all Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) adjunct faculty. University policy ACA-14 Classification of Academic Appointments defines Adjunct Appointments as appropriate for teaching appointments of individuals, whether compensated or volunteer, whose career paths lie primarily in another position or employment. That is, the appointment is “adjunct” (“auxiliary”) to the career of the appointee, as well as to the faculty of the unit. Adjunct faculty in IUSM includes faculty who are not paid or are paid part-time for teaching (0.5 FTE or less).
Policy Statement
Criteria for Appointment and RanksThe adjunct designation is used to identify faculty members who participate in the school's missions on a voluntary or part-time paid basis. Using the Special Titles provision in ACA 12, General Provisions Regarding Academic Appointments, IUSM will use the term “Adjunct” in the faculty member’s published title.
Appointments as adjunct faculty require evidence of professional expertise, willingness, and ability to perform the proposed educational activity, as well as potential as a role model and colleague. These criteria may be met by specialty or subspecialty board certification, current state licensure, or the equivalent.
- Adjunct appointment at the rank of Clinical Lecturer: This rank will be applied to individuals who contribute to the teaching program directly or administratively but do not meet the criteria for any of the following ranks. The title will be conferred as Adjunct Clinical Lecturer.
- Adjunct appointment at the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor: An individual should have demonstrated through educational, service, scholarly activities, or local recognition that appointment or promotion to this rank is justified. A terminal degree in the field of expertise is required for this and all the following ranks. The title will be conferred as Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor.
- Adjunct appointment at the rank of Clinical Associate Professor: An individual shall have a minimum of five (5) years of exemplary service as adjunct clinical assistant professor at Indiana University School of Medicine or equivalent rank elsewhere or have demonstrated through additional activities and/or recognition that appointment or promotion to this rank is justified. The title will be conferred as Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor.
- Adjunct appointment as Clinical Professor: An individual shall have demonstrated excellence as a teacher and exceptional service to the University, served a minimum of five (5) years as adjunct clinical associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine or equivalent rank elsewhere, or have demonstrated through additional activities or national recognition that appointment or promotion to this rank is justified. The title will be conferred as Adjunct Clinical Professor.
- The principal criterion for adjunct appointments is teaching, chiefly of IUSM medical students, residents, fellows, and other IUSM learners.
- Adjunct appointments for contributions in research are restricted. Those restrictions are covered in a separate set of guidelines.
- Other contributions, such as administration, committee service, scholarship, etc., that support the IUSM missions are also considered and encouraged.
- Admission or referral of patients for medical care does not constitute a teaching commitment or count towards teaching time per se.
- Each department or regional campus should determine the minimum time spent in teaching activities.
The department chair or regional campus dean (in collaboration with the respective department chair) can initiate the appointment of an adjunct faculty member. See the Related Information section of this document for specific procedures.
Reappointment, Termination or Change in RankThe respective department chair or the regional campus dean (or designee) will review the adjunct faculty performance at least once every three years or more frequently if the department or campus policy outlines a more frequent evaluation. Lack of contributions (see II above) to the teaching mission of IUSM for three years may result in revocation of the faculty appointment. The School of Medicine reserves the right to conclude an adjunct faculty appointment anytime.
Nomination and Documentation for PromotionNominations for promotion ordinarily will come from the department chair or regional campus dean but may be initiated by the candidate or any other faculty member of the School of Medicine.
Candidates for promotion will submit a dossier to the department chair or regional campus dean following the procedures of the School of Medicine. The dossier should include, as a minimum, a curriculum vitae and a summary of the candidate’s IUSM teaching/academic contributions. The department chair or regional campus dean will solicit at least two letters of recommendation from full-time faculty members[1]. Two additional letters of recommendation are also required for promotion to full professor. The two additional letters can be from full- or part-time IUSM faculty, faculty external to the institution, IUSM adjunct faculty, or some combination thereof.
All dossiers will be forwarded to the School of Medicine with a letter of recommendation from the Department Chair, Regional Campus Dean (when applicable), and the department or regional campus Primary Committee. Promotion reviews for adjunct faculty members are conducted within the school and do not route to the IUPUI campus for review.
[1] Full-time faculty member is interpreted as an individual that has a full-time academic appointment at the School of Medicine or for faculty at one of the IUSM Regional Campuses, an individual that has a full-time academic appointment at the host higher institution (Purdue, Ball State, Notre Dame, University of Southern Indiana, etc). Letter writer must be at or above the rank the candidate is seeking; however, that can be waived for designated education leaders (e.g., Clerkship Director, Residency Director, Vice Chair for Education).
Support and Reward SystemsAdjunct faculty members should be provided with appropriate materials and sources of information to effectively carry out their roles and ensure efficient communication with others in IUSM. The school and departments should collaborate to support, recognize, and reward all adjunct faculty members. Adjunct faculty members are eligible for and encouraged to take advantage of the many offerings of IUSM. This includes, but is not limited to, opportunities for professional development to address teaching and other skills available through IUSM Faculty Affairs and Professional Development and other sources and department teaching activities such as grand rounds, faculty development workshops, and continuing medical education outreach. Adjunct faculty also have access to resources including, but not limited to, the medical school’s library, discounted or free computer software, can acquire CME at the discounted (often free) IU faculty rate. This includes earning CME credits through the “Learning through Teaching” program.
Rank upon Being Hired as Full- or Part-Time IUSM FacultyShould an adjunct faculty member be recruited as a full-time (0.75 FTE or above) faculty member by the IU School of Medicine, academic rank will be determined according to the standards for full-time employed faculty upon hiring.
Conflict of InterestPer Indiana University's policy on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment (UA-17), it is the policy of Indiana University that its academic appointees conduct the university's affairs following the highest legal, ethical, and moral standards. Academic appointees are expected to prevent conflicts of interest in their assigned duties for the university, disclose potential conflicts of interest, and adhere to any requirements created to manage or eliminate such conflicts.
In keeping with UA-17 and the accreditation requirements of the Liaison Commission on Medical Education (LCME), it is a conflict of interest for an academic appointee to supervise, grade, or otherwise serve in an evaluative capacity for a student or trainee with whom they have a familial or personal relationship.
Familial relationship is defined in UA-17 as “a relationship between two individuals by blood, adoption, marriage or domestic partnership to the following degrees: parent, child, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, first cousin, grandparent or grandchild, spouse, domestic partner, step-parent, step-child, step-brother, step-sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law or the equivalent for individuals in a domestic partnership.” Note: this list of relationships is not to be considered an exhaustive list; other close, personal relationships between two individuals could be considered on a case-by-case basis to be subject to this policy.
In further keeping with UA-17 and per the accreditation requirements of the LCME, it also is a conflict of interest for an academic appointee to supervise, grade, or otherwise serve in an evaluative capacity for a student or trainee for whom they currently or previously provided healthcare services.
Such conflicts of interest are prohibited and must be disclosed and managed according to the procedures outlined in the IU School of Medicine policy on Non-Involvement of Healthcare Providers in Student Supervision or Assessment (edu-cur-0002).
AccessAdjunct faculty are required to use an IU email address and computing account to access required and optional educational resources. Refer to Faculty Email Policy fap-adm-0001.
Reason for Policy
IUSM has a long-established and strong tradition of adjunct faculty participation in the school’s missions, especially in educational programs. The more than 3,000 adjunct faculty members constitute a major component of the IUSM faculty, emphasizing the important role played by these individuals. These faculty members are critical to the missions of IUSM, and their contributions are anticipated to increase in scope and variety. Given these facts, efforts must be made to recruit, support, evaluate, and reward these faculty members.
Procedures
Adjunct and Affiliate Faculty Appointment Process
HR, education, or support staff in the department or regional campus provide prospective faculty members the link to complete the online Affiliate and Adjunct Faculty Appointment Application form. The appropriate department chair (or designee) reviews the application for approval. Once approved, the designated department or regional campus staff will submit the necessary eDocs and paperwork to finalize the appointment. Adjunct faculty will receive a welcome letter from the dean as final confirmation of the appointment.
History
- Task Force on the Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Recognition of Volunteer Faculty 2/02; ratified by IUSM Executive Committee 3/11/02; voted to accept by Faculty Steering Committee 3/12/02.
- Revisions approved by Faculty Steering Committee 9/17/15 and IUSM Executive Committee 10/5/15.
- Revisions approved by Faculty Steering Committee 11/15/2018 and IUSM Executive Committee 1/7/2019.
- Changes from volunteer to adjunct completed 12/2021 to be consistent with the retirement of the volunteer title changes made in 2020. No approval necessary for this update.
- Policy updated on 20 April 2023 to reflect change in University Office title and to update an outdated link.
- Policy updated on 21 March 2024 to add section on conflict of interest and access.