Faculty Appointments

Introduction

UNM employees with academic appointments are members of the UNM Faculty. All UNM faculty have employment contracts. These are defined by the terms of an initial Offer Letter, subject to written amendment as agreed upon by the parties, and governed by FHB policies concerning faculty workload, performance reviews, promotions, and other changes in rank or status that may affect workload expectations and compensation increases. The academic appointments recognized by UNM are described in FHB Sec. B2 and B3. The rights and responsibilities accompanying the various appointment types are defined in the FHB; separate written job descriptions generated in conjunction with an initial job posting provide additional employment terms. See the Faculty Appointments Chart for a summary of all available appointment types. 

Academic appointments have one of four types of statuses as described in FHB Sec. B3.1.

1. Probationary (tenure-track) (associated with professorial appointments only)
2. Tenured (associated with professorial appointments only)
3. Continuing Non-Tenure Track
4. Temporary (i.e., Non-Continuing)

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Continuing ("Regular") Faculty Appointments

Continuing appointments are presumed to automatically renew at the end of each stated term (FHB 3.1), unless steps are taken to terminate them as provided by policy (FHB Sec. B4 through B6). The following appointment types are said to be continuing:

1. Probationary (tenure-track)
2. Tenured
3. Continuing Non-Tenure Track

Lecturers

Title			Minimum Credentials
Lecturer I	Senior Lecturer I	Principal Lecturer I	Baccalaureate Degree in field
Lecturer II	Senior Lecturer II	Principal Lecturer II	Masters Degree in field
Lecturer III	Senior Lecturer III	Principal Lecturer III	Terminal Degree in field

2. UNM-National
3. Professor of Practice
4. [HSC also has Clinician Educators]

Continuing, i.e., “regular faculty,” appointments are made for the academic year (August through May with the exact term defined by the Registrar’s Academic Year calendar); this defines the term of an academic contract by default unless some other term is described. Faculty with year-round executive or administrative roles may receive fiscal year (July through June) contracts.

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Non-continuing Faculty Appointments

All other faculty appointments are said to be non-continuing, i.e, temporary, and are presumed to expire at the end of their stated term, unless steps are taken to renew them. In some cases, such as research faculty appointments, shorter contract extensions may be requested in lieu of full renewal, depending upon funding availability. Some non-continuing appointments such as Visitorships are not renewable after certain periods of time (currently 3 years maximum). Non-Continuing appointment contracts can range in length from one semester (e.g., Adjuncts), one academic year (e.g., Term Teachers), or one calendar or fiscal year (e.g., Research faculty).  The following appointment types are said to be non-continuing:

1. Research
2. Visiting Research Scholar
3. Visiting Research Professor
4. Postdoctoral Fellows

Criteria for Exempt Research Faculty Appointments on Main Campus

The following appointments typically are supported by extramural funding (grants). A renewable contract will automatically cease at the end of its stated term unless hiring officer exercises discretion to request a renewal, i.e., there is no presumption of renewal. A non-renewable contract will automatically cease at the end of its stated term and there is no option of renewal.

FHB Section	Title	Ranks Possible	Appt. Status FHB B3.1	Contract Renewable FHB B3.1	Typical Appt. Length	Contract Term Limits if Any	FTE	Min. Annualized Base Salary	Min. Weekly Wage	Primary Duties
B2.3.8	Research Lecturer	Lecturer I, II, III	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	Yes	9 Mos. (12 mos. possible)	N/A	Can Vary	$34,830-43,000 depending on credentials	Varies based on FTE	Teaching or administrative functions directly related to teaching
B2.3.8	Research Professor	Asst., Assoc. or full Prof.	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	Yes	6-12 Mos.	N/A	Can Vary	$47,476	$913	Research
B2.3.8	Visiting Research Scholar	N/A	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	No	6-12 Mos.	Max. of 3 Years	Can Vary	$47,476	$913	Research (use for laboratory research exchange programs)
B2.3.7	Visiting Research Professor	Assistant, Associate, Full	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	No	6-12 Mos.	Max. of 3 Years	Can Vary	$47,476	$913	Research
B2.3.12	Instructional Post-Doctoral Fellow	N/A	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	No	6-12 Mos.	Max. of 5 Years	1.0	$43,000	$827	Teaching or administrative functions directly related to teaching
B2.3.12	Research Post-Doctoral Fellow	N/A	Temporary (Non-Continuing)	No	6-12 Mos.	Max. of 5 Years	1.0	$47,476	$913	Research

_{Ranks. Minimum requirements are based on the following credentials: Lecturer I = Baccalaureate; Lecturer II = Masters; all other ranks require a terminal degree}

_{Minimum Wage. Contract term (annualized base salary x FTE percentage / 39 or 52 weeks) cannot be less than the posted minimum weekly wage:}

_{Job Description. A description of primary duties must be provided to show eligibility for exempt status under FLSA.}

_{Alternatives. Appointments will not be processed unless the above criteria are met. If the above criteria are not met, please work with your HR consultant to identify appropriate staff classifications such as Research Scientist positions (regular, term, on-call).}

_{Processing. New hires are processed through UNMJobs. Contract extensions, when possible, are made with this form:}

_{http://oap.unm.edu/faculty/compensation/documents/extension-request.pdf}

9.14.16

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Secondary Appointments

Guidelines for Secondary Faculty Appointments on Main and Branch Campuses

Academic Affairs encourages faculty in Main and Branch campus academic units to collaborate with faculty members from other UNM academic units and disciplines. Formally recognizing faculty who have an affiliation with other academic units through the use of secondary appointments can support and encourage such collaboration.

The FHB authorizes these appointments in B2.3.13, calling them ‘Associates’ although common usage has varied. The HSC calls these ‘Secondary Appointments;’ other some other units have used the expression ‘Affiliated Faculty.’

FHB B2.3.13 Associate

“Individuals affiliated with an academic department, but with their primary appointment in another department, are given the title of associate.”

Use of the expression ‘Secondary Appointments’ is encouraged for the sake of consistency with HSC practices.

Criteria

Most faculty titles and ranks listed in Section B.2. are eligible to bestow on faculty as secondary appointments. Appropriate use of such a title would be, e.g., Assistant Professor of Biology (Secondary Appointment), Research Assistant Professor (Secondary Appointment), etc.

Titles of particular distinction may not be given to someone via a secondary appointment, e.g., Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, National Laboratories Professor. Ad hoc titles (titles not recognized in Section B.2.) may not be used.

Selection of an appropriate title and rank to be bestowed by a secondary appointment should be consistent with the underlying criteria for holding the title and rank in general, e.g., written evidence of degrees and qualifications (C.V.), and consideration of the academic role to be fulfilled by the secondary appointment holder.

Academic units seeking to grant secondary appointments should develop internal selection criteria and policies for defining the responsibilities, rights and privileges they will grant secondary appointees.

Secondary appointments do not establish an employment relationship, and secondary appointments should not involve compensation (FTE sharing). If compensation of a faculty member’s base contract compensation (FTE) is to be shared, a Joint Appointment should be created (FHB B2.3.2).

Secondary appointments may be granted in renewable terms of up to three years. Secondary appointments are non-continuing, meaning there is no expectation of renewal. If the sponsoring academic unit does not actively seek renewal, secondary appointments will automatically expire at the end of their stated term.

All secondary appointments must be approved by the relevant dean or director of the faculty member’s primary appointment home as well as the unit sponsoring the secondary appointment. Since compensation changes are not involved, no forms are required beyond issuance of an Offer of Secondary appointment (See Secondary Appointment Offer Letter Template).

Faculty Affairs tracks secondary appointments in Banner. Academic units are able to obtain Banner reports to track secondary appointments associated with their departments and centers. Secondary appointments are listed in the official UNM Directory.

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