3.1 Description of Titles

3.2 Description of Title Modifiers

3.3 Appointment Process

3.4 RTE Reappointments

3.5 Leaves

3.6 RTE Cap Modification Procedure

3.1 Description of Titles

Academic titles are assigned according to the mix of primary responsibilities at the forefront of the university’s core efforts in research, teaching, and extension or outreach (including library). The use of a title may require that an approved position be available.

Academic Titles are primary titles and all appointments thereto are approved by action of the dean, the provost, or the Board of Trustees. Administrative titles, such as dean and provost, are not included and do not by themselves confer academic status. Additional titles are used in the Medical College.

See Approved Academic Titles for full descriptions of titles used at Cornell University. Faculty and Academic Staff policies are available on the HR Policies page; these include appointment terms, leaves and other policies and procedures.

The Dean of Faculty’s Office maintains the list of Professorial Title Legislation that enables the use of the Clinical Professor, Professor of the Practice, and Research Professor titles at the college level, as well as the list of academic titles with University Voting Rights.

Excepting postdoctoral associates and fellows, any individual who holds one of the approved academic titles, possibly modified by “adjunct”, “visiting”, “acting”, “courtesy”, or “emeritus/a,” shall be regarded throughout the Faculty Handbook as an “academic titleholder.”

3.2 Description of Title Modifiers

Title modifier descriptions are available in the appendix of Approved Academic Titles.

3.3 Appointment Process

The academic personnel and appointment policies that have been standardized and placed into the official university policy format are posted online at the University Policy Office, and are available in the Human Resources Volume of its library (Volume 6). The URL of currently standardized university policies is: http://www.dfa.cornell.edu/treasurer/policyoffice/. Those that have not yet been standardized and placed into the official university policy format are listed at this site also. The policies are periodically updated and should be consulted for more complete information than this handbook contains on matters related to academic appointments. Additional assistance may be obtained from the academic department’s administrative office, the college office, the Office of Academic Human Resources, or the Office of the University Faculty.

A commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity constitutes one of the highest priorities of the faculty, the administration and the trustees of the university. The university has an office, designated by the provost, with responsibility for diversity. The university’s Office of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion, in the Office of Human Resources, works with this office. Academic and nonacademic units have appointed an affirmative action representative. This administrative structure assists the university in implementing affirmative action policies and procedures.

Except in rare special circumstances, or when an appointment is temporary—expected to terminate in one year or less—vacant academic positions must be filled by conducting a formal search. Authority to initiate a search comes from a dean, or in the case of centers, from an executive officer. Before a search is begun, an affirmative action search plan must be submitted to the dean or executive officer for approval and also to the office designated by the provost for assuring compliance for equal employment opportunity laws. This office assists the dean’s office and the search committee with affirmative action aspects of the search. When the search has been completed, an appointment confirmation and search summary (ACSS) form must be prepared and submitted to the dean, along with a copy of the search plan, the Employment Eligibility Verification form (I-9), tax forms, the appointment letter, an HR Online transaction, and in some cases, a patent agreement may be required.

Authority to Make Appointments

Academic appointments normally originate in departments, and are processed through the Records Administration Office in Human Resources. Actions involving academics with joint appointments may require approval by the other college. Faculty members do not have authority to make academic appointments, even if the supporting funds come from research grants supervised by the faculty members. No appointment is firm until it is approved at the designated level of final authority for the particular title, status, and length of term that apply to it. Extensive details regarding this authority are published in the policy about academic titles and appointments on the University Policy Library website, and answers to particular questions can be obtained from department administrative offices and deans’ offices.

Appointments or promotions involving award of indefinite tenure require the approval of the Board of Trustees and are acted on at meetings of the board. Professorial term appointments of five years or less (four years or less in the case of assistant professors) can be approved by the dean, without Trustee action, if the appointment does not exceed permissible limits governing time and title.

Letters of Appointment

Letters of appointment at the rank of assistant professor, non-professorial titles, and for term appointments of associate professors and professors, may be transmitted to the appointee with prior approval from the dean’s office. Appointments conferring tenure require the approval of the Board of Trustees, and the official notification letter comes from the president.

In the interests of both the appointee and the university, the information conveyed (as prescribed in the policy on academic titles and appointments) in offering an academic appointment regardless of level should include:

• The formal appointment title (see Trustee-approved list in the next section), plus appropriate working title or field designator.
• The starting date and the termination date of appointment.
• The period of responsibility each year, for example whether nine months or twelve.
• The salary. If the salary for less than a full year is paid over a full year, the letter should mention the practice of prepayment and postpayment.
• Whether the appointment is terminal or renewable, and whether it is on the tenure track. [If an appointment is renewable, a decision on reappointment will be made toward the end of the stated term, and there is a commitment to give notice.]
• A general statement of the responsibilities of the position. [For initial appointments on the tenure track this is most important, since it is on fulfillment of these responsibilities that a candidate will be judged when a review is conducted for reappointment or promotion to tenure. Professorial duties normally include teaching, advising, research and other scholarly work, public service, and contributing to the department, the college, and the university. Not all faculty members are assigned all of these responsibilities. The emphasis given to each responsibility varies among the colleges and departments of the university, and even among the various positions within the department. The responsibilities may be readjusted after the initial appointment, in response to changing department needs or interests of the faculty member; these changes are customarily made by joint agreement between the faculty member and the department chairperson or representative of the dean. In any case, the general expectations should be on record, and should include the normal teaching load and any expectations regarding the initial course assignments.]
• Any special arrangements or agreements regarding such concerns as the length of the probationary tenure period, timing of sabbatical leave (for tenured professors), or provision of moving allowances.

Academic Appointments in the ROTC Program

According to the University Bylaws, “the commanding officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC units shall be department heads with the ex officio rank of professor in the Department of Military Science and Tactics, the Department of Naval Science and the Department of Air Science, respectively; and other members of the instructional staff in these departments shall have the academic rank below that of professor to which they may be appointed by the president upon the recommendation of their department heads. Non-teaching instructional staff in those departments shall be accorded the same University privileges as Cornell staff. Unless sooner terminated by the university, all appointments in these departments terminate upon relief from military duty at the university.” Those with rank of professor also have voting status in the University Faculty. Relations between Cornell University and the ROTC program are monitored by the University-ROTC Relationships Committee. The officers nominated by the military services to give ROTC instruction at Cornell must be reviewed and accepted by this committee before the appointments are confirmed.

Academic Appointments of Foreign Nationals

Information is housed on the website of International Services within the Office of Global Learning.

Part-Time Policy

Part-time appointments are possible for all academic titles. Such appointments are made when the position requires less than full-time service, when there are funding limitations, or when the individual is not available full-time. Except in unusual situations or in cases of adjunct and courtesy appointments, the minimum amount of time that the staff member may commit to the University during the period of appointment is 25 percent. For membership in the University Faculty, the appointment must be for at least half-time.

Joint appointments are not considered part-time appointments. However, an individual whose salary comes partly from a professorial appointment and partly from a non-professorial position is considered a part-time faculty member of the University Faculty. When an individual is awarded tenure on a part-time basis the financial commitment is limited to the portion of salary associated with the professorial appointment. According to faculty legislation, tenure or probationary tenure status is possible only for professors who are on at least half-time appointments (please consult faculty legislation below).

Adjunct professors are by definition on part-time appointments. Since the primary responsibilities of adjunct professors are external to the University, they are not eligible for tenure.

Due to the nature of an academic appointment, it is not possible to translate the terms part-time and full-time into numbers of hours. When part-time appointments are made, it is the responsibility of the appointee and the department chairperson or other cognizant individual to agree on the duties involved.

The Cornell University Conflicts Policy states:

“Faculty and staff members who hold part-time appointments commonly will have major obligations and commitments, not only to the University, but to one or more outside agencies. The potential  for conflict may be significant. Accordingly, part-time employees are expected to exercise special care in disclosing and fulfilling their multiple obligations.”

Information about benefits eligibility is available from the Benefits Services Division of the Office of Human Resources.

The following is the policy on part-time appointments adopted by the Faculty Council of Representatives on October 9, 1974 (Records, pp. 4431-34C), as amended by the Board of Trustees on January 17-18, 1975 (Proceedings, pages 8871, 8882-83, 8902), with 29 the Faculty Handbook’s non-substantive changes to phrase the policy in gender-neutral terms and the ellipsis in paragraph 6 reflecting the discontinued School of Nursing program:

1. Definition:  A part-time faculty appointment is an appointment involving academic responsibilities requiring not less than one-half of the responsibilities required of a full-time faculty member.
2. Rationale:  A part-time appointment is designed for faculty members who wish to maintain the continuity of their academic careers when professional and personal commitments restrict the time that they can devote to academic responsibilities. The availability of part-time appointments permits, on an optimal basis, greater staffing flexibility for colleges and their departments than is now possible.
3. General Provisions
   1. Colleges of the university may at their discretion appoint qualified men and women to part-time faculty positions.
   2. A faculty member may, under conditions set forth below, transfer from full-time appointment to part-time appointment and vice versa.
   3. A faculty member holding a part-time appointment will be eligible for all the rights, privileges, and benefits (including sabbatical leave) that are available to a full-time faculty member.  Such rights, privileges, and benefits, however, will be made available on a pro-rata basis except when such proration is not practically feasible.
   4. The standards of performance as well as the procedures governing initial appointment, promotion, and/or tenure appointment for a faculty member serving on a part-time basis will be identical to those applied to a faculty member serving on a full-time basis. However, fulfillment of length of service requirements will be judged on the basis of equivalency to full-time service, e.g. two years of half-time service would be equivalent to one year of full-time service. Part-time faculty members would be considered for tenure not later than the equivalent of the sixth year of full-time employment (in accordance with the provost’s memorandum of March, 1971).
4. Original Appointment
   1. An original appointment to a part-time position shall be made in accordance with the provisions set forth above.
   2. A description of the responsibilities, expectations, and other relevant conditions of the part-time appointment shall be given in writing to the individual with copies distributed to the college dean and department chairperson.
5. Change of Appointment
   1. Any faculty member holding a part-time appointment is eligible for transfer to a full-time appointment, and any faculty member holding a full-time appointment is eligible for transfer to a part-time appointment. A change in status may be initiated by either the individual or (where applicable) the department chairperson or dean. Changes in status may not be effected without the consent of the faculty member and shall be effected by the same procedure utilized in the college for new appointments.
   2. Changes of status shall be accomplished without gain or loss regarding length of service requirements.
   3. Any change in rank (promotion and/or tenure) associated with such transfer shall be subject to the standards and appraisal procedures required for appointment to the new rank.
   4. A description of the responsibilities, expectations, and other relevant conditions of the appointment which the individual is assuming, shall be given in writing to the individual with copies distributed to the college dean and relevant department chairperson.
6. Application
   1. This regulation shall apply to all academic divisions of the University except the Medical College, … and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Part-time appointments for short and definite terms have always been possible. The above policies apply primarily to longer-term appointments.

For the academic staff of the Library, appointees at three quarters time or more are considered as full-time in computing time in rank. Please consult section II C of the
Cornell University Library Procedure 13.

In the prorating of sabbatical leave, consult the sabbatic section of Appendix B in the policy “Leaves for Professors and Academic Staff,” at (https://ww.dfa.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/vol6_2_1.pdf).

There are two types of part-time appointments. In some cases, appointments are for less than full-time because of the limited availability of individuals. In other cases, the appointments are for part-time because of limitations within departments. In the latter cases, individuals may accept other academic positions at Cornell. In such a circumstance, if an individual is on the tenure track, an agreement should be reached relative to the degree that the responsibilities of the second position would be a consideration in the tenure decision.

3.4 RTE Reappointments

Reappointment of an academic staff member holding a renewable term appointment is not a right and is not automatic. Reappointment depends on the quality of performance in the position, the availability of funds and space, and the continuation of the sponsoring program. Approval by the department chairperson and the dean or director of the academic unit is required for reappointment.

Written notice of a decision not to renew the appointment must be given to the staff member by the dean, director, or chairperson; this should be done as early as possible. For non-terminal appointments, at least three months’ notice is required. For each year of service in the position beyond three years, an additional month is added to this minimum, up to a total of six months. The same provisions for notice pertain to early termination of an academic appointment.

Different requirements for notice pertain to senior lecturers and lecturers. A one-semester notice of termination must be provided to lecturers and senior lecturers who have had at least two but not more than three years of continuous service, and a two-semester notice must be provided to those with more than three years of continuous service (excluding summers).

In some situations no notice is required. These include (1) an appointment clearly communicated as being non-renewable; (2) the termination of a grant or contract that is the sole source of salary for the staff member and for which the staff member is the principal investigator; (3) situations in which the staff member is not paid through Cornell; (4) cases in which the staff member is dismissed for cause.

3.5 Leaves

University Policy 6.2.1 Leaves for Professors and Academic Staff is housed in the University Policy Library.

3.6 RTE Cap Modification Procedure

If a College wants to liberalize its existing percent limitation constraints, then they are required to submit a proposal to CAPP that has these attributes:

A. It identifies the subset of RTE titles whose combined numbers are to be subject to the percent limitation. The current occupancy numbers are given for those titles, other RTE titles, and the various ranks of tenure-track faculty.

B. It specifies the criteria that must be satisfied if any of its departments in the college are allowed to exceed the limitation constraint.

C. It explains why the current percent limitation constraints are no longer relevant or appropriate, providing historical data as appropriate. In the case of teaching appointments, information about teaching loads and its impact on the TT faculty is useful. Give an analysis of the expected change in the number of RTE instructors vs tenure track instructors that a student will see as a major.

D. It puts the proposed request in perspective by describing corresponding policies and levels at peer schools.

E. It confirms that none of the RTE positions in question replicate the functions of positions ordinarily held by tenured or tenure-track faculty.

F. It confirms that additional RTE positions that are made possible by the relaxation of the percent limitation does not detract in any way from the potential for adding tenured or tenure-track positions in the college. A discussion of funding sources for these new positions could be an important part of that discussion.

G. It specifies which titles of the RTE positions will have College voting rights and the conditions under which their voting rights do not apply (For example, RTE faculty should not vote on issues related to tenure and promotion).

As much as possible, the new proposed percent limitation constraint should be shown to be consistent with the college’s current strategic direction (preferably as documented in the unit’s strategic plan).

There must be evidence that sections A through F of the proposal were reviewed and discussed by the faculty before there was a vote, and the vote results should be included in the document that is sent to CAPP. Separate tabulations are required for University Faculty and those RTE faculty who have voting rights in the college (Yes/No/Abstain/DNV). The Senate will only consider the proposal if the number of TT (tenured and tenure track) Faculty who vote is at least two-thirds the total number of TT faculty in the unit and at least one-half of all the TT faculty in the unit voted positive. Likewise, it must be the case that the number of RTE faculty who voted is at least two-thirds the total number of eligible RTE faculty in the unit  and at least one-half of all the eligible RTE faculty in the unit voted  positive.

CAPP deliberations could include a dialog with the sponsoring college as required. CAPP’s report to the Senate should include the results of a committee vote (Yes/No/Abstain/DNV).

Once a year CAPP will review the tenure track faculty and RTE populations numbers provided by IRP and confirm to the Senate that the approved percent limitations are being followed.

In no case will a proposal be considered if the relaxed percent limitation makes it possible for the number of RTE faculty with voting rights to exceed the number of TT faculty in the college.