A faculty member may hold more than one academic appointment at the University, but there may be only one “home” or primary appointment in a department. An additional fixed term rank added in addition to the primary professorial rank in a different department is referred to as joint/secondary appointments and may be salaried or non-salaried. The need for an additional appointment may be contributed to a faculty member teaching in more than one department or collaborating on research activities with colleagues in other departments. Specific terms and conditions of the secondary/joint appointment are negotiated between the two department heads and defined in a written appointment letter.
Secondary appointments may also be administrative appointments in the “home” or primary department or a different unit, e.g., department chair, director, or assistant director where supplemental funds are added for increased duties and responsibilities. Lump sum payments are not the mechanism for remuneration for these additional assignments.
Funded Joint Appointments
Joint appointments between schools or departments should be clearly indicated as dependent upon the continuation of the primary or base unit appointment. If a faculty member’s funding in one unit or primary appointment in the base unit ends, then the secondary appointment ends. If an affiliation is to continue, the department may choose to appoint the faculty member as a fixed term, non-salaried employee.
Tenured/Tenure Track Joint Appointments
There are instances in which departments and/or schools want genuine full joint appointments with joint tenure or tenure track regardless of future funding. Cover letters appointing tenure track joint appointments should be made clear and stated in the cover letter that the faculty member and dean or department chair understands the implications of the joint appointment for the faculty member’s progression towards tenure, if they are not already tenured.
Junior faculty should fully understand the expectations placed on them by both departments and understand that both departments will review them for reappointment, promotion and/or tenure.
With full joint appointments, i.e., associate professor in biology and associate professor in microbiology, it is expected that review in the secondary department is just as important as in the primary department. If a decision is made to award tenure, the faculty member has tenure in both departments. If the secondary department decides not to award tenure, the secondary appointment must be changed to a fixed term appointment, i.e., adjunct, or eliminate the tenure track title in the joint department. Rights and privileges in the secondary department are negotiated between the faculty member and that chair in accordance with their department personnel policies.
Tenure Regulations On Joint Appointments
A faculty member may at one time hold but one faculty appointment at the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor. [See Section 7.e.] This appointment may be held in a single department, or, by joint appointment, in more than one department.
Joint appointments may be made in which the appointee holds in addition to a professorial rank in one department a fixed term rank in another department, or different fixed term ranks in different departments. A joint appointment to the faculties of more than one department may be made in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. When an initial joint appointment is to be made, the regular procedures prescribed herein for initial appointment to the rank proposed shall be followed simultaneously by the departments involved in making a joint recommendation for appointment. The joint recommendation shall designate one of the departments as the unit of base appointment, and shall set forth as special terms and conditions for inclusion in the appointing document: the basis of initial funding of the appointment; the procedures agreed to be followed by the departments in making joint decisions respecting promotion, reappointment, and tenure of the joint appointee; and the procedures to be followed by the chairmen in respect of salary adjustments for the joint appointee. If the joint appointment is approved, thereafter the base department is responsible for processing personnel actions affecting the joint appointee, but in respect of each such action the recommendation put forward shall be one jointly concurred in by the departments concerned as required by their agreed procedures for joint consultation and decision.
An appointment to a single department may be converted into a joint appointment. The department chairmen concerned shall jointly put forward through the regular channels for review of initial appointments a recommendation that the existing appointment be converted into a joint appointment. The joint recommendation shall include the same elements required in respect of a recommendation for initial joint appointment. Upon approval of such a recommendation, the joint appointee retains the single rank with the same incidents of academic tenure already possessed. Thereafter, all personnel actions affecting his or her academic tenure shall be processed as provided in the case of an initial joint appointment.
Joint Appointments At Other Institutions
A faculty member may not simultaneously hold two tenured positions, one at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and one at another institution.
Documents Required
- AP-2
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of recommendation from the department head, if applicable endorsed by the Dean to the EVC&P.
- Outside letters of recommendation (at least four; include all letters received,
not a selected subset) - School/Department Promotions Committee Report (full joint or tenure track/tenured appointments)
- Any additional information or materials that the unit would like to submit but which is not duplicative of the above documents (full joint or tenure track/tenured appointments)
- ConnectCarolina Hire ePAR required as Secondary Appointment
- Recommendation for Joint Appointment (This form is not required when adding a non-salaried fixed term academic appointment to an existing EHRA Non-Faculty employee.)