Courtesy Faculty Appointments (S-29)

Standard: S-29
Responsible Executive: Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Responsible Office: Office of the Provost
Date Issued: April 15, 2025
Date Last Revised: N/A

Table of Contents

Contacts
Individuals and Entities Affected
Statement of Standard
Responsibilities
Definitions (defined terms are capitalized throughout the document)
Related Documents, Forms and Tools
History and Updates
Appendix

Contacts

Clarification of Standard

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
765-494-5425 | facultyaffairs@purdue.edu

Campus Specific Questions

Fort Wayne: Office of Academic Affairs
260-481-6113 | academicaffairs@pfw.edu

Northwest: Office of Academic Affairs
219-989-2446 | vcaa@pnw.edu

West Lafayette: Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
765-494-5425 | facultyaffairs@purdue.edu 

Individuals and Entities Affected

• Deans
• Department/school heads
• All tenured and tenure-track faculty, clinical/professional faculty, and research faculty who meet the eligibility criteria established by departments and colleges for courtesy faculty appointments

Statement of Standard

Courtesy faculty appointments recognize mutually beneficial relationships between faculty across departments, helping faculty and graduate students make connections across disciplines that enhance their scholarship and development. Courtesy faculty appointments do not involve any financial commitments by the faculty member or the appointing unit, and the appointment does not confer voting rights or other departmental benefits accruing to regular faculty in the courtesy appointment unit.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a courtesy faculty appointment, faculty must meet all the following requirements.

1. Be a current employee of the University in one of the following types of faculty member appointments:
   1. Tenured and tenure-track faculty as defined in the policy on Academic Tenure and Promotion (I.B.2), as amended or superseded.
   2. Clinical/professional faculty as defined in the policy on Clinical/Professional Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.10), as amended or superseded.
   3. Research faculty as defined in the policy on Research Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.8), as amended or superseded.
2. Possess the appropriate educational background and practice expertise commensurate with the criteria established by the department/school and college for the courtesy faculty appointment. The courtesy faculty appointment may not be conferred at a different rank or appointment type than that of the faculty member’s paid appointment.
3. Be approved by the processes established within the college.

Faculty whose employment with the University ends or who relinquish their faculty role at the University are no longer eligible for courtesy faculty appointments.

Faculty granted courtesy appointments prior to the issue date of this standard may retain the appointment subject to the renewal and term length requirements outlined in this standard.

Appointment and Renewal Process

Each college must maintain a documented processes for approving and conferring courtesy faculty appointments, including the initial appointment, review and renewal of appointments, and term lengths not to exceed five-year increments. The process for the initial appointment generally involves:

1. Nomination by a current faculty member in the department/school of the courtesy appointment with justification of the potential mutually beneficial relationship,
2. A majority vote by the faculty in the department/school of the courtesy appointment,
3. Endorsement by the department/school head, and
4. Approval by the dean when dictated by the college process.

Privileges

Individuals who receive courtesy faculty appointments may be granted the following privileges:

1. Use of the approved courtesy faculty title.
2. Inclusion of their name with the regular faculty in the bulletin of the college or school.
3. At the discretion of the dean and/or department/school head, invitations to attend faculty meetings with the privileges of the floor but no vote.
4. At the discretion of the dean and/or department/school head, eligibility to serve as a graduate faculty member (regular or special appointment), subject to approval in accordance with the Policies and Procedures for Administering Graduate Student Programs maintained by the Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars.
5. Upon invitation from the dean and/or department/school head, and approval by the department/school head of the unit of the faculty member’s paid appointment, teach courses in the courtesy appointment unit as an instructor of record.
6. Other privileges established by and limited to individual campuses.

Responsibilities

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

• Administer this standard.

Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs

• Communicate and implement this standard.

Deans

• Establish the college/school process and criteria for courtesy faculty appointments and communicate to department/school heads.
• Review for approval courtesy faculty appointment recommendations forwarded by the department/school heads, when required by the college process.

Department/School Heads

• Assume responsibility for the review and appointment of courtesy faculty.
• Send recommendations for courtesy faculty appointments to the dean for approval, when required by the college process.
• Ensure courtesy faculty are included in school/department bulletins and directories.
• Invite courtesy faculty to academic functions in their areas of interest.

Faculty Members Seeking Courtesy Faculty Appointments

• Submit a written request for consideration of courtesy faculty appointment to the nominator, along with all requested documents for review.
• Comply with all university policies and procedures applicable to their participation in university activities and to their use of university facilities and resources.

Definitions

All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Additional defined terms may be found in the central Policy Glossary.

There are no definitions specific to this standard.

Related Documents, Forms and Tools

This standard is issued in support of the following policies, as amended or superseded:

• Academic Tenure and Promotion (I.B.2)
• Clinical/Professional Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.10)
• Research Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.8)

Additional related policies and documents:

• Administering Graduate Student Programs (from the University Catalog)

History and Updates

April 15, 2025: This is the first systemwide standard to address this topic.

Appendix

There are no appendices to this standard.