Faculty Definitions

Employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Service for Academic Professionals (ABOR-PM 6-302) who are non-classified employees involved with applied, basic, and integrative research or teaching programs, who require professional and intellectual freedom, and who report to a person holding a position below the level of Vice President. These individuals include librarians, cooperative extensionists, museum curators, conservators, and researchers.

Arizona Board of Regents. 

ABOR-PM: Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual

A modifier used with faculty titles that are not eligible for tenure. Adjunct means a position is temporary in nature, or is at a reduced FTE. Adjunct should generally not be used for full fiscal or academic year appointments that are reasonably expected to extend beyond a single year, though units have discretion whether or not to use adjunct when such appointments are at less than .75 FTE. Adjunct may not be used for full academic or fiscal year appointments at .75 FTE or greater.

An officer who reports directly to the president or to a vice president and who is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating the activities of a major segment of a university; promulgating and implementing university rules and regulations; preparing and administering the organizational budget; maintaining relationships with administrative officials and members of business, government and civic communities. These positions shall include vice presidents, deans, academic department heads and other positions as determined by the board. The Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Administrative Service (ABOR-PM 6-101et seq.) as the conditions of their employment. 

An employment category that includes faculty members, administrators, athletic coaches, and academic and service professionals. These positions have defined-term contracts.

Appointed Personnel who work at least 40 hours per biweekly pay period (.5 FTE) for 90 days are eligible for insurance benefits but not retirement, annual leave, or sick time. Appointed personnel who work at .5 FTE in a position expected to continue for at least six months are eligible for full benefits.

Members of the faculty whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Faculty Service (ABOR-PM 6-201, et seq.), who are not eligible for tenure, and who do not have visiting, adjunct, or global titles. "Career track" is also not used with courtesy or joint titles, as these are secondary titles that do not constitute a career.

Probationary status full-time employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Service for Academic Professionals (ABOR-PM 6-302).

Employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Service for Academic Professionals (ABOR-PM 6-302) who have an expectation that the President will renew their appointment for successive appointment periods unless such reappointment is precluded because of their retirement, resignation, dismissal for just cause, or release for budgetary or reorganization reasons.

Affiliates, associates, volunteers, and interns who contribute their time, services, and expertise to help the University accomplish its missions of teaching, research, and service.  See Guidelines for DCCs. 

Employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the Conditions of Faculty Service (ABOR-PM 6-201, et seq.). Faculty members include instructors, lecturers, senior lecturers, principal lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors, professors, professors of practice, research professors, clinical professors, Regents' Professors, or any other employees who otherwise are designated in their Notice of Appointment as holding a faculty position. Faculty members are responsible for the teaching, research, and public service goals and objectives of the University. Faculty members may be tenured, tenure-eligible, career-track, visiting, or adjunct. Any person appointed to a faculty position designated as "visiting," "adjunct," "research," "clinical," or such other title(s), will not be tenured or tenure-eligible and will have no expectation of continued employment beyond the end of his or her current appointment period.

For purposes of University government, the General Faculty of The University of Arizona is composed of individuals who:

  • hold at least half-time tenured or tenure-eligible appointments,
  • hold at least half-time continuing or continuing-eligible  appointments,
  • hold at least half-time multi-year career track appointments,
  • hold at least half-time, year-to-year career-track faculty appointments for three (3) of the past four (4) years and who currently hold lecturer (ie. senior or principal) or ranked professorial titles (ie. research, clinical or professor of practice) that do not include an adjunct or visiting modifier, 
  • hold Emeritus status.

Members of the General Faculty are afforded all rights set forth in Article II of the Constitution of the General Faculty of the University of Arizona.

Employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Faculty Service (ABOR-PM 6-201, et seq.) who are career-track, visiting, or adjunct faculty, and whose primary responsibility is teaching undergraduate or clinical courses.

(Also referred to as "courtesy appointments") are those that do not involve a split of a faculty member’s FTE salary commitment. Joint titles are not eligible for tenure. Such appointments should follow established departmental procedures.

Employees whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Faculty Service (ABOR-PM 6-201, et seq.) who are career-track, visiting, or adjunct faculty, and whose primary responsibility is teaching undergraduate or clinical courses.

Faculty hired for a term of 18 weeks or less. Should be full work weeks. Click for more resources

An appointment to a faculty position as a lecturer, senior lecturer, or principal lecturer, assistant/associate/full professor of practice, assistant/associate/full research professor or assistant/associate/full clinical professor, or an appointment as an academic professional employee for a period longer than one academic or fiscal year but not more than three academic or fiscal years.

Members of the faculty whose Notice of Appointment incorporates the ABOR Conditions of Faculty Service (ABOR-PM 6-201, et seq.) who are not eligible for tenure. The University of Arizona uses the term “career-track” or the “visiting,” “adjunct,” or "global" modifiers in place of nontenure-eligible in its policies and official documents.

(Also referred to as "split appointments") are those that involve a split of a faculty member’s FTE salary commitment between departments. Such appointments should be made following the Guidelines for Split Appointments on the Provost’s website to establish shared assumptions on duties and related considerations such as Indirect Cost Recovery. Such appointments should follow established departmental procedures.

Having an opportunity to be reviewed for tenure.

The employment status awarded by a president to a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service in accordance with criteria established by each university. The status of tenure creates a legitimate claim of entitlement to continued employment unless the tenured faculty member is dismissed or released in accordance with ABOR Policy 6-201 H., J., or K., (Conditions of Faculty Service, Post-Tenure Review, Dismissal or Suspension, or Release of Faculty for Reorganization Caused by Budgetary Reasons or Programmatic Changes), of these conditions. "Tenured" means having tenure.

A modifier used with faculty titles that are not eligible for tenure. Visiting is used with faculty titles for individuals in temporary appointments or in appointments that are not expected to be renewed multiple times and who have sufficient stature with respect to research, creative activities, or professional or personal achievements such that a "visiting" title is appropriate.