Adjunct Professorship Status Policy

21.05 Preamble

Adjunct Faculty Members are those outside the university whose scholarly or professional accomplishments merit association with the university. Adjunct Faculty Members are appointed for a defined period, with defined privileges & voluntary responsibilities in scholarly activity. Adjunct appointments do not have ranks & they do not carry the right to vote in Department/School decision-making.

The title, Adjunct Professor, is normally granted by a university to an individual either holding a university appointment or one whose professional background & qualifications have led to active participation in joint undertakings, usually teaching &/or research, with university faculty. The position is intended to provide formal recognition of the special relationship between an individual outside the university (or an individual whose expertise contributes substantially to studies currently being undertaken by the university) & an academic unit within the university & shall be recognized as such under the Tri-Council Policy.

21.1 Functions & Responsibilities

When it is appropriate for scholarly or professional reasons, a person may be appointed to a position as Adjunct Professor by the Vice-President Academic upon recommendation by Departments/Schools & Deans for a period with defined privileges & voluntary responsibilities in scholarly activity. Once a year at Senate, the Vice-President Academic shall table as a separate Information item a list of any newly appointed adjuncts including their names, department/school affiliations, periods of appointment along with a justification for each appointment, highest degree held, year obtained, current institution (if any) & rank (position), at that institution. All adjuncts shall also be included in the faculty listing on Department/School websites

A person can be appointed to an academic unit as an Adjunct Professor for any of the following purposes:

1. To be able to pursue collaborative research with Nipissing University faculty & apply to granting agencies as co-applicants or collaborators through the University.
2. To be able to co-supervise graduate or undergraduate students in accordance with the policies of the unit/program & the regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
3. To be able to collaborate in the teaching activities of the academic unit.
4. The person appointed as Adjunct Professor will have to follow the criteria for co-supervision of graduate students as currently approved by the Senate & be accredited according to the policy of Graduate Studies. However, note that adjunct professors accredited to Graduate Studies cannot be sole supervisors.

Such a position assumes some degree of active collaboration in teaching &/or scholarly activities between the Adjunct Professor & one or more faculty members. This collaboration might be manifested in teaching activities, joint preparation & publication of research papers, the sharing of laboratory facilities on or off campus, or in service as a member of a Graduate Advisory Committee, or any combination of such activities. This allows the person to identify oneself as a member of the Academic Unit, as adjunct professor & enables the use of general facilities at the University i.e. library, computer services & so on, under the same terms & conditions as other faculty. The University, in return, expects that adjunct professors will comply with University policies & regulations, & will acknowledge their affiliations with the University in their publications & in their participation in scholarly meetings. Adherence to university policies regarding research integrity, conflict of interest, intellectual property, research ethics, Biosafety, animal care, harassment & discrimination is required. All adjunct professors must also follow & respect the Tri Council agreement signed by Nipissing University. Any failure to respect such policies or misconduct will lead to either the removal of privileges or the appointment being immediately revoked.

21.15 Appointment

1. Criteria
   
   1. The appointment is for up to five years, is renewable & involves no remuneration.
   2. The applicant should hold a primary appointment in academia, government, private & public sector.
2. Procedures
   
   1. The application must be submitted to the academic unit by an academic unit member (letter of the sponsor must be included in the file of the applicant).
   2. The applicant must submit a covering letter outlining intentions along with goals & expectations & a curriculum vita including all research contributions.
   3. Once the Academic Unit has recommended the person, the complete file with the recommendation of appointment is sent to the Faculty Dean for his/her recommendation.
   4. The Dean then sends the complete file with his/her recommendation to the Vice-President, Academic & Research who makes the final decision.
   5. Once approved, a letter will be sent by the Vice-President, Academic & Research stipulating the exact roles & responsibilities that the appointment carries. Such stipulation the person. The letter will be copied to the unit chair/director, the Dean of the Faculty & the Assistant Vice-President, Research & Graduate Studies.

21.2 Reappointment & Renewal

The Adjunct appointment is renewable every five years or less, depending on the recommendation of the Dean in consultation with the home academic unit. Six months prior to the expiry of the Adjunct appointment, the Director/Chair of the Academic Unit will send a letter to the sponsor acknowledging the termination date & requesting an application for renewal, if so desired. The application for renewal must contain a summary of the adjunct professor’s contributions to the University & the expectations & goals for the renewal. The process follows the procedure of appointment with recommendation of the Chair/Director of the Academic Unit & the Faculty Dean to the Vice-President Academic & Research.