HOME / 11. VISITING FACULTY /

A. Appointment of Visiting Faculty

 

Step

Explanation

1

The department chair writes to the divisional dean requesting approval for a visiting appointment

The letter should discuss the curricular need for the appointment. No search is required for these appointments; however, departments should take care when making such appointments to consider a diverse pool, broadly conceived, of potential short-term visiting faculty members, to meet the appointing unit’s and students’ curricular needs.

2

Following approval from the divisional dean, the department follows its standard procedures to review candidate(s) for appointment

 

3

The department sends a draft offer letter, the candidate’s curriculum vitae, and course information to the assistant dean for the division

A draft course title, course description, and syllabus for the course(s) that the candidate(s) intend to teach during their first semester should be solicited by the department before the hire and submitted to the divisional assistant dean with the candidate’s CV and a draft offer letter, for approval. (Obtaining this information is not necessary for candidates who would be teaching established courses such as certain language or mathematics courses, etc.)

Please securely send one electronic copy of the draft offer letter, the candidate’s CV , and course information to the assistant dean. Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer (e.g., Accellion Kiteworks, encryption, etc.), which can vary by user platform.

4

After approval from the divisional dean, the department issues the offer letter to the candidate

Once approval for the appointment has been granted, the department should ask the individual during the hiring process to confirm the department’s understanding of what the course title, description, and syllabus are. 

5

If the offer is accepted, the department processes the appointment in the Aurora system

The department sends the items below to the Appointments Office in the Office for Faculty Affairs via Aurora, and delivers the original I-9 form and any necessary payroll documents to Central Payroll.

  • 1 electronic PDF copy of a cover letter explaining the reasons for the appointment and describing the teaching duties. Note: For endowed visiting positions to which visitors are appointed regularly, the cover letter should also include a list of other candidates considered and the reasons for selecting the candidate.
  • 1 electronic PDF copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae.
  • 1 electronic PDF copy of the signed offer letter.
  • 1 electronic PDF of a signed hard copy of one of the Visitor Participation Agreements.  Note: Visitors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) are not required to submit a VPA form, with the exception of M.I.T. undergraduates, who must submit a VPA form.
  • 1 electronic PDF of a signed hard copy of the Acknowledgement of Risk and Release for Non-Harvard Personnel Using Harvard Research and Instructional Laboratory Facilities form (if working in one of Harvard’s laboratories and if not receiving any form of payment from Harvard).