SoHE Approach to Secondary Faculty Affiliations

Secondary Affiliations Document

SoHE Approach to Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty Appointment Definitions

1. Appointment

An appointment is the formal, contractual relationship between a faculty member and the School of Human Ecology.

An appointment specifies:

• FTE and contract term (e.g., 9-month, 1.0 FTE)
• Tenure home (always SoHE, not by department)
• Rank and title series
• Annual review, tenure, and promotion procedures
• Overall responsibilities as a SoHE faculty member

Key Point:

An appointment is the legal and HR structure of employment. It does not determine where a faculty member teaches or which department manages their day-to-day academic responsibilities. Those functions are defined through affiliations.

*Note on Joint Appointments:

A joint appointment refers to a formal contractual appointment involving an external funding source or unit. For example, a faculty member with a tenure home in SoHE may hold a joint appointment with Extension (e.g., integrated specialists), the La Follette School of Public Policy, AIIS, or another campus unit. Such appointments are made at the time of hire or by mutual agreement of hiring authorities and are contingent on Executive Faculty approval.

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2. Primary Affiliation

A primary affiliation is the faculty member’s principal departmental home for academic expectations, teaching load, service contributions, and resource alignment.

The primary affiliation establishes:

• The department chair is responsible for:
  • Annual goal setting and performance reviews
  • Course assignments (in consultation with AD-UG, AD-Grad as appropriate)
  • Service expectations
  • Resource decisions (space, graduate student assignments, staff support)
• Primary mentoring for tenure or promotion
• Core contribution to the department’s curriculum, research agenda, and strategic priorities

Key Point:

The primary affiliation is the faculty member’s home base for evaluation, workload, mentoring, and long-term planning.

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3. Secondary Affiliation

All SoHE faculty are expected to contribute to SoHE’s teaching and mission at the school level. A secondary affiliation formally recognizes a faculty member’s intellectual, instructional, or collaborative contribution to another department without transferring governance or management authority.

Pathways to a Secondary Affiliation:

1. At the time of hire:
   • A secondary affiliation may be established by the Dean in consultation with both the primary and secondary department chairs, with re-evaluation at standard personnel milestones (e.g., 3rd-year review, 6th-year review, post-tenure review).
2. By faculty request post-hire:
   • Any SoHE faculty member may request a secondary affiliation in consultation with the primary and secondary department chairs based on defined contributions. The secondary department may handle such requests through its internal process.

A Secondary Affiliation May Include:

• Teaching course(s) in the secondary department by agreement between primary and secondary chair, depending on the evolving SoHE teaching needs (courses may be counted toward the primary department’s instructional expectations)
• Serving on mentoring committees, graduate committees, or mentoring students in the secondary department
• Participation in research clusters, seminars, and collaborative projects
• Being listed on the department website and participating in key activities as appropriate

A Secondary Affiliation Does Not Include:

• Assignment of the primary teaching load
• Responsibility for annual reviews, promotion mentoring, or personnel decisions
• Authority over space, salary, or resource allocation
• An obligation to attend secondary department meetings

Key Point:

A secondary affiliation signals interdisciplinary connection, not shared governance, management authority, or shared responsibility for the faculty member’s core workload.