Chapter 5: Other Teaching Titles
Appointment at one of the other teaching staff ranks is used for appointments of a limited duration to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of the teaching program. Persons holding these titles are not members of the Professoriate or the Academic Staff, nor do they accrue faculty benefits or time toward tenure by length of service. There are significant variations in the circumstances under which individuals qualify for and secure appointments to these ranks. The length of term is typically one year and may be renewable; individuals may serve at full- or part-time, with or without salary.
If paid, individuals appointed to other teaching title ranks are Stanford University employees, subject to applicable University policies for staff.
The other teaching staff titles used in the School of Medicine fall generally under the following categories:
- Acting Faculty
- Instructor and Instructor (Affiliated) Appointments
- Visiting Faculty
- Consulting Faculty
Other information concerning these titles can be found in Chapter 9 of the University Faculty Handbook.
Information about the Adjunct Clinical Faculty (ACF), which includes the titles of Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, and Adjunct Clinical Professor, can be found in Chapter 6 of this handbook.
Information about Visiting Scholars can be found in Chapter 9 of this handbook.
Information about Clinician Educators can be found in Chapter 8 of this handbook.
5.2 Acting Faculty
Candidates from outside Stanford who are identified for a Professoriate position (in the Medical Center Line, University Tenure Line, or Non-Tenure Line) may receive an Acting appointment during the process of appointing them to the Professoriate.
The Acting title is not a guarantee or promise of future appointment to the Professoriate. Acting faculty do not receive faculty benefits; they are categorized as Other Teaching Titles and receive staff benefits. In particular, they do not receive the faculty housing benefit until their Professoriate appointment is approved by the University.
Acting appointments should be requested when a recommended candidate is scheduled to start work before the final Professoriate appointment is approved by the President. The Acting appointment request may be submitted with, or following approval of, the Search Report and Draft Offer Packages. The use of an Acting appointment for an internal candidate requires prior approval by the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Individuals holding Acting titles may teach graduate seminars and participate in, but not direct, graduate research. They may be eligible for a waiver to allow them to apply for research funding as Principal Investigators, subject to the rules of the University and the granting agency; contact the Research Management Group for more information.
5.2.B. Billet and Other Resource Allocation
Acting faculty are paid. They are generally full-time "Other Teaching Title" employees but may, if they wish, be part-time. Salary is expected to be the same as that proposed for the Professoriate appointment.
The Professoriate billet or position number is not used for the Acting appointment, and is not considered “filled” until the Professoriate appointment has been approved by the President of the University. Academic Affairs staff will assign a staff position number for the acting appointment and communicate it to the department.
- Acting Assistant Professor
- Acting Associate Professor
- Acting Professor
The candidate will be appointed to the rank for which he or she is proposed in the Professoriate.
5.2.D. Duration of Appointments
Acting appointments are generally for one year and are not expected to need renewal except under extraordinary circumstances. The Acting appointment is superseded by the Professoriate appointment when it has been approved by the President of the University. In special circumstances, Acting Faculty may be appointed for a time period shorter than one year. Time periods of shorter than six months are not recommended as they exclude the Acting candidate from regular employee benefits.
Individuals holding these ranks are qualified for the rank of the appointment, but hold neither other academic positions to which they would be returning nor positions in business or industry that would continue during the acting appointment.
Candidates from within Stanford who are identified for a faculty position will generally remain in their current positions during the appointment process and will not receive an Acting appointment except under unusual circumstances, for example, where equity issues arise.
5.2.F. Appointments and Reappointments
For step by step instructions for appointing and reappointing Acting faculty and answers to frequently asked questions., see the Acting Faculty web page, the Acting Faculty Appointments page and the Acting Faculty Reappointments page.
5.3 Instructors and Instructors (Affiliated)
This policy has been moved to Chapter 7 of this Handbook.
5.4 Visiting Faculty
From time to time, members of the Professoriate may invite faculty members from other academic institutions to visit Stanford in order to forward a collaborative research mission, to take advantage of their expertise or experience in research, teaching, or clinical care, or to pursue some other collaborative effort or for other reasons which may provide benefit to the School of Medicine.
For Visiting Assistant Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, and Visiting Professor ranks, candidates are expected to be on sabbatical or leave from the college, university or other academic institution where they hold appointments. The leave must be for the time period of the prospective Stanford appointment. Likewise, it is expected that a candidate’s “home” appointment will not expire prior to the end date of the Stanford appointment.
The Visiting Instructor rank may be used for individuals coming to Stanford as a visitor for additional training in a program for which there is no formal course of study. See Section 5.5 later in this Chapter.
It is possible for an individual appointed to a Visiting rank to become a candidate for regular appointment. This in no way lessens the obligation of a search committee to consider by all means available the credentials of candidates having no prior association with the University. This obligation should be made clear to the candidates who hold or have held Stanford appointments.
Visiting faculty may be paid or unpaid.
- Visiting Assistant Professor
- Visiting Associate Professor
- Visiting Professor
The rank of Visiting Instructor is discussed in the next section of this chapter.
5.4.C Duration of Appointments
Generally, Visiting appointments to the School of Medicine, with or without salary, may be for a maximum of one year, and are renewable once.
Visiting Assistant Professors, Visiting Associate Professors and Visiting Professors hold the rank here that is the same as, or the American equivalent of, his or her rank at the home institution. Individuals holding visiting appointments may teach graduate seminars and participate in, but not direct, graduate research.
5.4.E. Visiting Faculty with Salary
5.4.E.i. University Staff Policies
Visiting Faculty belong to the "Other Teaching Title" category. Persons holding these titles with pay are Stanford University employees; they are not members of the Professoriate (i.e., the Academic Council or the Medical Center Line), or the Academic Staff, or the Clinician/Educator line, nor do they accrue time toward tenure by length of service. Visiting Faculty who are appointed at 50% time or more for six months or more are considered benefits-eligible and are, in general, subject to University policies applicable to employees in the Other Teaching Title category.
Vacation and sick leave do not accrue for Visiting Faculty. Visiting Faculty may be terminated before the end of their terms for the following reasons: 1) change in programmatic need, including budgetary considerations; and 2) for cause.
5.4.E.ii Appointments, Reappointments, and FTE Changes
For step by step instructions for appointing, reappointing, or changing the appointment or pay of paid Visiting Faculty members, and answers to frequently asked questions, see the Visiting Faculty web page and the Visiting Faculty with Salary page.
5.4.F. Visiting Faculty without Salary
Visiting Faculty who are unpaid (or receive only honoraria) are considered non-employee affiliates of Stanford University. They are eligible for Courtesy Cards and certain privileges which can be reviewed in the letter of invitation template.
For step by step instructions for appointing and reappointing unpaid Visiting Faculty members, and answers to frequently asked questions, see the Visiting Faculty web page and the Visiting Faculty without Salary page.
5.5 Visiting Instructors
The Visiting Instructor rank may be used for individuals coming to Stanford as a visitor for additional training. The training must be in an area for which there is no formal course of study, neither as an ACGME approved nor as a non-ACGME program.
Visiting Instructors are not required to have a home institution. However, they are expected to have firm plans to go on to another institution for for further study at the end of their time at Stanford.
5.5.B. Duration of Appointments
Visiting Instructors are appointed for a period of no more than one year and no less than a month. Their appointments are renewable up to a limit of two years.
Visiting Instructors shall hold a doctoral degree; if M.D.’s, they shall have finished residency training.
5.5.D. Visiting Instructors with Salary
5.5.D.i. University Staff Policies
Visiting Instructors belong to the "Other Teaching Title" category. Persons holding this title with pay are Stanford University employees; they are not members of the Professoriate (i.e., the Academic Council or the Medical Center Line), or the Academic Staff, or the Clinician Educator line, nor do they accrue time toward tenure by length of service.
Visiting Instructors who are appointed at 50% time or more for six months or more are considered benefits-eligible and are, in general, subject to University policies applicable to employees in the Other Teaching Title category.
Vacation and sick leave do not accrue for Visiting Instructors. Visiting Instructors may be terminated before the end of their terms for the following reasons: 1) change in programmatic need, including budgetary considerations; and 2) for cause.
5.5.D.ii Appointments, Reappointments, and FTE Changes
For step by step instructions for appointing, reappointing, or changing the appointment or pay of paid Visiting Instructors, and answers to frequently asked questions, see the Visiting Faculty web page and the Visiting Instructors with Salary page.
5.5.E. Visiting Instructors without Salary
Visiting Instructors who are unpaid (or receive only honoraria) are considered non-employee affiliates of Stanford University. They are eligible for Courtesy Cards and certain privileges which can be reviewed in the letter of invitation template.
For step by step instructions for appointing and reappointing unpaid Visiting Instructors, and answers to frequently asked questions, see the Visiting Faculty web page and the Visiting Instructors without Salary pages.
5.6 Adjunct Faculty
This teaching title comprises Adjunct Professors and Adjunct Lecturers. Descriptions and policies can be found in the Stanford Faculty Handbook.
5.7 Consulting Faculty
This title is no longer used across the university.