Policies and Processes for Changing Joint Appointments

Policies and Processes for Changing Joint Appointments for Tenure Track/Tenured Faculty

Approved by EAPC on 1/16/2025

Joint appointments for tenure-track/tenured faculty among the schools/departments/units of the College of Engineering or with other Colleges and Schools at Purdue are encouraged when the faculty member can contribute to core undergraduate teaching and graduate education/research of both (or multiple) Schools/departments. Joint appointments can also be considered for other strategic reasons. Joint appointments are expected to have a higher level of consideration than a courtesy appointment and should be expected to be permanent (non-termed) positions.

Whenever changes in joint appointments are needed, such changes should occur according to the following procedures.

Changes within the College of Engineering

  1. A request for a change in joint appointment should be initiated by the faculty member who would like to make such a change.
  2. The request should be discussed with the head or director of the school/unit with whom the faculty is affiliated (home unit) and the head or director of the potential minority unit.  The head offering the joint appointment (minority appointment unit) should evaluate whether the CV/dossier generally meets the standard for joint appointment in their unit.
  3. In general the minimum % of joint appointment in a minority appointment unit is 25% to allow for meaningful teaching duties to be assigned in that unit.
  4. Both the Heads/Directors discuss the proposed change in joint appointment with the Associate Dean of the Faculty. Upon endorsement from the Dean’s office, the minority appointment unit Head will bring the case forward for faculty discussion in their unit.
  5. The head of the minority appointment unit must make the joint appointment request aware to all faculty who have primary appointment (50% or more) in the school.  The head will then collect and document recommendations as to the appointment in a process analogous to a search, drawn either from all faculty or the appropriate level of primary committee.  Once feedback has been provided the head will determine whether to move the move the appointment forward.
  6. The Head(s) will prepare a proposal for the change that is agreeable to the concerned units. The proposal will include mutual agreement on teaching, service duties, and financial obligations such as AY policies and expenditure tracking between the two units.  The proposal will be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs for approval. If an acceptable proposal cannot be prepared, the discussions will include the Associate Dean for Faculty. For situations in which a change in the faculty appointment involves an endowment, an agreement should be reached at the school/department level on how to manage the change and inform the Associate Dean for Faculty and the Director of Financial Affairs about the change and the agreement. If a particular endowment is tied to a particular school/department, the faculty member should be informed early in the process.
  7. If the request requires a tenure home change (including the case of a distinguished professor), the decision must include approval by the Primary Committee of the new tenure home unit, with a request for approval to the Dean and the Provost. For existing tenured faculty in Engineering a change in tenure home is not brought to the Engineering Area Promotion Committee.
  8. If the proposed change involves 100 percent of a faculty’s appointment, the request should come directly from the faculty member at least a year in advance of the date of change; the discussion must include the Associate Dean for Faculty.
  9. If the proposed change involves an Assistant Professor, during the contract renewal process or promotion and tenure process, the school/department can initiate discussions for changes in joint appointments of the faculty member. This should also include the Associate Dean for Faculty.  There is a strong preference that at the Assistant Professor level these changes are only made at the time of contract renewal. 

Changes across Colleges or Schools at Purdue University

  1. Engineering faculty who have or want to have minority joint appointments in Colleges or Schools outside engineering will initiate the request with the Heads of the units and the Associate Dean for Faculty.
  2. The Associate Dean for Faculty will discuss this with their counterpart/Dean of the other College to confirm mutual interest.
  3. For requests of such minor appointments in engineering, the Heads will follow the same procedures and discuss with the Associate Dean for Faculty before approving them.
  4. For situations that involve a change of tenure home into engineering, the request will require approval by the Primary Committee of the new unit as well as the EAPC.