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For additional information about research faculty, see:


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titleResearch faculty overview

General information

See EVPP: Hiring Research Faculty.

Research faculty are expected to focus primarily on conducting research rather than to assume the full academic responsibilities of teaching, research, and service. They should demonstrate evidence of an independent research agenda and of the ability to build and sustain an independent research program, with scholarly credentials comparable to what one would expect for a tenured/tenure-track faculty member at the equivalent rank. They are also expected to be somehow involved in the academics of their department/ whether in teaching, or through other involvement as defined by their department/college.

Research faculty are non-tenure track and hold a single 12-month position. (In the legacy system, they held two concurrent positions: a nine-month faculty position and a 12-month A&P position.) They are expected to be full-time (40 SWH), and fully-funded by external grants.  Instructional/state funds may be used only when the faculty member is instructor of record for an organized class. If teaching, position funding should be adjusted via Assign Costing Allocation in Workday to reflect the appropriate instructional effort. Contracts are normally for one year, but can be longer if determined by the Dean to be in the best interest of the institution.

Note that the expectation is that Research Faculty positions are 100%, and exceptions are at the discretion of EVPP/VPR.

Research faculty vs. research staff

The key distinction is evidence of engagement with the academic enterprise through teaching, mentorship, or supervision of students at some level.

For information on research staff, see COE: Research Positions.

PI (Principal Investigator) eligibility

Research faculty are granted automatic PI status. See Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility Administrative Procedures for more information.

Research Faculty titles

TitleJob CodeDescription
Research Professor0017

Research accomplishments and scholarly credentials equivalent to that of a full professor, including supervision of research programs/projects as a principal investigator.

Research Associate Professor0027

Research accomplishments and scholarly credentials equivalent to that of an established assistant professor or a new associate professor. The individual must have an established record as a mature, independent researcher.

Research Assistant Professor0037

Expected to show the potential to develop an independent research program that represents a significant portion of their activity and also be involved in activities traditionally thought of as professorial.


Overview of Hire Process

Source: Academic - Hire Faculty - Workday Process Overview


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titlePAR process

Research faculty PAR process

Before beginning, carefully review EVPP: Hiring Research Faculty.

Note that the expectation is that research faculty positions are 100%, and exceptions are at the discretion of EVPP/VPR.

Resources

Pre-approval for Research Professor rank

For prospective hires at the rank of Research Professor, pre-approval is required from EVPP. See step 2 in the "Process" table below for guidance. If approved by EVPP, documentation of that approval should be included in the PAR packet. See tab "PAR supplementary documentation checklist" on this page.

Process

Responsible partyStepAction
Department1Before beginning, the department should determine the most appropriate track and rank for the prospective faculty member, based on their education level and experience. See EVPP: Research Faculty Titles. Contact COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu with questions.
2

If faculty member will be hired to the rank of Research Professor, EVPP pre-approval is required before proceeding. 

(For other titles, skip to step 3.)

To request pre-approval, send the prospective hire's CV to EVPP via ServiceNow: APS/Faculty Affairs requests . Use category "Other." In the ticket, include "Request for pre-approval of hire of Research Professor." 

Do not proceed until EVPP approval has been confirmed.

If approved, include documentation of pre-approval in the PAR packet.

3Complete recruiting or posting exemption request as appropriate.
4Process a faculty job requisition in Workday, ensuring there are sufficient openings for the hire.
5

a) Process FPN in DEFINE. See COE: PAR - T/TT Electronic Document Processing Guide

b) Collect all supplementary documentation listed on tab "PAR documentation checklist" on this page.

6

a) Approve completed FPN (DEFINE PAR document) forward to COE Faculty Affairs.

b) Forward completed but unsigned PAR packet as a single PDF to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu. PAR packet should include all documentation listed on the tab "PAR documentation checklist" on this page, in the order described.

COE Faculty Affairs


7If financial commitments beyond academic salary are included in the PAR/offer letter, COE Faculty Affairs routes PAR to Chief Business Officer (CBO) for non-signature approval.
8

a) FPN and PAR packet review. 

b) PAR routed for signatures in DocuSign.

9

After PAR is fully-signed in DocuSign, FPN is approved and approval notes are added in DEFINE.

Final approval of professional track PARs is at the College level. All offers are contingent upon the approval of the Dean.

10COE Faculty Affairs emails copy of approved PAR packet to the department Administrative Manager.
Department11

Upon receipt of the fully-signed PAR packet, the department may send an offer letter to the candidate.

Note that all PAR information is thoroughly reviewed in the Provost’s Office to ensure compliance, and if errors are found, corrections will still need to be made even if the contract has been signed by the faculty candidate. Research faculty PARs are also reviewed by VPR.

12Administrative Manager submits signed PAR packet and signed offer letter to APS via ServiceNow: APS/Faculty Affairs requests help ticket.
APS13APS reviews and accepts PAR and signed offer letter, and pushes the hire to Workday.
Department14The department is responsible for maintaining all research faculty personnel files, including PARs and offer letters.



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titlePAR documentation checklist

PAR supplementary documentation

Documentation for hires with previous PARs

Faculty are not hired via Workday. Instead, for new faculty, and former faculty who have been terminated, a PAR must be processed. Once the PAR is final-approved, EVPP loads the appointment into Workday via the PAR. 

Primary Language Determination Form

For a faculty hire with a previous PAR approved, no new language form is required. Submission of the language form with the initial PAR is all that is needed, and supporting documentation status for the language form on any subsequent PARs should be indicated as "On File."

Reference letters

If the faculty candidate has not worked from UT for more than three years, new letters of recommendation are required.

If the PAR is for a new faculty position other than what the faculty candidate is currently assigned or has been assigned in the past, or is for a position in a different unit, three new letters are required.

If the previous PAR is 18 or fewer months old, APS may waive the reference letter requirement on a case-by-case basis. To request a waiver, please submit a request through the Faculty Affairs & Academic Personnel Services Portal, and include the EID, PAR doc ID, and dates of previous reference letters. If the letter requirement is waived, the supporting documentation status for reference letters on the PAR should be marked as "On File," and a copy of APS' approval should be included in the PAR documentation.

Documentation checklists

See EVPP: PAR Process - Supporting Documentation and EVPP: PAR Checklists for more information.

Instructions

Submit the materials in the appropriate list below after approving the DEFINE FPN document off the creator's desk.  Order materials as listed below, in a single PDF. and send to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.

Order in PAR packetDocumentDetailsNotes
1PAR cover sheetsUnsigned. COE Faculty Affairs will obtain all signatures in DocuSign.

Use Green Output to print from DEFINE to PDF.

2Chair statement

Include the following:

a) Clear evidence of the capability of developing and executing an independent research agenda on a timescale that would permit timely promotion.  This evidence can come from some combination of publications, recommendation letters, and grants received.  Why does the Chair support this appointment for this individual?

b) A summary of the committee's discussion; explanation of the rationale for the committee's vote and resulting recommendation; explanation of negative votes.


3Candidate research statementUsually 1-2 pages
4Current CV
An updated CV is required for professional-track faculty returning to UT after a break in service of over 3 years.
5Reference letters

At least three. Must be signed, and on the referee's employer's letterhead. At least one must be from outside UT. Unsigned letters will not be accepted. The chair of the hiring department cannot be one of the references.

Letters should emphasize previous teaching performance or potential and, if applicable, contributions in other service areas to which the department expects the candidate to contribute in their research faculty role at UT.

  • If the letters come in via email, the email message from the referee must be printed out and submitted with the letter of recommendation. That email cannot be from a third party - it must be directly from the referee.

  • If the faculty candidate has not worked from UT for more than three years, new letters of recommendation are required.

  • If the PAR is for a new faculty position other than what the faculty candidate is currently assigned or has been assigned in the past, or is for a position in a different unit, three new letters are required.

  • If the previous PAR is 18 or fewer months old, APS may waive the reference letter requirement on a case-by-case basis. To request a waiver, please submit a request through the Faculty Affairs & Academic Personnel Services Portal, and include the EID, PAR doc ID, and dates of previous reference letters. If the letter requirement is waived, the supporting documentation status for reference letters on the PAR should be marked as "On File," and a copy of APS' approval should be included in the PAR documentation.
6Attachment A: Primary Language Determination Form

If Primary Language is not English, also see Attachments B-D below. 

COE Faculty Affairs can obtain signature on this form during approval routing in DocuSign.

  • If creating a new PAR for a faculty member with a previous PAR on file, it is not necessary to submit another one. Indicate status "On File" in PAR section 7, "Supporting Documentation."

  • See whether a PAR has previously been approved at Faculty Prior Approval Request > select "List PARs/Roster by EID" in the left-hand menu > enter EID in the appropriate field > check box "Get all records for EID"


Only if relevant		Complete these only if Attachment A above indicates that their Primary Language is not English


Attachment B Descriptions of Levels of English ProficiencyDoes not need to be included in PAR packet, but provides definitions for completing Attachment C.
Attachment C Assessment of English Proficiency
Attachment D Appointment Status Recommendation
7

Interfolio EEO report

(If recruiting was not conducted, skip ahead to item 9)


(Replaces former Applicant Pool Statistics Table.)
8Interfolio job posting
(If recruiting was not conducted, skip ahead to item 9)		Printout of job posting from either Interfolio or Faculty Careers - UT AustinPosting number must match the Job ID entered in section 7 of the PAR. 
9, only if relevant

Posting Exemption Request, approved by both Dean and EVPP

Use of Posting Exemption Requests should be limited as much as possible, and used only for Partner Hires, or for exceptional circumstances.
  • Posting exemption request must be approved by both Dean and EVPP before routing PAR for COE Faculty Affairs.

  • If a Posting Waiver was approved in lieu of posting, type "Waiver" in PAR section 7 comments on "Job ID" line.

  • See additional information about posting waivers at COE: Posting Exemption Requests.
Only if relevantEVPP pre-approval documentation
(Research Professor rank only)		Documentation of pre-approval from EVPP for hire made at Research Professor ank.See tab "Process," step 2 for details.
10DRAFT of offer letter

Prepared by hiring department. Include a "DRAFT" watermark on all pages. Draft should not be signed.

Commitment paragraph should clearly describe funding plan for the duration of the proposed appointment. Is bridge funding being provided and, if so, by who and for how long? If bridge funding, or candidate’s external funding ends prior to current contract, what is the plan for the candidate’s employment, e.g. Will the department/college provide funding? If planned external funding is interrupted, what is the unit's plan for funding and for the duration of the position?

Use the appropriate EVPP Offer Letter Template, downloaded new each time to ensure the most current version is being used.

IMPORTANT: The draft does NOT represent an offer of employment, and the letter must not be signed by the prospective faculty member until after the PAR has been approved by the Dean's Office. If a draft is shared, it must be clearly communicated that the draft does not represent a final contract, and is contingent upon the Dean's approval.



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titleOffer letter

Research faculty offer letters

See EVPP: Offer Letter Templates > Departmentalized CSUs.

Contracts for Research faculty are normally for one year only, but can be longer if determined by the Dean to be in the best interest of the institution.

Who writes research faculty offer letters?

Offer letters for research faculty hires are drafted by the hiring departments, in collaboration with any joint hiring departments.  

Where do I find the templates?

In order to ensure the most current template is being used, each offer letter should be drafted based on a newly-downloaded template for the appropriate hire type based on EVPP Departmentalized Offer Letter Templates.

What is the offer letter process?

A draft of the offer letter, including a "DRAFT" watermark on each page, should be included in the PAR packet. The draft offer letter does not represent a promise of employment or any other commitment.

Once the PAR is final-approved by the Dean, COE Faculty Affairs will email the PAR packet signed by the Dean to the department Administrative Manager, indicating that the PAR has been approved. When this email indicating approval has been received, the department can send an offer letter to the candidate. However, all PAR information is thoroughly reviewed in the Provost’s Office to ensure compliance, and if errors are found, corrections will still need to be made even if the contract has been signed by the faculty candidate.

After the offer letter has been signed by the candidate, the Administrative Manager should upload the signed letter to a help ticket in the ServiceNow: Faculty Affairs & APS portal. Once APS has processed the signed offer letter, they will push the hire to Workday.

The department is responsible for maintaining research faculty personnel files, including PARs and offer letters.

Can I share a draft of the offer letter with the candidate prior to PAR final approval?

The department may, if they wish, share the draft with the candidate. It must be clearly indicated via watermark that the copy is a draft, and any associated correspondence must explicitly state that the draft is “pending final modifications and approval of the Dean and Provost.” The draft offer letter should not be signed by anyone, as it does not represent a contract. 


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titlePAR-Workday integration process

PAR-Workday integration process

Upon final approval of the PAR, the following information is brought over to Workday from the PAR, overwriting the initial data entered on the job requisition:

  • Personal information (name and contact information)
  • Job Details (benefits eligibility, Job Profile, FTE, etc.)
  • Compensation
  • Pay Group (determined pay frequency, e.g., monthly)
  • Education
  • Academic Appointment


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Professional Track Faculty Employment Lifecycle

Source: Academic Worker Life Cycle Flow.pptx

Click on image below to enlarge.



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