Faculty Affiliate Courtesy Appointments

Policy and Procedure for Issuing, Renewing, and Terminating Courtesy Appointments for Faculty Affiliates

The major purpose of making courtesy faculty appointments is to stimulate interaction between the appointee and the students and faculty of the College of Charleston. This interaction could take the form of teaching, advising, research, and/or service.

Courtesy faculty appointments may be offered to persons who visit the College of Charleston from other institutions; who work outside the College and contribute without compensation to a Department, School, or Program; or who otherwise contribute without compensation to a Department, School, or Program. The individual is given the title of Faculty Affiliate, unless some other title is approved by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (e.g., Research Scientist, Executive in Residence, Scholar in Residence, Courtesy Associate Professor of Computer Science).

Courtesy faculty appointments are normally made for three years and should typically be aligned with the academic calendar. Persons with courtesy faculty appointments receive neither salaries nor benefits from the College for the completion of any tasks associated with their courtesy appointments.

Courtesy faculty are subject to all relevant policies, procedures, and other provisions of the College and its units, as described in the Faculty/Administration Manual, at the College’s policy website, and in other statements of policy and procedure as promulgated by the College and its units.  

For more information, please read the Courtesy Faculty Appointment Policy (.PDF).

Making a Courtesy Appointment to a Faculty Affiliate

A Department, School, or Program requesting a courtesy faculty appointment shall: 

  1. Ask a prospective appointee to submit a current curriculum vitae or resume and, ordinarily, a letter of interest indicating how they would contribute to the Department, Program, or School. In addition to the submitted materials, the relevant Dean(s) and/or the Provost may request additional material concerning the background, qualifications, or interests of the individual requesting the courtesy appointment. 
  2. The dean’s office forwards the relevant recommendation(s) for the courtesy appointment, delineating the terms of the appointment, to the Provost Office. Email a copy to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs (cavenyd@cofc.edu) and Amy Goble (gobleap@cofc.edu).
  3. The Provost will send a letter of the appointment to the individual, with copies provided to the appropriate Dean(s), the Department Chair or Program Director, the Vice President of Human Resources, and other relevant administrators. Enclosed or attached will be a Personal Data Sheet and Background Check Form (HR requirement).
  4. All courtesy appointments are subject to completion of background checks, consistent with College Policy 9.2.1, unless an appropriate background check already has been completed and is on file.  (See below for additional requirements depending on whether they will serve as an instructor.*)

Resources Available to Affiliate Faculty

With the approval of the Provost and the relevant Dean(s), individuals given courtesy faculty appointments may receive the following privileges:

  • Be issued a College identification card
  • Be given library privileges
  • Be provided with a College email account
  • Have the courtesy faculty appointment recognized at appropriate College websites and in other published materials
  • Be given the opportunity to purchase a parking permit for a designated College parking lot or parking garage, consistent with other applicable policies or procedures of the College

Individuals requesting College identification cards, library privileges, or email accounts must also complete a Personal Data Sheet and Background Check Form and/or other forms at the director of the Office of Human Resources.  Issuance of an identification card and provisions for library privileges and an email account are not guaranteed and, with the approval of the Provost, may be denied at any time to a colleague with a courtesy faculty appointment for any reason or for no reason.  Identification cards, library privileges, and email accounts for one or more members of the courtesy faculty may be canceled or eliminated at any time, at the sole discretion of the Provost, even if the courtesy appointment is continued. 

Affiliate Faculty Serving as Instructors of Record

*Individuals with courtesy faculty appointments who wish to serve as Instructors of Record, including those wishing to supervise theses or independent projects, must also have an approved teaching appointment via the Teaching Effort Appointment Process for adjunct, affiliate, overload, and retired faculty and credentialed by their Department, Program, or School, consistent with the provisions of the Divisional Policy on Instructors of Record and Faculty Credentials.  These faculty must submit official graduate transcript(s) and any other required credentials documentation, as required by institutional and divisional policies. 

Please note: Faculty affiliates who will teach (including those faculty in our joint programs or graduate programs) first receive the courtesy appointment letter. Once accepted, a CWID is issued and an online Teaching Effort appointment may be processed at the appropriate time for their courses with an amount equal to $0. Please do not submit a paper appointment form for courtesy appointed faculty affiliates. It is important that they receive the letter initially, which will have the terms of their affiliation and the Personal Data Sheet and Background Check Form enclosed. 

Termination of Courtesy Appointments

Individuals who wish to resign courtesy appointments should submit an appropriate resignation letter to the Provost and the relevant Dean.  The President or Provost may terminate a courtesy appointment at any time without notice or reason. 

Please note: Supplemental faculty (adjunct, affiliate, staff, and retired faculty) are subject to the audit and termination process.

Related Policies, Documents or Forms

Faculty/Administration Manual

Policy 9.2.1, “Background Checks Policy”

Divisional Policy on Instructors of Record and Faculty Credentials