Voluntary Faculty Guidelines Clarification

The Guidelines stipulate what constitutes departmental service and the accounting of that service in order to obtain appointments and promotions. This document clarifies 2 aspects of service- (1) individuals who are affiliated with another academic institution, and (2) board certified radiologists who are still in a training program.

(1) Individuals who are affiliated with another academic institution.
University policy discourages appointments for individuals who are affiliated with another academic institution for more than a semester or 2. As such, appointments will be granted only if there are special circumstances for such appointments as determined by the Voluntary Faculty Committee, and Provost (as described in the Yale Faculty Handbook section below). For those persons performing joint research projects with YDR faculty, an Adjunct rank is more appropriate and requires a YDR sponsor.

(2) Board certified radiologists who are still in a training program.
The voluntary rank was not created for trainees or fellows. They will not be eligible for the Voluntary Faculty rank until successful completion of their training, except with special provision by the Chair.

From the Yale Faculty Handbook:

VI. Visiting Appointments: University-wide

A. General Policy

Faculty from other academic institutions are often invited to Yale to teach for a semester or an academic year, and on rare occasions for more than one year. Visiting faculty members on salaried appointments for one semester or longer are eligible for health benefits and in special circumstances may receive contributions toward retirement. (See Section VIII.D.2.) Persons who hold academic teaching appointments in an established college or university and who are appointed to a visiting teaching position at Yale will be given a title at Yale which is at the same or equivalent to the title they hold at their home institutions. Except in the School of Architecture, visiting faculty who concurrently do not hold regular academic rank at another institution will be appointed as lecturers.

The University seldom makes appointments of visiting faculty who during their Yale appointments hold full-time teaching appointments in other institutions. Where a special situation requires the appointment of a part-time visitor, approval of the Yale Provost and the dean or provost of the visitor’s institution is required before the appointment may be offered.

B. Visiting Research Faculty

This category is reserved for persons affiliated with other institutions whose participation for limited periods in sponsored research administered by Yale will be of mutual benefit. Such persons will normally have at least two years of research experience following the Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree. The appointee is normally financed by Yale-administered grant or contract funds. Salaries of visiting research faculty will not exceed the salary offered by the home institution. The title will be comparable to that held at the individual’s home institution, with the prefix “visiting.”

In the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, visiting research scientist/scholar appointments must be approved by the Provost’s Office. In the professional schools they must be approved by the dean.

C. Visiting Fellow

This title is given to established scholars and other distinguished individuals—faculty on leave from other institutions, government officials, journalists, writers, and the like—whose associations with the University and residence in the community for a limited period will be of mutual benefit. No teaching or work for the University is required, and visiting fellows are not members of the faculty. Nor are visiting fellows Yale employees. They receive no compensation from the University and are therefore not eligible for participation in Yale’s fringe benefit plans.