Office of Academic Affairs

POLICY ON THE USE OF THE 'V' CATEGORY FOR HIRING FACULTY IN THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Approved by Faculty: 08/28/1996

  1. The EOP and University Counsel Offices of UNM have approved the use of the V category to hire faculty in the SOM as Visiting Faculty for up to three years before becoming either Clinician Educators (C) or Tenure Track (T) faculty.

  2. The 'V' category is appropriate for clinical faculty in the SOM who may need some time to determine whether or not their professional goals and talents include the production of scholarly, peer-reviewed works as well as patient care and teaching, i.e., whether they should be in the Clinician-Educator track or the tenure track.

  3. The 'V' category is appropriate for some basic science faculty in the SOM to allow them to establish their teaching and research base before starting the tenure clock.

  4. Positions must be advertised nationally in accordance with approved EOP language and guidelines as open positions that can be filled by faculty who will have visiting, clinician educator, or tenure track status.

  5. The decision concerning the appropriate category for a prospective faculty member should be made by the candidate, the chair or director of the hiring unit, and the Dean, based on the experience, credentials, funding history, and publication history of the individual.

  6. Basic Science departments must have a tenure-track position available to and committed to the person hired in the 'V' category.

  7. Persons in the 'V' category will have the title 'Assistant Professor.' Only their contracts will show that they are Visiting Faculty.

  8. The 'V' category is defined in the Faculty Handbook (A-28) as a temporary position. Persons holding temporary appointments are not members of the voting faculty (A-8). As a matter of policy, however, the SOM has designated 'V' faculty as voting faculty of the SOM.

  9. The terms of the appointment, including the basis and timing of a conversion to the tenure track or the CE track must be included in the letter of offer.