The most common reasons for terminating a secondary appointment include resignation and non-reappointment. Note that administrative appointments are at-will.
Resignation
All academic personnel have a professional obligation to give a written notice of resignation at the earliest possible opportunity. For specific details about these obligations visit the academic personnel-facing Leaving the UW page.
Faculty can resign a joint appointment by submitting a resignation letter to both the primary and secondary appointing unit.
A partial resignation of a joint appointment that results in a primary appointment with less than 50% FTE will not be approved. As an example, a jointly appointed associate professor must maintain at least one of her/his appointments at 50% because professorial appointments require a minimum appointment threshold of 50%.
Resignation letters for administrative and dual appointments only need to be submitted to the unit in which they are held.
Non-Reappointment
All fixed-term academic appointments must be reviewed for reappointment in the final year of their term. If the eligible academic personnel in an academic appointing unit vote to NOT reappoint one of these appointments, it will expire at the end of its current term. Unit or dean’s/chancellor’s office should notify the faculty member of the decision not to reappoint in accordance with notification deadlines.