Adding Joint Appointments
Joint appointments recognize a faculty member’s long-term commitment to, and participation in, two or more academic appointing units. One appointing unit shall be designated as primary and the other(s) secondary. The primary unit is responsible for administering and/or coordinating major personnel actions like the promotion and tenure process and compensation changes. Unless otherwise allowed for by policy, a joint appointment can only be changed with the concurrence of the faculty member and the appointing units.
In a situation where the tenure is split between a 9-month appointing unit and a 12-month appointing unit, the 9-month appointing unit must be the primary unit.
Joint Hire Packet Requirements
PDF 1
- Offer letter signed by hiring authority and signed or acknowledged by appointee
PDF 2
- Chair/director’s letter from new joint unit
- Faculty vote (including: for, against, abstaining, absent, and total number of eligible voters)
- Concurrence from dean/chancellor of primary unit’s school
- Letters of recommendation (3 preferred, 1 mandatory)
- Joint appointment tenure (eligibility) agreement (for tenure eligible or tenured faculty members)
- Joint appointment tenure (eligibility) allocation confirmation (for tenure eligible or tenured faculty members)
- MOU, if available
Unit Responsibilities
Personnel determinations (salaries, promotions, leave, etc.) are the responsibility of the primary unit, but may be proposed by a secondary unit. The primary and secondary unit(s) must agree before any actions are taken.
Voting Eligibility
A faculty member’s voting eligibility in a secondary unit must be clarified in the initial secondary appointment offer. This will be used to determine the quorum for faculty votes.
Split Tenure (Eligibility)
When a faculty member has a primary tenured or tenure-track professorial appointment and a secondary joint appointment, there needs to be an agreement between the units about whether or how tenure (eligibility) will be split.
These arrangements need to be documented at the time of hire for the tenure or tenure-track professorial appointment types.
Tenure (Eligibility) Split Allocation Options
50%/50%
67%/33% (majority must be with primary unit)
Tenure Allocations Examples
In many joint appointments, tenure (eligibility) is often concentrated in the primary unit (i.e., 100% tenure in primary unit and 0% in secondary unit). In such cases, professorial duties may be assigned in the secondary unit(s), who may decide to share in the funding of the appointment.
| Primary Appointment (Primary unit) | Tenure (eligibility) | Joint Appointment (Secondary unit) | Tenure (eligibility) |
| Professor | 100% | Professor | 0% |
| Associate Professor | 50% | Associate Professor | 50% |
| Assistant Professor | 67% | Assistant Professor | 33% |
| Professor Tenure Track | (100%) | Professor Tenure Track | (0%) |
| Associate Professor Tenure Track | (50%) | Associate Professor Tenure Track | (50%) |
Changing Tenure (Eligibility) Allocations for Joint Appointments
The tenure (eligibility) allocations for a joint appointment may be changed by agreement between the faculty member and the relevant units upon consultation with the Office of Academic Personnel.
Changing Primary Units
While academic personnel may have multiple academic appointments, there must be only one primary appointment. OAP’s Changing the primary unit page outlines scenarios and processes for changing secondary appointments to primary.
Promotion and Tenure Procedures
Per UW Faculty Code Section 24-34 B, the promotion and tenure process must include a full review by all units associated with a joint appointment. The primary unit should lead the coordination of this process across all associated units.
Adding Administrative Appointments
Administrative appointments are granted to academic personnel employees who also hold current academic appointments at UW. For more details about these titles including hiring packet requirements, visit the Administrative Appointments page.
Adding Dual Appointments
Adding Adjunct Appointments
For more details about these titles including hiring packet requirements, visit the Adjunct Appointments page.
Adding Endowed Appointments
For more details about these appointments including hiring packet requirements, visit the Endowments page.
Adding Concurrent Independent Appointments
Hire packet requirements are as indicated for each appointment on the individual Academic Titles and Ranks pages.
Unit Responsibilities
Personnel determinations (salaries, promotions, leave, etc.) are the responsibility of the primary unit, but may be proposed by a secondary unit. The primary and secondary unit(s) must agree before any actions are taken.
Voting Eligibility
Dual appointments do not have voting eligibility.
Promotion and Tenure Procedures
In the case of adjunct and concurrent independent appointments, if the primary appointment is being considered for promotion and tenure, the dual appointment must also be considered. If a faculty member is actively under review for promotion and/or tenure, units should wait to offer them an adjunct appointment until after the promotion and/or tenure decision effective date. The adjunct appointment should match the rank of the promoted title (e.g., an associate professor would hold an adjunct associate professor title).
Endowed appointments are not subject to the promotion and tenure process.