Provost Guidance on Concurrent Appointments
This guidance is issued to provide interpretation of Faculty Handbook Section 8.1.2 Concurrent Appointments. The policy “permits a faculty member to be employed full-time [at Auburn University] and to accept an appointment in another institution to teach a course of not more than three semester hours.” All faculty should be familiar with the full policy; this guidance is not intended to cover all possible scenarios or answer all questions. Faculty should begin all discussions about concurrent appointments with their immediate supervisor (e.g., chair, head, director, dean) before reaching out to other units such as the Office of the Provost.
Guidance
The faculty member must receive permission in advance for the concurrent appointment. Faculty should submit their request at https://endeavor.auburn.edu at least five working days prior to beginning the concurrent appointment. Requests must be submitted for each concurrent appointment each semester even if repeated for multiple semesters.
Once approval is granted the faculty member must update their conflict-of-interest disclosure at https://endeavor.auburn.edu. Concurrent appointments are considered outside professional activity. The appointment could also constitute a foreign affiliation if it is with an institution outside of the United States.
Departmental, school and college administrators should not prohibit faculty from engaging in concurrent appointments unless the concurrent appointment presents negative consequences for Auburn. If there is a perceived conflict of interest, then a conflict-of-interest management plan must be sought in lieu of denying the concurrent appointment. Conflicts of interest are reported at https://endeavor.auburn.edu.
The policy allows for one three credit hour course per semester, so that the concurrent appointment does not create a conflict of commitment and require time that detracts from the faculty member’s responsibilities at Auburn University. However, a faculty member can be approved for additional concurrent appointment work provided they have the written support of their supervisor.
The submission of a concurrent appointment request is not required for semesters in which the faculty member is not employed 100% by Auburn University such as in the summer terms (for 9-month faculty appointments) and when the faculty member is on any approved leave of absence from Auburn.
The Concurrent Appointment Policy applies to all levels of full-time faculty (assistant, associate, full, clinical, adjunct, instructor, lecturer, etc.), and therefore all full-time faculty must comply with the policy and guidelines.
