Zero Percent Appointments

The University Libraries provide the opportunity for zero-percent appointments to individuals when their work enhances the services and/or research of the Library and its faculty. Affiliated Library faculty members serving zero-time appointments may be regular attendees of Library faculty meetings, participate in Library communication, and serve on Library committees and working groups.

To become an affiliated University Library faculty member with a zero-percent appointment, a candidate must be nominated by a current Library faculty member. The candidate must be a faculty member, instructor, or academic professional in another unit on the University of Illinois campus and must be engaged, or wish to become engaged, in substantive collaboration with Library faculty.  Zero Percent Appointments may be permanent or temporary. If the appointment is not permanent, every two years following the initial appointment the affiliated faculty member must send a letter to the University Librarian describing his or her engagement with The University Libraries. Based on this information, the University Librarian may continue the appointment for an additional two years.  If no letter is received from the affiliated faculty member, the temporary appointment terminates automatically.

Criteria:

  • Work extends and enriches the work of the University Library
  • Faculty, Instructor, or Academic Professional with an appointment on UIUC campus or equivalent rank
  • Desire to substantially collaborate with library faculty

Benefits and responsibilities:

  • Subscription to LIBFAC listserv
  • Attendance at faculty meetings
  • Eligible for appointment to Library committees and working groups
  • Other responsibilities and benefits as determined at time of appointment

Procedure:

  • A current library faculty member writes a nomination letter to the University Librarian addressing the criteria above and recommending either a permanent zero percent appointment or a two-year renewable appointment.
  • The Library Executive committee advises the University Librarian on the appropriateness of the appointment and whether it should be a permanent appointment or two year renewable appointment.
  • The University Librarian recommends the extension of a zero-time appointment to the full faculty.  The faculty as a whole vote on the extension of privileges.
  • If the appointment is renewable, by May 15 of the second full academic year after the appointment starts, the affiliated faculty member writes a letter to the University Librarian requesting continued appointment and describing his or her continued engagement with library. The Library Executive Committee advises the University Librarian on whether or not to continue affiliated faculty’s appointment.
  • If no letter is received from the affiliated faculty member, the appointment automatically terminates.

Approved by Library Executive Committee July 8, 2013.

 

From Provost’s Communication 3: 

F. 0% Faculty Appointments (Attachment 6)

1. 0% FACULTY APPOINTMENTS FOR FACULTY MEMBERS BUDGETED IN ANOTHER UNIT

Most 0% appointments are extended by academic departments to members of the tenure track faculty who are fully budgeted in one or two other units. It is not necessary to obtain the Provost’s approval in such cases, except as required to preserve two-level review of faculty appointments.

Tenure will not be approved for any new 0% appointment.

2. 0% FACULTY APPOINTMENTS FOR ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS

Occasionally it is appropriate for persons who are fully salaried as academic professionals also to be granted 0% faculty appointments. Usually such a faculty appointment is associated with a position that carries teaching responsibilities along with the operational or administrative duties of the academic professional component.

The critical elements are:

∞ That the individual possess legitimate qualifications for appointment to the faculty.

∞ That he or she will make identifiable contributions to the teaching program at a level of responsibility consistent with a faculty appointment.

It is not appropriate to grant 0% faculty appointments casually as favors or to use them merely to make an academic professional position seem more attractive to potential candidates.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs has ruled that any new 0% faculty appointments for academic professionals, at a rank of assistant professor or above, must be approved personally by the Provost. Deans or directors reporting to the Provost have authority to approve 0% appointments as lecturers, instructors and teaching associates.

cover sheet when requesting a 0% appointment: http://www.provost.illinois.edu/communication/03/Comm03_attach6.pdf