Assigned Research Appointments

Apr 24, 2018

Scope: Who is Covered by this Policy?

Tenured and Tenure Eligible Faculty

Policy

On-Campus

An Assigned Research Appointment provides for disciplinary and pedagogical research by releasing a tenured or tenure eligible faculty member from teaching for one semester. It assumes that the appointee will continue University assignments other than classroom teaching and, therefore, requires the appointee’s presence on campus.

The terms of this program provide for release from teaching, full salary, the continuation of benefits based on full salary, and eligibility for salary increment and promotion.

The program is crucially important for extending the frontiers of knowledge. Specifics of the program are outlined below.

Application for Assigned Research is initiated through the department chair to the dean, Provost, and the President. Final approval must be given by the President. The number of such appointments that can be approved in any given semester will depend in part upon the ability of the department in question and the University to meet all their obligations.
A reduced load for Assigned Research shall not normally be deemed to affect the eligibility of an individual member under the University’s Faculty Improvement Program.
The appointment of a faculty member to Assigned Research ordinarily does not involve additional funding for a department. The application must indicate how the department will cover the load of the faculty member.
Criteria for successful Assigned Research proposals may include but are not restricted to
the significance, originality, and feasibility of the project;
the soundness of the methodology proposed;
evidence that the proposer has taken into account the relevant existing work; and
the record of the proposer’s scholarly or creative accomplishment.
Faculty members receiving an appointment for Assigned Research are obligated to remain at Miami during the ensuing academic year and to make a full report of the results of the assignment to the chair, dean, and Provost within ninety (90) days of the completion of the assignment. If a person does not return to Miami University during the ensuing academic year, he or she is expected to reimburse the University a prorated portion of University salary received during the Assigned Research leave for the portion of the post leave year that is not completed.
Anyone on Assigned Research Appointment will devote full time to the specific project and, therefore, will not be engaged in other activities for which remuneration is awarded (except as permitted when teaching full time and with appropriate approval).
Applications for appointment to Assigned Research should be received in the Academic Personnel Services Office by December 1 of the academic year preceding the leave period if one is to receive most favorable consideration.
Questions regarding the program policy and guidelines should be addressed to the Academic Personnel Services Office.

Off-Campus

An Assigned Research Appointment-Off-Campus permits a tenured or tenure eligible member of the faculty to spend a semester conducting research in an off-campus location when the nature of the research project makes absence from campus necessary. Normally, faculty not eligible for a Faculty Improvement Leave will be awarded an Assigned Research Appointment; but in unusual circumstances, when research away from campus is essential, an Assigned Research Appointment -Off-Campus will be granted.

The terms of the program provide (from grant and University sources combined) full salary, the continuation of benefits based on full salary, and eligibility for salary increment and promotion.

Application for an Assigned Research Appointment – Off-Campus is initiated through the department chair to the dean, Provost, and President.
Receipt of an Assigned Research Appointment – Off-Campus normally will not affect the eligibility of a person for a Faculty Improvement Leave.
The application for an Assigned Research Appointment -Off-Campus must indicate how the department will cover the usual duties of the applicant during the semester of appointment, with the understanding that no additional funding for the department will be provided.
Criteria for evaluating applications include, but are not restricted to, the merit of the research project and the record of the proposer’s scholarly or creative accomplishment.
Persons receiving an Assigned Research Appointment -Off-Campus are obligated to remain at Miami during the ensuing academic year and to make a full report of the results of the assignment to the chair, dean, and Provost within ninety (90) days of the completion of the assignment. If a person does not return to Miami University during the ensuing academic year, he or she is expected to reimburse the University a prorated portion of University salary received during the Assigned Research leave for the portion of the post leave year that is not completed.
Anyone on an Assigned Research Appointment -Off-Campus will devote full time to the research project and, therefore, will not be engaged in other activities for which remuneration is awarded.
Applications for an Assigned Research Appointment -Off-Campus should be received in the Academic Personnel Services Office by December 1 of the academic year preceding the leave period if one is to receive most favorable consideration.
Questions regarding the program and its guidelines should be addressed to the Academic Personnel Services Office.

Related Form(s)

Not applicable.

Additional Resources and Procedures

Not applicable.

FAQ

Not applicable.

Policy Administration

Next Review Date

7/1/2023

Responsible Officers

Director of Academic Personnel Services
Assistant Provost for Academic Personnel
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Legal Authority

Not Applicable.

Compliance Policy

Recent Revision History

Edited July 2018

Reference ID(s)

MUPIM 6.7
OAC 3339-6-07

Reviewing Bodies

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs