Appointment Agreements
Below are links to the University's Appointment Agreements. For all part-time faculty, please refer to the Faculty Eligibility for Benefits Chart in completing the agreement. Include under "Additional Terms" ONLY those benefits for which the faculty member is eligible.
Tenure Track & Tenured Faculty
UMCP Agreement for Appointment to Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Position Intent to Hire template New Faculty Information Form (Only for ranks other than Assistant Professor)
Log in to the Online Contract Administration tool to create contracts for Professional Track Faculty. Intent to Hire Template Presidential Delegation of Signature Authority Memo Delegation of Signature Authority Template Delegation of Signature Authority (Temporary) Template
Non-Paid Appointments
University of Maryland Professor
If appointing a University of Maryland Professor who currently holds an appointment at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, at the level of professor, please follow these guidelines. Also, please use this transmittal form, which is specific to the appointment of University of Maryland, Baltimore professors.
Domestic & Foreign Visitors
Two templates are available for creating an invitation to a domestic visitor. Click the template name to download a copy:
Visiting Researchers - Domestic - Academia & Gov't. This letter is for use with visiting researchers from other academic or research institutions or government agencies. In order to accommodate the IP policies of other universities, research institutions, or government agencies, the Vice President for Research has waived the portion of UMD's IP policy that requires UMD to own any IP developed by the visiting researcher and has instead allowed UMD and the visitor's institution to jointly own any resulting IP. This joint ownership arrangement is reflected in the terms of this letter.
Visiting Researchers - Domestic - Industry. This letter is for use with visiting researchers from industry (e.g., companies). UMD's IP policy requires that UMD owns all resulting IP developed by the corporate visitor; this policy complies with IRS regulations. Any changes to the IP ownership language in the industry letter must be approved by the UMD Vice President for Research; the UMD unit issuing the visiting researcher letter must submit an IP waiver. (See https://ora.umd.edu/resources/fa/waiver-request for additional information about IP waiver requests. Please note that you may need to process the IP waiver through UM Ventures and not ORA. See https://www.umventures.org/about-us/directory/college-park for UM Ventures contact information.)
Visiting Researchers - Foreign. UMD must run an export compliance check on foreign visiting researchers; this means a letter template is not immediately available for download. Click here for more information about the approval process for foreign researchers. Login to the PTK Contracts System to begin the process.
9-mo.
9.5-mo.
10-mo.
Fall Semester 8/23-1/07 8/17-1/07 8/17-1/15
Spring Semester 1/8-5/22 1/8-5/31 1/16-6/15
Academic Year 8/23-5/22 8/17-5/31 8/17-6/15
12-month contracts begin July 1, end June 30.
Appointment Information by Title
Adjunct Appointments
The appointee may be employed outside the University but may not hold another paid appointment at UMCP. The appointment requires the support of the majority of the departmental faculty. The position may be paid or unpaid. For a description and minimum qualifications for these titles, see the University APT Policy Adjunct Title Series.
The faculty member and academic administrators should complete the appropriate Appointment Agreement.
The appointment shall not exceed beyond the end of the fiscal year during which the appointment becomes effective and is renewable.
Please refer to the Faculty Eligibility for Benefits Chart in completing the agreement. Include under "Additional Terms" ONLY those benefits for which the faculty member is eligible.
Faculty members with a 9-month appointment (22 pay periods) who wish to have their academic salaries paid over a 12-month period (26 pay periods) must complete appropriate documentation.
Assistant Professors and Agents
After obtaining the permission of the dean for the appointment, an offer letter may be sent to the selected candidate.
The faculty member and appropriate academic administrators must complete an Appointment Agreement.
A departmental representative needs to forward to the Personnel and Budget Section of the Provost's Office, the following documents for the tenure-track faculty appointment: a signed c.v.; an approved Affirmative Action Employment Report (AAER); and, official proof of Ph.D. or the highest degree attained. The proof can either be a transcript with a seal showing the degree was conferred or a letter from the Registrar of the degree-granting institution. The department's PHR creator needs to create and route an appointment in the Payroll & Human Resources (PHR) system.
Appointments as Assistant Professor/Agent can be for an initial term of one to three years.
At the time of appointment, each new tenure-track faculty member shall be given by the chair or dean a copy of the first level unit's Criteria for Tenure and/or Promotion.
The chair or dean shall discuss the criteria with the faculty member.
By the conclusion of the first semester, the first level unit shall assign senior faculty mentor(s) to all new tenure-track faculty members. Mentors should encourage, support, and assist these faculty members and be available for consulation on matters of professional development.
Appointments may be terminated. However, University policy stipulates specific dates of notice based on the length of service.
A formal review must occur prior to reappointment. Reappointment may be for one to three years. The decision to not renew the appointment also requires specific dates of notice based on the length of service. NOTE that reviews held in the third (and final) year of an appointment will require one year's notice and therefore an extension of their appointment is required. See reappointment or nonrenewal instructions for additional information
Associate Professors and Senior Agents without Tenure
New faculty appointments to the ranks of Associate Professor and Senior Agent without tenure proceed for review and approval by the President based on a recommendation from the Provost, unless questions arise, in which case the President may direct that the proposed appointment undergo an unofficial "tenurability review" by University APT committees prior to presidential consideration.
No offer of appointment to the rank of Associate Professor or Senior Agent without tenure is valid in the absence of presidential approval.
Units hiring associate professors and senior agents without tenure must submit a dossier to the Office of Faculty Affairs for review. The dossier should contain an original proof of degree, a completed New Faculty Appointment Information form, a Dean's letter of support, and Chair's letter of support, the new hire's CV, and external letters of support for the hire.
For additional information and processing a new appointment to Associate Professor or Senior Agent without tenure, see the APT Guidelines.
Associate Professors, Agents with Tenure, Professors and Senior Agents
Submit an electronic copy of the original APT Dossier to the APT website managed by the Office of Faculty Affairs.
New appointments at the rank of Professor and Associate Professor with tenure and Principal and Senior Agent with tenure must be reviewed by faculty committees and administrators at all levels. No offer of appointment at the rank of Associate Professor, Professor, Senior Agent or Principal Agent (regardless of tenure status) is valid without presidential approval. (New Assistant Professor and Agent appointments are not handled by the University APT process.)
Prior to final approval of the President, a letter of intent to hire may be sent after gaining approval of the appointment from the hiring Department's Dean(s). Refer to the Sample Letters of Intent to Hire for a template of such an appointment letter.
New appointments may be submitted at any time. (However, during summer and winter breaks the processing of cases is often slower due to the unavailability of campus APT members.) All requests for new appointments must be accompanied by the New Faculty Appointment Information form that provides the information necessary for presidential approval of the appointment.
Dossiers for new appointments look different from the dossiers of candidates being promoted from within. They lack a Summary of Personal Achievements and a Personal Statement. They should, however, contain as much information as possible on the candidate's performance or potential performance as a teacher, mentor, and advisor, as well as on the candidate's scholarship. External letters of evaluation should be solicited from reviewers suggested by the candidate and from reviewers suggested by the Department. For tenure cases, it is essential that the question of tenure be addressed, both in the departmental APT report and in the external letters. Letters soliciting recommendations for a new tenured appointment should pose the question of whether the candidate merits a tenured appointment. This is especially important if the candidate does not currently hold tenure at an academic institution.
For additional information about processing new appointments through the APT review process, see the APT Guidelines.
For information about new joint appointments, see the Information for Faculty Administrators section in the APT Guidelines.
Upon Presidential approval, the faculty member and appropriate academic administrators should complete an Appointment Agreement.
The department's PHR creator needs to create and route an appointment in the Payroll & Human Resources (PHR) system.
College Park Professors
This title is conferred on nationally distinguished scholars, creative or performing artists, or researchers who would normally qualify for appointment as a professor within the University but they usually hold full time positions elsewhere.
Initial appointment (for a period of three years) must follow the procedures for any appointment for new tenure professors.
Upon Presidential approval, the faculty member and appropriate academic administrators should complete a letter of appointment. Subsequent appointments are renewable for one year, based on recommendations by the unit head and Dean to the Provost.
Appointment renewal (annually) is based on recommendations by the unit head and Dean to the Provost.
Submit an electronic file of the dossier to the Office of the Faculty Affairs.
Appointment to Emeritus Status
The word emerita or emeritus after an academic title shall designate a faculty member who has retired from full-time employment in the University of Maryland at College Park after meritorious service to the University in the areas of teaching, research, or service. Emerita or emeritus status may be conferred on Associate Professors, Professors, Distinguished University Professors, Senior Agents, Principal Agents, Librarians III, Librarians IV, Professors of the Practice, Research Professors, Research Scientists, Research Scholars, Research Engineers, Artists-in-Residence, Principal Agent Associates, Clinical Professors, Principal Lecturers, and Principal Faculty Specialists.
Emeritus/Emerita status can be awarded to faculty members who have been at the University for at least ten years and who are either tenured, have permanent status, or are at the highest rank in their PTK title series. The review is ordinarily conducted during the candidate's last semester of employment. Recommendations for emeritus/a status will only be considered after the faculty member has filed for retirement. Faculty members at or above the candidate's pre-retirement rank are entitled to vote on emeritus/emerita status. Candidates for emeritus/a status are not reviewed by faculty committees beyond the first-level APT committee. Reviews beyond the first level are conducted by the dean, provost, and president.
Dossiers for emeritus/a candidates may be submitted at any time, but the preferred time period is between April 1 and May 15. Please specify the date on which emeritus/a status is to become effective.
For more information, refer to the APT Procedures Manual.
See also Retirement Procedures for information about both the process for retiring and for continuing non-tenured employment.
Research and Field Faculty
For descriptions and minimum qualifications of these title, see the University's Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Policy's definitions at Faculty with Duties Primarily in Research, Scholarship, or Artistic Creativity or Field Faculty.
Faculty Research and Extension Assistants, Research and Faculty Extension Associates
Faculty members with a 9-month appointment (22 pay periods) who wish to have their academic salaries paid over a 12-month period (26 pay periods) must complete appropriate documentation. See University policy)
Assistant and Associate Research Professors, Research Scientists, Research Scholars, Research Engineers, and Artists-in-Residence
These ranks are parallel to Assistant and Associate Professors. The appointment may be made for a term not to exceed three years.
If the appointment is actually a promotion to a higher rank within the title series (e.g. Assistant Research Scientist to Associate Research Scientist), the procedures outlined in the unit's Plan of Organization should be followed. This generally includes a vote of tenured and research faculty at higher ranks and often also calls for college-level approval.
Research Professors, Research Scientists, Research Scholars, Research Engineers, and Senior Artists-in Residence
These ranks are parallel to (full) Professors. The appointment may be made for a term not to exceed five years.
If the appointment is actually a promotion to the highest rank within the title series (e.g. Associate Research Scientist to Research Scientist), the procedures outlined in the unit's Plan of Organization should be followed. This generally includes a vote of (full) professors and research faculty and requires college-level and Provost approval.
For a definition of this title, see the University's Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Policy.
The faculty member and academic administrators should complete the appropriate Appointment Agreement. The initial appointment is typically for one year and subsequent appointments may be for up to three years.
Appointment to this title normally requires the faculty member to have a record of teaching excellence and service over a period of at least six years and requires the approval of the departmental faculty.
The appointment may be made for a term not to exceed five years and is renewable.
Professors of the Practice
To see the description and minimum qualifications for a Professor of the Practice, see the University Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Policy's title definition.
For detailed instructions, see the APT Guidelines.
No offer of appointment to this title may be made before the President has approved the appointment. However, a letter of intent to hire may be sent after gaining approval of the appointment from the hiring Department's Dean(s).
New appointments may be submitted at any time. All requests for new appointments must be accompanied by the New Faculty Appointment Information Form that provides the information that is necessary for presidential approval of the appointment.
Upon Presidential approval, the faculty member and appropriate academic administrators should complete an Appointment Agreement. Appointments may be for as long as 5 years and contracts are renewable.
Faculty members with a 9-month appointment (22 pay periods) who wish to have their academic salaries paid over a 12-month period (26 pay periods) must complete appropriate documentation. (See University policy)
The department's PHR creator needs to create and route a PHR appointment.
The prefix Visiting before an academic title, e.g., Visiting Professor, shall be used to designate a short-term professorial appointment without tenure.
Non-Renewal / Termination
Tenure Track Faculty
Non-Renewal Instruction
The first year of the initial appointment shall be a probationary year, and the appointment may be terminated at the end of that fiscal year if the appointee is so notified by March 1.
In the event that the initial appointment is for two years, the appointment may be terminated if the appointee is so notified by December 15 of the second year.
After the second year of the initial appointment, the appointee shall be given one full year's notice if it is the intention of the University not to renew the appointment. If the appointee does not receive timely notification of nonrenewal, the initial appointment shall be extended for one additional year.
Note that the formal intermediate review of tenure-track faculty often takes place in the third (and final) year of the initial appointment. Hence, in order to provide the required timely notification, the faculty member should be given a one year terminal appointment.
Termination Instructions
For tenure track faculty, a term of service may be terminated by the appointee by resignation, but it is expressly agreed that no resignation shall become effective until the termination of the appointment period in which the resignation is offered except by mutual agreement between the appointee and the President.
For tenured and tenure track faculty, the President may terminate the appointment of a tenure-track appointee for moral turpitude, professional or scholarly misconduct, incompetence, or willful neglect of duty, provided that the charges be stated in writing, that the appointee be furnished a copy thereof, and that the appointee be given an opportunity prior to such termination to request a hearing by an impartial hearing officer appointed by the chief executive officer or a faculty board of review as provided for by the relevant institutional policy body. For additional information, see USM Policy II - 1.00 7 & 8.
The University may terminate any appointment because of the discontinuance of the department, program, school or unit in which the appointment was made; or because of the lack of appropriations or other funds with which to support the appointment. Such decisions must be made in accordance with standards and procedures set forth in written institutional policies.
Appointments shall terminate upon the death of the appointee.
Non-Renewal Instructions
Faculty with continuous full-time service of less than seven years must be provided written notice on non-renewal at least 90 days prior to the end of the appointment term.
If such service is for seven years or more, the notice period is at least six months.
In all other cases, e.g., part-time faculty, faculty whose appointment term is less than an academic year, or full-time faculty with discontinuous service, the notice period is at least 30 days.
If the length of required notice of non-renewal cannot be completed within the time remaining in the appointment term, this may be remedied by extending the Agreement by the number of days necessary to complete the notice requirement.
For more information, see the Policy on Notification for Professional Track Faculty Contract changes.
University contract language details five reasons that a professional track faculty member's appointment may be terminated.
Before terminating a faculty appointment prior to the end of term, it is recommended that the unit head consult with the Office of General Counsel.
Change in Appointment Term
Faculty who wish to change from a 9.5 or 10 month contract to an Academic Year (9 month) contract must complete the Request For Change In University Of Maryland Appointment Agreement form. Faculty members who are currently on 12-month appointments may request, after consultation with their department chair, a change in the fraction of their salary provided by the State. If approved, the change should be reflected in PHR. The change must be consistent with the policy adopted by the faculty member's college.
The form should be signed by the faculty member's department chair and dean. Faculty who have joint appointments must obtain the endorsement of the heads of both units, and if the appointment spans two colleges, both deans. By March 15th, the signed form should be sent to the Office of Faculty Affairs, 2117 Main Administration Building, for certification. If the faculty member is changing to a 12-month appointment, the signed form must be accompanied by a letter explaining why the conversion is appropriate and what will happen to the faculty member's salary and leave balances when he/she returns to an Academic Year (9-month) appointment.
Upon verification of the information and obtaining final approval from the Provost, the Associate Provost will retain the original and disseminate copies to the faculty member, dean, department chair, and Payroll Office. In order for the change in appointment status to be effective at the beginning of the next fiscal year, the appointment change request must arrive at the Office of the Associate Provost by the preceding March 15th.
Faculty who end a 12-month academic administrator appointment (in which they have been eligible to accrue annual leave) to return to an academic year faculty appointment (in which they will be ineligible to accrue leave) will receive a pay-out of the value of unused accrued annual leave at the time of conversion. Neither the pay-out nor the accrued leave may be banked by the faculty member for future use. See VII-7.00 Policy on Annual Leave for Nonexempt and Exempt Staff Employees.
Table of Contents 1 - Tenure Track & Tenured Faculty 1.1 - Forms & Templates 2 - Professional Track Faculty 2.1 - Non-Paid Appointments 3 - Effective Dates 4 - Appointment Information by Title 4.1 - Adjunct Appointments 4.2 - Assistant Professors and Agents 4.3 - Associate Professors and Senior Agents without Tenure 4.4 - Associate Professors, Agents with Tenure, Professors and Senior Agents 4.5 - College Park Professors 4.6 - Appointment to Emeritus Status 4.7 - Research and Field Faculty 4.8 - Lecturers 4.9 - Senior Lecturers 4.10 - Professors of the Practice 4.11 - Visiting Faculty 5 - Non-Renewal / Termination 5.1 - Tenure Track Faculty 5.2 - Tenured and Tenure Track Faculty 5.3 - Professional Track Faculty 6 - Change in Appointment Term
Change to FTE