Visiting, Voluntary, Joint Appointments

Voluntary Faculty Appointments

Appointment to the voluntary faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California is an honor. It recognizes those who voluntarily donate their time and energies to assist in teaching, patient care, and/or research within our institution. You can find further details in the Voluntary Faculty Guidelines (KSOM)

• Recommendation for Voluntary Faculty Appointment Request Form

Visiting Scholar Appointments

A Visiting Scholar is an individual on a temporary appointment who is: (a) on leave from another university or college; (b) on leave from industry, government, an artistic career, or the professions; or (c) citizens of another country limited by their visas to temporary service, and who also satisfy either clause (a) or clause (b). This appointment is inappropriate for other faculty hired short-term or temporary.

The department’s request to OFAAI for a visiting scholar appointment must include the following:

• a letter of support from the department chair, including dates when the candidate will be visiting and the work they will be performing
• the candidate’s CV

Dual and Joint Appointments

Faculty at the Keck School of Medicine may hold dual appointments within other departments or institutes at Keck or joint appointments in other USC schools.

When no financial or resource support is provided by the secondary unit, the appointment is considered a courtesy appointment. While courtesy appointments may allow faculty to supervise graduate students within the secondary unit, that unit holds no financial responsibility for the faculty member.

Dual or joint appointments that involve salary or other forms of support from the secondary unit require formal agreements (MOU).  For dual appointments within Keck, approval is required from both department chairs and the Dean. For joint appointments across schools, approval is required from both department chairs, both Deans and the Provost. Even if support is equally shared, one unit must be designated as the primary appointment, and one as secondary, to ensure clear oversight and responsibility.

Secondary appointments are usually time-limited, unless the faculty member holds tenure, in which case they can be continuous. These appointments are subject to the criteria of the secondary unit, which may include participation in teaching, research, mentoring, or graduate training. If these expectations are not met, the secondary appointment may be withdrawn.

When faculty are considered for promotion or tenure on any track, the secondary unit must be involved in the review process. However, tenure can only be granted by the primary unit.

The department’s request to OFAAI for a dual/joint appointment must include the following:

• Completed JAC checklist [pdf]
• A letter of support from the secondary department chair
• If the request is for a joint appointment in another school at USC (Viterbi, Rossier, Pharmacy), include the results of a faculty vote
• The candidate’s CV

Please contact the Keck Office for Faculty Affairs for information about establishing a secondary appointment.