2.2.1 Definitions
Formerly Known As Policy Number: 2.2.2, 23.1
"General Personnel Policies" has been re-named to "Equal Employment Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action Policy" is now located at 1.7.4.
This Guide Memo defines various types of academic and non-academic employees, and other groups who have a specified relationship with the University.
Applicability: Applies to faculty, staff, students and others who have relationships with the University. For policies that apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, refer to the agreements at Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining.
1. Professoriate
The Professoriate consists of the tenure line professoriate, the non-tenure line professoriate, and the Medical Center Line. Appointments to the Professoriate require approval by the department chair, school dean, Provost, Advisory Board of the Academic Council, and the President of the University.
a. Tenure Line Professoriate
Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor. Members of the Tenure Line Professoriate are members of the Academic Council. Professors are normally appointed with tenure; i.e., without limit of time. Associate Professors may be appointed either for a term of years or with tenure. Assistant Professors are appointed for a term of years. Individuals appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor with a "Subject to Ph.D." contingency are not members of the Academic Council until official confirmation of completion of Ph.D. requirements is received.
b. Non-tenure Line Professoriate
Professor or Associate Professor followed by the parenthetical designation (Clinical), (Performance), (Research), or (Teaching); Assistant Professor (Research); and Professor (Applied Research). The "Performance" designation is used in the fine arts, "Clinical" in the Medical School, and "Applied Research" at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC). Members of the non-tenure line professoriate are members of the Academic Council.
c. University Medical Line
Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor of "Subject" at "a specified Medical Center," such as the Stanford University Medical Center or the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Faculty in the University Medical Line are voting members of the Faculty Council of the Medical School but are not members of the Academic Council. They are eligible to vote on departmental and school matters according to departmental and school policies, and to serve on faculty committees, except for those specifically reserved for Academic Council members.
2. Academic Appointments in Specified Policy Centers and Institutes
a. Senior Fellow
Senior Fellows at specified policy centers and institutes are members of the Academic Council. Their appointments are for a specific period of time or for a continuing term (subject to programmatic need and/or funding) and are not in the tenure line. (Note: Senior Fellows at the Hoover Institution are not members of the Academic Council. Their appointments require different procedures.)
b. Center Fellow
Center Fellows are not members of the Academic Council. Appointments are for a specific period, renewable, and contingent on programmatic need and/or funding.
3. Academic Staff
Non-professorial academic staff is comprised of the teaching staff (Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Advanced Lecturers, and Artists-in-Residence), research staff (Research Scientists, Senior Research Scientists, Senior Research Engineers, Senior Research Scholars), and professional library staff (Librarian 1, Librarian 2, Librarian 3, Librarian 4, Library Manager 1, Library Manager 2). These appointments are made for a specific period of time, for a continuing term (subject to satisfactory performance, programmatic need, or financial support), or for the duration of an administrative appointment or project. Procedures for Academic Staff-Teaching appointments are established by the Provost's Office. Procedures for Academic Staff-Research are established by the Office of the Dean of Research. Academic staff are not members of the Academic Council.
4. Other Teaching Titles
Appointments to the following positions require approval of the department chair and school dean. These appointments may be for a specific period of time or for a continuing term (subject to programmatic need and/or funding), with or without salary, and for various percentages of time. Other Teaching Title appointees are not members of the Academic Council. Individuals in any of the following categories who teach academic courses for credit and who receive compensation from Stanford must be Stanford employees, paid through normal payroll procedures.
- Acting Professor, Acting Associate Professor, Acting Assistant Professor, Acting Instructor
- Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting Assistant Professor, Visiting Instructor, Visiting Lecturer
- Adjunct Professor and Adjunct Lecturer
- Adjunct Clinical Professor, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Adjunct Clinical Instructor. See Voluntary Clinical Appointments and Faculty Handbook Chapter 6: Adjunct Clinical Faculty
- (By Courtesy) Appointments
- Teaching Specialist
- Instructor Role
- Clinician Educator Role
5. Postdoctoral Scholars, Postdoctoral Fellows and Postdoctoral Research Affiliates (Postdocs)
A Stanford postdoctoral scholar is a non-matriculated trainee, in graduate student status, in residence at Stanford University pursuing advanced studies beyond the doctoral level in preparation for an independent career. Postdoctoral Scholars are appointed for a limited period of time and may participate on Stanford research projects and/or may be supported by external awards or fellowships. In all cases, their appointment at Stanford is for the purpose of advanced studies, research, and training under the mentorship of a Stanford faculty member. For more information, see the Research Policy Handbook.
6. Visiting Scholars
Guests of the University who are pursuing individual research or other scholarly activities. Visiting scholars must hold a doctoral degree (or be a recognized expert in their field) and be from an outside institution or organization. "Visiting scholars" do not receive compensation or benefits provided for students, faculty, or staff. They are sponsored by schools or academic departments and have certain courtesy privileges.
7. Staff Employees
Individuals on the University payroll who are not Stanford students, faculty, academic staff, other teaching staff or postdoctoral research affiliates. "Staff employees" are subject to appointment procedures and terms set forth in memos of the Administrative Guide or applicable collective bargaining agreements. SLAC Senior and Distinguished Scientists and Engineers are regular staff employees subject to the terms set in the Administrative Guide memos. In addition, Clinician/Educators and Instructors are staff employees subject to the terms set in the Administrative Guide memos except that procedures for appointments, pay, time off with pay, and grievance review are established by the Dean of the School of Medicine.
For more information about Clinician/Educators and Instructors, see:http://med.stanford.edu/academicaffairs/faculty.html
8. Regular Employees
Employees have "regular" status when appointed at 50% FTE or more for at least six consecutive months, or as described in the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Regular status is a requirement for most health and welfare benefit plans and programs. In the Administrative Guide, "benefits-eligible" refers to regular employees who are eligible for University sponsored health and welfare benefits.
9. Casual Employees
Employees on the University payroll appointed less than 50% FTE and work no more than 980 hours during the calendar year for all job assignments. [Note: Departments may elect a discretionary limit of less than 980 hours based on their business need.] Once a casual employee reaches the 980-hour limit, the position should be posted and filled as a regular, benefits-eligible employee on the University payroll for any further work in the same calendar year. An individual should not be hired or rehired into a casual position if it can reasonably be anticipated that the assignment will result in the employee working 980 hours or more in a calendar year as a casual (or temporary) employee.
10. Temporary Employees
Employees on the University payroll appointed at 50% FTE or more for no longer than six consecutive months and work no more than 980 hours during the six-month period for all job assignments. [Note: Departments may elect a discretionary limit of less than 980 hours based on their business need.] Once a temporary employee reaches the 980-hour limit, the position should be posted and filled as a regular, benefits-eligible employee on the University payroll for any further work in the same calendar year. An individual should not be hired or rehired into a temporary position if it can reasonably be anticipated that the assignment will result in the employee working 980 hours or more in a calendar year as a temporary (or casual) employee.
Important Notes on CASUAL and TEMPORARY Employees:
- If duties are technical, maintenance, or service, employees may be appointed at 50% FTE or more for no longer than four consecutive months.
- Temporary and casual employees are not regular employees. Temporary or casual employees are considered "at-will” for the duration of their employment. This means that employment can be terminated by either the employee or the university at any time and for any reason, or no reason, with or without notice.
- An individual may be hired in a regular benefits-eligible position at any time after reaching the 980-hour maximum, as long as their meets all employment requirements. Admin Guide Memo 2.1.2: Recruiting and Hiring of Regular Staff, outlines information about employment preference provided to temporary or casual staff.
- Temporary and casual employees are not guaranteed a particular number of hours per week or duration of assignment.
11. Stanford Student Employees
Employees who are registered Stanford students have "student" status excepting those whose employment is totally independent of and unrelated to their Stanford student role. Stanford students who are not currently registered are considered casual or temporary employees.
12. Exempt Employees
All University employees, including students, faculty, and staff are subject to federal and state requirements regarding minimum wages, payment for overtime work, and related record keeping. However, employees may be exempt from the overtime pay and record keeping requirements when they occupy bona fide professional, managerial, or executive positions. At Stanford, "exempt" positions typically include executive officers, faculty, academic staff, other teaching staff, and certain professional, administrative, and executive staff. The Vice President of Human Resources, in accordance with provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and regulations of the U.S. Department of Labor determines exempt status.
13. Non-exempt Employees
These are the employees who are not "exempt" under federal and state overtime regulations. They must receive compensation for overtime work.
14. Salary Basis of Compensation
A "salary," as distinguished from an "hourly wage" is compensation established by the month (e.g. $1,000 per month) with the amount remaining the same each month without regard to the variations from month to month in the normal number of working hours (e.g., in 2010 a salaried full-time employee received the same salary for January with 184 working hours and for February with 160 working hours.)
15. Hourly Basis of Compensation
Compensation established on an hourly basis, so that pay varies with the actual number of hours worked (or on paid leave) in each pay period.
16. Pay Period
Each month has two pay periods: The first day of the month through the 15th and the 16th through the last day of the month. Paychecks are issued on the workday that falls on or immediately prior to the seventh calendar day after the end of each pay period.
17. Staff Benefits
Plans and programs made available by the University for the benefit of faculty and staff. Included are legally required programs such as Social Security and short-term disability insurance, as well as University programs such as health plans, personal and life insurance, disability income plans, education and training plans, retirement income plans, and recreation facilities.
18. Term (Duration of Employment)
All faculty and staff have one of the following appointment terms:
a. Continuing
Without a specified duration or time limit.
b. Fixed-term
Appointment is for a fixed duration with a specified ending date. Such appointments can be ended prior to the designated end date consistent with the policies applicable to each specific employee classification.
19. Base Pay
Base Pay is the hourly rate or monthly salary paid for a job performed. It does not include any premium pay, e.g., overtime, shift differentials, supplemental pay, or any pay element other than the base rate.
20. Regular Pay
Regular Pay is the hourly rate or monthly salary paid for a job performed, including any premium pay, e.g., shift differentials, supplemental pay, or any pay element other than the base rate.