Secondary Faculty

Ladder faculty who hold a primary appointment in one department, program, or school may hold a secondary (sometimes called “courtesy”) appointment in another. Faculty holding a secondary appointment may be eligible to teach, advise students, and supervise dissertations in the secondary department, program, or school, depending on its customs and policies. The secondary appointment will normally be either for a time not to exceed the term in the primary department or school or for five years, whichever is less.

Secondary Faculty Appointment Process

For both initial appointments and reappointments, the secondary department must seek approval from the ladder faculty member's primary department. The secondary appointment form should be signed by both departments and included in the packet of documents for processing. 

Secondary appointments may be initiated by the department or by the faculty member. Ladder faculty interested in a secondary appointment should reach out to the chair of the department relaying their interest in the secondary appointment.

After a faculty member expresses interest in a secondary appointment, the department chair will decide if they would like to move forward with a secondary appointment and the department chair will schedule a vote with department faculty of the appropriate rank. If the vote is affirmative, the chair’s assistant will gather required documents (see below) and send them to seas.facultyaffairs@yale.edu for processing. 

For reappointments, the Office of Faculty Affairs will reach out six months prior to the end date to remind the department that the secondary appointment is expiring. If the department would like to renew the appointment, the department chair will schedule a vote with the department faculty of the appropriate rank. If the vote is affirmative, the chair’s assistant will gather the required documents (see below) and send them to seas.facultyaffairs@yale.edu for processing.

For secondary faculty who have been promoted in their primary department, the secondary rank may be updated in Workday without a new faculty vote for the remaining time left in the current appointment. This update will be processed by the Office of Faculty Affairs automatically. If the department would like to extend the appointment at the new rank, a new faculty vote must occur in the secondary department.

Required Documents: