The process of hiring part-time faculty members originates with the department head. The department head completes a New Hire Request Form and the department coordinator initiates the Hire process in Workday and submits in Workday the new Hire Request Form signed by the department head, the new faculty member's current cv and a Course/Section Revision Form, Course Proposal, or Staffing Form which identify the assignment being filled.
Until the Academic Affairs reviews and approves the Hire, no employment offer is official. Please be mindful in conversations with potential faculty members that all offers of employment to part-time faculty positions come from Academic Affairs; no preliminary discussions are considered a commitment to course or salary level. The department head and dean recommend hiring to Academic Affairs.
New part-time faculty members (even late hires, whose contracts may not be ready), or those who did not teach at RISD during 2018/19, must complete onboarding documents in Workday and complete the I9 employment eligibility form required by Federal law at Academic Affairs in person and with original supporting documents on or before the first day of classes.
Enlarging the pool for part-time faculty hires
Due to various circumstances ranging from enrollment bumps, full and part-time faculty sabbaticals and/leaves, and vacant full-time positions, or curricular changes and innovations, any department head may find themselves scrambling to staff courses. As is the case with term appointments, this can be an opportunity to introduce diversity into a department. RISD has articulated a goal to have a diverse faculty. Our students have made it clear that they also want a diverse faculty and a diverse faculty would increase the value and meaningfulness of their education.
Here are some methods you can use to identify new adjunct faculty:
Consult with the Dean of Experimental & Foundation Studies or colleague department heads from departments with curricular overlap. They may have a talented adjunct on staff that they can recommend.
Cast a wider net by sending a call to professional networks/newsletters and call peer institutions for recommendations of recent graduates.
Post teaching opportunities with diverse professional organizations, blogs and newsletters. Human Resources and the Academic Affairs Search Secretary can supply you with a list of organizations and contacts. Departments that share curricular overlap (e.g. drawing) may join forces and post a general job description to generate an applicant pool that each may draw from
Post a job on HR’s job website using the People Admin tool. This will allow you to review applicant materials on-line and use the letter templates used for searches (why reinvent the wheel or the polite rejection letter?) Large departments with multi-section courses may want to leave a broadly defined job description posted to help develop a pool for such courses. Departments that share curricular overlap (e.g. drawing) may join forces and post a general job description to generate an applicant pool that each may draw from.
Also read:
The pages of this site on Staff: Additional assignments.