Faculty Backfill and Request Policy
In order to provide the schools and programs in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design with the resources for emerging academic and research opportunities and to build a better alignment between the faculty lines with the college strategic plan and the program productivity, the following faculty backfill and request policy effective August 31, 2023.
Faculty Departure Backfill:
The positions and salaries of tenured/tenure-track faculty, collegiate faculty, professor of practice, and instructors (all the faculty ranks with tenure and promotion implications) return to the college the date after the faculty departures such as retirements and resignations.
The school director can submit a request for the backfill, using the Faculty Backfill Request Form, when there is a faculty departure. If it's a regular faculty line (base funding), the school director can request a tenure track assistant professor position. If it's a restricted line, an equivalent restricted position can be requested.
In the request, the school director needs to include the departing faculty's teaching assignments and the most important research/scholarship accomplishment in the last three years. Also, the school director needs to provide justification that explains the alignment of this request with the college strategic plan, school hiring plans, and the trajectory of the program. The backfill faculty's teaching/research/scholarship areas need to be provided too.
The request will be routed through the college's Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration and the Director of Human Resources, before the approval of the Dean.
If a faculty departure decision occurs too late for an adequate search process, an adjunct or visiting faculty appointment will be funded by the college to deliver the departing faculty’s courses.
Once the request is approved, the school director can work with the Director of Human Resources to begin the search process, following the VT Faculty Recruiting Guidelines.
In the case of faculty departure as a result of a negative tenure/promotion application, the faculty line and budget stays in the school. The school director doesn't need to submit a request. A new tenure track faculty search can start, working with the Director of Human Resources.
New Faculty Line Request:
Based on the college strategic plan and the school hiring and program plans, a school director can submit new tenure track or restricted faculty line requests, using the AAD New Faculty Position Request Form, any time when the needs emerge. In the request, the school director needs to include the justifications that outline the alignment of this request with the college strategic plan, school hiring plans, and program trajectory. The request will be routed through the college's Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration and the Director of Human Resources. The college administration (dean and associate deans) will review the budget and the request before the approvals.
Once the request is approved, the school director can work with the Director of Human Resources to begin the search process, following the VT Faculty Recruiting Guidelines.