Appointment Status Policy

University employees are appointed on the basis of qualifications and position requirements. Offers of employment may only be made by authorized University officials and are subject to approval by the University’s Board of Trustees.

Each position within the University of Akron’s classified and unclassified classification system is designated as either; regular, temporary or sponsored for purposes of determining the expected duration of the position. The Human Resources Department will determine the appointment status of each position.

A position is considered as full-time if it is scheduled to work 40 hours per week on a regular basis. A position is considered as part-time if it is scheduled to work less than 30 hours per week on a regular basis. Employees in part-time positions are not permitted to work more than 29 hours per week.

All positions at The University of Akron are subject to the availability of funding, the employment needs of The University and the employee’s ability to meet established standards of job performance.

Definition of Appointment Status:

Regular Appointment – A non-faculty appointment for which the employment relationship between the University and the employee is intended to last for an undetermined period of time and the position is funded by general or auxiliary University funds.

Regular appointments may be for a 12-month period of time or for any other defined period of time (i.e. 9-month or 10-month for exempt positions or 36-weeks, 40-weeks, etc. for non-exempt positions) depending upon the needs of the assigned unit.

Temporary Appointment – A non-faculty appointment for which the employment relationship between the University and the employee is intended for a specific, designated period of time. Temporary appointments may be approved for a maximum duration of 6 months or until the end of a current academic term, whichever is longer. Following the completion of a temporary appointment, a department must allow a minimum of 90 days time to elapse before requesting approval to fill another temporary position that would be considered as the same or similar type of position.

In the event of extenuating circumstances, Academic Units may request approval from the Sr. VP and Provost to extend a temporary appointment beyond the established time limit.
If a regular employee is out on an approved medical leave of absence, a department may request approval to extend a temporary appointment beyond the established time limit.

Sponsored Appointment – A non-faculty appointment funded by an external grant, sponsored research, restricted gift or other temporary restricted fund, for which the employment relationship between the University and the employee is intended for a specific, designated period of time.

A sponsored appointment may extend for any length of time depending upon the external funding received by the University.

Visiting Faculty - A faculty appointment for which the employment relationship between the University and the employee is intended to be for a specific, designated period of time.

Visiting faculty appointments may be approved for a maximum duration of one academic year. Following the completion of the visiting faculty's initial appointment period, academic units may request renewal of the visiting faculty position for an additional semester or academic year. A visiting faculty appointment shall not be approved for more than three consecutive years, unless a rationale for more than three years is put forward and approved by the Dean and Executive Vice President & Provost.
Academic units will be notified each semester of any visiting faculty member, which is entering a third consecutive year in the same visiting position. The academic unit is responsible for notifying the visiting faculty member that the position is ending.
If the academic unit believes it is necessary to continue the faculty position, the unit is responsible for requesting that the visiting position be replaced by a bargaining unit faculty position in the subsequent year. The Executive Vice President & Provost, in consultation with the Dean and Chief Financial Officer, will determine which, if any, such positions are authorized for searches. These searches will follow Article 11 of the collective bargaining agreement.