University of Oregon

Policy Statement

3.200 Personnel Practices: Graduate Teaching Fellows

Title: Appointment of Graduate Teaching Fellows

Purpose: To provide a standard procedure for appointment of Graduate Teaching Fellows (including teaching, research, and administrative appointments). The University of Oregon recognizes that graduate teaching, research, and administrative appointments provide financial support to promising degree-seeking graduate students and, at the same time, provide assistance to the University by supplementing its teaching, research, and administrative service.

Policy:

In choosing among applicants, primary consideration is given to the student's potential in the proposed academic graduate degree program and the extent to which the appointment would be beneficial to the student's development in that program. The individuals appointed should be regarded primarily as graduate students providing service as part of a learning experience rather than solely as employees whose education is secondary. An added requirement is that the applicants qualify for the particular teaching, research, or administrative service involved. In academic departments, priority may be given to students enrolled in that department's program(s). Administrative positions may place greater emphasis on the special skills required but often will include responsibilities appropriate to the degree program of the GTF to be appointed. In all placements, selection criteria should be objective and clearly described in writing.

Positions should be advertised so that all eligible, qualified persons know of their availability and whether they are open only to currently enrolled students or to new graduate students as well. Special departmental hiring procedures should be made known in writing within departments and placed in brochures or other publications advertising the program. Administrative positions may be advertised in any or all of the following ways: announcements to the University departments in which qualified candidates may be identified and available; advertisements in the Oregon Daily Emerald; and advertisements or notices in off-campus media or locations as appropriate. General information on University GTF hiring procedure should appear in an appropriate section of the University of Oregon Bulletin--General Catalog.

To qualify for appointment as a GTF, the student must be admitted as a regular graduate student, enrolled as a student in the Graduate School concurrently with the GTF appointment, and making satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree (i.e., Master's or Doctoral Degree). GTF's will be awarded only to students who are enrolled for a minimum of nine graduate credit hours per term.

The Office of Affirmative Action will serve as a central posting source for announcements of GTF positions other than those restricted to applicants enrolled in the specific department program(s). Thus, the Office of Affirmative Action should receive and post announcements for those administrative GTF positions and GTF teaching or research positions where out-of-department graduate students are eligible. A copy of each such announcement should be sent to the Office of Affirmative Action. Office of Affirmative Action assistance with announcements is available upon request.

Departments which must hire teaching GTF's under enrollment pressure or other emergency conditions should develop a list of potentially eligible GTF candidates to use in filling unexpected GTF openings. The list should be developed annually or term by term, in accordance with departmental needs. The existence of such a list and the method for compiling the list should be communicated to students by the departments and distributed along with other fellowship information materials.

All GTF recruitment and selection should follow established procedures within the academic departments and employing units. Where the GTF positions involved are within the bargaining unit covered by the UO-GTFF Contract (as are most teaching and administrative positions, and some research positions), the relevant provisions of the contract must be followed. In general, applicants for teaching-related positions (paid for from state funds) should be reviewed by a departmental committee before selection is made. Departmental committees will sometimes review applicants for research-related positions (paid for from grant or contract funds) but the selection is generally made by the principal investigator from whose grant the salary monies are paid.

Applicant materials and employee records, including application letters and forms, should be retained for the full time the individual is a student in the department plus one year. They should then be transferred to the archives for legal disposition. For the non-departmental GTF positions (i.e., "administrative" GTF's), the above also applies. The Affirmative Action Compliance Statement for academic appointments is a readily available document which should be used for documentation purposes or its format should serve as a guide for departments wishing to devise their own documentation of the selection process. Alternative forms should be reviewed by the Office of Affirmative Action.

Federal compliance agencies consider GTF appointments as both employment and educational opportunities; therefore, complaints by unsuccessful candidates may be made on either basis. Departments must be prepared to document that GTF appointments have been determined by objective standards using established criteria.

Originally promulgated January 22, 1982

Reviewed and recommended by: President's staff

Date: 6/7/85

Reissued By: Dean of Graduate School