Employment Categories

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Researchers in a lab

Appointed Personnel

Appointed Personnel include faculty members, administrators, athletic coaches, and academic and service professionals. These positions have defined-term contracts.

Appointed Personnel who work at least 40 hours per biweekly pay period (.5 FTE) for 90 days are eligible for insurance benefits but not retirement, annual leave, or sick time. Appointed personnel who work at .5 FTE in a position expected to continue for at least six months are eligible for full benefits.

Categories of Appointed Personnel

Academic Professionals conduct research and/or teaching programs. Examples are librarians, cooperative extensionists, scientists, and researchers.

Appointments may be year-to-year, multiple-year, continuing eligible, or continuing. They are subject to the Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Service for Academic Professionals policy and University Handbook for Appointed Personnel chapter 4A or 4B.

Administrators include the president of the university and employees reporting to the president. These positions are at Management and Leader Levels 6 and 7 in the university career architecture.

Administrators are responsible for planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating the activities of major segments of the university. Administrative titles include president, provost, senior vice president, vice president, dean, and department head.

Administrative appointments are year-to-year, and administrators are subject to the Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Administrative Service policy and University Handbook for Appointed Personnel chapter 5.

Faculty are responsible for the teaching, research, and public service goals and objectives of the university. Faculty titles include professor, associate professor, assistant professor, professor of practice, research professor, clinical professor, global professor, instructor, lecturer, principal lecturer, and senior lecturer. All types of faculty appointments are subject to the Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Faculty Service policy and University Handbook for Appointed Personnel chapter 3.

Full-benefits-eligible faculty appointments may carry designations of tenure-eligible, tenured, or career-track. Faculty members on academic-year appointments earn paid sick leave but not annual leave. Adjunct appointments are eligible for limited (insurance only) or no benefits.

Career-Track Faculty

Career-Track Faculty are members of the faculty who are not eligible for tenure and who do not have global, adjunct, or visiting appointments.

Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct Faculty are not eligible for tenure and are on an appointment that is

  • Less than .75 FTE or less than a full academic or fiscal year, and
  • Not expected to be renewed beyond a single fiscal or academic year.

Limited-Term Adjunct Faculty

Limited-Term Adjunct Faculty are hired for contract periods of 18 weeks or less. They are paid a flat fee per course taught, and their combined FTE cannot exceed .49. These positions are not eligible for retirement or other benefits.

Postdoctoral Scholars have recently completed their doctoral studies. They hold short-term university appointments or fellowships working under the guidance and direction of faculty mentors in preparation for careers as independent scientists and researchers.

Postdoctoral Scholars are subject to Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Postdoctoral Service policy and University Handbook for Appointed Personnel chapter 12. Postdoctoral Scholars are eligible for all university benefits except retirement. They receive 10 days of annual leave in their first year of employment and 15 days in subsequent years.

Service Professionals have a direct role in providing student services, technical services, campus health services, athletics, and public services. Service professional titles include director and coordinator.

Appointments may be for a fiscal year, an academic year, or a limited term and are subject to the Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Service for Service Professionals policy and University Handbook for Appointment Personnel chapter 4C

Classified Staff

Classified Staff is a legacy employment category. Employees within this category operate under the conditions outlined in the Classified Staff Human Resources Policy Manual, which defines certain rights, processes, and mandates.

Classified Staff positions may be Regular or Extended Temporary Employment (ETE) and are eligible for full benefits.

Note: As of Jan. 26, 2020, no new university positions are categorized as Classified Staff. Current Classified Staff employees have the option to transition to University Staff (Transition to University Staff Form) or remain in their classified position and maintain their existing conditions of employment.

University Staff

University Staff is the employment category for any employee who is not Appointed Personnel or Classified Staff. University Staff are employed at will.

University Staff are subject to Arizona Board of Regents University Staff policy and the University Staff Manual.

Types of Positions

University Staff or Classified Staff

Regular employment positions are scheduled at .50 FTE (40 hours per pay period) or more and are eligible for full benefits. Employees in these positions may be eligible for reorganization/reduction in force privileges.

A regular position does not have a designated end date.

University Staff or Classified Staff

ETE positions have a clearly defined end date to meet the needs of departments that have extra or cyclical work or special projects.

These positions end 6–24 months after their start date.

ETE positions are scheduled at .50 FTE (40 hours per biweekly pay period) or more and are full-benefits-eligible except that, when the position ends, these employees are not eligible for reorganization/reduction in force privileges.

University Staff only

Part-time employment is regularly scheduled for less than .50 FTE (fewer than 40 hours per biweekly pay period). Part-time employees are not eligible to participate in employee benefits. 

University Staff only

Temporary employment positions have a clearly defined end date less than six months after their start date.

Temporary positions that are scheduled at .50 FTE (40 hours per biweekly pay period) or more for at least 90 days are eligible for limited (insurance only) benefits. These employees are not eligible for reorganization/reduction in force privileges.

University Staff only

On-call employment can occur on an intermittent basis, but may not extend more than 89 continuous days. On-call employees are not meant to have a set schedule for extended periods. On-call employees are paid hourly and are not eligible to participate in employee benefits or insurance plans.