Authorization to Extend Offers (AEO) Research Scientist Track

 

Important points to note:

  1. The authority to appoint individuals to the rank of Research Investigator and Assistant Research Scientist has been delegated to the Dean’s of the Schools/Colleges by the Vice President for Research. However, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) requires certain language be included in offer letters for Research Investigators and Assistant Research Scientists.
  2. For individuals who are being put forward for appointments as both a member of the Instructional Faculty and the Research Scientist Faculty, you must follow the procedures for BOTH positions; approval must be sought according to the guidelines of both the Vice President for Research and the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  3. OVPR units should follow the specific guidance given to them by OVPR.
  4. Visiting or Adjunct RS appointments do not require Vice Presidential review.
  5. Please Follow Guidelines for Hiring Foreign Nationals
  6. Research Professor and Research Associate Professor appointments are jointly approved by the Vice President for Research and the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. These appointments are submitted to the Provost’s Office using its guidelines.

Prior to Extending an Offer:

Associate Research Scientist / Research Scientist Level Only

  1. The school/college/research unit approves the appointment.
  2. A packet is prepared including the following:
      • Endorsement letter from Dean/Director, including a statement describing the source of funding that will be used to cover the costs for the next three years.
          • The endorsement letter should be written from an evaluative, not an advocacy, perspective and should present a balanced summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the case.
          • Effective date of the appointment.
          • Candidate’s current title(s) and whether tenured or not.
          • Substantive description of the candidate’s work and significant contributions to the field – more than listing titles.
          • Description of the appointment in the context of the field and the specific needs of the school, college, or department. Please also describe the relevance to the vision and mission of your unit and the university.
          • Clear description of the search process and long-term hiring plans (i.e., description of the search).
          • Please summarize the evaluative comments of each unit’s executive committee and include the final vote tally without names, such as 4-2-0 (i.e., # of positive votes-# of negative votes-# of abstentions/recusals) of any faculty group (department review and/or executive committee) that voted on the requested potential hire.
          • When quoting from an external reviewer, identify as Reviewer A, B, or C, etc. 
          • If the regular (not adjunct) track appointment is offered in more than one unit, it should be handled simultaneously by all units. The endorsement letter letter requires the signatures of the Deans/Directors from all schools/colleges/research units/academic units where the individual will hold the appointments, even if those are “dry” (0% fraction) appointments. Please indicate the fraction of effort for each title.
      • Candidate’s curriculum vitae.
      • Include a research statement or statement about creative work from the candidate (if appropriate).
      • Include a service statement (if appropriate).
      • At least five external letters of recommendation from reviewers. (minimum of 2 arms-length)
      • All of the review letters must be included. These should be from reviewers above the rank of the candidate being considered. If the circumstances necessitate letters from out-of-rank reviewers, those should be explained.
      • The letters should be truly evaluative. While letters from persons who have served as a candidate’s thesis advisor or major collaborator can be especially helpful (because they can be presumed to have a good sense of both the person and the work), it is also true that their own reputations are involved in the work being evaluated. If such letters are included, they must be in addition to the minimum requirement of five. Letters from persons who may be unknown to the candidate, but who may have a clear sense of the significance of the research, are of greater value.
      • Brief description of the credentials of reviewers and their relationship to the candidate.
          • A short paragraph for each reviewer should indicate the reviewer’s position, fields of expertise, important contributions and standing in the discipline, appropriateness of the reviewer to provide input, as well as any close professional associations with the candidate dissertation committee, post-doc supervisor, co-author, etc.
          • Please list external reviewers alphabetically by last name, identifying each in sequence as Reviewer A, Reviewer B, or C, etc. Note: List separately any internal (University of Michigan) reviewers.
          • In this section of the AEO, include a cover sheet that includes the following:
              • A listing of “arms-length” external reviewers who provided letters.
              • A list of “non-arm’s length” external reviewers who provided letters.
              • A list of external reviewers who were asked to write a ltter but declined and the reason for declining.
              • A listing of any internal U-M reviewers.
          • Designate each external reviewer as either “arm’s length” or “not arm’s length” and note whether the reviewer was suggested by the candidate or by the department. Our goal is to achieve a balance of evaluative letters from external reviewers who have been suggested by the candidate and from reviewers who have been suggested only by the department. 
          • An abridged version (one short paragraph) on each reviewer should indicate the reviewer’s position, fields of expertise, important contributions and standing in the discipline, appropriateness of the reviewer to provide input, as well as any close professional associations with the candidate. Additionally, please insert a short paragraph of the reviewer’s biography in front of each external review letter, including designation of “arm’s length” or “not arm’s length” and whether the reviewer was suggested by the candidate or by the department.
          • Please provide a copy of the letter template (solicitation letter) to the external reviewers asking for their evaluations. See templates provided. The text in these templates at a minimum must be used. Schools and colleges may add text to the language of the template; however, for legal reasons, they cannot delete any existing language. Its’ the responsibility of the Dean/Director to ensure that department chairs, or the appropriate equivalent, follow the templates provided. Also include, as an attachment with each solicitation letter, a description of the particular track(s) on which the faculty member is being hired.
      • Description of the appointment in the context of the field and the specific needs of the department. This can be included in the Dean’s letter and does not need to be a separate document.
      • A copy of the offer letter. (See required offer letter language.)
      • A copy of the Appointment Activity Record (AAR) or a waiver. To request a waiver contact: [email protected].
        **The package cannot be processed without all of the above items**
  3. The package is submitted to OVPR (not to the Human Resources and Affirmative Action Office). [email protected]
  4. OVPR will notify the school/college/unit when the VPR evaluation is complete.
  5. A copy of the approval notice with the VPR’ s signature will be sent to the school/college/unit.
  6. The school/college/research unit prepares Associate Research Scientist or Research Scientist appointment materials and forwards them to Human Resources Records and Information Services (4073 Wolverine Tower 1281)