The policy is intended to ensure that individuals from outside the University, who are invited to spend time at RIT working in a particular academic unit or across several academic units, have had their credentials appropriately reviewed by the faculty.

Definition:

A visiting scholar is an individual whose activities at RIT would enhance his or her knowledge and enrich the research, teaching, and professional resources for the RIT faculty, students, and staff. An individual who is matriculated in a degree program at RIT will not be designated as a visiting scholar.

Process:

1. Each college shall have a Visiting Scholar Review Committee consisting of at least 4 members elected from the full time faculty of the college and one member elected from the faculty of another college. College faculty members should be elected for three years, rotating terms, so that there will always be experienced committee members. The faculty member elected from another college will be assigned to a particular college committee by vote of the Academic Senate. A particular college may choose to use its Tenure Committee in lieu of a Visiting Scholar Review Committee.

2. The visiting scholar or his/her sponsor will provide a letter of intent and a resume to the dean of the respective college. The dean of the college will begin the on-campus process of review. A Visiting Scholar must be in residence at least one quarter.

3. The faculty of the department within which the visiting scholar wishes to work will be notified by the dean of the college that the candidate's file, including the letter of intent, resume, and required resources, is available for their review. Department faculty will have two weeks, following notification that there is a visiting scholar candidate, to review the individual's credentials and make their recommendation to the college Visiting Scholar Review Committee.

4. The college Visiting Scholar Review Committee will recommend, or not recommend, that a visiting scholar be invited to RIT based on a review of the department faculty's and their own assessment of the scholar's background, experience, professional record, and qualifications, as these relate to the candidate's abilities to positively interact with RIT faculty and students and to be compatible with the community of scholars at RIT.

5. In order for an invitation to be extended to a visiting scholar, the dean of the college to which the sponsoring faculty member belongs must support the invitation. Final approval to extend the invitation is made by the Provost.

6. A visiting scholar can be invited to join a department only if there is a department member who is willing to serve as the scholar's faculty sponsor.

a. The time frame, purpose, and conditions of the visit must be clearly stated in the invitation. The candidate must respond to the invitation.

b. The human, physical, and financial resources necessary to support the visiting scholar's activities must be clearly stated prior to the visit.

c. All funding sources for the scholar's visit should be identified in the invitation, as well as whether a stipend is to be contributed by the scholar's employer to RIT.

7. The invitation to be a visiting scholar will be extended by the dean of the college. The invitation will be extended only if a majority of the faculty in the department support the extension of the invitation. If the department faculty support the extension of the invitation and the college Visiting Scholar Review Committee does not, the dean will make the decision as to whether the invitation should be pursued. If the dean decides that the invitation should not be extended, the process is concluded at that point. If the dean decides to proceed with the invitation, his/her recommendation is forwarded to the Provost, who makes the final decision.

Approved May 11, 1994