Administrative Appointments
OAA approves and reviews all academic administrative appointments. Instructions for appointing Department Chairs or Equivalents and Associate Deans are presented below. Please reach out for any other type of appointment for consultation.
Assistant Dean Appointments
Associate Dean Appointments
Department Chair/Chair-Equivalent Appointments
Faculty Related Actions
Faculty Hiring
OAA reviews and approves all Notice of Appointments and Supplemental Tenure Letters for Tenure-Related faculty appointments. Units should use the OAA template as a starting point for preparing these letters.
Probationary Period Clock Adjustments
Both faculty on annual tenure (pre-tenure) and non-tenure track faculty pre-milestone can have additional years added to the 6-year probationary period when there is a qualifying leave event. Please review the instructions and work with the respective Dean's office for these actions.
Transfer of Tenure Home Procedures
Faculty may request a transfer of tenure home in accordance with the procedures described in Article 29 of the AAUP-PSU CBA. Faculty are encouraged to begin with informal discussions with both their current and prospective departments to explore the feasibility and impact of a move. The formal process is initiated by a written request to both departments and their respective Deans, outlining the research and curricular justifications for the transfer. Following these requests, both the receiving and home departments conduct independent reviews—including formal deliberations and votes—to assess programmatic needs, student impact, and resource implications. These departmental recommendations are then submitted to the Dean(s) for evaluation. If the Deans are in agreement, their decision is final; in cases of disagreement or when specific administrative requirements apply, the Provost makes the final determination.
OAA provides this checklist for the information needed to consider a request:
Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical leave is granted for purposes of research, writing, advanced study, or travel undertaken for observation and study of conditions in our own or in other countries affecting the applicant's field or related scholarly or professional activities. This leave is available for tenure-related and non-tenure track faculty and is a privilege, not a right. The University may also grant certain administrators this leave at its discretion. Deadlines for requesting sabbaticals are managed and posted at the school/college level. Please refer to those units for these deadlines.
Rank Conversion from Senior Research Associate II to Research Assistant Professor
The University P&T Guidelines permit units to request the conversion of research faculty at the rank of Senior Research Associate II to Research Assistant Professor. The process is not a promotion. Please read the process and instructions for additional details.
Closed - 2024-25 Retirement Incentive Option Program (RIO Program)
The University offered an incentive program for retirements. The program is now closed and this information is for reference only.
Expired - PSU-AAUP Retirement Transition Programs
These current programs have expired and are no longer accepting applications. The University and AAUP are presently discussing an extension or new retirement-related programs.