What’s My Line?
Special Edition for Visiting Scholars, Visiting Faculty, and Consulting Faculty
Introduction
So one of your faculty members met someone on an airplane (let’s say) and wants to
bring them to Stanford. “Get them an appointment!” they say. We’re here to help.
First, determine what rank and line your candidate requires, then see the descriptions of
those ranks and lines on page 2. For Frequently Asked Questions, see page 3.
Classifying Your Candidate
Ask the following questions of your candidate (let’s call her Dr. X):
1. Will Dr. X be paid by Stanford?
If Yes, Dr. X cannot be a Visiting Scholar (no exceptions). Visiting Faculty and
Consulting Faculty can be paid or unpaid.
2. Does Dr. X hold a faculty position at another university?
If Yes, Dr. X should be Visiting Faculty. In rare cases, she may be appointed as
Visiting Scholar if she and the dept agree (sometimes this is easier).
3. If not faculty, is Dr. X employed in industry or the government, or selfemployed?
If Yes, Dr. X will be Consulting Faculty.
4. If neither of the above, is Dr. X finished with postdoctoral training, employed,
and something of an expert in her field?
If Yes, Dr. X will be a Visiting Scholar.
5. Is Dr. X coming to Stanford for some short-term training or research and will be
paid?
If Yes, Dr. X may qualify as a Visiting Instructor. Call Academic Affairs to
confirm.
6. Is Dr. X a medical student, in residency, or an expert who is unemployed
elsewhere?
If Yes, Dr. X is unlikely to fit into any available “short term faculty” position.
Call Academic Affairs; you may have a Visiting Researcher or other rare bird on
your hands.
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April 9, 2012
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Field Guide to Short-Term Faculty
Let’s have a quick identification parade just for clarity:
Visiting Scholar
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cannot be paid by Stanford
finished with postdoctoral training
has some kind of expertise in the field
employed elsewhere (e.g. at a university, hospital, or business)
can show evidence of funding (same amount as minimum pay for postdocs; for
2008, $39,216 annually)
– appointed for one year at a time, max of two years total.
Note that Visiting Scholars can be faculty at other institutions; they must still meet the
other criteria (outside funding, unpaid), but sometimes you may find it simpler to
appoint someone as a Visiting Scholar rather than Visiting Faculty.
Visiting Faculty (Visiting Assistant Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting
Professor)
– can be paid by Stanford, or unpaid
– holds faculty position at another institution
– can provide evidence of leave or sabbatical
– appointed for one year at a time, max of two years total.
Consulting Faculty (Consulting Assistant Professor, Consulting Associate Professor,
Consulting Professor)
– can be paid by Stanford, or unpaid
– employed in industry or by the government
– has a doctoral degree and expertise appropriate to the proposed rank
– appointed for one year at a time, renewable without upper limit.
Visiting Instructors
It has recently become necessary to assign an academic rank to a small group of
candidates who fit the following criteria:
– completed doctoral degree
– coming to Stanford for advanced training in an area for which there is no
formal training program
– short term
– paid or unpaid by Stanford.
For example, you might have a surgeon who has completed residency and wishes to
obtain informal training (not a fellowship) in a particular specialty before going
elsewhere.
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April 9, 2012
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Call Academic Affairs if you think you have sighted one of these rare individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
“My visitor is a faculty member at the University of Somewhere, but won’t be on leave
for the entire time that we want to appoint them – what do I do?”
You have a couple of options here. Most common is that you must make the
appointment dates match the dates of leave that they have available; either change the
appointment or get them to change their leave. If you have a visitor who will be
dropping in and out (here for a few days every month, for example), call Academic
Affairs; we may be able to waive evidence of leave. This will require a letter from their
home institution showing that they know what’s going on, and a similar letter from your
department chair.
“My visitor is a medical student, resident, or doesn’t have a doctoral degree. What
appointment should they have?”
OAA only handles faculty and teaching appointments for individuals with doctoral
degrees (with a very few exceptions). If your candidate is in postdoctoral training, we
may be able to manage a Visiting Instructor appointment – call. If your candidate hasn’t
finished a doctorate, they cannot have a teaching title. Possibilities:
 Visiting Researcher (must pay tuition); Registrar’s Office.
 Visiting Research Associate or Visiting Senior Research Scientist (usually paid
but not always); Greta Lazaro in Human Resources.
 Postdoctoral fellow; Office of Postdoctoral Affairs – postdocs.stanford.edu
 Visiting Student Researcher (VSR): http://vpge.stanford.edu/policy/vsr.html.
 Volunteer; Norma Leavitt in Human Resources.
“How do I get a visa for my visitor who is arriving next week?”
Short answer – you can’t. Bechtel International Center, which handles visas for foreign
visitors, requires a minimum of 4-6 weeks between the time of appointment approval
and the start date of the appointment and visa. The visitor will have to rearrange their
plans to accommodate this, as there are no exceptions.
“OK, but then how do I get a visa for someone?”
Go to the Bechtel website and fill out the on-line DS-2019 application here:
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter/DS2019-request/instructions.html
Print a copy of what you have just filled out to include in the visitor’s application
package. Once the appointment is approved, the OAA staff member will send you an
email approval, copied to Bechtel staff, with an electronic copy of the DS-2019
application. The Bechtel staff will take over the J-1 processing from there; see their
website for details. They’ll send a DS-2019 to your visitor, who will have to make an
appointment with their embassy or consulate in order to get the actual visa.
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April 9, 2012
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“The Bechtel website asks me to classify my Visiting Assistant Professor as either
Visiting Scholar, Visiting Researcher, or Postdoctoral Scholar – why isn’t there a choice
for Visiting Faculty?”
I believe these must be U.S. government classifications. Choose “Visiting Scholar” and
everything will be OK.
“I have to pay my Visiting Scholar!”
You can’t; it’s a requirement that they be unpaid – no exceptions. Talk to OAA about a
possible Visiting Faculty appointment instead, otherwise you may need to look at the
Visiting Researcher or Postdoctoral Scholar categories.
“I have a visitor coming in for a mini-fellowship, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs won’t
qualify them as a postdoc, and I have to pay them so they can’t be a Visiting Scholar –
what do I do?”
This may be a a situation in which to use the Visiting Instructor rank; call OAA to
discuss.
“How much financial support does my Visiting Scholar have to show?”
For 2009, $40,785 per year or $3399 per month. In general, at least as much as the
minimum first-year postdoctoral stipend. This is to protect visitors who may not grasp
the extremely high cost of living in the Bay Area. Always check the updated
postdoctoral stipend amount if in doubt.
“Bechtel’s website states that Visiting Scholars must have $2500/month – why the
difference?”
Governmental rule for Visiting Scholars (which presumably applies across the country,
including in places where the cost of living is much lower) versus the School of
Medicine requirement (just for this area).
“What is acceptable evidence of financial support?”
A letter from their home institution stating that they will continue to be paid their salary
during their visit; a bank statement; a letter from a bank manager; a letter showing
financial support from a grant, fellowship, or other source. Not acceptable: a statement
or letter from the visitor – must have documentation of support.
“My visitor arrives June 1; how early do I have to turn in the application for
appointment?”
So glad you asked! If your visitor needs a visa, at least 8 weeks ahead, in this case, April
1. If a visa is not required, 4 weeks ahead, or May 1.
“The application and visa were finalized faster than I expected. Can my visitor arrive
early?”
Good news! Your visitor is allowed to enter the country up to 30 days before their start
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April 9, 2012
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date. Please keep this in mind when requesting start dates; if you write down June 1
and everything goes more smoothly than expected, your visitor can enter the country as
early as May 1, and it is then a simple matter to change their start date. It is much easier
to start with a later date and move it up when things go well, than to try to rush for an
earlier date and have to push it back when the visa hasn’t been approved yet.
“Can my Visiting Scholar see patients?”
The J-1 visa allows only incidental patient contact.
“What about Visiting or Consulting Faculty?”
As long as there are no visa limitations, these are considered academic ranks by the
credentialing office of the hospital, so yes, as long as there are no licensing issues, they
can apply for hospital credentials as other faculty would.
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April 9, 2012
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