Honorary Designations
Schools and College occasionally wish to provide a non-compensated designation for a scholar so that
the individual will have an affiliation with Temple University with or without access to other University
facilities. The most common form of such affiliation is by means of designation with honorary status.
Honorary designations provide a formal association and linkage with people both in academe and
professional practice and, as such, serve to supplement and complement the academic activity and
expertise of the University.
Once the activities of the visitor have been identified (i.e., affiliation status with Temple, research
presentation, research collaborations, faculty and/or researcher interactions) a request to appoint
should be sent by the Dean of the respective school/college to the Provost (or his/her designee) for final
approval. The initial request should include a cover memo giving the begin/end dates of designation,
faculty sponsor, a description of the fellow's activities while on campus, and a current vita. A vita is not
required for requests of renewals. A sample request for this designation can be found at
http://www.temple.edu/vpfaculty/hiring.html.
All honorary designations will be uncompensated and for up to one year. They may be renewed
thereafter in consultation with the Dean and the Provost or his or her designee. An honorary
designation does not create an employer/employee relationship.
In making an honorary designation, the titles used should be Honorary Fellow, Honorary Lecturer,
Honorary Scholar, Visiting or Industrial Fellow, Distinguished Fellow, Distinguished Lecturer,
Distinguished Scholar, Distinguished Fellow or Distinguished Industrial Fellow. Deans should develop a
procedure for reviewing these designations that will ensure that the arrangement is an appropriate one
both for the appointee and the University. Honorary designation letters may not be sent to individuals
until the Dean’s request has been approved by the Provost’s designee, the Senior Vice Provost for
Faculty development and Faculty Affairs.
A sample letter for requesting an honorary designation and the letter to be used for making such
designations are attached.
Guidelines for Granting an Honorary Designation @ Temple University
Issued by the SVP for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs
March 23, 2012
1|P a g e
SAMPLE LETTER TO DEAN REQUESTING HONORARY STATUS
MEMORANDUM
Date
To: Dean [name]
From: [name] [title] [Department of [insert]
Re: Request for Honorary/Distinguished Status for [name]
On behalf of the Department of [insert] I would like to request [insert] status for [insert name] for the
period [insert date] through [date].
Example of description of honorary appointee’s intended duties
Dr. Doe will be participating in [to be supplied, e.g., research activities involving land and water
conservation] with Professor Smith (sponsor of this request). S/he will be interacting with graduate and
undergraduate students who will benefit greatly from his/her research experience and will help to
increase the visibility of our department worldwide through his/her research. I am sure Dr. Doe will be a
useful resource for Professor Smith’s wet lab and other scientists in the department.
This request entails no monetary commitment, except for temporary office space, use of computer
equipment, and campus amenities inherent to visiting fellow status.
Attached is a copy of the honorary fellow’s curriculum vitae and a draft letter addressed to him. Thank
you for considering this request.
Attachment: [Honorary/Distinguished fellow] Curriculum Vitae
Guidelines for Granting an Honorary Designation @ Temple University
Issued by the SVP for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs
March 23, 2012
2|P a g e
SAMPLE LETTER FOR AN HONORARY FELLOW
Professor Jane Doe
University of Coimbra
Coimbra, Portugal
Re:
Designation of Honorary Status at Temple University
Dear Professor Doe:
On behalf of the Department of _____________, School/College of ______________, ], I am pleased to
designate you an [insert title] for the period from _____________ through ___________.
This designation is without compensation, does not create an employer/employee relationship and may
be terminated by you or the University at any time and for any reason. Accordingly, you are under no
obligation to provide service to the University. If you do so, your services will be entirely voluntary.
Since you will not be an employee of the University, you will not be eligible for certain employee
entitlements such as worker’s compensation. Access to other University services, such as electronic
library access, must be negotiated with the Dean of the respective school or college.
The Dean’s office will work with you to arrange for you to obtain identification and access to University
facilities, if appropriate. Although you are not an employee, you will be a part of the University
community and are expected to abide by all departmental and University rules and regulations. If you
have any questions regarding this designation, please speak with the Dean.
Please indicate your acceptance of this designation by signing and returning this letter to [designee].
Yours truly,
Dean
I accept the offer of a courtesy designation as [insert title] in the Department of [department], beginning
and ending [inset dates] and I accept the terms under which it is offered.
_____________________________________
Signature
Guidelines for Granting an Honorary Designation @ Temple University
Issued by the SVP for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs
March 23, 2012
3|P a g e
________________________________
Date