Pro Tem positions are intended to allow a department or unit to fill short-term needs including, but not limited to, enrollment fluctuations, replacement staffing needs, staffing for short-term research projects, or to accommodate partner or opportunity hires. For this reason, you must consider whether your unit is anticipating an ongoing need for a position beyond the third year of hire.
Third Year Pro Tem Guidance
Counting Pro Tem Years of Service
Pro Tem years of service are counted using a rolling calendar, and renewal appointments may not extend into a fourth year. For example, if a faculty member's position starts on March 16, 2023, three years of service would conclude on March 15, 2026. Therefore, any appointment extending beyond March 15, 2026, would require following the guidance below.
- Pro Tem work is considered continuous if there is no more than one full academic year of a break in service.
- Example: There is a Pro Tem appointment in Fall 2023-24 only. Afterward, there is a Pro Tem appointment in Spring 2024-25. The Spring 2024-25 appointment is considered a renewal.
- If there is a full academic year break, it will be necessary for a direct appointment or to rehire out of a Pro Tem pool into a new Pro Tem position.
Instructional Pro Tems
For ongoing positions, the primary goal is to ensure we have the best possible faculty, which typically requires completing a fully competitive, targeted, national search. For this reason, if you anticipate your unit will have an ongoing need for this non-funding contingent position beyond the current year, we encourage you to consider a national search. To consult about streamlining career faculty searches, you can reach out to your unit's assigned recruiter in Human Resources' Talent Acquisition team by emailing talent@uoregon.edu.
In the case of an instructional position, if the pedagogical or programmatic needs of your unit are best served by a professional in the field, Article 15, section 6 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between United Academics and the UO, makes allowances for this. The Provost or their designee may designate an "Ongoing, Long-term Pro Tem" position. Reasons for ongoing pro tem positions include when a department or unit:
- Believes the student experience is enhanced by having new instructors cycle into the program to meet specific needs;
- Identifies a position that is best taught by a working or retired professional in the industry and the position includes not more than three courses per year;
- Offers recent PhD graduates a short term position and there is an expectation that a new person will fill this position every one to three years;
- When traditionally large fluctuations in enrollment can be best accommodated by having a reasonable number of ongoing pro tem positions.
Inadequate or limited financial resources are not legitimate pedagogical or programmatic reasons for designating a position as an ongoing long term pro tem position. Under the current terms of the hiring freeze, exceptions are required only for pro tem hires outside of the current term.
If you plan to exercise option 2, the petition forms can be found on the HR website. The petition for an ongoing long term pro tem must be accompanied by the faculty member's cv or resumes and then submitted along with the Request to Offer (RTO).
Please note: Pro tems who were extended last year for a fourth year will not be extended again; units will instead need to conduct a career search or petition for ongoing, long term pro tem position as outlined in Options 1 and 2 above.
If you plan to exercise option 3, the petition forms can be found on the HR website. The petition for an additional year can be submitted along with the Request to Offer (RTO).
If you believe the position should be converted to career classification, please see Other Options below.
Research Funding Contingent Pro Tems
You’re always welcome to run a search to fill a Career research position. The goal is to hire the best possible candidate. However, if the incumber is the best candidate, you may reclassify them. If you’d like to reclassify the incumbent of a pro tem research position, please follow the process here to complete the reclassification.
If your department or unit foresees a need for continuing this position in the pro tem category, it is permissible in rare cases for the department or unit to petition the Vice President for Research and Innovation or designee to continue the position in the pro em classification for up to one year beyond the three year limit for unusual or extenuating circumstances.
If you plan to exercise option 2, the petition forms can be found on the HR website. The petition for an additional year can be submitted along with the Request to Offer (RTO).
Other Options
Departments may petition the Office of the Provost to reclassify a bargaining unit faculty member into a career position when their employment has evolved to resemble a career classification more closely and there is an ongoing need for the position. After approval from the Office of the Provost to reclassify the bargaining unit faculty member, the Department would work with University HR Talent on a direct appointment in MyTrack.
Alternatively, bargaining unit faculty members in the pro tem, visiting, or postdoctoral scholar classifications who believe that their positions should be in the Career classification may petition the Office of the Provost/VPRI for reclassification after the completion of two years of appointment.