UBC Policy on Visiting Scholars

  1. The responsibility for the administration of the Visiting Scholar program shall be with the Department Head and Visiting Scholars will be attached to this Department.
  2. Appointments for Visiting Scholars will ordinarily be for not longer than a period of one year, subject to review and possible renewal after the initial appointment. Decisions to renew appointments will be on the basis of the Visiting Scholar’s contribution during the initial appointment, projected future contribution and any resource implications to the Department for the continuation of the visit.
  3. Appointments for Visiting Scholars will be made at a rank consistent with the current home institution rank, or as determined by the Department Standing Personnel Committee.
  4. Applications should normally be submitted prior to the arrival of the Visiting Scholar.
  5. Visiting Scholars will contribute to the academic programs of the Department in at least one of the areas of:
    • staff development
    • course development
    • seminar presentation
    • community service
    • scholarship
  6. Application for resources and funds for a Visiting Scholar shall be made at the time of the request for appointment.
  7. Visiting Scholars will normally be provided with internet access, and work space.
  8. Additional support may be available from the Department, subject to available funds.
  9. Additional support may be available through ECPS faculty research grants or other competitive sources of funding at UBC.
  10. The criteria on which application will be reviewed will include:
    • nature and extent of the contribution the Visiting Scholar can make to the Department in one or more of the areas as stated in 5
    • cost effectiveness of the contribution of the Visiting Scholar
    • relationship of the proposed contribution to the stated mission, objectives and needs of the Department
    • availability of resources.

Visiting Scholars Procedure

Visiting Faculty Application Form

1. Application for Visiting Scholar status:

A letter of request (from the applying visiting scholar or a sponsoring ECPS faculty member) which outlines the anticipated contribution of the visiting scholar and the time period for the appointment, complete and current CV (including date of birth and contact information), and outline of resources requested should be submitted to the Department Head at least 8 – 12 weeks in advance. Please allow more time if a visa is required.

  • The application should include a statement of any resources being offered by a sponsoring ECPS faculty member.
  • Applications can be submitted at any time of the year, although reviews in the months of July and August are at the discretion of the program area coordinators.

2. Approval of Visiting Scholar status:

Each application will be forwarded to the appropriate program area coordinators and reviewed by the faculty at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Program Area Committee(s) in light of the criteria specified in this policy.

  • If approved, the Dean’s office will extend a formal invitation to the Visiting Scholar specifying the rank of the appointment, expectations of the visiting scholar, resources available and time period for the appointment. The Department Head may negotiate alternate time periods to insure adequate and appropriate support is provided to all visiting faculty.
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