Benefits of Affiliation and Application Procedures

Background:
     The Institute for Public and International Affairs (IPIA) at the University of Utah is a research institute. The purpose of the IPIA affiliation policy is to further the IPIA’s missions by facilitating the creation of productive and mutually beneficial relationships with (1) faculty members who will direct the IPIA’s research programs, and (2) departments in which those faculty members have academic appointments. Faculty members may benefit from affiliation in various ways including, for example, (1) eligibility for seed grant programs, (2) extramural grant application/administration support, (3) support for professional IPIA-related travel, (4) support with publications, and (5) support to host meetings and conferences that will advance IPIA-related research agendas and to disseminate IPIA-sponsored research findings.
     Faculty members affiliated with IPIA are also associated with an academic department and must adhere to the requirements and standards of that department. Decisions regarding the retention, promotion, and tenure of faculty affiliated with IPIA are made by academic departments with input from IPIA. Specifically, in cases of retention, promotion, tenure, and tenured faculty reviews, the academic department will request a formal letter from the IPIA that provides a candid assessment of the candidate’s contributions to the IPIA. This letter will be due on the date that the candidate’s file closes.

Types of Affiliation:
     Faculty may be affiliated with IPIA as Investigators, Members, or Visiting Fellows. Investigators will generally have full-time tenure- or research-track appointments at the University of Utah and active funded research programs in areas of direct interest to the IPIA (i.e., politics, governance, government, public policy, and/or international affairs). Faculty meeting these criteria will be appointed as Assistant Investigator, Associate Investigator, or Investigator depending upon their qualifications. Members will generally be individuals holding auxiliary faculty appointments who have an active research interest in IPIA-related issues. Visiting Fellows will be individuals who hold appointments at another institution and who have come to the IPIA for a limited time to work on an IPIA-related research project and/or teach an IPIA-related course.

Application and Review Process:
     Applications for affiliation should consist of a current vita and a letter from the applicant outlining how the applicant, his/her home department, and IPIA would benefit from his/her affiliation. In addition, the applicant must submit a letter of support from his/her department chair. Applications will be evaluated on an on-going basis by the IPIA Director and a committee of affiliates appointed by the Director. Their primary evaluative criterion will be the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship for the individual, his/her home department, and the IPIA. The Director and the committee will determine if affiliation is indicated and, if so, what type (i.e., Investigator, Member, or Visiting Fellow) and level (e.g., assistant, associate) is appropriate.

Conditions of Appointment:
     Investigators will have a renewable, three-year appointment with the IPIA and will be evaluated annually by the Director and the affiliation committee. The general criterion for reappointment will be the continued value of the faculty member’s work to the IPIA’s mission. More specifically, Investigators will be expected to submit their grant proposals through the IPIA when it is appropriate, acknowledge their affiliation with the IPIA in their publications, and generally use their best efforts to further the goals and interests of the IPIA. Reappointment of Members will be based on the continued value of his/her participation in IPIA’s programs. The term of an Investigator appointment will typically be three years. Members will have one-year appointments. Visiting Fellow appointments will typically be for one year or less.

Send Completed Applications to:

J. Steven Ott, Director
Institute of Public and International Affairs
260 South Central Campus Dr., Rm 214
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Email: jsott@csbs.utah.edu