Temporary Faculty
New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its program or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. Inquiries may be directed to the Executive Director, Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, P.O. Box 30001, E. 1130 University Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88003; 575.646.3635; 575.646.7802 (TTY) equity@nmsu.edu.
NMSU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate form or to request an accommodation, please contact the Office of Institutional Equity, O’Loughlin House, 1130 E. University Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88003; 575.646.3635; 575.646.7802 (TTY) equity@nmsu.edu. One week advance notice is appreciated.
Overview of Temporary Faculty
About Temp Faculty
Temp faculty are intended for short or long term employment with a predetermined end date. They are compensated at a salaried rate and may have the title rank of College Instructor, College Asst Prof, College Assc Prof, or College Prof. Appointments are fully defined in ARP 6.03. If the appointment changes, we encourage you to terminate the current position immediately and hire into the appropriate category.
Important!
Temp faculty hires must be submitted through EPAF (Electronic Personnel Action Form found within MyNMSU) to complete the hiring action. Employment Services only guarantees on-time payment for those temp faculty if the job is submitted by the payroll deadline, prior to the start date of the job. Submissions received after a temp faculty has completed work are considered late hires and are processed in EPAF with the approval category of Late Hire. Please visit the Post Job Completion Hiring Toolkit for information related to late hires.
If you are hiring a new temporary faculty member, a resume and official transcripts (if not already received and coded in banner) must be routed to Employment Services at the time the EPAF is submitted. Use PPAGENL in banner to confirm if official transcripts have been coded in banner.
- Paper Documentation: Print the Aggie ID and EPAF transaction number at the top of the documentation and submit the Employment Services at MSC 3HRS.
- Email Documentation: Email the documentation to teamhrs@nmsu.edu
- Subject Line: Temporary Faculty Hiring Documentation – EPAF # - Aggie ID
Quick Links
EPAF Manual (Temp Faculty & GAs)
EPAF Processing Reference (Temp Faculty)
Updated: 4/19/2024
EPAF Training and Access:
Electronic Personnel Security Request (Establish EPAF Access)
Guides:
Tools & Samples
- I-9 & E-Verify Compliance
- Factors for Calculating Regular Faculty Per Credit Pay for Summer
- New Employee Data Form
- Post Job Completion- Late Hire Form
- Requested Base Salary Calculator for Prorated Employment
- Research Faculty Prorated Salary Calculator
- Sample Offer Letter
- Summer Hire Guidelines
- Temp Faculty and Grad Assistant Hire FAQs
- Temporary Employee Onboarding Checklist
- FTE Calculations Chart
Other
Conditions of Temporary Faculty
Appointment Period
Per ARP 6.03 – Employment Categories the appointment period is not to exceed one (1) year but may be hired for a semester, academic year, or fiscal year. The department is authorized to continue to re-hire individuals as a new temporary appointment in compliance with other university policies; however, there shall be no entitlement or expectation of continued employment beyond the existing appointment period. ARP 6.35 – Non-tenure Track Faculty Appointments has restrictions to appointment periods and FTE, review policy to remain compliant.
Hours and FTE
Hours and FTE for Temp faculty will be tracked on a weekly basis. HRS will generate reports on a monthly basis for review and average FTE/hours worked trending. Temp faculty cannot exceed .74 Full Time Equivalent (FTE).
FTE Calculation Instructional Academic Year Credit/FTE Calculation - is based on the number of credits teaching divided by the full load for the period (i.e. semester, academic year, etc.). Examples:
- Las Cruces Campus 3 credit course ÷12 credits (semester) = .25 FTE
- Las Cruces Campus 4 credit course ÷ 12 credits (semester) = .33 FTE
- Community College 3 credit course ÷ 15 credits (semester) = .20 FTE
- Community College 4 credit course ÷ 15 credits (semester) = .27 FTE
Summer Credit Calculation – is based on the Factors for Calculating Regular Faculty Per Credit Pay for Summer.
Non Instructional Hours Worked Calculation - is based on a full time equivalent of 40 hour work week. Using the number of hours you intend for the employee to work (estimate the average if it is not exact) divide by the full time equivalent of 40. Examples:
- 25 hours per week ÷ 40 hours per week = .63 FTE
- 20 hours per week ÷ 40 hours per week = .50 FTE
- 15 hours per week ÷ 40 hours per week = .375 FTE
- 10 hours per week ÷ 40 hours per week = .25 FTE (not eligible for NMERB)
Multiple Jobs
Temp faculty may hold more than one temporary faculty position. However, all combined employment (university-wide) cannot exceed a total FTE above .74 and the average total hours worked must not exceed 29 hours per week.
Hiring Process
Optional Position Advertisement
Advertising is optional for temp faculty positions; however, employees in non-regular positions may not be hired into a regular employment position without a competitive recruitment process. Exceptions to the recruitment process require written approval by the Assistant Vice President of HR Services. Initiate the EPAF & Identify Position Number. You must first identify those employees who are new to NMSU. These individuals must be communicated to HR Services by utilizing the New Employee Data Form to establish an employment record in the banner system. Forward a copy of the employees resume and transcripts (note, degree information cannot be entered into Banner without a copy of the transcripts, which may be official or unofficial). Select the position number for type of hire, temp faculty or supplemental/additional comp. In order to comply with IPEDs reporting requirements the position numbers below identify the primary function and will be used university-wide (including the community colleges).
| Position Type | Position # | Account # |
|---|---|---|
| * Regular staff and faculty serving as a temporary faculty member must be hired as supplemental compensation (note total employment cannot exceed a total FTE of 1.50 under ARP 7.53). For summer employment, when a regular faculty member hired on an academic contract is hired during the summer months or during the winter break. For these circumstances only, the faculty member should be hired in one of the temporary pooled position numbers listed above not to exceed 1.0 FTE. | ||
| Temp Faculty Instr- Credit | 999996 | 611300 |
| Temp Faculty Instr- Non-Credit | 999995 | 611300 |
| Temp Faculty- Research | 999994 | 611300 |
| Temp Faculty- Public Service | 999993 | 611300 |
| Temp Faculty Supplemental Pay * | 918998 | 619300 |
Offer of Employment
Temp faculty must be provided an offer letter prior to starting employment with NMSU to ensure the employee is aware of the conditions of hire. The start date will be a future date allowing for time to process. The offer letter must be maintained in the department personnel file.
Background Check
A Sensitive Duties Checklist is to be completed by the hiring department and submitted when a hiring action is initiated with Employment Services. Depending on the answers to the Sensitive Duties Checklist, a Background Check Release Form is to be completed by hiring department. Please review the Background Check Process Flow.
Post Job Completion Hires
Jobs for which the end date has passed and the job is complete. An example of this situation is when a job is held in the previous session but was never submitted for processing and compensation. Please see the Post Job Competition toolkit.
Onboarding New Hire
More forms and documents to assist you with the hiring process can be found on the New Employee webpage. Additionally, the Temporary Employee Onboarding Checklist may be used to assist departments with the orientation of new temp employees to the university.
Benefits and Employment Rights of Temporary Faculty
Benefits Employee Benefits are directly related to the FTE. Participation in NMERB is mandatory for those employees at a .26 FTE or above. It is very important to maintain a consistent FTE. Variations can significantly impact the employee's pay causing over and under payment situations. Visit the Temp Faculty & Temp Staff Benefits page for complete details. Employment Rights
- No grievance rights. This does not apply for complaints involving any type of unlawful discrimination, which shall be filed with the NMSU Office of Institutional Equity and shall follow NMSU Policy.
- Not eligible for annual salary increase, promotion, transfer, retention, counter offers, etc.