While the Dallas County Community College District utilizes a formal and inclusive process for the search and appointment of full-time contracted personnel, it is sometimes necessary to fill instructional positions on a temporary basis. A person serving in this role may be designated as a visiting scholar faculty.

While there are no formal experience requirements for visiting scholar faculty, a college may require the successful completion of a development plan during assignment as a visiting scholar in addition to other assigned duties.

Visiting scholar faculty are expected to perform all normal functions as assigned to other employees in like positions. Such functions may include office hours, graduation attendance, etc.

Visiting scholar faculty may be eligible for formula pay if they are serving on a current board approved faculty contract and have been awarded a board approved faculty contract for the next academic year.

Because the visiting scholar faculty designation is classified as a temporary employment category with the District, individuals serving in the role are not eligible to apply for vacancies posted as “internal only” nor are they eligible to participate in the Internal Faculty Transfer Process.  Additionally, no one position can perpetually be filled by a visiting scholar appointment.  Only in the event where a current visiting scholar-faculty role is vacated by a seated visiting scholar can the location put a new vistiing scholar into the role for the extent of the position's term.

The time a visiting scholar faculty serves in the visiting role will be counted in calculation of years of service for consideration toward multi-year contract eligibility, if a continuing faculty position is gained through competitive search with the Dallas County Community Colleges.

The visiting scholar faculty role is a temporary appointment, recommended for up to two full academic years, by the location President. It is usually full-time, and at least 50 percent of normal load, but may vary due to the specific needs of the location. The person serving in the faculty role must meet educational minimums for assignment to a faculty position and salary schedule, and the contracted salary is based on the usual education/experience-based calculation.

During this contractual period, a visiting scholar faculty is paid on a 9-month payout option. visiting scholar faculty will participate in the Texas retirement plan (Texas Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP)), and will be covered for health benefits by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS), as afforded other full-time employees in a similar employment category. There is no state income tax in Texas, and the District does not participate in Social Security - but visiting scholar faculty are required to participate in MEDICARE (deduction of 1.45 percent-matched by the District) as required by Federal Law.

Visiting scholar faculty are encouraged to review and consider application for other positions throughout the District in order to attain continuing employment status. In order to continue in employment with the District beyond two years, the person must be competitively hired. If the location/college identifies a continuing need for the position beyond two years, the vacancy must be declared and a candidate selected to fill it using the DCCCD faculty hiring process.

Location Responsibility:

Each location will provide regular coaching opportunities for division deans for working with visiting scholars.  

Each location will provide visiting scholar-faculty with a full-time faculty mentor who will be assigned to that visiting scholar for the duration of their temporary appointment.  Full-time faculty mentors will be provided clearly articulated expectations as to their role and will receive a stipend of $500 per semester for performing this duty.