The Procedure for Academic Department Transfer of Faculty Members applies to any cases where a faculty member is being transferred from one primary academic department to another within the College of Medicine.
A request for change of the primary academic department must be submitted by both department chairs. The request should be addressed to the Dean of the College of Medicine and include the reason for the transfer and the effective date of the department transfer. For transfers between colleges within Penn State, the Deans of both colleges must approve the transfer. For the transfer of a tenured faculty member between colleges, the Office of Faculty Affairs will submit the request to the Provost.
In addition to the transfer request, submit a draft “reassignment of responsibilities offer letter” from the Department Chair in the new department. This letter should follow the offer letter template, to include effective date, academic rank, salary, job expectations and effort allocation. Faculty rank must not be changed. The letter shall indicate either that the employment relationship is not changing or that the employer is changing (if applicable, in cases where faculty members are transferring between Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, or across colleges). Information about background checks, moving expenses, and any other non-applicable information should not be included in the letter. The Department must work with the Controller’s office regarding salary information and the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies to confirm the basis for the transfer and ensure that resources are available to support the faculty member in the new department.
Attach the faculty member’s CV to the request.
For Hershey Medical Center-employed physicians, attach a Clinician Physician Appointment Form and a Penn State Academic Faculty Appointment Form to reflect the new primary department.
Upon completion of the above steps, the documentation (including the request for the transfer) is uploaded into DocuSign for routing through leadership (clinical or basic science leadership, as appropriate), concluding with the Dean. The department should indicate on the DocuSign cover sheet under the “Comments” section that the packet is for an academic department transfer.
Upon DocuSign approval, the new department may proceed with providing the reassignment offer letter to the faculty member.
The new Department must notify and work with Human Resources (COM or HMC HR, as appropriate) of the department change as well as any approved changes in salary and any new budget assignments. For Hershey Medical Center-employed physicians, also provide the information to Kathy Remlinger in the Medical Staff Office.
The new department must also send a copy of the entire DocuSign packet and DocuSign approval (including a copy of the final, signed offer letter) to the Office of Faculty Affairs for the Dean’s Office faculty file record.
Revisions
Updated Aug. 23, 2023