Many circumstances may necessitate ending an appointment within Weill Cornell Medical College's academic staff, including a staff member’s retirement, resignation, the conclusion of a terminal appointment, or the non-renewal of a faculty member’s appointment due to lack of funding or changes in programmatic needs.
All appointments, including those with tenure, are subject to modification or termination in the event of:
- dismissal for just cause
- reduction or elimination of educational programs, divisions or departments.
Appointments at affiliated institutions are subject to modification or termination in the event of:
- failure of the affiliated institution to provide funds
- termination of the individual's appointment or employment at the affiliated institution
- termination of the affiliation
- financial exigency within the medical college
Retirement and Resignation
There is no mandatory retirement age for faculty. In some cases, an eligible retiring faculty member may be recommended for emeritus status by the department chair.
A faculty member may decide to resign for a new position elsewhere or for family reasons. Minimum notice is not generally prescribed, but some faculty members agree to provide a minimum amount of notice, as described in their appointment offer letters.
WCMC Appointments
Weill Cornell Medical College academic appointments fall into three categories:
- Tenure appointments are of indefinite term.
- Term appointments have a definite time period, and without further action will end on the date specified if a department decides not to renew the term appointment.
- Renewable appointments are made with the prospect of renewal at the end of a term. If an appointment will not be renewed, the academic staff member is in effect given a term appointment upon receiving a written notification of non-renewal. The length of non-renewal notice varies from three to 12 months, depending on the length of full-time employment or type of academic appointment.
All academic staff members are informed of their appointment type in initial offer letters, confirmation letters and subsequent renewal letters. The Weill Cornell Medicine Office of Faculty Affairs will review any notification of non-renewal before departments inform faculty members of termination. All appointment terminations are recorded, and written confirmations of termination are sent to academic staff members by mail.
For Weill Cornell’s complete appointment ending policy, please refer to the Academic Staff Handbook: Leaves and Termination of Appointment