Adjunct Faculty Hiring Process and Course Staffing Guidelines
As adjunct faculty candidates navigate through the hiring process at NLU, the steps they can expect are listed below. Click each expandable step to see more details. Further down, you can find the guidelines for staffing current Faculty. For information regarding Professional Adjunct Lecturers (PALs), please click here.
All of our open Adjunct Faculty opportunities are accessible by clicking here and then clicking the link for "Adjunct Positions."
If you do not see a posting for a program of interest, you can apply to our general positions for each college. Please be aware that these "general postings" are not active positions, but are searchable by our hiring managers as needs arise. Please be sure to check back periodically as new opportunities are posted regularly.
Be sure to review the posting to ensure you attach all required documents to your application. Most Adjunct Faculty positions require a Curriculum Vitae/Resume, Cover Letter and Official Transcripts. If these documents are not submitted it may delay your approval as an adjunct.
- Scanned copies of transcripts that were issued to the student or downloaded electronic copies of transcripts. If unofficial transcripts are submitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to being assigned your first course.
Once your application is submitted online, it is reviewed by the hiring manager for appropriate credentialing and experience and alignment with the current needs of the program.
If more information is needed or the hiring manager would like to schedule an interview, someone will contact you directly via email or by phone.
For your convenience, we provide an applicant status in our candidate portal. Click here to login to your account and check your status. Please be patient if the status has not changed. Events may occur unrelated to you and your application causing a slower recruiting process.
Upon approval from the hiring manager to teach certain courses at NLU, you will be contacted by HR to submit your information for a background check.
Once the background check is approved, HR will email forms required to initiate the onboarding process. Please return these forms as soon as possible.
- Please note that while most forms can be filled out, signed and returned to HR via email or fax, an authorized member of the NLU staff or faculty will need to verify your I-9 documents in-person at one of our campuses. See our campus locations here. (Other arrangements can be made on a case by case basis for those outside our Chicagoland area).
Please visit our JumpStart Orientation page for orientation schedule. HR will send information from Get Inclusive regarding our Harassment Prevention Training.
You may receive additional orientation training through your individual college.
Once the application process and college-specific orientation requirements have been completed, you will be "Approved to Teach" and can be issued contracts to teach courses. Congrats!
Special Note: Achieving "Approved to Teach" status does not guarantee the assignment of a course to teach. Course assignments are determined by institutional needs and student enrollment.
National Louis University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Access/Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its students, faculty and staff. NLU is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community and strongly encourages all qualified individuals to apply.
NLU is committed to positioning and maintaining its facilities in convenient, safe locations and creating policies and safety procedures to ensure that the possibility of criminal offense is diminished, and public safety is enhanced. In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998, prospective employees may request a copy of the current report by visiting the Office of Postsecondary Education website at ope.ed.gov/security/ and identifying National Louis University as the institution or by contacting the Facilities Office at each of our locations.
Adjunct Faculty Course Staffing Guidelines
At National Louis University, we pride ourselves on being a student-centered teaching institution. We prioritize the needs of our students in everything we do. This core principle extends to our operational functions, including the process for selecting instructors for courses. Academic success for our students relies heavily on the expertise and engagement of our faculty. As an institution, we aim to provide the best educational experience for our students, and we strive to assign the best instructor for each course. We continue to improve our systems and processes to value the work of our faculty and build a stronger institution. A significant number of courses are taught by adjunct faculty. We value their contributions and do our best to keep open communications with them to ensure they are a part of our community.
Below are guidelines for Instructor Assignments to courses across the university.
Credentialing
- All faculty adhere to credentialing requirements established for courses by each college in collaboration with HR and the Provost Office.
- Colleges work with Human Resources to complete the credentialing process. Aspiring adjuncts complete the University’s application process, credential review process, teaching authorization process, and Adjunct Online Orientation validation process.
- The Office of the Provost maintains a database of adjunct faculty along with specific teaching authorizations granted after individualized reviews by subject matter experts.
- Adjunct Faculty members who wish to expand the list of courses they are credentialed to teach should discuss that with the program director/chair and provide the appropriate documentation. Addendum forms should be submitted to the program director/chair.
- Credentialing requirements for highly specialized programs such as Culinary courses follow the industry standards of reviewing years and depth of experience. Questions pertaining to culinary credentialing requirements should be directed to the Program Director of Kendall College or the Provost Office.
Instructor Selection and Assignment Process
- Course schedules are set based on student enrollment and academic program needs.
- Full-time faculty are assigned courses first to ensure load expectations are met for the academic year.
- Professional Adjunct Lecturers (PALs) are assigned next by Associate Dean(s) and/or Program Directors/Chairs with the Dean’s approval. Each college has a set number of PALs based on budget considerations and selected by the Dean and the college leadership team on an annual basis. Each PAL will commit to teaching a number of courses and will be guaranteed the assignment for the academic year.
- The remaining courses and/or sections are assigned to adjunct faculty. The following factors are taken into consideration when selecting adjunct professors:
- The key role for Adjunct Faculty is to complement program instruction by bringing work experience and current professional practice to the classroom.
- Compliance with FLAC and the total hours already taught by an adjunct for the year.
- Content areas and course modality.
- Location and time availability to teach a course.
- Diversity of instructors in support of our university diversity, equity, and inclusion values and meeting the needs of all NLU students.
- Years of experience with consistently positive Course Evaluation Data at NLU including IDEA scores, course engagement, observations and the EAB faculty reporting system.
- Meeting deadlines and timely completion of course preparation and grade entry.
- For quality assurance purposes, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) who develops a course is often asked to teach it the first time it is offered.
- Faculty credential in relation to meeting program accreditation ratio requirements.
- Departmental need to build a strong cadre of adjunct faculty that are experienced in teaching courses in the programs.
NOTE: On rare occasions, an assigned course is cancelled within 2 weeks from the start of a term after the faculty member has fully prepared it. Since the amount of work varies depending on the course, the university will fairly compensate the instructor based on the work performed on a sliding scale, not to exceed $250.
Communication Protocols
- Full-time faculty and PALs are notified by the Dean, college Associate Dean or program director/chair of course assignments prior to the start of the academic year as a part of the annual load planning effort.
- Prior to assigning a course, adjuncts are contacted via email, phone, or survey by the program director/chair to discuss available opportunities to teach a course before formally making the assignment. The timing of the outreach varies.
- Department Chairs/Directors or Dean’s office designee will notify an adjunct instructor via email that they have been assigned to teach a course. In time-sensitive situations he/she will follow up via phone.
- Enrollment is monitored in the weeks leading up to every term start. In some cases, course cancellations must occur due to low enrollment, which may result in an adjunct instructor not being assigned to a course they had previously been assigned to teach. This may happen up until 2 weeks prior to a term start date. Directors/Chairs monitor course enrollments weekly and aim to alert adjuncts much earlier if there is a possibility of course cancellation.
- Every time a class cancellation results in an adjunct not being assigned, the Department Chair or Dean’s office designee will email the impacted adjunct instructor; a follow-up phone call may also occur.
- Credentialed adjuncts remain in our pool for future consideration. They will be removed if they were inactive for 2 academic years. HR removes inactive faculty.
- Concerns regarding performance are shared privately with the adjunct faculty and how that might impact their future assignments.
