News and Announcements

NDSU Retires the Request to Appoint Form for Part-Time Academic Hires

Posted: 2026-07-23 14:28:17   Expiration: 2026-10-30 14:28:17

Fewer steps, same safeguards: part-time academic hiring no longer requires the Request to Appoint form, and every qualification and credit-hour check it covered is now documented inside Recruitment Solutions, NDSU's online hiring system.

The Office of the Provost is retiring the Request to Appoint a PTA form and replacing it with a new hire screening sheet and a required letter of offer template for all PTA appointments.

The Request to Appoint form was created to document compliance with NDSU Policy 309, which governs the minimum qualifications to teach a course, and to ensure that the number of credit hours a PTA teaches remains compliant with their part-time status. The new screening sheet and letter of offer template will ensure continued compliance with these requirements without the separate Request to Appoint form. The screening sheet is required for all new PTA hires and the letter of offer template is required for all PTA appointments.

Colleges and departments can discontinue the Request to Appoint form and follow the new process immediately. The form will be deactivated on July 31.

What Is Not Changing

This change is narrow. It retires only the Request to Appoint form. Almost everything else about hiring a part-time instructor stays the same, and both requirements the form used to confirm still apply. The only real difference is where you record them.

  • You still hire new PTAs through Recruitment Solutions, the same online system used for other positions. You post the job, candidates apply, and approvals route through the system as before.
  • All PTAs must still meet NDSU Policy 309 requirements, which sets the minimum qualifications to teach a course.
  • PTA appointments must still stay within the credit-hour limit that applies to part-time, non-benefitted positions.
  • Letters of Offer are still drafted by the department, only the template you use for it is new.
  • Funding approval still rests with the college. Continue to follow your department or college process.

What to Do: Hiring Someone New

Here are the steps when you are hiring a part-time instructor for the first time.

  • Create the job opening in Recruitment Solutions. Your Dean's office reviews and approves it before the job posts. This happens before anyone applies.
  • Let the candidate or candidates apply through the posting.
  • Once someone applies, the chair, head, or program director reviews the application against Policy 309 and fills out the new PTA Screening Sheet, which documents that the candidate is qualified to teach each course. Email the completed screening sheet to Angela Fowler angela.fowler@ndsu.edu.
  • Upon receipt of the completed screening sheet, Angela Fowler, will initiate the background check.
  • Write the letter of offer using the new template. Because the template lists the credit hours the person will teach, the credit-hour limit is checked and documented right in the offer. Make sure the assignment keeps the person under 7.5 credits over two consecutive semesters.
  • Submit the Request to Offer, which is Recruitment Solutions approval step for extending an offer. Email a copy of the letter to Angela Fowler at angela.fowler@ndsu.edu. Your Dean, or a designee, and the Provost’s Office approves the Request to Offer in Recruitment Solutions.
  • After approval, send the letter of offer to the department chair and candidate for signature in DocuSign. Copy Angela Fowler at the end of the DocuSign route.
  • Once signed, save the letter of offer in the PTA’s official personnel file.

 Appointment

When you are renewing someone who already holds a PTA appointment, the process is shorter.

  • Write a new letter of offer using the new template.
  • Send the letter of offer out for signature.
  • Submit the Student/Temporary/PTA Payroll Change form to renew the appointment. Attach the letter of offer to the payroll form.

Keeping Records

Keep every signed letter of offer in the PTA's official personnel file.

Where to Find the New Tools

Questions

For questions, contact Angela Fowler at angela.fowler@ndsu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a screening sheet required for PTA renewals?

No, a screening sheet is only required for new hires. 

 

Do I have to use the PTA template letter?

Yes, use of the template letter is required. If you need help addressing a situation not covered by the template, please contact Angela Fowler, angela.fowler@ndsu.edu. 

 

-- Academic Affairs: Haley Hamel