Titling

The UW System titling structure is comprised of seven employee categories. Within the framework of these employee categories, job titles are defined.

Employee Classifications

Definitions
Faculty: Persons who hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in an academic department or its functional equivalent in an institution, and such academic staff as may be designated by the chancellor and faculty of the institution.

Academic Staff: Professional and administrative personnel with duties and appointment types that are primarily associated with higher education institutions or their administration but does not include faculty or university staff.

Limited Appointees: Appointment to a designated administrative position, the holder of which serves at the pleasure of the authorized official who made the appointment. Certain positions must be designated as limited appointments under Wis. Stat. § 36.17(2) while others may be designated by the employer as limited appointments at the time of the appointment.
 
University Staff

University Staff: University workforce who contribute in a broad array of positions in support of the University’s mission and are not exempt (hourly) from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

University Staff Project Appointment: University staff appointment of up to four years; the need is project-based, and there is an established probable date of termination.

Temporary University Staff: University staff appointment of up to 1,040 hours within a 12-month period; the need for the position/duties is temporary in nature.

Resources
Employees In Training: Persons holding a title in the Employees-in-Training title group are normally acquiring additional training or experience in their field of specialization. Two examples of Employees-in-Training titles are Postdoctoral Fellow and Postgraduate Trainee.

Student Assistants: Titles in the Student Assistant title group are used for graduate students who hold a fellowship, scholarship or traineeship; hold an appointment which is intended primarily to further the education and training of the student; are employed to assist with research, training or other academic programs or projects; and/or have been assigned teaching responsibilities in an instructional department under the supervision of a faculty member. In addition, Student Assistant titles are available to undergraduate students when no qualified graduate student is available to perform a function that would normally be assigned to graduate Student Assistants or when the terms of a supporting grant or contract preclude the use of other normally appropriate titles.

Student Hourly: Student employment is intended to help meet the needs of the university, provide university students with financial support in pursuit of their academic goals, and provide opportunities for academic or administrative job experience. The job duties and responsibilities of student workers vary greatly and may or may not be related to their field of study.
SYS 1237: Student Employment.
 
For additional history, policy definitions and guidance please see UW System Administrative Policy 1276: Title Definitions.