In
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor is valued. In many cases, the position is not salaried because the visitor is salaried by their home institution (or partially salaried, as in some cases of
sabbatical leave
A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work; "an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job."
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Bib ...
from US universities). Some visiting positions are salaried.
Typically, a visiting scholar may stay for a couple of months or even a year,
[UT]
"Visiting Scholar"
. The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
. though the stay can be extended. A visiting scholar is usually invited by the host institution, and it is not out of the ordinary for them to provide accommodation. Such an invitation is often regarded as recognizing the scholar's prominence in the field. Attracting prominent visiting scholars often allows the permanent faculty and graduate students to cooperate with prominent academics from other institutions, especially foreign ones.
In the UK, a visiting scholar or visiting academic usually has to pay a so-called ''bench fee'' to the university, which will give access to shared office space and other university facilities and resources (such as the library). Bench fees vary across UK universities.
The purpose of a visiting scholars programs is generally to bring to the university or educational institution in question an exceptional senior scholar who can contribute to the community's intellectual and research endeavors and international projection. Hence, in addition to conducting their own research, visitors are often expected to participate in productive institutional activities, such as:
* Deliver a formal lecture to the hosting institution
* Engage in formal or informal discussions with graduate or postgraduate research students
* Undertake collaborative research with faculty or staff
* Present guest lectures or faculty seminars
* Present a paper as part of the university's seminar program
See also
*
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
, for a visiting professor, more specifically also
visiting professor in the U.S.
*
Research fellow
A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...
, for a visiting researcher
References
{{reflist
Academic administration
Higher education
Academic ranks