Policies and Procedures
The Department of Second Language Studies accepts a small number of Visiting Colleagues, usually for a period of three months to a year. As the term suggests (as opposed to the more common term “visiting scholar”), the Department is interested in visitors with a strong research program who contribute to the Department’s activities.
Visiting Colleagues will have a PhD and either a faculty position or postdoctoral researcher status. (See lists of current and previous Visiting Colleagues.) Applications must be sponsored by a member of the SLS Graduate Faculty. Prospective visitors should contact the faculty member(s) with whom they wish to work before submitting a formal application. Under exceptional circumstances, applicants without a PhD, but with highly relevant research experience or interests directly congruent to active DSLS faculty research agendas, may be considered.
When a faculty member and an applicant have arrived at an initial agreement concerning the research project, the applicant should submit a formal application to the SLS Department Chair. The following items should be sent as email attachments to slschair@hawaii.edu:
- A letter of request specifying the projected dates of arrival and departure, the name of the faculty sponsor, and the source of funding
- A curriculum vitae
- A description of a specific research project that the Visiting Colleague applicant intends to carry out during the sojourn
Appointments as Visiting Colleagues are noncompensated. Benefits include a UH ID, entitling the visitor to use all UH services restricted to ID holders (full library services, UH websites and internet access, sports facilities, educational discount at the UH Bookstore computer department). The Department cannot provide a computer or supplies. Office space may be offered as available.
Visiting Colleagues who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents participate in the U.S. Exchange Visitor Program P-1-1793 sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i. The process for obtaining Form DS-2019 "Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status” may take around six months. In order to allow for sufficient time between the initial request and date of arrival, applicants should contact their prospective sponsor a year in advance of their intended visit. Besides other documents that will be needed, it is necessary that a prospective Visiting Colleague show evidence of financial support of US$1,500 per month. Please consult the UHM Faculty and Scholar Immigration Services website for this and other pertinent details.
The Visiting Colleague Program is not appropriate for visitors whose primary purpose is to update themselves about current developments in second language studies. For such scholars, the Department offers a different program: the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies. Please contact the Graduate Chair (grdchr@hawaii.edu) for further information about the AGC in SLS program.