Each faculty member at Northwestern University School of Law is matched with a faculty assistant committed to providing ongoing instructional and professional support. Please visit the faculty assignment list for contact information.
Faculty may count on their designated assistants for a wide range of instructional support:
Course material preparation
Blackboard assistance
A/V and classroom equipment requests
Ordering books
Ordering office supplies
Reserving spaces for meetings and events
Classroom seating charts
Clerkship letter assistance
Submitting events to the faculty calendar
Proctoring exams
as well as professional support:
Travel arrangements and reimbursements
Event coordination and preparation
Formatting or editing documents for publication
Professional membership renewals
The majority of faculty members receive an annual allocation to support their research needs. Funds are deposited at the beginning of an appointment or at the start of each fiscal year, with unused dollars from the previous fiscal year rolling over to the current year, up to the annual allocated amount.
Most costs that directly support research or professional development may be reimbursed via research account dollars. Here is a summary of the law school’s policy on allowable and unallowable charges for research accounts:
Allowable Charges
Professional membership dues
Conference fees
Research assistants
Postage and shipping
Software and data sets (please consult the faculty computing policies)
Books and media relevant to research (tax not reimbursed with non-catalog vendors)
Research or conference-related travel expenses (please consult the university’s travel policy)
Meals (alcohol not reimbursed)
Airfare
Car rentals (gas reimbursed)
Personal vehicle mileage (for longer-distance travel beyond the scope of commuting; reimbursed per mile according to published federal rates)
Taxi cabs, public transit costs, and parking
Hotels and fees
Unallowable Charges
Meals with colleagues and working lunches, with some exceptions
Meals or coffee with students or buying food for a class, with few exceptions
Tax charges will not be reimbursed on goods and services when such charges are avoidable, as by using NU catalog vendors. Faculty should defer to their faculty assistants when considering vendors for a purchase.
There is a 90-day window to process reimbursements following the date of receipt;
exception forms are available when necessary.
Faculty are encouraged to seek external grant funding to support their research needs. Please contact Molly Heiler or Kelly Zoeckler if you are interested in pursuing grant funding.
All inquiries regarding faculty support, faculty assistants, research accounts, grant activity, etc. may be directed to:
Molly Heiler
Associate Director, Research & Administration
RB236
312-503-5354
Kelly Zoeckler
Faculty Support Coordinator
RB230
312-503-1413