Class Guests

It is a common practice for faculty to bring special guests into their classes to enhance and diversify perspectives. If you would like to do so, please note the following.

  1. A class guest as someone who visits to supplement - not replace - your teaching. It is assumed the faculty member is present for the entire guest visit.
  2. All class guests are paid through an honorarium. Our standard rate is $100 per hour. Any adjustments to this rate must be approved by the Director of Academic Administration before the visit.
  3. Please inform your Concentration Head of the number of guests you want to invite to your class - along with the amount of time they will be visiting - before the semester begins. Each concentration has a budget for these visits and it's the Head's responsibility to manage it.
  4. Each guest must complete a Theatre Program Honorarium Agreement. It is the faculty's responsibility to collect these forms and submit them to the Program Office so that their guest can receive their honoraria.
  5. Honoraria are only paid to individuals. If your guests would prefer their company be paid, the steps are different and more lengthy. Please contact the Program Office for coordination.
  6. Finally, this process is not to be used to pay substitute faculty. All substitute faculty must be appointed on payroll. If you plan on using a sub, please alert the Concentration Head and Director of Academic Administration with as much advance notice as possible so the corresponding appointment paperwork and payment can be processed accordingly.

International Guests

The Theatre Program welcomes voices from around the world to broaden our students' experience. However, before a promise is made to offer an international guest an honoraria for their time, their eligibility to receive funds from Columbia must be confirmed. Therefore, please contact the Program Office at the beginning of the semester with the information below for any non-US citizen who will be a guest in your class. Confirmation of eligibility takes approximately 6-8 weeks.

Please note, this is only required if your guest wants to receive an honoraria for their time. If an international guest chooses to visit your class for free, none of this is required.

Accessing Nash

If you have guests accessing Nash, you will need to provide the guard at the security desk with a list of the first and last name of all guests. Please instruct any guests to bring a valid ID with them.