Academic HR / Academic Affairs Policies

A. Purpose

The Regular Conference is an opportunity for the chief administrator of a unit to help faculty to plan their careers and discuss their goals. The intention is to share unit goals and identify shared goals that will advance the faculty members career and interests while simultaneously advancing the goals of the unit. It is intended more as a forward-looking planning opportunity than as a backward-looking performance evaluation. Performance evaluations should occur primarily through merit reviews; merit reviews should be based in part on the goals developed in the Regular Conference.

B. Timing – Depends on Rank

Full time Lecturers, senior lecturers, assistant professors, and untenured associate professors and professors are required to have an annual conference with the unit head. Associate professors and senior lecturers require a conference every two years. Professors must have a regular conference every three years. Some unit heads prefer to have a conference with all faculty every year.

C. Materials

The materials submitted for merit review are typically used to inform the Regular Conference. Faculty should report on accomplishment of goals developed in the Regular Conference in their Yearly Activity Reports and/or other materials submitted for merit review. 

D. Procedures

The Faculty Code specifies several points of discussion in the Review Conference:

1. The department's present needs and goals with respect to the department's mission statement and the faculty member's present teaching, scholarly and service responsibilities and accomplishments;
2. Shared goals for the faculty member's teaching, scholarship, and service in the forthcoming year (or years, as appropriate) in keeping with the department's needs and goals for the same period; and
3. A shared strategy for achieving those goals.

Any specific responsibilities and expectations should be identified along with the resources available for them, and the unit head should make specific suggestions to improve or aid the faculty member’s work.

E. Feedback

The unit head writes a document summarizing the conference and provides a timely copy to the faculty. The faculty member has ten days to respond if s/he disagrees with elements of the document. The expectations in the document serve as criteria for future merit reviews.

Campus Residency & Out of State Work Policy

From: atharris <atharris@uw.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 5:08 PM
To: UWT Deans

Subject: Out of state residency

Dear Deans,

With the end of the federal Public Health Emergency declaration regarding COVID-19, as well as the recently updated EH&S public health guidance, we are seeing a more active and engaged campus environment in which the regular physical presence of our community members is increasingly important.  After consultations with the Office of Academic Personnel, I am sharing guidance for you to use as you manage expectations for campus presence in your units, which includes a review process for requests to work remotely from outside of Washington state, consistent with state guidance.

Campus Residency

Faculty are expected to be “in residence,” meaning physically present at the home campus and affiliated university locations. This expectation is governed by the University’s Instructional Responsibility Policy (IRP), which states that “faculty members who are paid from funds generated from tuition, fees, and state appropriations […] will generally be in residence.”  Please review this policy, most recently updated July 1, 2021. Note: While staff working regularly or occasionally off-site must complete formal telework agreements, it has been an accepted practice for faculty to carry out their work with varied schedules, both on and off campus, without a telework agreement. This practice will continue, though I ask you to maintain awareness of the campus presence of your faculty to ensure compliance with the expectations of the IRP. You may choose how best to manage and/or approve the off-campus, remote work of your faculty, and consultation of your faculty councils is appropriate.

Out-of-State Work Location

When a faculty member wishes to work remotely and from out-of-state, however, they must request an exception to the campus residency requirements articulated in the IRP. Each exceptional arrangement must be requested in advance, supported by the Dean, and approved by the EVCAA (serving as the Chancellor’s delegate). This requirement flows from our responsibility as a state institution to assess whether out-of-state remote work is necessary to meet a business need or is otherwise supported by a policy. When considering requests that include out-of-state remote work, Deans should consult this guidance from the State of Washington.

All requests for exceptions should be sent to the EVCAA via the Dean. Requests that you support should be sent with a statement of your support and rationale; requests that you do not support should also be sent with a statement and rationale for not supporting the request. 

Deans are strongly encouraged to discuss anticipated requests with the EVCAA, in advance. Please feel free to contact Sarah Davies Breen or me with any questions about the policy.  

Best, 

Andy

Andrew T. Harris, Ph.D.
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Washington Tacoma

Academic Affairs Guidelines for the Appointment and Reappointment of Endowed Professor Positions 

Endowment Agreement

Deans/Directors (or designee) and the faculty member holding the endowed professorship are responsible for knowing the purpose of the endowment, the requirements for selection/reappointment and the fund balance. Questions regarding the purpose of the endowment can be addressed to the Office of Advancement.

Documentation

Open positions: Faculty interested in an open endowed professorship must provide his/her current CV and a biography including research and educational projects, interests, and objectives. These documents are submitted to the dean/director. An open endowed position can be connected with an open faculty position. 

Review for Reappointments: Faculty who currently hold an endowed position whose term is about to end and are interested in renewing must provide: a) a current CV highlighting his/her accomplishments during the endowment period; b) a report highlighting activities that have supported the purpose of the endowment including how the funds were used; c) and a statement indicating his/her education and research goals for a future appointment period. These documents are submitted to the dean/director. If a faculty member is not interested in reappointment, his/her endowed professorship will conclude at the end date indicated in his/her appointment letter. He/she should let the dean/director know so that nominations can be sought to fill the position.

Selection/Reappointment Process

1. The dean or director will review documentation and available funding and make a recommendation to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Please submit a memo and the documents collected for either selection or reappointment above to the director of AHR.
2. If approved by the EVCAA and/or Chancellor, the director of AHR will work with the dean or director to create a letter to the faculty member. The letter will indicate the term of the appointment and the date by which a review needs to take place in order to be reappointed for another term. If a non-renewal or early termination of an endowed appointment is pending, the EVCAA will notify the Office of Advancement prior to the final action. 
3. Appointment is entered in Workday and documents are uploaded in Workday.
4. The Academic Personnel Office and Provost approvals are done through Workday.
5. For a renewal, a copy of the activity report provided by the faculty member will be forwarded to the Office of Advancement.
6. Notification will be sent to the faculty member and dean/director when approved. 

For more information: https://ap.washington.edu/ahr/actions/adding-updating/endowments/

Updated 4/15/2020

There is no UW Tacoma policy that defines the detailed procedures by which merit is awarded. UW Tacoma units must adhere to the University of Washington Faculty Code for merit policy and procedures.  All faculty members are reviewed annually for merit and any applicable merit-based salary increases following the procedures outlined in the UW Faculty Code, Section 24-55 and Section 24-57. Please note that if there is a conflict between this guidance and the Faculty Code, the provision of the Faculty Code will govern.

According to the Faculty Code, faculty should vote annually on the following:

1. Whether each faculty is meritorious or non-meritorious. (Extra-meritorious is not a category within the Faculty Code and faculty should not include this category in their vote.) Any faculty member whose performance is not deemed meritorious shall be informed by the Chair/Dean of the reasons.
2. Additional salary funds may be allocated by the provost to colleges and schools at any time during the biennium, after appropriate consultations with the Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee, to address differentials occurring in the academic labor market and to reflect assessments of the quality, standing, and contributions of units to college, school, and University goals. Unless specifically allocated by the provost for a particular unit or purpose, the Deans shall consult with their elected faculty councils before distributing any additional funds among their constituent units. The procedures of Section 24-55 of the Faculty Code will be followed in distributing funds allocated to adjust faculty salaries based on merit.

Please follow the link to UWT's Office of Research website to view this policy: Indirect Cost Recovery Policy

Please follow the link to the Fiscal Services website to view this policy: Institutional Reserves and Commitments Policy 

FACULTY MEETINGS ARE PUBLIC MEETINGS

Faculty Meetings are subject to the Open Public Meetings Act unless they are being held specifically for recommendations on appointments, promotions or tenure. This includes committees or faculty councils if they are authorized to act on behalf of the faculty.

OPEN GOVERNMENT TRAINING IS REQUIRED FOR ALL VOTING MEMBERS

Members of groups subject to the Open Public Meetings Act must complete open public meetings training no later than 90-days after the date the member assumes his or her duties, and not less than once every four years thereafter. Training is available through the Washington State Office of the Attorney General’s website on Open Government Training. It is recommended that you document the training received per the Open Government Training website.

ALL MEETINGS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR MUST BE REGISTERED

UW’s Office of Public Records and Open Public Meetings handles this function. A list for the following calendar year should be submitted in October.

MEETING AGENDAS MUST BE POSTED ONLINE AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING

Nothing in this section prohibits subsequent modifications to agendas nor invalidates any otherwise legal action taken at a meeting where the agenda was not posted in accordance with this section. 

VISITORS CAN ATTEND WITHOUT NOTICE AND CANNOT BE REQUIRED TO SIGN IN

A member of the public shall not be required, as a condition of attendance at a meeting of a governing body, to register his or her name and other information, to complete a questionnaire, or otherwise to fulfill any condition precedent to his or her attendance.

MINUTES MUST BE TAKEN AT ALL MEETINGS AND BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC

The minutes of all regular and special meetings except executive sessions of such boards, commissions, agencies or authorities shall be promptly recorded and such records shall be open to public inspection.

ACTIONS TAKEN IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW ARE NULL AND VOID

No governing body of a public agency shall adopt any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive, except in a meeting open to the public and then only at a meeting, the date of which is fixed by law or rule, or at a meeting of which notice has been given according to the provisions of this chapter. Any action taken at meetings failing to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be null and void.

SECRET BALLOTS ARE PROHIBITED

No governing body of a public agency at any meeting required to be open to the public shall vote by secret ballot. Any vote taken in violation of this subsection shall be null and void, and shall be considered an "action" under this chapter.

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION APPLY TO FACULTY MEMBERS AS INDIVIDUALS

A member of a governing body who knowingly attends a meeting held in violation of the open public meetings act is personally subject to a civil penalty in the amount of $500 for the first offense and $1000 for subsequent offenses RCW 42.30.120.  Violations of the OPMA can also result in lawsuits against the University.

The University of Washington strives to retain excellent faculty. Whenever possible, retention requests are handled through the unit adjustment process, which addresses market gaps in salaries, rather than through idiosyncratic adjustments for individuals.

UW Tacoma does consider requests for individual salary increases as a matter of retention.

A written letter or e-mail documenting a higher salary offer is required before a retention request will be considered. The minimum increase for a retention offer is 7.5% in base salary. Requests for retention should be made to the Dean, who consults with the EVCAA and the Chancellor in evaluating the request. Issues such as the availability of funding, salary equity, and overall impact on the unit are considered. If UW Tacoma elects to make a retention offer, an advisory vote of the faculty is required. Decision making authority for retention offers lies with the Provost and President.

Section 24-54.B of the Faculty Code requires the eligible faculty of a department or school to vote on a candidate’s promotion. In the event that an insufficient number of eligible faculty are available to conduct a majority vote (i.e. fewer than three), a standing committee will serve as the voting faculty for the purpose of the promotion review. The standing committee shall consist of eligible voting members of the faculty plus voting-eligible emeritus faculty from the School of appropriate rank to constitute a sufficient number of voting members to conduct a majority vote. If an insufficient number of emeritus faculty are available, additional faculty from the campus of appropriate rank may be added. Selection of standing committee members will be recommended by the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure committee and the Dean of the School, and appointed by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Standing Committee shall fulfill the responsibilities of the voting faculty described in Section 24-54.

If a competitively hired, full time faculty member is highly qualified to teach a needed course, that faculty member can teach an overload, limited to one per academic year. Faculty cannot be compelled to teach an overload, nor are they guaranteed to be offered an additional course to teach even if qualified, as the overall needs of the unit must be considered by the Dean. These guidelines are the same for tenure stream and lecturer stream faculty. 

Compensation is determined by the Dean based on available funds. The maximum permitted is one month’s salary spread over the course of the quarter. Payment is in the form of a TPS (temporary pay supplement) - Compensation Change.

To make the case for a teaching overload, the Dean needs to articulate the need for the course to be taught and provide a justification for staffing the class with an existing faculty member rather than using a competitive hiring process to staff the class. If a faculty member is asked to teach an overload on another UW campus, the other UW unit needs to get permission from the Dean and EVCAA before the faculty member is authorized to teach an additional course.

The limits on compensation and of a single course per academic year apply no matter which campus seeks the teaching overload.

UW Tacoma ADS and Leadership Compensation Guidelines[1]

At the UW Tacoma campus, some current faculty are asked to serve in administrative roles or include administrative duties as a part of their assignment. To recognize the additional duties and responsibilities of faculty in these administrative roles, UW Tacoma will make all efforts to provide allowances for time and compensation, pending availability of funding, performance, and internal equity.

Course releases may be offered to support timely and effective execution of administrative responsibilities. However, these must be weighed against curricular needs and the cost of identifying replacement faculty. UW Tacoma may use a combination of course releases, ADS, and/or summer salary to compensate leadership positions. If a course release is offered, faculty should not teach the course during the course release period, however, if the faculty member chooses to teach, no additional compensation is allowed.  Additional compensation for any administrative work will have to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Multiple appointments at the UWT across multiple schools will have to be communicated and approved by the respective deans and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (EVCAA) prior to the generation of a final appointment letter with as much lead time as possible (at least 1 quarter in advance).

Academic Affairs Leaders

These positions are full-time or part-time administrative positions housed in Academic Affairs that lead key academic initiatives or support units at UW Tacoma in addition to faculty duties. This category includes job titles that report to the EVCAA such as associate vice chancellors, executive directors, and directors. This does not include Deans. Effort and compensation levels for these positions are recommended by the EVCAA and approved by the Chancellor. These positions may have full or partial course releases, summer salary (up to 3 months) and administrative supplement based on duties specific to the position. In general, administrative supplements in this category should not exceed $1000 per month for up to 12 months. Higher ADS levels need to be negotiated with the Chancellor’s Office and justified in writing.

Academic Unit Leaders

These positions are part-time administrative positions at the school or unit level that vary in responsibility and portion of time in administrative role in addition to faculty duties. The effort and compensation levels are recommended by the dean and approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. Final compensation packages will be determined based on factors such as internal equity and scope of work.

For associate deans or equivalent roles, these positions may have partial course releases, summer salary (up to 2 months) and administrative supplement based on duties specific to the position. In general, administrative supplements for associate deans are funded through the academic units and should not exceed $750 per month for up to 10 months.

Division chairs or equivalent roles may receive administrative supplements up to $350 per month and any other administrative position cannot exceed $300 per month unless approved by the EVCAA. Additionally, these positions are limited to 10 months ADS, unless justified and negotiated with the EVCAA. Summer salaries and course releases may also be provided as justified and negotiated.

All forms of excess pay for Academic Unit Leaders including stipends and additional compensation need to be justified and approved by the EVCAA.  Amounts in excess of the established baseline will be handled internally by the School (e.g., gift and other sources of funds).[2]

Application of This Policy

Positions governed by existing appointments will continue according to the existing terms of the appointment. Compensation will be adjusted according to the terms of this policy upon the conclusion of the appointment, or upon significant revision of the duties and responsibilities of a position.

• Faculty Code and Governance
• Faculty Handbook
• Ethics
• Guide to Ethics Policies

 Assistant Professor Research Quarter Policy 

University of Washington Tacoma assistant professors are expected to meet high standards in teaching, research, and service. To assist pre-tenure faculty members in producing high quality scholarly products in advance of their promotion and tenure reviews, UW Tacoma offers new assistant professors a quarter with no teaching obligations to support more intensive work on a research project.

Requirements

By University of Washington requirements, faculty must remain in residence on campus during the period of the award and must continue to meet their service obligations. Travel to meetings and conferences is permitted.

Timing

The research quarter is awarded at the time of appointment.  It cannot be used prior to a successful reappointment review. It must be used before the conclusion of the fourth year of appointment. It may not be used after a promotion and tenure review has been initiated.

Reporting and Accountability

Unless the School elects to use another procedure, participating faculty members should include a statement of their plan for the research quarter in their annual merit review documentation in the spring preceding the academic year of the award. In all cases, at the end of the academic year in which the leave occurs, the faculty member should document their progress during the research leave in the annual merit review documentation.

The award may be delayed if, at any time during the academic year of the scheduled leave, an investigation is occurring into the faculty member’s conduct with respect to violating any University policies. The award will be cancelled if the faculty member is found to have violated any University policy.

Contact Tammy Jez, jezt@uw.edu or UWT EVCAA with questions.                                           

Adopted September 30, 2019.  Updated June 3, 2021

Faculty Vacancy Savings Policy

Part 1. Policy 

1. Salaries and benefits comprise nearly 83% of total operating expenses for the University. To ensure that the University is able to meet its short and long-term goals, it is important that spending in these two areas remains within the approved budget authorizations. Additionally, a centralized management approach is necessary to align personnel resourcing with institutional needs and priorities. Reassigning personnel resources as units grow and contract is an ongoing strategic resource allocation decision. When swept to a central academic budget, temporary faculty vacancy savings from unfilled positions in the current year can support a pool of funding for one-time strategic investments to enhance instructional capacity and academic operations.
    
2. The purpose of this policy is to establish a uniform process for managing vacancy savings from budgeted faculty lines. Vacancy savings occur when budgeted positions are vacant for a portion of or the full academic year due to retirements or other separations from the university. Savings also occur when a faculty member is reassigned to extended administrative responsibilities outside of the school or to joint appointments with other UW campuses.
    
3. This policy applies to General Operating Fund (state/tuition) permanent/on-going faculty lines.
    
4. Temporary budget savings from vacated faculty positions will be transferred to a budget under the responsibility of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (EVCAA).
    
5. If it is determined the position is no longer needed, permanent budget savings from the vacated faculty position will be transferred to a budget under the responsibility of the EVCAA to be repurposed.

Part 2. Procedures 

1. The budgeted salary for all vacant faculty positions as of September 1 each year, will be swept to a vacancy savings pool for use in the current fiscal year. Unless other action is taken, the faculty line and budget are reinstated in the following year’s budget. A proposal for the permanent or temporary replacement of a vacant position may be submitted to the EVCAA in accordance with Academic Human Resources policies and procedures. 
    
2. Unless other action is taken, midyear temporary vacancy savings accruing from retirements, resignations, sabbaticals, and reassignments that occur after September 1 will remain in school budgets and deans will be responsible for management of the savings to meet instructional needs.
    
3. With EVCAA approval, temporary vacancy savings may be used for one-time instructional expenditures that do not result in any continuing financial obligation for the University. Deans may submit requests for funding from the vacancy savings pool to cover one-time instructional expenses using the Academic Affairs One-Time Budget Request process.
    
4. Funding for temporary faculty to replace faculty members on sabbaticals will come from the school budget first. If insufficient budget is available in the school budget, a request for additional funding from the temporary faculty vacancy pool may be submitted to the EVCAA using the Academic Affairs One-Time Budget Request process.
    
5. Temporary vacancy savings may be reallocated to other budget lines as designated by the EVCAA. However, these funds may not be used to offset overages in general operating budgets.
    

 Questions: Contact Academic Affairs

Date: May 25, 2021.  Authorization: Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs