Chapter 3 - Recruitment, Appointment, Reassignment, and Resignation

CHAPTER 3: RECRUITMENT, APPOINTMENT, REASSIGNMENT, and RESIGNATION

SECTION 1 - RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND APPOINTMENT

UW-Stevens Point Human Resources is responsible to ensure recruitment of faculty and staff and facilitate recruitment and hiring of highly qualified employees in a manner that is fair, efficient, and effective. The office will apply best practices and legal requirements in accordance with the University of Wisconsin Administrative Recruitment Policies (1275 (formerly TC 1) to protect the University’s fiscal and people resources and present the University positively to potential and actual applicants. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, recruitments should provide for equal opportunity and seek diverse pools of applicants. Above all, recruitments should be effective in recruiting highly qualified individuals with the requisite skills, expertise, and commitment to become outstanding scholars, teachers, colleagues, and citizens in the University community.

CONVERSIONS FROM RANK OF INSTRUCTIONAL ACADEMIC STAFF TO RANK OF FACULTY AT UW-STEVENS POINT

Policy Background

UWS 1.04 Faculty.

“Faculty” means persons who hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in an academic department or its functional equivalent in an institution. The appointment of a member of the academic staff may be converted to a faculty appointment in accordance with s. UWS 3.01 (1) (c).

UWS 3.01 Types of appointments.

In accordance with s. 36.05 (8), Stats., academic staff appointments may be converted to faculty appointments by the action of the board upon the recommendation of the appropriate faculty body and the chancellor of an institution. Such faculty appointees shall enjoy all the rights and privileges of faculty.

Conversion Process

The primary mechanism for filling a tenure-track faculty position is through a national search process, which ensures the broadest diversity of qualified candidates in the applicant pool. However, conversion from instructional academic staff to tenure-track faculty is possible in special circumstances, including hiring in fields for which applicant pools have typically contained an insufficient number of qualified candidates, increasing diversity in a department, or other pressing programmatic needs where a national search is unlikely to yield sufficient qualified candidates.

1. The academic department initiates the request for instructional academic staff to be converted to ranked faculty. The chair prepares a document outlining the rationale and documents the support of the department.
2. For an instructional academic staff person to be converted to ranked faculty, the individual must have been hired through a national search using the university-required recruitment and hiring process, including the department’s review of qualifications. This will be verified by the UW-Stevens Point Office of Human Resources and Affirmative Action.
3. A proposed change from the rank of instructional academic staff to the rank of faculty requires a positive recommendation from all levels of faculty governance that typically provide input on a tenure recommendation, and approval by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Chancellor or designee, and the Board of Regents in accordance with UWS 3.01 (1)(c).
4. Credit toward tenure upon conversion, or obtainment of early tenure, may be considered by the appropriate committees and governance groups, and should be part of the original recommendation for conversion.

SECTION 2 - UW SYSTEM ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY 165 (FORMERLY ACPS-4.0)

UW System Administrative Policy 165 (formerly ACPS 4.0) contains statements about the definition of the academic year, the awarding of credit, the period of appointment for faculty, and various other related policies: https://www.wisconsin.edu/uw-policies/uw-system-administrative-policies/academic-year-definition-and-assorted-derivatives/

SECTION 3 - REASSIGNMENT AND RETRAINING

ACTING OFFICERS

1. When considering an acting appointment, the administrator involved must discuss the appropriateness of an acting appointment with the Affirmative Action Officer prior to discussing the position with any prospective candidate and prior to seeking nominations for the acting position.
2. Appointments to an acting position related to reassignment of duties shall be limited to one year.  Exceptions to this policy can be made under extenuating circumstances by the Chancellor with the consent of the Executive Committee of Common Council and with an approved affirmative action waiver.

RETRAINING AND REASSIGNMENT OF FACULTY

POLICY

It is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to encourage faculty retraining and reassignment in every instance in which retraining and reassignment benefit the faculty member and the University.  Normally, priority shall be given to proposals for reassignment of tenured faculty from areas of relatively low student demand to areas where student demand is relatively high.

PROCEDURES

A written agreement stating explicitly the responsibilities and commitments of the individual, the department(s), college(s), and the university shall precede any reassignment.

1. The agreement shall address pertinent issues relating to the conditions of reassignment and procedures for handling personnel decisions.
2. The agreement shall contain:

• A clear statement on the retraining to be accomplished.
• The commitment of the department(s), college(s), and university to support the retraining.
• A commitment from the individual to continue employment with the university beyond the period of retraining.

In recognition of the wide variety of faculty interests and unique departmental needs, individual agreements consistent with UWSP Personnel Rules shall be negotiated by the parties involved.  The following should be used as guidelines for constructing such agreements:

1. Reassignment may be temporary for a period of 2 to 5 years, or may be permanent.
2. Following consultation with the dean(s) of the college(s), the agreement may be terminated upon mutual consent of the faculty member and the department(s) involved.
3. If reassignment occurs before the completion of all planned retraining, a reduced teaching load for the first two semesters of the new assignment shall be considered.  After the first year, a full teaching load is expected.
4. For a period of at least two years, the faculty member may be offered a summer session appointment of at least one-half of the amount of the academic year reassignment for the purpose of additional retraining.  (e.g., if the reassignment is 0.50 FTE for the academic year, the summer session appointment may be 0.25 FTE.)
5. If the reassignment is a permanent, full-time appointment, all personnel decisions shall be made by the receiving department.  If the reassignment is temporary or is a permanent appointment of less than full-time, the agreement shall state whether personnel decisions remain with the home department or are divided between the two departments.
6. According to UWSP personnel rules, seniority is with the institution.  Upon permanent full-time reassignment, seniority within the receiving unit shall be negotiated by the faculty member and the receiving unit.

REASSIGNMENT OF ADMINISTRATORS

LOCAL POLICY

• A tenured administrator or other faculty member not teaching but holding rank in an academic department may return to the department for any of the following reasons, providing no alternative employment is available which is mutually acceptable to both the individual and the Chancellor:

1. The individual reaches the age of 65.
2. The individual resigns the position and such resignation is accepted by the Chancellor.
3. The immediate supervisor desires the transfer and the Chancellor concurs.

• Upon being informed that such a transfer will occur, the department in which the individual holds rank and tenure will decide upon one of the following options:

1. Assign the individual full time teaching responsibilities immediately.
2. Temporarily (not to exceed one year) assign the individual to non-teaching responsibilities or a combination of teaching and non-teaching responsibilities which are acceptable to the individual.  The non-teaching portion of the assignment will not be charged to the department.
3. Request of the individual a proposal to renew teaching skills.  Such a proposal must be accepted by the department, Dean, and Chancellor and should not exceed 0.50 FTE for one academic year.  The non-teaching portion of the assignment will not be charged to the department.  Such proposals will normally be funded in addition to regular development proposals if funds are available.  It should be noted that commitment of funds for retraining may mean a reduction in the number of teaching positions available to the department.

SYSTEM POLICY

When a ranked faculty member leaves an administrative limited appointment to return to his/her faculty position, the salary upon return to the faculty position shall be negotiated within a range bounded by the average salary of all faculty of the same rank within the tenure home department (or functional equivalent) and 82% of the administrative salary.  Negotiated salaries outside of this range require the advance approval of the System President.  {UWS Unclassified Personnel Guideline 4.04(5)}

SECTION 4 - RESIGNATION

Faculty and staff are expected to follow the employment separation guidelines (also known as off-boarding) set by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Human Resources. The guidelines include resources and checklists for professional and effective employment separation. These guidelines are available on the Offboarding webpage.

SECTION 5 - RECRUITMENT COMMITTEES AND SELECTION PROCESSES

RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE

                Notification

For Dean positions and above, when a vacancy occurs, or will occur,  it is the responsibility of the hiring authority to inform the chairperson of the Common Council and SGA to initiate their appointments to the recruitment committee (refer to the table below). For positions below the Dean level, the hiring authority shall establish the committee according to Human Resources guidelines.

Exclusion

No member of the recruitment committee may be an applicant for the position. For FAASLI positions, the immediate supervisor may not be a member of the committee.

Committee Diversification and Regulatory Compliance

The committee and hiring authority shall consult with Human Resources to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and UW System policies and regulations, the diversification of the committee, and searches are conducted fairly and without bias.

Chairperson

The committee shall elect its own chairperson.

Recruitment Committee Composition:

SELECTION PROCESS

The committee and hiring authority shall conduct selection within the guidelines set forth by University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Human Resources. The committee selection process will follow procedures to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and UW System policies and regulations. If an individual participating on a recruitment committee feels unfairly excluded from a recruitment committee during the recruitment, they should contact Human Resources right away. Encouraging qualified candidates to apply will not be curtailed, however, it must only be done without any promises or guarantees of employment.

SECTION 6 - REHOMING POLICY

1. Policy Purpose

This policy provides guidance on both campus reassignment and rehoming of employees from one UWSP campus to another UWSP campus. The intent of this policy is to stipulate that any changes to an employee’s work location should only occur with careful consideration and communication among all parties involved. To employees, workplace location often matters in relation to their personal lives, and changes in workplace location can affect employees’ work projects and work relationships. Travel between workplace locations and multi-campus commitments can also impact time employees have for different work tasks. This policy applies to Faculty and instructional academic staff. Employees’ home campus designations also matter to campuses, including the branch campuses, which have interest in maintaining sustainable and stable contingents of employees who share long-term visions of success. Further, the designation of home campus matters for travel reimbursement from one location to another (as guided by UW System Administrative Policy 405: Travel Expense - General Travel & Expense Policy and UW System Administrative Policy 425: Use of Personal Vehicles, Rental Cars and Fleet of Business Transportation, as well as other travel policies which may apply and are listed under Related Documents within this policy), and in some cases for eligibility for UWSP shared governance service or constituency.

2. Background

All employees are assigned a home campus upon hire. UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel provides rules governing reimbursement for travel between work locations. UWSP became a multi-campus institution in 2018, prompting the need for a campus reassignment and rehoming policy to guide employees and supervisors regarding any such changes.

3. Policy Definitions

Home campus: Upon hire, one home campus is designated for each employee.

Campus Reassignment: This refers to a temporary change in the campus where the employee works part or full time and does not change the employee’s home campus designation. Campus reassignments are usually for a relatively short and specific length of time (i.e., a semester, academic year, or possibly longer). Travel is reimbursed in accordance with UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel.

Emergency Campus Reassignment: A workplace location reassignment which happens more quickly, with less advance notice. Travel is reimbursed in accordance with UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel.

Rehoming: A permanent change in an employee’s home campus designation.

4. Policy

1. Department Policies

1. Departments should develop and maintain policies for decision making about campus reassignment and rehoming. Current decision-making policies may simply be updated to include the addition of campus reassignment and rehoming.
2. Time spent traveling to or between campuses may affect an employee’s productivity. For example, a faculty member traveling regularly and for multiple semesters between campuses may have less time to dedicate to service or research and/or may be less available for in-person office hours. Employees may also be contributing service, but on different campuses, and perhaps less visibly to their supervisors or other department members. Departments should develop and maintain policies for the consideration of such assigned travel time and multi-campus commitment when considering performance evaluations, including promotion, tenure, review, and merit.

2. Campus Reassignment

1. Employees assigned to work part or full time on a different campus retain their current home campus designation for travel policy or shared governance purposes.
2. Conversations about employee part or full-time campus reassignment to another work location may be initiated by an employee, department chair, director, dean, branch campus AAS degree coordinator, or campus executive officer.
3. When need for campus reassignment arises, the department chair or unit director should first call for volunteers of qualified employees for the equivalent position, with a stated deadline for reply.
4. With interested applicant(s) identified, department chairs or directors should consult with any involved branch campus(s) executive officers to consider background and skills (for example, experience teaching a particular course or working with a specific population) and effects on the campus or programs as a whole (including campuses or programs vacated by the reassignment). After that, in the case of multiple applicants, with all considerations equal, departments should use their established policies for campus reassignment decision making.
5. If there are no interested applicants, department chairs or unit directors, in consultation with branch campus executive officers about effects on the campuses or programs as a whole, will identify a qualified employee with appropriate background and skills in an equivalent position. With considerations equal, departments should use their established policies for campus reassignment decision making.
6. In most cases, the reassigned employee shall be given written notice of campus reassignment no later than 30 days before the first date of workplace location change, with the end date of the reassignment stated. The written notice should include reference to UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel. When 30 days-notice is not feasible-for example, if a teaching need arises less than 30 days before the start of a new term/course start date (Emergency Campus Reassignment)-the written notice should be issued as soon as possible.
7. Campus reassignments should be reevaluated, with all original parties reconsulted, before being renewed or extended.

1. If the employee does not wish to continue the campus reassignment, other qualified employees in equivalent positions should be reconsidered

3. Rehoming

Rehoming may have different impact on an individual in comparison to a short-term campus reassignment and should be considered carefully. Employees make career and personal decisions with consideration to where they work. Rehoming will likely bring other changes for the employee and the involved campuses, this type of change (particularly if involuntary) should be rare in the life of an employee. Employees should consult UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel for information about how travel would or would not be reimbursed with a home campus change.

The following case illustrates one possible example: an employee who lives in Marshfield with a home campus of Marshfield may be eligible for travel reimbursement while assigned to teach on the Wausau campus, but may no longer be eligible for travel to Wausau if “rehomed” to the Wausau campus.

1. A change in home campus requires the issuance by the Chancellor or designee of a new letter of appointment. The employee must receive the change of appointment letter, issued after consultations as described below, no less than one year prior to the beginning of the rehoming change.
2. Rehoming happens within the same department. It is a change of campus location, but usually not department or unit.
3. Rehoming may be initiated by either the employee, or by a department, branch campus, or college dean. Regardless of how the rehoming is initiated, communication among the following parties is necessary: employee affected, employee’s department or unit chair/director, appropriate dean(s), branch campus executive officer(s). Consensus among all parties is the goal, though in the absence of consensus the Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs/Provost will be consulted and shall make the final decision.

1. Voluntary Rehoming

When an equivalent position at another work location (campus) becomes available, or in anticipation of one becoming available, an interested employee in an equivalent position may initiate conversation about rehoming with their department chair, director, or dean. If the chair, director, or dean agrees the positions are equivalent and the employee is qualified for the equivalent work on the other campus, the chair/director, appropriate dean, and any involved branch campus executive officer(s) will meet to evaluate overall effects on programs and campus(s), including the vacated campus assignment. If all parties agree to the rehoming, the department chair or director, prior to rehoming, must put out a call in writing to all other employees in equivalent positions (if any), to share the opportunity to relocate, with a deadline for response. In the case of more than one employee wishing to be rehomed, the department shall make the decision of who to rehome in accordance with department policy. Additionally, the voluntary process may also be initiated by a request for volunteers by the chair/director, appropriate dean, or a branch campus executive officer.

2. Involuntary Rehoming

A department chair, dean, or campus executive officer may initiate conversation about the need for rehoming. Conversations should be built around written and cited data, shared with all parties, showing the need is foreseeable for the long term.

When the rehoming need is based on academic/enrollment need, consultations should weigh effects on both the potentially receiving and potentially vacated campus. Alternatives should be identified and documented. In identifying the employee to be rehomed, skills, fit, and background should be considered as well as another other factors established within the department policy.

Rehoming should occur only after consultation by all parties involved, including an employee’s department chair/director, dean, any involved branch campus executive officer(s), and a meeting with the affected employee. The affected employee has the right to bring a representative to the meeting if desired. Such consultation must be confirmed in writing within thirty (30) days after the initiation of the consultation process.

4. Appeals

If individuals feel that the process outlined in this policy has not taken place, they may appeal UWS Chapters 4 , 6 , 7 , 11 , 13 , and the UW-Stevens Point University Handbook, Chapter 4A Personnel Rules: UWSP Chapters 4 , 6 , 7 , and 11 .

5. Related Documents

UW System Administrative Policy 405: Travel Expense - General Travel & Expense Policy

UW System Administrative Policy 425: Use of Personal Vehicles, Rental Cars and Fleet of Business Transportation

UW System Administrative Policies and Procedures: 400 Series: Travel