All benefited faculty and academic personnel accrue sick leave and may be eligible for bereavement leave. The sick leave benefit is earned at the rate of 8 hours per month of service. The benefit should be used when it applies. Academic personnel should report sick leave to the department head or support staff when it is used.
Short-term or emergency leaves with pay, leaves without pay, sabbatical leaves and professional development leaves are topics of Chapter 5 in the Trustees' Regulations. In general, the deciding factor in granting leaves is the benefit to the university.
This regulation states, in part, “a. Emergency or Short-term Leave With Pay. When one finds it necessary to be absent from regular duties at the University for a period not exceeding two (2) weeks, s/he shall secure approval from the immediate supervisor for the absence. A temporary Leave for more than two (2) weeks, but not to exceed four (4) weeks, may be granted for good cause upon written recommendation of the appropriate administrative superior and with the approval of the President.
An individual making application for such Leave should submit a statement suggesting a plan for carrying on his/her work during the absence. Any Leave in excess of four (4) weeks, except for illness, shall require approval by the Trustees.”
Leave without pay may be granted normally for no more than one year. The university has become increasingly reluctant to grant leave without pay unless related to academic development. A document outlining these specifics can be found in the faculty leaves.doc. Please note that the Trustee Regulations cite “regular duties,” which for nearly all faculty are teaching, advising, research, and service (committee work, etc.). The completion of these duties implies on-campus presence during the academic year (or other term of appointment). There may be cases where a faculty member, with departmental approval, adjusts his/her teaching responsibilities to free-up a semester for specific research or other appropriate activities. These situations fall within the “gray area.” However, if a faculty member is not teaching but remains on campus to be available for advising, committee work, and general availability to students, the faculty member probably would not be required to seek a formal leave. If the faculty member is off campus for more than two weeks, a formal request for leave must be submitted.
Directions for sabbatical and professional development leave appear in early fall with a dean's office deadline near the end of September (see Sabbatical Guidelines memo.doc and Sabbatical-memo.doc). The application form is available on the forms page from Academic Affairs web site. The Central Committee recommends a ranking of the sabbatical applications to the dean. The committee listed the following preferences to guide its ranking:
Well-written and understandable proposals, which include specific plans.
Full-year sabbaticals.
Cost-effective coverage of applicant’s teaching.
Sabbaticals in which the applicant will not reside on his/her home campus. Evidence of formal connections with another institution will be viewed positively.
If applicant has received previous sabbaticals, evidence of subsequent accomplishments resulting from the sabbatical or sabbaticals.
Applicant’s academic accomplishments.
The Central Committee will be sensitive to the needs of faculty couples and family situations.
The consulting policy of the university allows nine-month faculty to consult 39 days per academic year as long as consulting does not interfere with the faculty member's duties and responsibilities at the university. (See the Trustees' Regulations Chapter 7.) Request permission to consult BEFORE consulting begins using the forms included in the Policies Governing Outside Consulting and Other Professional Work document. These forms with directions are available from Academic Affairs' web site. The head is responsible for approving the request and signing this form before sending it to the Dean's Office.
Fiscal year hires are not eligible for supplemental pay from the university. There are very limited circumstances in which an exception may be granted on a non-recurring basis. Note that this rule applies to everyone on a full-time fiscal year appointment, whether tenure track or non-tenure track, visiting professor or distinguished chair, etc.
In compliance with UniReg 178 and Trustee Regulation VII.D.7., rules have been developed for use and reimbursement for the use of university facilities in Information Circular 1996-1. Use the form provided in the policies document link above.
Along with consulting, conflict of commitment sometimes becomes a problem and needs to be addressed. Conflict of commitment is addressed in a policy statement Policies Governing Outside Consulting and Other Professional Work which includes the form to obtain approval for outside consulting (answer Section D). The head is responsible for signing the consulting form before it is sent to the Dean's Office. The form states that the project is in compliance with Unireg 172, Conflict of Commitment.
Contact persons: Oliver Walter, Dean (owalter@uwyo.edu), Merrie McElreath (merrie@uwyo.edu), or Sharon Brown, Staff Assistant, (sbrown@uwyo.edu)
As funds permit, the university finances base-salary increases. The guidelines for merit salary decisions vary from year to year. But, in general, these decisions are made on the basis of faculty performance.
Promotions. Ten percent increases to the base-salary are automatically awarded to faculty and academic professionals who are promoted (i.e., from assistant to associate professor and AP, from associate to full professor, and associate AP to senior AP).
The college strives to award extraordinary merit awards in three categories—research, teaching, and advising—each year. These carry one-time cash bonuses of $1,000 -- not added to the salary base.
The rules for retirement and Emeritus/Emeriti status for faculty appear in Section VII of the Trustees Regulations
Board Retirement
Any employee who has
completed twenty-five (25) years of service with the university or
who has attained the age of 60 with fifteen (15) years of immediately preceding university service or
who elects an early retirement program authorized by a state statute shall be designated “Retired” at the time of retiring. This retirement often is referred to as a "Board Retirement."
The benefits for a Board Retiree are described on the Human Resources web page. These benefits apply to both academic personnel and staff.
The Trustees' Regulations in Section VII also define "emeritus" status for academic personnel. The emeritus designation may be conferred upon academic personnel who retire after long and distinguished service to the university. For faculty, minimal qualifications normally will include tenure, associate rank, fifteen (15) years of service, and extraordinary performance in one or more of the following: teaching, advising, research/creative endeavors, professional and/or public service, or administration at the University of Wyoming. For academic professionals, minimal qualifications normally will include an extended-term appointment, associate rank, fifteen (15) years of service, and extraordinary performance in one or more areas of their job duties. See modifications to the policies governing emeritus status approved by the UW Board of Trustees January 2003.
Nominations for emeritus status are initiated by the department head and/or dean; the nomination shall then be forwarded through the appropriate university officers who add their recommendations. The President shall then forward his/her recommendation to the Trustees.
Distinguished Emeritus Professorship
The college has established the A&S Distinguished Emeritus Professorship to honor an eminent faculty member's career of exceptional contributions in research, teaching, and/or service. A faculty member preparing to retire or recently retired, who wishes to continue his/her research, teaching, or service activity for at least one more year is eligible. All nominations are due in the Dean's Office by March 30 for consideration for the following academic year. The award carries a $1,000 honorarium, and the department receives $1,000. The specific guidelines can be found at Distinguished Emeritus Professorship.
Rules adopted by the Trustees make it possible for academic personnel and staff to retire and return at less than half-time in the same position. The rules are described in documents at http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/HRBenefits/reemploymentretireerule12.htm. Persons interested in retirement should consult the Retirement Section of the Human Resources Department (X6-2437).
The retiree and the department head should work on a written plan for work during a maximum, two-year period. The written plan must then be submitted to the dean for approval. The appointment may be renewed.
Contact persons: Oliver Walter, Dean (owalter@uwyo.edu) or Merrie McElreath, Business Manager (merrie@uwyo.edu)
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General Disputes and Complaints |
Civil Rights Violations |
Violence in the Workplace |
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STAFF: The University recognizes the right of staff employees to express differences of opinion and to seek fair and timely resolutions of employment disputes. A dispute is a dissatisfaction which occurs when an employee considers that any condition of employment is unjust or inequitable or hinders effective operations. Employees should use the exclusive internal process to provide University Staff employees a prompt and efficient review and resolution of disputes. Employees who feel they have a dispute should contact the Employee Relations Office of Human Resources. See UniReg 174 Appendix B FACULTY: Faculty can seek prompt and efficient dispute resolution. Faculty who consider any condition of employment, including actions or inactions by others as unjust, may seek redress through UniReg 35. This process calls first for informal resolution, and if unsuccessful, the faculty member then consults with the Faculty Conciliator. STUDENT: General disputes related to academic life should be referred to the cognizant department head or the Dean's office. See Actions to maintain high quality teaching.doc |
Violations of civil rights of students, staff, and faculty will not be tolerated and prompt remedial action will be taken. The university has adopted a policy of investigative guidelines to UniReg 5 for responding to civil rights complaints including discrimination, sexual harassment. Refer complainants to the Employment Practices Office (766-3459), the Dean of Students or to any other academic or university officer. Reprisals for reporting discrimination or harassment will not be tolerated. If a faculty member receives a complaint concerning discrimination or harassment, the faculty member should report it to the Employment Practices Office and follow the procedures included in Unireg 5 and the Investigative Procedures developed by the Employment Practices Office. | The University is committed to protecting the rights and safety of all members of the University community. Every member of the University community has a responsibility for understanding, preventing, and responding to violence in the workplace. The University desires to create a work environment for faculty and staff and an educational environment for students that fosters career and educational goals based on factors such as ability, performance, and equal opportunity. UniReg 44 outlines a procedure for reporting acts or threats of violence. The university has policies in place to handle situations with regard to student(s) who manifest a life-threatening behavior constituting a clear and present danger, see Information Circular 2005-1 .
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