CHAPTER 3: RECRUITMENT, APPOINTMENT, REASSIGNMENT, and RESIGNATION

SECTION 3 - REASSIGNMENT AND RETRAINING

(To see who has authority to approve changes to this section, please see the Approval of Changes page).

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)}