Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

4.1. Salary Policies and Procedures

Section 4.1. was approved by the Faculty Senate on 3/07/00.

Faculty salaries are determined annually on a merit basis and reflect the annual review of faculty performance based on position responsibilities, market factors, and equity considerations. Within the limits of budgetary resources, every effort is made to maintain faculty salaries at a level competitive with those of similar universities throughout the country. Because Iowa State University is a public institution, the salaries of all employees are a matter of public record.

The general procedure for initiating salary recommendations begins with the chair of a department or with persons in-charge of the individual's work. In some departments, committees assist in the evaluation. The department's salary recommendations are then reviewed by the college Dean, the Provost, and the President before being submitted to the Board of Regents for final approval. After the Regents' approval, but not before, the department chair shall inform each faculty member in writing of his or her salary increase and the reasons for it.

Faculty members shall be reviewed annually for performance and development on the basis of their position responsibility statement. The evaluation will be based on scholarship and contributions in: (1) teaching, (2) research/creative activities, (3) extension/professional practice, and (4) institutional service.

4.1.1. Merit Increase

For the purposes of merit increases:

• Each faculty member's overall performance shall be evaluated as either satisfactory, or not satisfactory.
• Anyone receiving a rating of satisfactory shall receive a salary increment equal to at least one-third of the percentage of the general salary increase.
• Departments may further subdivide those rated as satisfactory into ranked categories (e.g., good, superior, excellent) for purposes of further differentiation in terms of merit increase.
• Those rated as not satisfactory shall receive an increase between zero and one-third of the budgeted general salary increase.
• The President in consultation with the Faculty Senate may adjust the minimum percentage increase for satisfactory performance.

Additional performance, market, and equity increases may be given to individuals rated satisfactory.

4.1.2. Promotion Increase

Promotion to a higher academic rank is accompanied by a salary increase of a fixed amount. The amount of the promotional increase is determined annually by the administration, in consultation with the Faculty Senate. This increase is separate from, and in addition to, the merit increase.

4.2. Benefits

The Office of Human Resource Services, http://www.iastate.edu/~hrs_info/main/homepage.shtml, administers most of the benefits available to faculty. The benefits list includes Medical, Dental, Life and Long-Term Disability and Retirement plans. New employees must register with HRS as payroll procedures are administered there. Child Care, Employee Assistance and Training and Development programs are also described on their web pages.

These programs and others such as Workmen's Compensation are also described in the Office Procedure Guide, http://www.adp.iastate.edu/vpbf/prod/docs/opg/opg.htm.

4.3. Retirement Programs

4.3.1. Phased Retirement Program

Faculty members who have attained age 57 and have at least 15 years of service at Regent institutions are eligible to negotiate with their departments a schedule of phasing into retirement. During the phasing period, the employee holds at least 50% but not more than 65% appointment on a schedule that is mutually agreed upon between the department and the employee. Complete details of the provisions and benefits of phased retirement can be obtained from the Office Procedure Guide, http://www.adp.iastate.edu/vpbf/prod/docs/opg/chap3.htm#3.3.10, or from the Benefits Section of the Office of Human Resource Services, http://www.public.iastate.edu/~hrs_info/benefits/homepage.shtml.

4.3.2. Early Retirement Incentive Program

The early retirement incentive program available to faculty is being changed during the 2001/2002 years. Specific eligibility requirements have been set for the program that ends June 30, 2002. The Office of Human Resource Services provides the latest information on eligibility.

4.3.3. Rehiring Retired Faculty

Faculty members who have retired, including those who have elected the Early Retirement Incentive Program, may be rehired by the university to fulfill defined responsibilities such as offering instruction or participating in specific research projects. An individual may be appointed for one year or less with renewal contingent upon institutional need and quality of performance. Applicable policies and procedures are maintained by the provost, http://www.provost.iastate.edu/.

4.4. Resignation

A faculty member who wishes to resign from an appointment or does not plan to accept a renewal of a current appointment should notify his/her department chair in writing at the earliest opportunity to allow time for a suitable replacement to be found, generally not later than April 15. A resignation requires that the department chair submit an Electronic Personnel Action form.

A resignation should take effect the last day that the individual will be on duty. If circumstances require that an A-base faculty member resign before he or she has the opportunity to use all accrued vacation, a payment covering the value of the remaining vacation time may be made at the time of resignation.

A resignation of a B-base faculty member will ordinarily be effective as of May 15 of the current academic year.

4.5. Leave Policies

Faculty Professional Development Assignments (formerly Faculty Improvement Leaves) and other faculty development programs that may involve absence from campus for a period of time are considered faculty development opportunities, http://www.provost.iastate.edu/faculty/facdev/.

Other leave programs are listed here for completeness with sources of further information

4.5.1. Vacations and Holidays

Section 4.5.1. was approved by the Faculty Senate Executive Board on 2/08/91.

A-base faculty accrue vacation on a monthly basis at the rate of two days for each full month of employment. This includes the accrual of two personal holidays per year. Vacation may accrue to twice the annual entitlement.

B-base faculty do not accrue vacation. They are required to be on duty during the academic year on those days when classes are in session, during VEISHEA, and the two working days before the first day of classes of fall and spring semesters. Faculty are expected to manage their professional responsibilities as they deem appropriate, and typically are active throughout the academic year beyond the constraints of formal work hours and work days. B-base faculty may arrange their responsibilities so that they are absent from campus for personal reasons for limited periods when classes are in session. Specific absence days are to be established by mutual agreement between the faculty member and the department chair.

Faculty members, regardless of appointment base, are not required to be on duty during official university holidays, which include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and one additional day each year determined by the president and the Administrative Board. (The latter is in addition to the two personal holidays mentioned in the first paragraph above.)

4.5.2. Sick Leave

All faculty members, regardless of appointment base, accrue sick leave at the rate of one and one-half days for each full month of employment, with no upper limit on the amount of unused sick leave that may be accrued. A-base faculty who have accumulated a minimum of 30 days of sick leave may elect to have one-half day (4 hours) added to their accrued vacation account for any month that no sick leave has been used in lieu of the accumulation of 12 hours of sick leave for the month, up to a limit of 12 additional days (96 hours) of vacation. For specific details consult the Office Procedure Guide, http://www.adp.iastate.edu/vpbf/prod/docs/opg/opg.htm.

4.5.3. Leave of Absence

Leave of absence without pay may be granted for research or similar professional activity or for compelling personal reasons. A request for a leave is initiated by the faculty member and requires the approval of the Chair, Dean, Provost, President and the Board of Regents.

The letter of request should include the reasons for the leave and, in the case of leave for professional reasons, should describe the benefit to the university upon the individual's return. Approval of leave for professional activity is contingent on the professional benefits to the individual and the university, and the availability of qualified replacements.

Leave may be granted for one year or less. Requests for extension of a leave beyond one year are considered to be exceptional. They are granted only when the leave serves the long term best interests of academic programs at Iowa State University.

Ordinarily, leaves of absence are not granted to faculty who have accepted new permanent employment nor are they granted to untenured faculty in their terminal year of employment.

4.5.4. Maternity Leave

The time during which an employee is unable to work because of a disability caused or contributed to by pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, childbirth, and recovery therefrom will be treated as sick leave. If an employee's accumulated sick leave is insufficient to cover the period of disability, she will, at her request, be granted a leave of absence without pay for the duration of that period. Any request for absence that is beyond the period of disability will be considered as leave of absence without pay or as vacation.

4.5.5. Adoption Leave

A newly adoptive parent is entitled to five days paid leave chargeable to accrued sick leave.

4.5.6. Family and Medical Leave

Information about family and medical leave, including details concerning the procedure to follow to apply for such a leave, may be obtained from the Office of Human Resource Services, http://www.iastate.edu/~hrs_info/benefits/homepage.shtml.

4.5.7. Military Leave

Any member of the staff inducted into extended active duty in the military services will be granted a leave of absence and will suffer no loss of pay from the university for 30 days of such leave. Graduate assistants and B-base personnel should schedule annual military leave during the summer months, when they are not on university duty.

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, 1550 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011-2021
Phone 515-294-9591, Fax: 515-294-8844