Background and Rationale
This document is the clarification of a long-standing policy governing practices in this area, but not formulated in writing under the imprimatur of the College of Health Professions, and based upon the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, UAMS and College of Health Professions policies cited as references at the end of the document. This written clarification of the CHP policy was first published 20 June 2006.
The College of Health Professions delegates to its department chairs and program directors the authority to establish 10-month faculty appointments, with approval by the dean, based on the operational needs of the department and programs.
Policy
Chairs and program directors are encouraged to balance operational needs with the needs of the faculty, including the privilege of establishing mutually agreeable, non-traditional, start and stop times. The schedule for each 10-month appointment must be agreed to in writing by the department chair and/or program director and dean each year before the 10-month period begins.
Procedure
- Ten-month faculty are expected to work 10 months of the academic year. Those months can be contiguous or have breaks within and/or between them; i.e., they can be complete or partial months, as long as the total within the academic year is 10 months. Months vary somewhat in length, but 10 months means about 300 days, or 43 weeks, or at five working days per week this equals about 215 working days for which the employee is paid. For nine-month appointments, this would mean approximately 195 days worked, or 39 weeks, for which the employee is paid.
- Faculty members moving from a 12-month to a 10-month appointment will have his or her salary adjusted accordingly. The formula used for this purpose is as follows: 12-month salary x 0.8 = 9-month salary (per Board of Trustees Policy 435.11 ); [9-month salary ÷ 9] x 10 = 10-month salary.
- Ten-month faculty will remain on a 12 paycheck cycle each calendar year2. Thus, the 10- month salary will be paid in 12 equal monthly payments, also making it easier to deduct medical and dental insurance along with other scheduled deductions.
- Ten-month faculty are usually considered “full time” for benefits if his or her time and effort is based on a 40-hour work week. They are, therefore, entitled to receive health and dental benefits at normal, full-time, rates plus remain eligible for life insurance, long-term disability insurance, tuition discount, and other benefits awarded to full-time employees.
- Ten-month faculty accrue sick leave at the same monthly rate as 12-month employees, but only for the 10-months they work; they also are paid for official holidays (e.g., July 4th) that fall during the 10 months of their appointments (and are counted as part of the 215 days), but not those that fall outside that period.
- Ten-month faculty do not accrue annual (i.e., vacation) leave. Ten-month employees are not paid for time outside the 10-month periods of their appointments. This means, for example, that a faculty member employee who does not work during the year-end holiday and intersession break and/or spring break and/or summer sessions is not paid for those days because they are deemed to have fallen within the two months of the year during which the employee is not “on contract” (i.e., they are not part of the 10-month appointment).
- Any employee whose period of employment is scheduled to be changed from a 12-month basis to a 10-month basis must take all accrued, unused, vacation before the end of the twelve- month period3.
- Ten-month appointments must be reviewed and approved each year during the departmental budget review process.
- The department chairman or dean may limit the privilege of 10-month appointments based on the operational needs of the department or on any misuse of the privilege by the faculty member.
- Tenured, 12-month, faculty retain tenure if they move to a 10-month or 9-month or part-time appointment.
References
1: UA Board Policy 435.1, Salary Conversion and Compensation for Summer Employment
2: UAMS Policy 2.3.2, Tenure Status and Part-time Appointments for Tenured Faculty Members
3: UA Board Policy 420.1, Leave Policies for Academic and Other Non-Classified Personnel.
Approval
This policy was approved on June 16, 2016
Revision Dates
Oct. 21, 2021