Academic-Year Employment (VI.F.12)

Volume VI: Human Resources
Chapter F: Terms and Conditions of Employment
Responsible Executive: Provost and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Human Resources
Date Issued: April 16, 2018
Date Last Revised: October 1, 2018

Table of Contents

Contacts 
Statement of Policy 
Reason for This Policy
Individuals and Entities Affected
Exclusions
Responsibilities 
Definitions (defined terms are capitalized throughout the document)
Related Documents, Forms and Tools
Website Address for This Policy
History and Updates
Appendix

Contacts

Policy Clarification

Office of the Vice President for Human Resources
765-494-1679 | hr@purdue.edu

Campus Specific Questions

Fort Wayne: HR
260-481-6840 | hr@pfw.edu

Northwest: HR
219-785-5302 | hr@pnw.edu

West Lafayette: HR Business Partners
765-494-1679 | hr@purdue.edu

Statement of Policy

Academic-year faculty and staff are subject to this policy, in addition to all terms and conditions of employment for their employee classification and, as applicable, their employment contract.

Employment Period

The employment period for academic-year faculty and staff begins seven calendar-days prior to the first day of classes for the Fall Semester and ends on commencement day or the final date for submitting grade reports for the Spring Semester, whichever comes later.

Vacation

1. The vacation periods for academic-year faculty and staff are the periods during the academic year when classes are not in session. The seven calendar-day periods prior the first day of classes each semester and the periods between the end of classes and commencement day or the final date for submitting grade reports, whichever comes later, are not considered vacation.
2. Academic-year employees who are unable to take vacation leave during the above stated times may be granted an equivalent, alternative period of vacation with the prior approval of their department or unit head.
3. Academic-year employees are not eligible for terminal vacation pay.

Summer Employment

Academic-Year faculty and staff may be employed during the summer on any source of funding with the approval of their department or unit head. The following provisions also apply:

1. Sponsored program funding agencies may limit requests for summer support. All charges for work performed by employees on sponsored agreements must be allowable under the sponsored program agreement and be compensated based on the institutional base salary, as defined in the policy on Effort Reporting (II.C.1).
2. Compensation for academic-year employees on the West Lafayette campus who are employed during the summer will be based on the employee’s approved academic-year salary at the rate approved by the Board of Trustees. Refer to the Academic-Year Employment Pay Practices maintained by Human Resources for detailed information.
3. Compensation for academic-year employees on the Fort Wayne and Northwest campuses who are employed during the summer generally will be based on the employee’s approved academic-year salary at the rate approved by the Board of Trustees. An employee of one of these campuses who is performing only instructional duties, not part of sponsored program funding, may be compensated using a course rate applied in accordance with requirements set by the CFO and Provost. Refer to the Academic-Year Employment Pay Practices maintained by Human Resources for detailed information on both methods.
4. Refer to the policy on Overload Compensation (VI.C.4) and the executive memoranda on Compensation Policies for University Staff Members Participating in Continuing Education Activities (C-18), as amended or superseded, for the compensation requirements pertaining to such employment activities.

Conversion between Academic-Year and Fiscal-Year Employment

An academic-year employee’s appointment may be converted to a fiscal-year appointment with prior approval of the Provost or Chancellor, as the case may be. A fiscal-year employee’s appointment may be converted to an academic-year appointment with approval of the relevant department or unit head.

The salary of an academic-year employee who becomes a fiscal-year employee will be increased in accordance with rates approved by the Board of Trustees. The salary of a fiscal-year employee who becomes an academic-year employee will be decreased accordingly. Refer to the Academic-Year Employment Pay Practices for rates. The appropriate approval must be obtained and payroll forms must be completed whenever an employee’s appointment changes in this manner. If the employee has an employment contract with the University and will remain under contract, a new contract must be executed.

Faculty and staff whose employment converts from a fiscal-year to academic-year appointment will be paid any unused, accrued vacation leave to a maximum of 44 workdays in the employee’s paycheck.

Reason for This Policy

Academic-year appointments are commonplace in a university setting and allow for efficient use of employees’ time. This policy outlines provisions unique to academic-year appointments.

Individuals and Entities Affected

All faculty and staff of the University whose employment period is based on the academic year and the campuses, colleges, schools, departments, offices and units that employ them.

Exclusions

There are no exclusions to this policy.

Responsibilities

Academic-Year Employees

• Obtain approval from the department/unit head prior to performing any work during the summer period.
• Obtain prior approval from the department/unit head for vacation time outside the assigned vacation periods.

Business Office Personnel

• Ensure appropriate payroll forms are completed for academic-year employees who will work during the summer period.
• Consult with Sponsored Program Services regarding agency funding stipulations for faculty and staff engaged in a sponsored project to ensure all charges for effort during the summer period are allowable.
• Ensure salaries for academic-year employees who work on a sponsored project during the summer period are recorded in accordance with the sponsored project agreement and compensated based on the institutional base salary.

Department or Unit Heads

• Obtain approval from the Provost or Chancellor, or their designated representative, prior to converting a faculty appointment from academic-year to fiscal-year.
• Ensure appropriate payroll forms and, as applicable, employment contracts are completed for all employees who change from academic-year to fiscal-year employment or vice versa.
• For Regional Campuses only, establish and apply course rates for summer employment in an equitable manner and in accordance with requirements set by the CFO and Provost.

Human Resources

• Maintain Academic-Year Pay Practices in accordance with Board of Trustees action and any requirements imposed by the President, CFO and/or Provost.

Payroll

• Ensure appropriate salary rate percentages are paid to academic-year employees who work during the summer period.
• Ensure appropriate conversion rates are used when an employee’s appointment is converted from academic year to fiscal year and vice versa.

Provost and Chancellors

• Review and make determinations on requests to convert a faculty appointment from academic-year to fiscal-year.

Sponsored Program Services

• Assist departments in determining sponsored program funding requirements related to summer support.

Definitions

All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Additional defined terms may be found in the central Policy Glossary.

Fall Semester
For payroll and contract purposes, the Fall Semester begins on the seventh calendar day preceding the first day of classes and ends on December 31. See the section on Vacation in the Statement of Policy for days when academic-year faculty and staff are not required to report to work.

FTE
The full-time equivalent of a faculty or staff member’s appointment, with one (1) being full time.

Spring Semester
For payroll and contract purposes, the Spring Semester begins on January 1 and ends on commencement day or the final date for submitting grade reports, whichever comes later. See the section on Vacation in the Statement of Policy for days when academic-year faculty and staff are not required to report to work.

Related Documents, Forms and Tools

Academic-Year Employment Pay Practices

Summer payroll tools and forms

Related policies:

• Clinical/Professional Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.10)
• Compensation Policies for University Staff Members Participating in Continuing Education Activities (C-18)
• Effort Reporting (II.C.1)
• Overload Compensation (VI.C.4)
• Research Faculty Appointment and Promotion (VI.F.8)
• Terms and Conditions of Administrative and Professional Staff Employment (VI.F.5)
• Terms and Conditions of Employment of Faculty Members (B-50)
• Terms and Conditions of Employment of Graduate Student Staff (VI.F.11)
• Terms and Conditions of Employment of Lecturers (VI.F.4)

Website Address for This Policy

www.purdue.edu/vpec/policies/human-resources/vif12

History and Updates

October 1, 2018: Interim status removed. Definitions of Fall Semester and Spring Semester modified to make less confusing.

April 16, 2018: This policy supersedes the policy on the Employment Period for Academic-Year Staff (Executive Memorandum No. C-26), dated March 30, 1998. Details regarding pay rates were moved to a supplementary document on Academic-Year Employment Pay Practices. In accordance with action taken by the Board of Trustees in April 2018, the limit of 12 full-time weeks of employment during the summer was withdrawn and the option of using course rates on Regional Campuses was added. Restrictions on when employees can convert from academic-year to fiscal-year employment, or vice versa, were removed, as was the requirement to use all vacation time before converting to academic-year employment.

Appendix

There are no appendices to this policy.