Procedures Concerning Distribution of Employment Contracts

I. Purpose

Procedure regarding the distribution of employment contracts for Faculty and Supportive Professional Staff.

II. Policy

The hiring process involves correspondence and paperwork ranging from establishment of the position, search approvals and related affirmative action paperwork, the approval for hire, offer, acceptance, and benefit enrollment processes.  New employees receive several items of correspondence including an offering letter, benefits enrollment information, and an employment contract. Terms and conditions of employee’s annual contracts are recited in offering letters, which constitute an employee’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of employment and related university policies at the time of hire.  Effective March 1, 2001, continuing employees will receive salary/merit notices each year, which recite the established terms and conditions of employment.  Changes in the basic position will be verified by means of an updated offer and acceptance process. 

A standard “boilerplate” offer letter, with an acceptance/signature page, is customized for each appointment category.  Standard versions of these offer letters along with the required acceptance and signature pages are available on the HRS website.  Departments may add position specific information to the standard offer letters but may not change the basic standard provisions.

• Temporary Faculty and SPS employees will be issued new offering letters and acceptance/signature pages for each temporary appointment.
• New regular faculty and SPS employees will be issued the offer letter and acceptance/signature page at the time of hire.  Should the university decide to terminate a Tenure-Track or SOS appointment, notice would be provided in accordance with Board Regulations.
• For continuing regular faculty and SPS employees, annual increment notices will incorporate language referencing the commitments outlined in the original offer letter and acceptances.  Standard versions of these notices will be prepared and distributed following the annual increment process.
• Whenever an offering letter is sent, the signature/acceptance page must me countersigned and the complete offer letters with acceptances returned to HRS.
• Summer appointments are considered additional assignments outside the standard contractual time frame.  These appointments will be processed as Additional Pay.  While the college can still produce an offer letter for summer appointment, the Additional Pay Authorization form must be used for summer appointments.
• HRS will prepare an offering package including the standardized offer letter, signature/acceptance page and benefits enrollment letter at the request of a college or division.  Otherwise, colleges may continue to forward these letters directly to new and reappointed Faculty and SPS.

IV. References

• Memorandum – February 28, 2001.