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HR policy - Remuneration and Release time for department chairs
| Functional Owner | Chief Human Resources Officer |
| Executive Sponsors | Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance |
| Policy Contact | Assistant Director for Payroll and Operations, Human Resources |
Policy Detail:
I. Salary Adjustment for Chairpersons
Department chairs shall receive additional compensation of $2,700 during the academic year. They may elect to receive this money as a temporary increment to their salary, as a professional development account, or as a combination of the two.
II. Reduction of Load
1. Department chairpersons are to be assigned a reduced load depending on department size:
a. A reduction of one-quarter time for a chairperson of a department with fewer than 10 full-time faculty positions.
b. A reduction of one-half time for a chairperson of a department with 10 or more full-time faculty positions.
2. Exceptions to the preceding guidelines are permitted when justified by the volume of departmental business or by other university responsibilities held by the chair. However, all such exceptions shall be managed in consultation with the appropriate dean.
The following Faculty Senate recommendations on remuneration for departments were approved by the Chancellor on December 5, 2007
- Proposal to retain the Deans' flexibility in determining the percentage release time from teaching for department chairs. This recommendation recognizes the fact that circumstances in various departments change over time including, among others, the challenges wrought by hiring new faculty and responsibilities in periodic accreditation processes.
- Proposal to increase in the academic year remuneration from $200 to $300 per month thus raising the grand total from $1800 to $2700. This recommendation is made with the observation that seven years have passed since the Faculty Senate's original recommendation for the academic year remuneration for department chairs came into being. The recommendation is also forwarded with the realization that faculty salaries have remained stagnant in recent years. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that department chairs deserve a higher academic year remuneration after receiving $1800 over the last seven years.
- Compensation should be reviewed every two years with the biennial budget.
Modified in August 2020 to remove the words "tax-free" from the definition and description of the professional development account. IRS regulations have changed making this a taxable benefit.