Shared Assignments Across Empire State College Programs and Centers Procedure
Sponsor: |
Office of Academic Affairs |
|---|---|
Contact: |
Vice Provost for Academic Development |
Category: |
Academic |
Number: |
100.017 |
Effective Date: |
07/01/2010 |
Implementation History: |
July 2010, November 2001, February 2000 |
Keywords: |
Shared Assignments |
Background Information: |
Purpose
The practice of establishing assignments for Empire State College faculty and professional employees across centers and programs benefits both the college and the individual employee. Shared assignments provide valuable professional development opportunities and allow the college to engage experienced professionals committed to Empire State College's mission, thereby enhancing academic quality and student learning resources.
The college generally approves assignments across only two centers or programs at one time, in light of the special challenges involved in filling multiple roles.
Definitions
Statements
The following procedures reflect the principle that an individual who has a shared assignment across settings has a single employment relationship with the college. These procedures are designed to promote positive outcomes for individuals on shared assignments and for the settings they serve.
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Shared Appointments and Reassignments Across Empire State College Programs and Centers
An assignment across two settings may take one of two forms: a shared appointment, or a primary appointment with a partial reassignment to another setting.
A shared appointmentis an appointment in which the individual occupies a budgeted line that is shared by two centers or programs. The college ordinarily establishes a shared appointment when the individual is expected to have a long-term role in each setting. For example, a full-time mentor may have a position that is .50 in the Hudson Valley Center and .50 in the School for Graduate Studies, with a long-term commitment to both. In this case, HVC and GS each budget half of the personnel line and half of the salary dollars for the position.
If a full-time mentor’s role in another program or center will be temporary, then the college usually establishes areassignmentrather than a shared appointment. For example, a full-time mentor in the Genesee Valley Center may accept a two-year, .25 reassignment to the Center for International Education. In this case, the mentor’s budgeted line remains with GVC. The Center for International Education provides GVC with standard “backfill” funding for a .25 replacement.
For a part-time mentor with assignments in more than one setting, the college usually establishes a shared appointment rather than a reassignment. For example, a part-time mentor may have a .25 assignment in the Center for Distance Learning and a .25 assignment in the Northeast Center. In this case, CDL and NEC each budget a one-quarter personnel line.Occasionally, a temporary reassignment becomes a longer-term assignment. When this happens, the reassignment may become a shared appointment, following the process described in item 2. below.
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Establishing and Changing Shared Assignments
Directors often post shared assignment opportunities and invite expressions of interest from across the college. The appropriate center or program directors recommend a shared assignment following consultation with the employee, subject to approval by the provost/VPAA. A center or program director should consult a current employee’s existing supervisor prior to approaching the individual about or confirming a potential shared assignment. The same procedures apply to any changes in or extensions of shared appointments or reassignments.
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Primary Location for Employees with Shared Assignments
For any shared assignment across programs and/or centers, the appropriate center or program directors recommend a primary location or “home” following consultation with the employee, subject to approval by the provost/VPAA. The same process applies to changing the primary location.
In determining the employee’s primary location, the center or program directors and the provost/VPAA consider a number of factors, such as the nature, extent and expected length of the responsibilities within each setting.The primary location is the employee’s governance home (i.e. for voting and peer review purposes) and primary supervisory home.
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Supervision
The director of the primary location is the employee’s primary supervisor. The primary supervisor provides oversight for the individual’s professional activities in the primary setting, synthesizes administrative input for personnel actions and takes overall responsibility for personnel paperwork.
The director of the other location is the secondary supervisor. The secondary supervisor provides oversight for the employee’s professional activities in the secondary setting and provides input to the primary supervisor for personnel actions.
The primary supervisor consults and shares draft evaluations and recommendations with the secondary supervisor before sharing them with the person being evaluated. It is the primary supervisor's responsibility to insure that there is sufficient time for such consultations and to send copies of all PAFs, evaluations, etc. to the secondary supervisor. -
Changes in Part-time Assignments
When a part-time employee accepts a shared assignment and/or an additional part-time assignment during an existing appointment, a new letter of appointment is prepared which supersedes the previous letter. This reflects the principle that an individual has a single employment relationship with the college. The letter of appointment refers to more detailed descriptions of responsibilities provided by the primary and secondary supervisors.
An expansion of a part-time appointment (within or across settings) cannot extend beyond the end date of the existing appointment. The base salary rate for an additional part-time assignment is the same as the individual’s current base salary rate.