Contracts Processing

• Personnel Records Office (PRO)
• Preliminary Approvals of Contracts
• Replacement Professional Position
• Waiver of Posting for Internal Promotion in Professional Positions
• Forms Used in Contract Processing
  • Faculty-Professional Initial Appointment (F/P Contract)
  • Graduate Appointment Contract (G Contract)
  • Biographic Data Form (BDF)
  • Personal Data Form (PDF)
  • U.S. Tax Authorization Form
  • W-4 Form
  • I-9
  • Letters of Recommendation
• Summer Appointments?Continuing Education and Summer Session Teaching
  • Contract Form
  • Budget and Salary Information
  • Routing
• Processing of Professional Employee Reappointments
• Contracts for Visiting Faculty and Professional Staff from Foreign Countries
• Contingency Contracts
• Contract Renewals for Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Personnel Records Office (PRO)

The Personnel Records Office, located on 87 East Main Street, is the office through which all faculty, professional, and graduate employee contracts are processed. This office can offer assistance in the processing of new appointment forms and records.

Preliminary Approvals of Contracts

The hiring of new faculty and professional employees is handled by the employing department. The Budget Office, the Personnel Office, and the Office of the Provost may all be involved in the new hire procedure.

The F/P Position Request/Notice of Appointment Form consolidates all the information and approvals necessary to create a budgeted position and to appoint all new faculty and professional employees. The F/P Form is divided into two parts. The top half is to be used to:

1. Create a new position in the budget;
2. "Unfreeze" a vacant line in a period of a position freeze; or
3. Advise the Budget Office of the intent to fill a vacant line in a period of no position freeze.

The top half of the F/P should be completed by the department and signed by the Chairperson before sending the form to the Dean for signature.

• After signing, the dean/vice president sends the F/P form to:

1. Budget Office for appropriate account code and line number;
2. Budget Office will contact the President or Provost (depending on source of funding) for approval of new position.

• When the Budget Office sends the F/P back to the requesting department, this completed top portion of the F/P indicates approval to recruit.

Department receives assistance in placing advertising from the Employment Office, which uses an advertising agency.

1. All positions are placed on the Hotline.
2. Other advertising is at discretion of department.
3. Advertising is charged to requesting department.
4. Employment Office sends department "Interviewing Guidelines" to assist in planning interview.

• Department accepts applications and sends each applicant:

1. Top portion of blue card completed by department (Name of department, Position applied for, and Date mailed) before sending to each candidate.

NOTE: It is essential that department keep applicants informed of progress of search, particularly at completion of search.

• Search Committee reviews applications and conducts interviews.
• When department is ready to select finalist, it:
  1. Completes Personnel Development Sign-Off form* (PD);
  2. Obtains signatures from search chair, department head, and dean or vice president (personnel development signature is not needed);
  3. President's approval is also required for defined senior professional positions.
• Department is authorized to make offer to finalist.
• In order to make salary offer, department must have ADEQUATE MONEY IN THE LINE. (New professional positions are budgeted with 25 percent above the minimum in the line.) If additional monies exist, the following guidelines apply:
  1. If candidate is external, offer may not be greater than 50 percent above minimum for position without written approval from Vice President for Employee Relations via appropriate Dean or Vice President.
  2. If candidate is internal, the offer may not be greater than the minimum for position OR 10 percent above candidate's current salary (whichever is greater) without written approval from Human Resources via appropriate Dean or Vice President.
  3. If position is a lateral move for the internal candidate, no salary increase may be offered without written approval from Human Resources via appropriate Dean or Vice President.

  NOTE: Exceptions for defined senior professional positions are approved by the President.

  • If candidate ACCEPTS offer, department:
    1. Completes bottom portion of F/P "Notice of Appointment;"
    2. Obtains signatures from chair/director and dean/vice president;
    3. Sends letter of regret to ALL unsuccessful candidates.
  • Department sends the following completed forms to Personnel Records Office at least two weeks before start date in order to place the NEW HIRE on payroll:
    1. F/P* Faculty/Professional Position Request
    2. PD* Personnel Development Sign-Off
    3. Resume/Vita
    4. Biographic Data Form*
    5. W-4* Employee Withholding Exempt Certificate
    6. I-9* INS Employment Eligibility
    7. Personal Data Form*
    8. U.S. Tax Authorization*
  • If appointment is a TRANSFER or PROMOTION, department sends the following forms to APO two weeks before effective date:
    1. F/P* Faculty/Professional Position Request
       (Department need not complete Notice of Appointment - bottom section)
    2. PD* Personnel Development Sign-Off
    3. PAF ? Department obtains employee's PAF from previous department and makes all necessary changes in red ink

  * Forms are available from Central Stores.

  Replacement Professional Position

  • Department completes Position Request (top portion of F/P*) and sends it to:
    1. Chair/director and dean/vice president for signatures;
    2. Classification and Compensation for verification of salary range.
  • Department begins recruitment.

  Waiver of Posting for Internal Promotion in Professional Positions

  In an effort to foster career development among professionals, the following procedures should be followed when a department wishes to promote a professional employee within the unit:

  • Department sends to Personnel Records Office:
    1. Employee's PAF with changes made in red ink and with signatures of:
       1. Chair/director
       2. Dean/vice president
    2. Copy of approval memo. FP and PD are not required.

  Forms Used in Contract Processing

  • Faculty-Professional Initial Appointment (F/P Contract)
    This form is to be used for initial appointment of faculty and professional members. Upon completion, the form is sent with all copies to the Personnel Records Office. Form #UDC 9070170
  • Graduate Appointment Contract (G Contract)
    Use this form for initial appointment of graduate students. This form is to be sent with all copies to the Personnel Records Office. Form #UDC 9070150
  • Biographic Data Form (BDF)
    This form is prepared by the department, and the white copy is submitted to Personnel Records Office. The yellow copy is forwarded to the Information Services.
  • Personal Data Form (PDF)
    This form is completed by the department and sent to Personnel Records Office.
  • U.S. Tax Authorization Form
    This form is completed by the employee and sent to Personnel Records Office.
  • W-4 Form
    This form is filled out and signed by the employee to claim exemptions for tax purposes. No employee can be paid without this form on file.
  • I-9
    This form is required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and is necessary for all employees hired after November 16, 1986. This form must be on file before a paycheck can be issued.
  • Letters of Recommendation
    Three of the letters of recommendation submitted in support of an individual's candidacy for the position must accompany the contract for initial appointments of faculty and professionals.

  Summer Appointments -- Continuing Education and Summer Session Teaching

  • Contract Form
    The "S" contract is used for Continuing Education, Winter Session, and Summer Session overload and research appointments. Separate contracts should be used for Continuing Education and Summer Session courses. A faculty member teaching both a regular Summer Session course and a Continuing Education course should receive two separate contracts.
    
    Off-campus faculty are sometimes employed to teach in these sessions. For initial hires of these off-campus people, attach the Biographic Data Form, the Personal Data Form, the U.S. Tax Authorization Form, the I-9 Form, and the W-4 Form.
  • Budget and Salary Information
    Payments for Newark Campus overload courses comprised primarily of matriculated students are to be charged to the department's unrestricted account:
  • 1-1-01-XXXX-00-213 (on-campus faculty working for their home departments)
  • 1-1-01-XXXX-00-214 (on-campus faculty working for other departments)
  • 1-1-01-XXXX-00-215 (off-campus faculty)
  • (XXXX represents the four-digit budget unit)

  Payments for Continuing Education courses at off-campus locations are to be charged to:

  • 2-1-01-7410-00-214 (on-campus faculty)
  • 2-1-01-7410-00-215 (off-campus faculty)

  Off-campus faculty should not have a job classification on the "S" Contract. Professionals who do not hold academic rank should not have a job classification on the "S" Contract.

  Compensation for regular University employees is not to exceed the dollar value of three four-credit courses for the period 9/1 to 5/31. This includes Winter Session. Contracts should be processed at least two weeks prior to the effective date to assure payment in a timely manner.

  • Routing
  • Department ? Completes contract and forwards to appropriate Dean/Vice President (attach BDF, PDF, U.S. Tax Authorization, I-9, and W-4 Forms for new hires).
  • Dean/Vice President ? Reviews contract, indicates approval, and forwards it to the Appointment Processing Office, 87 East Main Street.
  • Personnel Records Office ? Completes central processing, updates Payroll, Personnel, and Budget systems.

  Processing of Professional Employee Reappointments

  The Budget Turnaround Form will, in most cases, be the official document used to implement salary changes and renewals of contracts. This form will generate Personnel Action Forms (PAF's) that will be distributed to Deans/Vice Presidents, Departments, and employees. The PAF will serve as the University's official notice to each employee of extension of contract and salary adjustment. The existing PAF will become the historical copy for the Department to keep. Once salary levels for the next fiscal year have been indicated on the Budget Turnaround form, the work is complete.

  All fiscal transactions are completed by the PAF. Approved demographic changes (e.g., titles, second appointments) will be done by APO.

  Contracts for Visiting Faculty and Professional Staff from Foreign Countries

  In preparing contracts for faculty and professional staff from foreign countries who are being employed for a full year, the following statement, if authorized by the Provost, should appear in the block marked "Comments":

  Upon arrival on campus, cash equal to first months's salary due will be available on request to the Payroll Office.

  If it is a contract for teaching in Summer or Winter Session, the statement should read:

  Upon arrival on campus, cash equal to one-half salary for the session (first Summer Session / Second Summer Session / Winter Session) will be available on request to the Payroll Office.

  This statement will give Payroll the authority to issue these funds and will eliminate the necessity of department chairpersons preparing memoranda in making such requests.

  In addition, if travel expense is part of the contract, indicate the amount to be paid so that a check can be available to the employee upon arrival on campus.

  Contingency Contracts

  The following guidelines should be adhered to in preparing contingency contracts:

  • A contingency contract at the assistant professor level should be written only with the explicit understanding that all requirements for the doctoral degree will be fulfilled at the time the appointment to the faculty begins. At the discretion of the department, a contract of this type may be written for either a one-, two-, or three-year period as assistant professor.
  • The salary differential in a contingency contract should not be less than $1,000.
  • In those cases where a contingency contract is justified, the following statement must be included under the "Comments" section:
    
    Without Ph.D. by 9/1/YY: Lecturer (at $1,000 less) 9/1/YY - 8/31/YY, and notice of nonreappointment not required. Ph.D. prior to 1/28/YY: Assistant Professor as of 2/1/YY and $500 increase as of 3/1/YY; 2/1/YY - 8/31/YY.
  • If the contingency is fulfilled by January 27 of the initial contract year, the rank will be changed to Assistant Professor and a $500 increase will be added to the salary, effective March 1.
  • Should the requirements be completed during the initial contract year but after January 27 and a renewal appointment be proposed, it may be at the Assistant Professor rank and for a two-year period.
  • Promotions and increments, if any, in subsequent years will be in accordance with regular University policy. Only the initial contract may be written as a contingency contract, and all contingency provisions lapse at the end of the first year. A request for a second appointment as lecturer will require strong recommendations by the Dean and will receive the closest scrutiny.

  Contract Renewals for Non-Tenure Track Faculty

  See the University of Delaware Faculty Handbook, Section III, Personnel Policies for Faculty, Section A.1-2. Non-Tenure Track Faculty.

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