PD153

Grant Related/Specially Funded Instructional Faculty Appointments
Practice Directive 153

January 7, 2003

Program

On August 25,1975, the Office of the Chancellor established a new classification entitled Grant-Related Instructional Faculty (academic year and 12-month assignments) and delineated qualifications standards for this classification (FSA 75-55 with update by HR2004-07). This classification was authorized under the Board of Trustees resolution (RFSA 11-74-20) to recognize faculty members of regional and national professional stature. Appointees receive compensation comprising the regular salary pertaining to the rank and step of their current appointment plus a 5% - 35% differential above such regular salary. The differential portion, including related employee benefits, is to be reimbursed from non-general funds, generally furnished to the campus for that purpose by grants, individual gifts, or bequests.

Appointments to this classification are not permanent, and are made only for one academic year or one 12-month period. Renewal is subject to annual review and all the provisions delineated below. Apart from those typically associated with regular full-time faculty appointments, there are no additional tenure or salary rights associated with temporary appointments into either of these classifications. A temporary appointment to either classification does not constitute a promotion, nor does termination of an appointment without renewal constitute a demotion.

Scope

Tenured faculty members who have exhibited exceptional professional merit are eligible for GRIF appointments.

Tenured faculty currently appointed as Department Chairs are eligible for GRIF appointments for that portion of their full-time appointment that remains in an instructional faculty classification (i.e. classification 2360 or 2361).

Faculty members who have been awarded a leave with pay are not eligible for a GRIF appointment during the term in which the leave is taken.

Where the provisions of these guidelines are in conflict with collective bargaining agreements reached pursuant to Chapter 12, (commencing with section 3560) of Division 4 of Title I of the Government Code, the collective bargaining agreements shall take precedence.

Faculty members with GRIF appointments shall not be eligible for any additional employment, or overload, through the CSU or its auxiliaries.

Criteria

Faculty members appointed to either of these classifications must demonstrate regional and national stature in his/her discipline. Specific criteria to be considered are:

- the faculty member’s grant and contract activity, including volume and number of awards, and the demonstrable ways in which such awards contribute to the mission of the University;

- publications in top-ranked research journals, exhibitions in nationally-renowned galleries, and/or authorship of highly respected scholarly books;

- the faculty member’s contribution to the University’s instructional program, including classroom/laboratory teaching and/or mentoring of students in training, research, or clinical activities.

Costs and Funding of GRIF Appointments

Non-General Funds must be used to cover the GRIF salary differential and other related costs. In most cases, these costs will be funded by grants or contracts for which the faculty member serves as the Principal Investigator.

For a 12 Month GRIF appointment, the faculty member’s grant and contract funds must cover the 15% salary differential between the regular Academic Year faculty salary and the 12 Month faculty salary, as well as the costs associated with benefits.

For both Academic Year and 12 Month GRIF appointments, the faculty member’s grant and/or contract funds must cover the 5% -25% GRIF salary differential, as well as the costs associated with benefits.

The cost of the GRIF salary differential may also be funded in whole or in part by non General Fund dollars identified by the department chair, the dean of the college, or other appropriate administrator.

Procedures

All faculty GRIF appointments, whether Academic Year or 12-Month, must have the support of the college dean, with appropriate faculty input. All applications will be reviewed and approved by both the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and the President.

College deans must ensure that applications forwarded to the VPAA have clearly identified the source of funds to be used to cover the GRIF salary differential and other related costs as described above.

Faculty members wishing to be considered for an Academic Year or 12-Month GRIF appointment must submit an application no later than May 1st in the form of a memo to the chair of his/her department addressing the criteria listed above. Faculty must specify in writing the source (s) of external support from which the GRIF salary differential and other associated costs will be paid. In the case of a faculty member with an academic year appointment applying for a 12-month GRIF appointment, the faculty member must also specify the source(s) of external support from which the 15% 12-month salary differential and associated benefit costs will be paid.

The chair of the department will forward all GRIF applications to the dean of the college along with his/her comments, specifying whether or not the chair is recommending approval.

After consultation with appropriate faculty, similar to that utilized in other personnel actions, the dean shall make the final recommendation to the VPAA. Applications receiving a positive recommendation from the college dean will be sent to the Dean of Faculty Affairs who will then forward them to the VPAA for review. If the VPAA concurs with the recommendation of the college dean, the VPAA will forward the application to the President for final review and approval.

The department of Human Resources will prepare an appointment letter for successful appointees, specifying the new salary rate, the type of appointment (Academic Year or 12-Month), the begin and end date of the appointment, and any other terms and conditions which may apply to the non-permanent GRIF appointment.

GRIF appointments shall begin on the first day of the fall semester for both Academic Year and 12 Month appointments. The end date for Academic Year appointments shall be the last day of the following spring semester. The end date for 12 Month appointments shall be the day prior to the first day of the following fall semester. This is to ensure that 12 Month GRIF appointees who return to their regular Academic Year faculty appointment do not experience an interruption in benefits eligibility.

All GRIF appointments are for one academic year, or one 12-month period, only. Renewal of a GRIF appointment shall be dependent upon the successful completion of the expectations associated with such an appointment. Renewal of GRIF appointments is subject to the continued support of the faculty member’s chair and dean, and an annual review of the previous year’s accomplishments. Renewal of GRIF appointments is also subject to the continued availability of appropriate funds.

Responsibility

The dean of the college shall assume financial responsibility for any vacation leave that accrues to 12 Month GRIF appointments, which is paid out when the faculty member returns to a regular Academic Year faculty appointment.

The dean and the faculty member are responsible for obtaining written confirmation from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs that the faculty member has sufficient external support to cover the costs associated with a GRIF appointment, and for ensuring that the terms and conditions of the GRIF appointment can be funded appropriately.

Approved by Provost John M. Gemello, 1/07/03