Faculty Merit Pay

Purpose:

To describe the process for determining faculty merit pay for full-time teaching, professional, and administrative faculty.

Definitions:

Interim summary evaluation: an evaluation for teaching faculty to be completed at the end of each of their first two semesters; an evaluation for administrative and professional faculty to be completed twice during the first year of employment.

Merit-based salary increase: a salary increase during a particular fiscal year that is included in a faculty member’s base pay for the purpose of salary increases in future fiscal years, and which is based on an acceptable level of work performance.

Policy:

1. Meritorious service by faculty-rank employees shall be recognized by awarding multi-year contracts, promotions, and/or merit-based salary increases.

2. Merit-based salary increases for J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) teaching, professional, and administrative faculty shall be based on information contained in each faculty member's annual evaluation.

3. Annually, guidance and direction regarding merit-based salary increases is provided to the community colleges via the VCCS Faculty Compensation Plan. Upon receipt, Reynolds shall incorporate the components of the VCCS plan and the authorized percent increase into its college plan and implement salary action accordingly.

4. Faculty with a summary evaluation rating of does not meet expectations or with no annual evaluation for the established performance evaluation period shall not be eligible to receive the annual salary increase.

5. Faculty transfers (lateral transfers or promotion to higher-level position) from other state agencies or within Reynolds, with no break in service, and with a summary evaluation of meets expectations may be eligible for the full merit-based salary increase.

6. The detailed compensation plan for faculty-rank employees, including newly hired or rehired faculty, who receive a summary evaluation rating of meets expectations shall be developed annually as part of the Reynolds budget process and announced as an addendum to this policy.

7. In addition to the salary increase referenced above, faculty earning a promotion in rank shall receive a supplemental salary increase amount in accordance with VCCS guidelines and Reynolds Policy No. 3-6, Promotion in Rank for Full-time Faculty-Ranked Employees.

Procedures:

1. Upon receipt of the VCCS Faculty Compensation Plan, the associate vice president of human resources and the vice president of finance and administration (or designee), will complete a preliminary budget analysis to determine the financial impact of the full implementation of the plan. This analysis will include the faculty evaluation rating scores and requested faculty promotions, sabbaticals, leaves of absence, and other such personnel issues.

2. The associate vice president of human resources and the vice president of finance and administration, will meet with the president and the President’s Executive Cabinet to discuss the direction and guidelines provided by the VCCS Faculty Compensation Plan and to finalize the preliminary budget. The president renders the final decision regarding Reynolds’ merit pay plan.

3. Based upon Reynolds’ final budget decisions, the president will issue an addendum to this policy, which will be posted on the both the internal and external college websites and distributed to all full-time teaching, professional, and administrative faculty. This addendum will specify Reynolds’ approved merit-based salary increase percentage amounts for the upcoming year for faculty who complete an evaluation and are rated meets expectations.

4. With the approval of the president and based upon Reynolds’ final budget decisions, the associate vice president of human resources and the budget manager will begin the process to generate the Faculty Employment Contracts along with accompanying reports and documents. The Faculty Employment Contract process will be completed in order to deliver faculty contracts to the individual faculty members by the date provided by the VCCS Faculty Compensation Plan.

5. On the date established by the vice president of finance and administration, the associate vice president of human resources will meet with Reynolds leadership to perform the following activities:

   1. communicate the authorized salary increase provided by the VCCS Faculty Salary Plan and communicate the Reynolds final decision regarding salary increase amounts to be awarded for the upcoming year;

   2. distribute completed Faculty Employment Contracts and/or related spreadsheets to the respective supervisors and managers for review and approval; and

   3. distribute staff reports, current and revised faculty-salary scales, written documentation of language restrictions on faculty contracts, multi-year contracts, approvals for promotions, sabbaticals, and leaves of absence, individual correspondence to faculty members from the president, and other related personnel documents as needed.

6. On the date established by the president, the associate vice president of human resources will meet with the president to obtain signature on all faculty employment contracts and/or related spreadsheets.

7. Prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year, the vice president of finance and administration and the associate vice president of human resources will:

   1. review and revise policies and procedures related to the faculty merit pay process (if applicable) and submit to the president and President’s Executive Cabinet for final approval;

   2. complete the VCCS Faculty Salary Administration reports and forward completed reports along with revised college policies and procedures and the policy addendum (as indicated in IV. C.) to the VCCS by the established date; and,

   3. post the policy addendum (referenced above) to the Reynolds policy web page and inform full-time teaching, professional, and administrative faculty via email.

Other Information:

Annual VCCS Faculty Compensation Plan

Addendum to Policy 3-8, Faculty Merit Pay

Reynolds Policy No. 3-6, Promotion in Rank for Full-time Faculty-Ranked Employees