Faculty compensation policies

Internal course buy-out

For faculty in all tracks

Inclusions

Internal buy-outs include a) campus-wide academic affairs divisional service that includes a structured course buy-out, b) faculty buy-out for dean-approved service for another sub-unit of the campus, and c) internal academic affairs divisional funding opportunities for faculty advancement. The buy-out is provided to the faculty member’s school.

*Note: This policy does not apply to 12-month, full-time administrative faculty positions that are external to the faculty member’s school.

Compensation structure

Average campus-wide cost for a course taught by a part-time lecturer (PTL). The VCAA’s Office is responsible for working with Institutional Planning and Budget (IPB) to determine the average campus-wide PTL course cost every other year to correspond with the start of each new biennium. For the FY24 and FY25 biennium, this buyout rate is set at $9,200 per course inclusive of benefit load. The buy-out is provided to the faculty member’s school.

*Note: While we encourage the General Faculty Organization (GFO) to adopt a similar compensation rate, this is not an academic affairs divisional decision.

Justification

This system provides buy-out rates to schools that cover average replacement costs. Raising this rate to the external buy-out rate would necessitate a significant movement of resources across campus units. Matching the rate to the salaries of individual faculty members would also create significant and unmanageable variation in campus service costs year to year.

Course buyout rate

For academic year external (to UW) grants for tenure- and teaching-track faculty

Inclusions

External grants included in this category are all funding opportunities outside of the UW. This includes national funding agencies (e.g., NSF, NIH, NSA, etc.) as well as foundations (e.g., Ford, Spencer, etc.) and regional/local organizations including the non-profit, public, and private sectors. The buy-out is provided to the faculty member’s school.

Note: Tri-campus funding opportunities that are managed at UW Seattle are not included because they typically set their own course buy-out rates.

Compensation structure

For tenure track faculty, the buy-out rate is set at 17% of the PI’s salary (plus benefit load) per course with the total course buy-outs per grant not to exceed 100% of salary (plus benefit load). For teaching professor and artist-in-residence tracks, the buy-out rate is set at 12% of the PI’s salary (plus benefit load) per course with the total course buy-outs per grant not to exceed 100% of salary (plus benefit load).

*Note: This buy-out rate is a starting point. In cases where the granting agency or project cannot bear that cost and the project is valuable to the school, PIs should discuss cost-share opportunities with their dean. PIs and deans may agree to a school match that offsets the costs charged to the external grant and this agreement should be documented and the records retained. The school match should be noted on all proposals and budgets for accurate record keeping.

Justification

Most external grants are budgeted as percentage effort. This buy-out rate makes that translation and recognizes that buying out a course generally also funds some of that faculty member’s service and scholarship. The percentages generally align with current practice across units at UW Seattle.

Course overload

For tenure-track and teaching-track faculty

Inclusions

Compensation for any instructional overload over 100% appointed effort for full-time faculty should be provided by the school.

Compensation structure

The overload compensation rate for each course is set at the summer compensation rate (1/9, or 11.1% of the nine-month salary. Overloads should occur only in exceptional circumstances and must be pre-approved by the dean with concurrence by the VCAA.

Justification

The summer compensation rate does not include service or research expectations which are assumed to be the same for overloads.

Other FTE-producing instructional labor

For full-time faculty in all tracks

Inclusions

Instruction in any academic unit that generates FTE for that school but is not otherwise visible as part of the faculty member’s teaching load. Examples include independent studies, directed research, and thesis if not otherwise counted as part of the standard workload. The expectation is that, when possible, schools will include these impactful student opportunities as part of a faculty member’s standard workload with workload adjustment as described in EO 59.

Compensation structure

1. All schools should ensure that faculty (full-time and part-time) are compensated for all UW Bothell courses (undergraduate and graduate) for which they are officially designated as the instructor. Note that a faculty member’s annual academic–year teaching load is set per the campus workload policy.
2. If necessary, and with dean pre-approval, faculty members may have situations where these types of instruction go beyond the faculty member’s academic year workload because of a variety of factors. Each school is expected to have in place a framework for these situations. The framework should be developed using standard school governance processes, with approval by the Dean and the VCAA. All frameworks should adhere to the following principles:
   • Align with UW Bothell faculty compensation policies, UW HR policies, and best practices in higher education to promote equity.
   • Provide an equivalent course/service release to the faculty member during the academic year when the work occurs or within a reasonable period as pre-approved by the dean.  In lieu of a course/service release, provide non-salary professional development funds to be used before the end of the biennium when the work is performed. Schools will need to determine a reasonable conversion rate for the professional development funds as part of the framework.
   • If a course release(s) or a professional development fund is to be provided, ensure that there is a documented agreement in place between the dean and the faculty member before the work occurs.
   • Do not use additional compensation for these situations that occur during the academic year. You may use summer compensation for these situations that occur during the summer period.
   • Retiring/resigning faculty members forfeit course/service releases and professional development funds that they have not used prior to their last date of employment.
   • Account for the diverse types of credit-bearing opportunities that may be provided by faculty in your school.
   • Avoid unintended consequences that may affect other forms of compensation and/or professional development that are essential for faculty success (e.g., avoid off-setting costs of compensation by reducing travel funds, etc.)
3. All schools should work with their faculty councils to identify courses aligned with #2.
4. Frameworks should be published on the school’s website for transparency with links provided to the VCAA’s office. If schools do not already have a framework in place that meets these criteria, they are expected to develop one by June 15 2025.
   • School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (needs to be updated)
   • School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (needs to be updated)
5. Each school should review their frameworks every biennium for equity, transparency, and fiscal viability, and provide updates to the VCAA’s office.

Justification

Invisible instructional labor may be distributed unequally across faculty members. A transparent and equitable system that accounts for and compensates that labor is a way to recognize and value it.

Other forms of invisible labor

For faculty in all tracks

Inclusions

Invisible co-curricular labor such as mentoring, advising, and advising of student clubs, among many other activities that do not generate FTE for a school.

Compensation structure

*TBD

Justification

Invisible co-curricular labor may be distributed unequally across faculty members. A transparent and equitable system that accounts for and compensates that labor is one way to recognize and value it.

Course cancellation

For tenure- and teaching-track faculty members

Inclusions

Full-time faculty members who have a course canceled by a school after the schedule has been published.

*Note: This policy does not apply to course cancellations initiated by a faculty member due to approved leaves and other similar circumstances.

Compensation structure

The faculty member shall not be held responsible and shall not incur a teaching load or service load debt to the school.

• For the first instance of cancellation for a course, the faculty member would not incur a teaching load debt. Before the course can be scheduled in a subsequent quarter, the school needs an investigation and resolution plan on file. For new programs/courses, a cancellation may extend beyond the first instance as mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and the dean.
• Beyond the first instance, If a course is cancelled due to reasons beyond the control of a faculty member who is assigned to teach the course, the faculty member in consultation with the dean and a representative from the school’s Elected Faculty Council (EFC) shall negotiate a teaching load agreement that a) accounts for the factors associated with the course being canceled, and b) equitably redistributes the effort of the canceled course to a later academic quarter no more than one year from the time the canceled course was originally offered.
• In cases in which faculty effort can be better allocated to school or campus-wide service activities, the faculty member in consultation with the dean and a representative of the school’s EFC, can have the equivalent of their canceled course load reallocated to the mutually agreed upon service assignment.
• All redistribution or reassignment of faculty teaching load shall be documented in writing and agreed upon by the faculty member and the dean.
• In unforeseen circumstances when a school needs to cancel an existing academic program, deans will work with EFCs to identify an equitable agreement on how to reallocate teaching loads.

*Note: Schools in a collaborative effort between EFCs and deans shall set published minimum enrollment thresholds for course offerings in alignment with prudent fiscal policy.

Justification

Establishes guidance for schools to set transparent and published minimum enrollment thresholds for course offerings in alignment with prudent fiscal policy through shared governance processes. Also sets expectations for schools to address the need for transparent curricular planning on a multi-year basis that a) allows students to progress toward degree completion within an expected time-frame that does not disadvantage the student, and b) provides faculty with predictability and stability for curricular planning and teaching.