Additional COVID Leave Reminder Communication

The health and well-being of our community remains our number one priority. To support the University of New Mexico’s faculty, UNM is expanding the provisions of sick leave for eligible faculty. This additional COVID-19 leave provides up to two weeks (10 working days or 80 hours), pro-rated based on appointment percentage, impacted by COVID-19.

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Main/Branch Campus Faculty New Hire and Rehire Compliance with Administrative Mandate on Required COVID-19 Vaccination

To: Deans/Associate Deans; Chairs; College Administrators

In support of the Administrative Mandate on Required COVID-19 Vaccination, effective immediately, new and rehired faculty and postdoctoral fellows will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Administrative Mandate before their employment start date. Temporary part-time faculty rehired for Fall 2021 Semester 2nd 8-week session (starts 10/18/2021), Fall 2021 intersession, and future semesters are also required to comply.

To comply, new and rehired faculty must provide, before their employment start date, either (1) documentation of full vaccination using a vaccine authorized by FDA License or under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or (2) approved exemptions.

The Office for Academic Personnel staff will update the employment offer letter templates to include conditional language requiring compliance with the Administrative Mandate, and these revised templates will be available at oap.unm.edu.

Hiring actions must be submitted in UNMJobs with sufficient time, prior to the employment start date, for the prospective employee to demonstrate compliance with this requirement. Any new faculty member who does not comply with the Administrative Mandate, prior to their employment start date, will not be approved to begin their appointment, and their start date will be delayed.

If you have questions, please contact the Office for Academic Personnel at faculty@unm.edu.

We appreciate your support.

Thank you.

Barbara Rodriguez Senior Vice Provost

Emily Luhman Director, Office for Academic Personnel

Academic Affairs announces guidelines for the transfer of a faculty member

Academic Affairs announces guidelines for the transfer of a faculty member from one academic department to another – within or across schools/colleges – on the Albuquerque campus.

This process applies to the following continuing faculty titles: associate professor, professor, senior lecturer, principal lecturer. Transfers may be pursued when it is determined to be in the best interest of all parties concerned, including the faculty member, departments, school/college, and the University of New Mexico. We expect such requests to be exceptionally rare.

You may contact Senior Vice Provost Barbara Rodríguez with questions about the process.

Additional COVID-19 leave, increase maximum accrued annual leave, and temporary voluntary reduction in FTE (TVR in FTE).

1. Additional COVID-19 leave: The additional COVID-19 leave provides up to two weeks, pro-rated based on appointment percentage, for sick leave eligible faculty impacted by COVID-19. The criteria for use are: i) have been advised by the UNM COVID Call Center to quarantine/isolate/test due to COVID-19; ii) caring for a family member who has tested positive for COVID-19 or required to self-isolate by their health care provider; iii) requires time away from work to comply with COVID mandates and safe practices for one’s self or one’s household; iv) caring for a dependent whose school or place of care is temporarily closed due to COVID-19. Effective dates of leave are September 15, 2021 through May 31, 2022.
2. Increase maximum accrued annual leave: Article 9, Subsection B.2 of the Unit 1 CBA is temporarily amended to increase the maximum accrued annual leave balance for full-time bargaining unit members on 12-month contracts from 31.5 days to 38.5 days through June 30, 2022.
3. Temporary voluntary reduction in FTE (TVR-FTE): Faculty may seek relief from assigned workload duties through a temporary and voluntary reduction (TVR) in FTE and flexibility to dedicate time to family care and other personal responsibilities for reasons related to COVID-19. Full-time tenure-track/tenured and lecturer faculty on all UNM campuses meeting on or more of the following criteria associated with COVID-19 during Spring 2022: i) diagnosed with COVID-19 and needing additional time to recover; ii) caring for a family or household member diagnosed with COVID-19 who needs additional support for recovery; iii) supporting a child, under the age of 19, with remote K-12 learning; and/or iv) caring for a child whose place of care is closed. Eligible bargaining unit members must initiate the TVR in FTE request and submit it directly to their department chair/program director and dean no later than 5:00 p.m., October 15, 2021. Notifications of approval/denial will be sent by Monday, November 1, 2021.

Proposed Process for Non-Compliance

Yesterday’s President’s Weekly Perspective included a reminder that the University’s current guidelines regarding the Administrative Mandate on Required COVID-19 Vaccination indicate that individuals who do not abide by the requirements of the administrative mandate will receive a notice of prospective disciplinary action, with specific sanctions for failure to comply.

We have drafted guidance to clarify the specific process for disciplinary action for faculty. The detailed guidance on these procedures for faculty have been posted for review and comment since Thursday, September 9th. Of note, UNM Health Sciences Center faculty must comply with the New Mexico Public Health Order, which may have different timelines and consequences.

Due to the critical and immediate nature of enacting these procedures, feedback on the prospective faculty disciplinary actions will be collected through 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Staff and student guidance were published on September 2, 2021, and the comment period has expired.

Keeping our communities safe is everyone’s responsibility, and your continued efforts on behalf of your fellow Lobos are appreciated.

Vaccine Mandate Limited Remote Working Exemption Request Guidance

The University of New Mexico will return to in-person operations and instruction for the Fall 2021 semester because the connectivity and common experiences afforded by campus presence are essential for building, strengthening, and maintaining a robust and inclusive university.  In-person engagement is part of a vibrant campus experience that fosters discovery and education. Therefore, faculty remote working exemption requests should be extremely rare.

The following guidance is issued to clarify the previously announced vaccine mandate limited remote working exemption. Faculty members seeking approval for the remote working vaccine mandate exemption must meet the following criteria:

• Previously approved remote work arrangement agreement between a faculty member and their department chair,
• Live outside of New Mexico, and
• Formerly scheduled for Fall 2021semester to teach only approved UNM-online (asynchronousremote) classes appearing in the schedule as “on-line max”.

Department chairs and deans, by approving a request, certify that the faculty member is working entirely off-campus and will not come on to campus for any reason.

https://hr.unm.edu/docs/hr/vaccine-mandate-limited-remote-working-exemption-request.pdf

Faculty Hiring Guidelines for FY22

Faculty Hiring Guidelines for Fiscal Year 2022 [pdf]

Moratorium on New Remote Work by Employees Out-of-State and Out-of-Country

With the recent release of the Remote and Telecommuting Program for in-state staff employees, some questions have been received regarding faculty and staff who were already working from remote locations outside of New Mexico and outside the United States.

At this time, a moratorium is in effect for any new requests for out-of-state and out-of-country work for faculty and staff at all campuses. A few limited exceptions may be granted by the appropriate EVP/SVPFA for extraordinary situations. Employees not currently residing in New Mexico who are working remotely may continue to do so while the respective Human Resource offices work directly with their departments to collect information on their work location.

It is important to keep in mind that UNM must consider tax and legal implications for these arrangements that were made prior to UNM having an official remote and telecommuting program. Regarding out-of-country work arrangements, it has been determined that agreements from this date forward will not be allowed.

UNM’s leadership is committed to evaluating if and how out-of-state work agreements within the United States can be supported. This evaluation includes balancing our mission of providing the highest quality academic, research, clinical and community experience to our students; and includes our responsibility and commitment to supporting our local economy by providing employment opportunities to our very own residents.

This moratorium for new requests for work outside the state of New Mexico is in effect until further notice. If you have questions, please contact your HR Consultant in the appropriate Human Resources office.

July 1, 2021 – Announcement

Re: Salary processing guidance for UA-UNM Unit 2 (temporary part-time instructors and term teachers) 

The UA-UNM Collective Bargaining Agreement for Unit 2 (TPTs and term teachers) establishes a 4% increase for each school/college/branch campus pay rate, effective July 1, 2021. The following are guidelines on the processing of payments that are impacted by the July 1^st salary increase:

• Summer 2021 Session—TPT and Term Teachers
  • As of July 1, 2021, all Letters of Understanding (LOU) and Summer Instruction forms for Summer 2021 session submitted to OFAS/HR have been processed.
  • OFAS will review Summer 2021 session payments and apply the 4% increase effective July 1st.
  • Revised LOUs or Summer Instruction forms do not need to be submitted for Summer 2021 Session.

• Fall 2021 Semester -- TPT Rehires submitted via ePAF/email for manual entry
  • As of July 1, 2021, all LOUs that have been submitted to HR for the Fall 2021 semester will be removed from Banner.
  • Departments must issue revised LOUs, which reflect the 4% increase and resubmit them for processing via ePAF or manual entry if a suffix is not available for ePAF processing.
  • OFAS will provide departments with a list of impacted transactions

• Fall 2021 Semester --TPT Hires submitted via UNMJobs
  • For all UNMJobs hiring actions that have been submitted to HR by July 1, 2021, you will be contacted for further guidance.

• Term Teacher AY21/22 Renewals
  • To renew a Term Teacher for the Academic Year 2021-22, the following documents must be submitted to OFAS at faculty@unm.edu:
    • Term Teacher Appointment Letter
    • Extend Non-Continuing Faculty Appointment Request Form
  • The appointment letter and extension request form must reflect the 4% salary increase.

As of July 1, 2021, all payment requests/documents submitted for Unit 2 faculty must include the 4% salary increase. It is incumbent upon colleges/schools/branch campuses to ensure that documents submitted for processing for Unit 2 faculty include the correct salary information. The current pay rates are posted on ofas.unm.edu.

Collective Bargaining Agreement

Good morning, colleagues.

Thank you for your patience as we await the final approval of the UA-UNM Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). As you know, the faculty ratified the CBA, and the next step in the process is the final review and approval by Provost Holloway. In anticipation of his approval, I write today with an update on the mass salary update process, which is in alignment with the CBA’s language.

Today, we are releasing a newly revised MSU request form for faculty represented by UA-UNM/Unit 1. Unit 1 includes faculty in the following ranks and titles: tenure-track (assistant), tenured (associate, full), research (all ranks), lecturers I/II/III, senior lecturers, principal lecturers, and professors of practice. Departments are allowed to submit requests for salary increases above the across-the-board 1.5% increase, not to exceed 3%, on a limited basis dependent on the availability of funding for Unit 1 faculty. Requests for increases above 3% will be considered, but these should be rare and will be approved only in exceptional cases. Increases above 5% are not allowed.

The new form can be found here: https://hr.unm.edu/uaunm-msu, and later today it will also be posted on ofas.unm.edu (announcements section). The form limits the types of MSU requests to: 1) retention increase, 2) equity increase, or 3) research faculty increase. Merit based increases are not allowed, as the CBA’s language does not include merit as a basis for compensation increases. Depending on the type of request (retention, equity, or research faculty), the form will require justification supporting the request.

We are in possession of several MSU requests previously submitted using the form designated for non-unionized employees. Rather than require that departments resubmit these requests, we will complete the review process and move them forward. That is, these forms will not need to be resubmitted. However, if a previously submitted request is based solely on merit, it will be returned and disapproved.

With time short and July 1 right around the corner, MSU requests for unit 1 faculty on 12-month contracts must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. July 2, 2021. Requests for the tenure-track/tenured, research, professors of practice, and lecturers, must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. July 9, 2021.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at svp@unm.edu.

Best regards,
Barbara

Barbara Rodríguez, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences
Senior Vice Provost
Academic Affairs
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Fiscal Year 2022 Faculty Mass Salary Update Guidelines

Provost Holloway issued the FY22 Mass Salary Update and Out of Guidelines Requests memo on April 15, 2021. Members of staff and faculty bargaining units will be eligible for increases negotiated with the respective unions.

Opt-Out Notification updated

A year ago, Provost Holloway consulted with the UNM Committee on Governance, UNM Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, and received the endorsement of the UNM Faculty Senate Operations Committee to enact an automatic one-year extension to the probationary period res(“tenure clock”) for all currently appointed tenure-track faculty. This policy remains in effect.

As a reminder, the tenure-clock extension is not ‘extra’ time. It is time to compensate for the slow-down or complete shut-down of research, scholarship, and creative work due to the pandemic. Promotion and tenure expectations will not be increased for faculty who use this extension.

Faculty who have previously submitted Opt-Out forms do not need to resubmit using the revised form.

The UNM Retirement Process

1. Contact Benefits and Employee Wellness

At least 90 days prior to your anticipated UNM retirement date contact Benefits and Employee Wellness at hrbenefits@unm.edu. A Benefits Representative will guide you through the process and provide you with the information needed to complete the Retirement Application (online), the required documentation, and any other necessary forms. If you are eligible for UNM post-retirement benefits, benefits enrollment forms will be provided to you at the time of application.

2. Notify Your Department

Notify your department, in writing, of your intention to retire and your last scheduled day of UNM employment. It is advised that you give your department as much notice as possible to ensure a smooth transition into retirement, generally no less than 30 days ahead of your intended retirement date. UNM faculty members on a 9-month contract are generally required to give at least a semester's notice to their department.

The retirement date must always be the first of any month. Faculty members on a 9-month contract that ends in May must select a July 1 retirement date per New Mexico statute. Faculty members on a 12-month contract may retire on the first of any given month of the year. 

Guidance issued - Addressing COVID-19 in Faculty Annual Reviews

Senior Vice Provost Rodríguez recently issued guidance for faculty to address the impact of COVID-19 on their research/scholarship/creative work, teaching, and service in the narrative summaries they prepare for their annual performance reviews.

The memo detailing points to consider in documenting impacts can be accessed here.

UNM Extends E-PSL through June 30, 2021

The Department of Labor (DOL), Wage and Hour Division has confirmed the expiration date of December 31, 2020 for the requirement for employers to provide paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). More information on workers’ and employers’ rights and responsibilities after this date can be found on the Wage and Hour Division’s FFCRA Questions and Answers webpage.

To continue supporting all UNM employees, senior leadership has chosen to voluntarily continue the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (E-PSL) provision of FFCRA, which allows for two weeks of paid leave (up to 80 hours), pro-rated based on FTE and average hours worked through June 30, 2021. Since this is an extension of existing benefits, employees who have exhausted the total hours allowed under FFCRA are not eligible for additional E-PSL hours. Employees utilizing E-PSL will be compensated at their regular rate of pay. Employees who have unused E-PSL balances and those with pending E-PSL requests do not need to submit a new request or additional information.

Eligibility

UNM and UNM HSC employees (faculty, staff and students; excluding UNMH) meeting one or more of the following criteria:

• Are subject to a quarantine/isolation order related to COVID-19
• Have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19
• Are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
• Are caring for an individual subject to quarantine or isolation
• Are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed
• Are experiencing any other, substantially similar situation

To request Emergency Paid Sick Leave (E-PSL), please visit hr.unm.edu/cv19/ffcra. If you have questions regarding your eligibility for E-PSL, contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Services at faculty@unm.edu.

Temporary and Voluntary Reduction in FTE - Spring 2021 semester.

UA-UNM and UNM Administration have been working diligently and collaboratively over the past few weeks on a faculty benefit for Spring 2021. In the hopes of offering faculty some relief from the strain of working during a pandemic and while possibly caring for others, we have negotiated a Temporary and Voluntary Reduction in FTE, namely a one-course release for spring. The benefit is paid via a 7% reduction in one’s annual salary, resulting in a 14% pay reduction per month for the spring 2021 semester.

Department administrators may use the form - Temporary and Voluntary Reduction (TVR) - to submit requests to faculty@unm.edu.

New requirement for faculty searches: DiversityEdu.

In order to increase awareness and lessen the impact of implicit bias in academic decision making, and in faculty searches specifically, the Office of Academic Affairs requires all Search Committee members to complete the online DiversityEdu course at least once every four years. The Division of Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is making DiversityEdu available to search committees free of charge. DEI will send a link to DiversityEdu and verify course completion. Approval for faculty searches is contingent upon completion of DiversityEdu by search committee members.

Please note that it works best with Google Chrome. This 75-minute training can be stopped and restarted, and offers a certificate of completion, bibliography, and a document outlining "Ground Rules and Guidelines for Diversity Competent Faculty Searches".

Voluntary Retirement Incentive Option

UNM is offering a Voluntary Retirement Incentive Option (VRIO) to eligible faculty and staff. Those determined eligible will be contacted via email by Benefits & Employee Wellness on Monday, August 24, 2020. If you believe you are eligible and have not received an email from hrbenefits@unm.edu, email your inquiry to vrio@unm.edu.

 Details about this Benefits program can be found at https://hr.unm.edu/retirement/vrio.

Tenure & Promotion Guidelines

Provided below are deadlines and guidelines for the organization and submittal of dossier materials for Provost-level review. Deans are responsible for setting internal deadlines for college-level review.

• Promotion to Full: March 5, 2021 5:00pm
• Tenure & Promotion: March 5, 2021 5:00pm
• Mid-Probationary: March 26, 2021 5:00pm
• All Lecturer Promotion: April 2, 2021 5:00pm

Colleges and Departments should set deadlines that allow sufficient time for review and decision-making to meet these firm deadlines listed above.  These deadlines can be found on pages 16-17 of the Guidelines for Dossier Submittal and Review for Main and Branch Campus Candidates.

Extension of Probationary Period (“tenure clock”) due to COVID-19

On April 10, 2020, Provost Holloway, in consultation with the UNM Committee on Governance, UNM Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, and with the endorsement of the UNM Faculty Senate Operations Committee, enacted an automatic one-year extension to the probationary period ("tenure clock") for all currently appointed UNM tenure-track faculty who are not presently under review for tenure and promotion.

Similarly, the UNM Administration, UA-UNM, AF&T, and the Faculty Senate Operations Committee collaborated to provide newly-appointment (Fall 2020) UNM tenure-track faculty an automatic one-year extension to the probationary period.

Faculty members who wish to opt-out of the automatic one-year extension are encouraged to consult with their department chair before making a decision on the timing of the review. To opt-out of the automatic one-year extension, faculty members must submit the Opt-Out notification form to the Department Chair, Dean, and Sr. Vice Provost. (To sign with your adobe digital signature be sure to download the form to your computer)

Do you have questions about the extension of the 'tenure clock' due to COVID-19? Read the frequently asked questions (FAQs) associated with this new policy.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The U.S. Congress recently enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).  The FFCRA contains two new paid leave provisions to provide support to employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave (E-PSL) Act
• Emergency Family and Medical Leave (E-FML) Expansion Act

Leave Allowance – E-PSL

E-PSL provisions allow for two weeks of paid leave (up to 80) hours, pro-rated based on FTE and average hours worked. Employees will be compensated at their regular rate of pay for personal illness or to care for loved ones who are ill.

UNM and UNM HSC employees (faculty, staff and students) meeting one or more of the following criteria:

1. Are subject to a quarantine/isolation order related to COVID-19
2. Have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19
3. Are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
4. Are caring for an individual subject to quarantine or isolation
5. Are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed
6. Are experiencing any other, substantially similar situation

For more detailed information regarding eligibility, you may also visit https://hr.unm.edu/cv19/ffcra. 

Requesting E-PSL

Click here to submit a request for Emergency-Paid Sick Leave.

Faculty and post-doctoral fellows, on main and branch campuses, who have specific eligibility questions, may contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Services at faculty@unm.edu. 

Frequently asked questions – Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFRCA) can be found at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions

Leave Allowance – E-FML

The Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (E-FML) provides up to 10 weeks of paid leave under FMLA, for specific employees who are caring for a child under the age of 18, whose school or place of care has closed due to COVID-19 and are unable to work or telecommute. Faculty with 12-month contracts, including faculty executives, research faculty, and post-doctoral fellows, are required to take annual leave concurrently with E-FML. E-FML is available after annual leave exhausted. Employees, approved to take E-FML, are entitled to pay at 2/3rds of their regular rate, up to a max of $25 per hour, for up to a total of 10 weeks combined annual leave and E-FML (total of 400 hours, pro-rated by FTE and averaged hours worked).

Eligibility

UNM staff, faculty, and student employees who are unable to work or telecommute because they are caring for a child under the age of 18 whose school or place of care has closed due to COVID-19.

Due to their critical need, UNM employees working at the HSC and others performing critical campus operations – employees of UNMPD, SHAC, SRS, and all other emergency management, public works and utilities employees, regardless of their duty station – are excluded from coverage under E-FML.

Requesting E-FML

E-FML is an available paid leave option effective from April 1 – December 31, 2020.

Click here to submit a request for Emergency Family and Medical Leave.

Faculty and post-doctoral fellows, on main and branch campuses, who have specific eligibility questions, may contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Services at faculty@unm.edu.

Deans' Council Meeting

On September 12, 2019, at the Deans' Council Meeting, Senior Vice Provost Barbara Rodríguez announced a change to the hiring procedures to improve the efficiency of the faculty hiring process. Effectively immediately, main and branch campus faculty search committee coordinators are no longer required to upload the screening matrix to UNM Jobs. The screening matrix, an important component of the department’s faculty search documents, is to be retained within the department for 5 years. SVP Rodríguez will periodically request screening matrices, from search committee coordinators, to ensure consistent and fair screening practices.

Working Retiree Update

Effective July 1, 2019 NMERB revised guidance regarding certification of eligibility to return to work for all working retirees.

• The new rule will require retirees applying to return to work July 1, 2019 or after will be limited to working .25 FTE or less.
• The current exception provision limiting salary to $15,000 will no longer be available on July 1, 2019.
• For more information regarding these changes please visit: http://nmerb.org/ or contact UNM Benefits at 505-277-6947 or HRBenefits@unm.edu
• The new form can be found online at: https://hr.unm.edu/docs/employment/nmerb-return-to-work-application.pdf

Mass Salary Update Guidelines

Please visit: https://hr.unm.edu/mass-salary-update

Summer Research Guidelines and Updates 

• Memo from the OVPR & SVP
• Link to Guidelines
• Link to updated Summer Research Form

Faculty Hiring Guidelines Updated

• View the updated guidelines issued by Academic Affairs on 2/21/19:  Hiring Guidelines, Hiring Procedures

Winter Break Deadlines

• Find winter break deadlines and more in the Employment Knowledge Base

Recruiting Deadlines

• Requisitions: Allow a minimum of 15-30 days for National Recruitments. You may extend the recruitment period beyond 30 days as necessary. 
• Hiring Requests: The hire request should be completed no later than the month prior to the start date following the same deadlines identified in the calendar below. This allows time for approvals and completion of all onboarding tasks. Example: If a research faculty is set to begin July 2, submit the request by June 8.

Monthly Deadlines

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