Summer 2020 Research Guidelines for Nine-Month Faculty

The Offices of the Provost and the VP for Research on Main Campus have issued summer research guidelines for nine-month faculty. If you any questions regarding the summer research guidelines, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs & Services at faculty@unm.edu. Please note that funding agencies (e.g., National Science Foundation) may also have specific requirements for nine-month faculty.

• Memo from the OVPR & SVP
• Summer Research Guidelines
• Updated Summer Research Form

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.

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

Requests should be sent to faculty@unm.edu.

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. 

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.

Upcoming Submission Deadlines

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 6, 2020 at 5:00pm
• Tenure and Promotion: March 6, 2020 at 5:00pm
• Mid-Probationary: March 27, 2020 at 5:00pm
• All Lecturer Promotions: April 3, 2020 at 5:00pm

College 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 15-16 of the guidelines. Guidelines for Dossier Submittal and Review for Main and Branch Campus Candidates

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

View Calendar

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