The appointment of zero-dollar research faculty allows the university to expand its research footprint and allows departments to draw on expertise and experience extending beyond its regular faculty. While the university is highly supportive of such appointments, it must ensure that the appointment of research faculty be compliant with university policy, sponsor policies and the federal uniform guidance (in particular Uniform Guidance CFR §200.430 Compensation—personal services).
Determined Salary
Although research faculty do not receive GW-funded compensation, they may submit grant proposals that support salary, and / or they may be supported from other external funding, even when not the PI. Departments should set an appropriate salary for this possibility at the time of appointment. The determined salary of a member of research faculty should be:
- consistent with that of other faculty and staff members with similar qualifications and responsibilities; and
- expressed as an equivalent 100% FTE salary which is applied consistently across all grants and grant proposals submitted to any and all sponsors, and on any internal GW funding.
Variation in compensation from grant to grant must be effected by committing a different percentage effort or FTE to different grants rather than by varying the 100% FTE-equivalent base salary.
Merit Increases
Merit increases may be awarded to research faculty, but they must be consistent with the policies and practices of the University for university-supported faculty and staff: i.e., merit increases must be of a similar level and justified via a similar performance evaluation procedure to the University practice for faculty and staff supported from university funds. Funding for such merit increases would typically come from the same source of funding as the research faculty member’s main salary. In order to be eligible for a merit increase in a given year, the Research Faculty member much have completed an annual report in Lyterati for the previous year in order to document the basis for the merit increase.
Salary Increases
Changes in salary can be authorized due to a promotion or a substantial increase in responsibilities or change of duties. Such changes must be thoroughly documented, routed through the appropriate approval chain, and be allowable and allocable to the funding source for the position, exactly as would be the case for a change in responsibilities or position for a university-funded employee. There are standard guidelines on the promotion process for specialized faculty which should be followed.
Benefits
Research Faculty have the same benefits entitlement as other university employees. Eligible research faculty who are paid at less than 100% FTE may be entitled to part-time benefits, those employed at 100% FTE can access full-time employee benefits.
Hire Process
Zero-dollar research faculty appointments are proposed by a department, following whichever internal department process is outlined in the department’s bylaws or standard practices. The departmental memo to the Dean’s office should details:
- the motivation for the proposed appointment and the candidate’s qualifications;
- the proposed duration (appointments will be made for a fixed term, typically three years, and are renewable); and
- on which proposal(s) the faculty member will serve, and at which proposed 100% FTE-equivalent salary the faculty member would be appointed should the listed proposal(s) result in an award. Where there is no intent for the individual to be involved in externally supported activities, the department should consult with the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs to determine if a Research Faculty appointment is the most appropriate appointment for the desired activity.
The memo will be reviewed by the Dean’s office and, if approved, will be forwarded to the Faculty Affairs division of the Provost’s office for their approval.
The proposed 100% FTE-equivalent salary should be commensurate with what the university pays substantially similarly qualified individuals for substantially similar work, or, in the absence of a good local comparator, a defensible, well documented “market rate” for individuals with similar qualifications performing similar work. (As required by CFR §200.430.)
Research Faculty on Grant Proposals
Copies of the memo, or a letter from the Department Chair or Program Director verifying the salary at which the individual would be appointed should an award be successful will need to be appended to proposals in Cayuse prior to submission. The salary should not vary substantially from that of the original appointment letter, aside from potential merit raises and salary increases implemented as described above.
Annual Reporting for Research Faculty
Upon appointment, Research Faculty members will be added to the Lyterati roster for CCAS. They should complete annual reports as regular faculty do. As with regular faculty, in order to be eligible for a merit increase in any given year, they must have completed the most recent round of annual reporting in Lyterati in order to establish a performance basis for the merit increase.
Renewal of Appointment
As specialized research appointments are for a specified term, the faculty member’s appointment must be renewed. The process for renewing non-tenure-track faculty appointments should be followed with a focus on the faculty member’s assigned research duties and expectations. The chair or director should submit a transmittal letter with a departmental evaluation and recommendation, the faculty’s personal research statement, C.V., and other relevant supporting documents.
