Supplemental Pay for EHRA Employees

1. Purpose

This Policy outlines practices for additional compensation paid to East Carolina University EHRA employees: 1) faculty, 2) Exempt Professional Staff (EPS), and 3) Senior Academic and Administrative Officers (SAAO). This Policy is not intended to modify any of the existing policies or procedures governing the administration of University salaries nor to address compensation practices for Clinical Support Services (CSS), Dental Medicine Support Services (DMSS), or employees subject to the State Human Resources Act (SHRA). [Note: see the ECU Policy for Employees Exempt from the State Human Resources Act for more information on the non-faculty classification of EHRA employees.] EHRA employees will not receive supplemental pay as a bonus for performance or for assuming additional duties from SHRA/CSS/DMSS positions. In addition, compensation for faculty in the Brody School of Medicine subject to the ECU Physicians’ Clinical Faculty Compensation Plan (the Clinical Comp Plan) will be determined in accordance with the Plan. Employees who are eligible for overtime under FSLA regulations must not be given supplemental pay in lieu of overtime.

2. Definitions

• 2.1. Base Salary – Base salary is the annual permanent salary of the employee approved by the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, or Board of Governors as it appears in the employment contract or subsequent salary increase/decrease letters. The base salary does not include any supplemental payments, although such payments may be addressed in a contract letter as part of the compensation package for the contract period.
• 2.2. Temporary Salary Adjustments (interim, acting, or other time-limited assignments or appointments) – Stipends or supplemental Payments are temporary salary adjustments and are considered compensation in excess of an EHRA employee’s Base Salary for temporary increases in responsibility, extra duties and/or for sponsored research beyond the scope of the primary appointment. Prior approval of the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean and vice chancellor(s) are required. See Section 5, below, for a non-exclusive list of Temporary salary adjustment types.
• 2.3. Contract Period – For 9-month faculty the contract period is typically August 16 through May 15. For 12- month faculty the contract period is typically July 1 through June 30. The specific dates for individual employees are based on the actual employment contracts.
• 2.4. Outside the Contract Period – Outside the Contract Period – The specific dates of the time outside the employee’s contract period is based on the actual employment contract. There is no Outside the Contract Period for 12-month employees.
• 2.5. External Funds – Grant or other non-state appropriated funding sources. See Section 6, below.
• 2.6. Dual Employment – Dual employment occurs when a university employee agrees to perform services for another state agency on a part-time or contractual basis. Approval must be obtained from the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean, chief of staff and provost/vice chancellor before the service is provided in order to ascertain whether the obligation will interfere with job duties and commitments of the primary position. Dual employment must be in accordance with the appropriate UNC System Office policy and/or regulation.

3. General Provisions

• 3.1. No Supplemental Payments, above the Base Salary, may be paid for university duties that are within the scope of the primary appointment to which the individual is appointed during the Contract Period. See Section 2.2 for a definition of Supplemental Payments.
• 3.2. Assignment of additional responsibilities for which supplemental payments may be considered must comply with university established Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity policies and procedures, which will include a formal search process when required.
• 3.3. All Supplemental Payments require the appropriate pre-approvals by the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean, and provost/vice chancellor/chief of staff. If the employee is in a different department/unit/division from the unit requesting service, approval of the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean, and provost/vice chancellor/chief of staff of the home department/unit/division is required, each time any provost/vice chancellor/chief of staff approval is required under this policy.
• 3.4. Per the applicable hiring guidelines, less than full-time appointments during an academic or fiscal year can be increased up to full-time (1.0 FTE) with the appropriate additional compensation becoming part of their Base Salary upon approval by the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean and provost/vice chancellor/chief of staff of the home department/unit/division.
• 3.5. Supplemental payment requests should be submitted in accordance with salary administration guidelines and university policies and procedures.
• 3.6. No SAAO may be paid, in addition to their salary, for any services rendered to any institution-related foundation, endowment, or other entity that: 1) was established by officers of the university, 2) is controlled by the university, or 3) is tax-exempt based on being a support organization for the university.
• 3.7. All Supplemental Payments will be processed as compensation through ECU Payroll, and subject to all applicable taxes and withholdings.
• 3.8. Individual fund sources may have specific restrictions on compensation or may have more restrictive practices than this policy. When there is conflict between this policy and the sponsor or activity requirements, the most restrictive practice will normally be applied.

4. The Chancellor may approve supplemental pay in any exceptional situation that makes it unduly burdensome or otherwise contrary to the best interest of the university to fulfill one or more requirements of this policy by signing a memorandum that states the reason(s) for the exception. The memorandum is to be retained in the employee’s personnel file and a copy provided to the respective division personnel office.

5. Types of Temporary Salary Adjustments

The following is a non-exclusive list of types of Temporary Salary Adjustments:

• 5.1. Conducting Seminars, Workshops, Continuing Education Programs, and Training Approval may be eligible for Supplemental Payments during the Contract Period for conducting non-credit short courses or presenting special lectures, seminars, workshops, creative activity, teaching in non-credit programs sponsored by the Continuing and Professional Education, or conferences for continuing professional education.
• 5.2. Administrative Assignments EHRA-employees occasionally assume administrative duties for which Supplemental Payments are appropriate. Examples include but are not limited to: (1) temporary assignments as coordinators of undergraduate, graduate or special programs; (2) interim appointments to a higher level of administrative responsibility, such as interim department chair, dean, or director.
• 5.3. One-Time Special Payments-EHRA employees sometimes perform work unrelated to their primary appointment; for example, a special project related to the person’s expertise for which they may receive a payment.
• 5.4. Overload Instruction-Faculty may be paid for teaching credit courses in addition to their normal workload or other arrangements should be made, such as: a corresponding course reduction in the following semester. Under certain circumstances, overloads may be approved consistent with the process outlined in this policy, for faculty to teach additional for credit courses. Such an overload shall only be permitted if it does not cause a conflict of commitment with other assigned duties in a faculty workload plan, and if the faculty member has an appropriate workload.
• 5.5. Instruction by EPS and SAAO Employees may be allowed, subject to advance approval as described herein, to receive a supplemental payment for additional instructional responsibilities provided the additional responsibilities do not conflict with the duties of their primary appointment. Generally, the instructional responsibilities must be carried out at times other than during the normal working hours associated with the primary appointment. However, in extraordinary circumstances, the instruction may occur during normal working hours with the approval of the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean, and provost/vice chancellor(s)/chief of staff. Paid leave or an alternate work schedule must be approved to account for the time associated with the additional instructional assignment.  All such arrangements must be reviewed annually and approved by the supervisor, department chair or school director, dean and provost/vice chancellor(s)/chief of staff.

6. Research Administration

• 6.1 Summer Research and Instruction Effort-Due to government restrictions on the level of effort, a 9-month faculty member who participates in government-sponsored research outside the Contract Period can teach summer sessions as long as the combination of teaching and research effort and compensation does not exceed 33% of the Base Salary. The summer teaching rate of pay is determined by the academic unit. The summer research rate of pay is based on the previous year’s academic contract Base Salary and the 33% requirements.
• 6.2 In general, faculty should only be paid research supplements when a project exceeds their assigned research workload. In most circumstances, workloads should be adjusted to accommodate sponsored project activities. When adjustment cannot occur, research overloads may be approved consistent with the process outlined in this policy. Such an overload shall only be permitted if this does not cause a conflict of commitment or conflict of interest with other assigned duties in a faculty workload plan, and if the faculty member has an appropriate workload capacity.
• 6.3 For 9-month faculty, Supplemental Payments can be earned outside the Contract Period for university- sponsored research and/or related sponsored activity that is externally funded (non-ECU funds) as approved by the department chair or school director, dean and vice chancellor and Office of Research Administration through the ECU eTRACS proposal submission process. The maximum payment is limited to 33% of the institutional Base Salary.
• 6.4 Government and/or certain other external sponsors generally restrict compensation beyond the base rate of pay during the Contract Period. As a general rule, faculty (9-month and 12-month) involved in sponsored research and/or other externally sponsored activities during the Contract Period should have their other assigned responsibilities reduced. All compensation rates and periods of appointment must be approved by the Office of Research Administration. Where the sponsor guidelines restrict supplemental pay (generally governmental sponsors) specific written approval from the sponsor is required to exceed the institutional Base Salary, When the sponsor does not provide specific guidance, faculty may seek supplemental pay, keeping in mind that faculty should carefully consider institutional obligations when seeking supplemental pay to ensure that their commitment to ECU responsibilities is not compromised. Supplemental pay during the Contract Period is restricted to 20% of institutional Base salary. Prior approval by the Provost or appropriate Vice Chancellor/Chief of Staff (not designee) is required for additional compensation exceeding 20%.
• 6.5 This Policy complies with applicable federal and state restrictions on level of effort for external sponsored projects, grants, or contracts. Federal restrictions permit up to 3/9ths effort for a 9-month employee outside the Contract Period and no more than 100% of total compensated effort during the Contract Period. In the case of these projects, the rate of pay for any Supplemental Payment must be the same as the base rate of pay for the employee’s primary contracted assignment.

7. Effective Date

• 7.1 This Policy is effective upon approval of the ECU Board of Trustees and shall supersede any previous supplemental pay policies at East Carolina University.