CAPA benefits and compensation update

Nonrenewal notification, vacation policy, and more

CAPA Benefits and Compensation Committee chair Beth Emshoff

Photo by Joel Dickinson

By Beth Emshoff

From Brief, February 23, 2005

The Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA) committee on benefits and compensation has worked on several issues this year, in addition to its regular oversight of health care benefits for academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff.

Nonrenewal notification

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) has proposed that P&A staff with six or more years of service are entitled to six months notice of nonrenewal. After reviewing a draft, CAPA made two recommendations.

• All current P&As be "grandfathered" into the old policy such that current length-of-notice period requirements shall apply.
• P&As who previously held civil service appointments shall have their prior service counted so their length of service is continuous. There are approximately 100 P&A staff members who cannot count prior civil service at the University for nonrenewal notice purposes.

CAPA Unit Award
Nominations due Mar. 24

The CAPA Unit Award recognizes University of Minnesota units that are exemplary in their support of P&A staff. The award acknowledges the work of P&A staff members within those units who have made distinguished contributions to the University mission. Units receive a plaque and $500 for an in-unit celebration, and they are honored at a CAPA event in April.

Get more information and guidelines on the CAPA Web site.

Vacation policy

CAPA's Benefits and Compensation Committee presented the following to the CAPA board for input and review.

1. Employees will accrue 24 days of vacation a year, at the rate of 2 days per month, for appointments of 67.5 percent and above.

2. The maximum accrual will be 48 days.

3. Upon termination from the University, employees will be paid up to a maximum of 24 days.

4. The waiting period for new employees to begin to use accrued vacation will be one month.

5. Tracking of vacation time will be required and done through the PeopleSoft system.

Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota are the only two Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) schools that do not allow professional employees to carry over or accrue vacation time. Most top-ranked research universities appear to allow accrual, with an average of 48 days; other CIC institutions allow 30-48 days.

CAPA meets with FCC

The CAPA executive committee met with the Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) on January 28. The following issues are of concern to both groups, and resolutions supported by both are forthcoming.

1. Eliminate the waiting period for the faculty retirement plan. The current waiting period for faculty and P&As can be up to three years.

2. Increase the number of vacation days for 12-month employees with A-based appointments of 67.5 percent and above to 24 and allow for vacation accrual up to 36 days. The current plans does not allow for accrual of more than the 22 days annually.

3. Provide University employees with tuition benefits for their partners and dependents. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) provides up to 27 credits per dependent per year, with additional fees and costs paid by the student, and most private institutions provide tuition for dependents. Information on CIC institutions is being gathered.

Policy reviews and recommendations

The University has been directed by the Board of Regents to review and revise all human resource policies by June 2006.

• In review of the first set of policies, administrative transitional leaves and P&A staff development leaves were combined into one policy with clearer language and job codes. The Benefits and Compensation Committee recommended support of this language.
• The policy on political office, appointments, and positions was revised and recommended.
• The one-year post-employment prohibition for P&As was recommended for rescission.

None of the recommendations has been acted upon by the regents.

For more information about the Benefits and Compensation Committee, see CAPA Committees.

Beth Emshoff is director of continuing professional studies in the College of Human Ecology and chair of the CAPA Benefits and Compensation Committee.