Introduction
Beginning in April 2024, schools, colleges, and VP areas have the option in certain situations to approve stipends and supplemental pay for Officers of Administration (OAs) and faculty, bypassing review by University HR (UHR) Classification and Compensation (CLCO). As part of this process, they must follow the parameters described below.
The stipends that schools, colleges, and VP areas may approve, after they have received appropriate training and UHR authorization to participate in this program, include the following:
- Vacancy stipends to faculty and officers of administration (OAs) (a position is vacant and someone is covering the work for a stipend).
- Pre-approved academic stipends to faculty (department head, associate head, advisor, etc.; school or college needs to have an approved Academic Payments Practices memo)
- Supplemental activity payments to faculty and OAs for certain, specific types of activities (for speaking, leading a workshop, committee work, etc.; unit needs to have an approved Supplemental Activity Payments memo).
In assuming review and approval of these stipends and bypassing University HR, school, college, or VP area leadership attests that they understand and are following the approval parameters described on this page.
No other stipends or supplemental payments may bypass UHR Classification and Compensation (CLCO) review.
Jump to submission instructions
|
A faculty member or OA performing the work of a vacant position may be eligible for a stipend if the vacant position is at a higher level than or lateral to the employee’s primary position. Classified employees are not eligible for vacancy stipends. Employees may not receive stipends for performing work of a vacant position that is a lower level than their primary position (e.g. a supervisor may not receive a stipend for performing the work of one of the staff members in their unit). Parameters assume a stipend for a single individual is used to cover a single vacancy; for situations where stipends for multiple individuals are requested, please consult with CLCO.
Units may begin approving vacancy stipends as soon as approvers have been trained. Units may not approve stipends that do not meet these parameters:
|
Stipend for higher level vacancy coverage
Amount: 10% to 20% of the monthly base pay of the faculty member or OA receiving the stipend (not of the vacant position). Below or above this amount requires CLCO review.
|
Requirements for approval
- Work is in addition to the employee’s regular duties; regular duties will not decrease to accommodate the stipend work.
- Work is for coverage of duties from a vacancy at a higher level on the unit’s org chart than the position of the employee receiving the stipend.
- Do not use a stipend for an employee fully covering the vacant role; this would be a new appointment (consult with Talent Acquisition).
- Stipend should not be approved for more than one year.
- Units are responsible for ending the stipend when the vacant position is filled.
|
Stipend for lateral vacancy coverage
Amount: 5% to 15% of the monthly base pay of the faculty member or OA receiving the stipend (not of the vacant position). Below or above this amount requires CLCO review.
|
Requirements for approval
- Work is in addition to the employee’s regular duties; regular duties will not decrease to accommodate the stipend work.
- Work is for coverage of duties from a vacancy at a similar level on the unit’s org chart to the position of the employee receiving the stipend.
- Work is significantly different than the work of the employee’s primary position and requires different competencies. For example:
- An executive assistant taking on duties for a vacant office manager position would not be eligible for a stipend if the office management duties aligned with the duties required by the executive assistant position.
- If the executive assistant were asked to cover duties of a vacant assistant director position, and the executive assistant’s primary position did not require these duties, the executive assistant would be eligible for a stipend.
- Do not use a stipend for an employee fully covering the vacant role; this would be a new appointment (consult with Talent Acquisition).
- If the work is more closely related to the employee's primary position, but significant in volume, and the department feels that a stipend is justified, they should send the request via UO Forms to CLCO for review and approval. The school/college/VP unit should not independently process additional pay.
- Stipend should not be approved for more than one year.
- Units are responsible for ending the stipend when the vacant position is filled.
|
Special considerations for vacancy stipends paid to OA/faculty from a different unit
Requirements for approval
- Work is performed for a different department or division on top of the employee’s primary responsibilities in their home unit; regular duties will not decrease to accommodate the stipend work.
- Work in addition to the employee’s primary position requires approval from the supervisor of the primary position.
- In cases when the work is performed for a different unit, the stipend work does not need to be significantly different than the work of the faculty member/OA’s primary position. For example, an OA executive assistant from unit A may take on additional executive assistant work for a vacant position in unit B and receive a stipend. This is not true for work that is performed in the same unit.
- School/college/VP leaders should take into account the level of work relative to the employee’s primary position and the skills and competencies required to do the work.
- Stipend should not be approved for more than one year.
- Units are responsible for ending the stipend when the vacant position is filled.
|
|
Before a school or college may approve their own academic stipends or one-time payments, they must submit a single Academic Payments Practices memorandum, approved by the dean, to CLCO by emailing hrclasscomp@uoregon.edu. The memo needs to outline the school or college’s academic stipend practices, including the stipend amount in dollars or percent of base salary for each regular stipend position or extra assignment. Examples include (but are not necessarily limited to):
- Department head
- Program director
- Assistant or associate head or director
- Course development
- Advising
- Annual or regular awards
The school or college may begin approving their own stipends and one-time payments after approvers have been trained and their memo receives approval from University Human Resources.
|
Requirements for school/college approval
- Work clearly meets any parameters and criteria described in approved memo.
- Work is in addition to duties of primary position and not otherwise accounted for or compensated with course release, reduction in service or research expectations, or any other workload adjustments or compensation.
|
What should not be approved for a stipend
- Work as a member of a search/hiring committee
- Work not meeting the parameters above
- Faculty summer pay
- Overload assignments
- Stipends lasting more than one year (certain stipends may be renewed annually or may receive pre-approval for a longer term)
|
|
Before a school, college, or VP area may approve their own supplemental activity payments, they must submit a single Supplemental Activity Payment Practices memorandum, approved by the dean or VP, to CLCO by emailing hrclasscomp@uoregon.edu. The memo needs to outline the unit’s supplemental activity payment practices, including the payment amount in dollars or percent of base salary for each type of payment. Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Academic Residential Communities
- Freshman Interest Group teaching
- Speaker or workshop presenter payments
- Musical or other performance payments
The school, college, or VP area may begin approving their own supplemental activity payments after approvers have been trained and their memo receives approval from University Human Resources.
|
Requirements for unit approval
- Work clearly meets any parameters and criteria from approved unit documentation.
- Work is in addition to duties of primary position and not otherwise accounted for or compensated with course release, reduction in service or research expectations, or any other workload adjustments. Many positions carry the expectation of normal project or committee work, in addition to "other duties as assigned." These additional duties must clearly be beyond that scope.
|
What should not be approved for a supplemental activity payment
- Work as a member of a search/hiring committee
- Work not meeting the parameters above
- Faculty summer pay
|
Submission instructions
Vacancy stipends or pre-approved supplemental payments that occur on a monthly basis should be submitted via the HR Delegated Stipend workflow in UO Forms. Upload required documentation under Supplemental Documents. Do not upload a Payroll Request Form (PRF).
One-time payments should be submitted via the UHR Authorized ERF workflow in UO Forms. The submitter does need to upload an Earnings Request Form (ERF) to the workflow.
Required documentation
Units are required to keep clear internal documentation, which should include a copy of the submission, any attachments included, and internal documentation or notes on how decisions were made (in case of future inquiry).
For vacancy stipends, upload and retain at least the following:
- Org chart clearly showing the position of the person receiving the stipend as well as the vacant position being covered.
- Memo to the employee detailing dates, duties, and amount of stipend.
For pre-approved academic stipends or supplemental payments:
- Copy of approved payment practices memo.
- Memo to the employee detailing, dates, duties, and amount of payment.
HR Delegated Stipend - UO FORMS
UHR Authorized ERF - UO FORMS
Ending or extending stipends
Units may extend a stipend submitted in this new program provided the extension still qualifies under the parameters above. If a unit needs to end a stipend early, they should submit a stipend termination via a PRF submitted through UO Forms. See HR Operations guidance for more information.
Audit protocol and records retention
Units are responsible for retaining local copies of all records. Do not rely on the UO Forms system for records retention. Records may include narrative documentation explaining the considerations made in determining payments, an org chart that demonstrates the level of the duties within the unit (for vacancy stipends), any area approvals not captured in the UO Forms system, and other pertinent information related to the decision to pay the stipend or other payment.
Consistent with guidance from the university's Internal Audit office, University HR will perform periodic audits of stipends and supplemental payments approved by schools, colleges, and VP units, and will request supporting documentation for audited payments. Units may lose the authority to review and approve stipends and submit directly to Payroll if periodic audits reveal practices inconsistent with these guidelines.
