Important Updates

Please review the information below carefully, as some items require immediate attention.

1. Non-Standard Payments and Faculty Appointments

You may have received the recent communication regarding the conversion of existing non-standard payment jobs that do not have a primary job, effective November 1, 2026. While this communication outlines how these positions will be converted in Workday, it is important to clarify that these changes do not apply to faculty performing teaching duties.

Faculty performing teaching duties should not be processed through non-standard payments. Regular teaching assignments must be compensated through regular bi-weekly salary payments. The correct processing of faculty compensation actions will trigger the appropriate Academic Appointment task for completion in Workday.

Additionally, when an individual is performing work for an entire semester, the assignment should generally not be processed as a non-standard payment unless there are specific, defined deliverables associated with the work. Non-standard payments are intended for appropriate one-time or deliverable-based activities, not ongoing work performed over an extended period.

Please keep these distinctions in mind when reviewing and processing faculty compensation and other employment actions.

2. Upcoming Processing Deadlines

Academic Affairs has established an internal control schedule to allow sufficient time for the Office of the Provost to review and approve actions before the campus processing deadlines.

Click here to view the Academic Affairs Internal Control Schedule, which outlines our office's internal submission deadlines. Due to upcoming changes to the CBP processing deadlines associated with the transition to Workday, the current schedule extends only through Pay Period 14 (PP14). An updated schedule will be provided once additional deadlines are confirmed.

Please keep in mind that the dates listed below are the deadlines for correctly submitting actions to the Office of the Provost, not the campus processing deadlines. Actions must reach our office by these dates to allow sufficient time for review and approval before the applicable campus deadline.

Please note: If an action is initially submitted incorrectly and requires correction, the date of the corrected submission will be used to determine whether the action met our office's deadline, not the date of the original submission.

Please review actions carefully before submission. Incomplete or incorrect submissions may result in missed deadlines, even when the original action was submitted on time.

3. Winter and Spring Term Actions

Departments may now begin submitting faculty actions for both Winter and Spring Terms. However, there are important distinctions regarding Winter Term dates and processing deadlines.

Winter Term Actions

Winter Term appointment dates have been published on our website. All Winter Term actions must use the established dates. Please do not submit actions with dates outside of those published. If there are questions or concerns regarding the established dates, please follow the appropriate chain of command for clarification before submitting the action.

Due to the upcoming CBP transition to Workday, all Winter Term actions must be correctly submitted to the Office of the Provost no later than December 9, 2026.

The Payroll Office has advised that actions submitted close to the CBP transition may encounter processing issues. This does not necessarily mean that these actions cannot be processed at a later date. However, there is a possibility of processing complications during the transition.

For this reason, we strongly encourage departments to submit Winter Term actions as early as possible rather than waiting until the deadline.

Spring Term Actions

Spring Term actions may also be submitted at this time. However, the December 9 deadline applies specifically to Winter Term actions and does not apply to Spring Term submissions. Spring Term actions should follow the applicable processing deadlines and established appointment requirements.

4. Required Comments in Workday Actions

All Workday faculty position, hire, and compensation actions must include appropriate comments. Although these requirements are outlined on our website, we continue to receive actions that do not include the required information.

Effective immediately, all position requests (Create Position and Edit Position) and staffing actions (Hire, Change Job, Add Job, and New Job) must include a brief comment describing the duties associated with the position or assignment.

The comment does not need to be lengthy. You may copy and paste the relevant information directly from the offer or appointment letter. The purpose is to provide sufficient information for our office to understand the nature of the assignment and appropriately review the action.

Actions submitted without the required comments will be returned for correction.

Our website also outlines the specific information required for overloads, non-standard payments, and non-paid actions. Please review those guidelines and ensure that the appropriate details are included when submitting these transactions.

These requirements are not new, and consistent compliance is necessary to avoid unnecessary delays and repeated processing.

5. Open Office Hours and College-Specific Discussions

We will hold open office hours on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 11:00 AM to discuss these updates, provide clarification, and answer questions. The Zoom link will be available on our website.

Additionally, if your college would benefit from a more focused discussion regarding non-standard faculty payments and the appropriate processing of these actions, please contact me directly to schedule a college-specific session.

We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to ask questions and ensure that actions are processed correctly.

Thank you for your attention to these updates and for your continued cooperation. We recognize that the upcoming transitions and deadlines require additional attention to detail. Our goal is to work together to ensure that faculty actions are processed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with established guidelines.

Please keep the following requirements in mind when preparing and submitting overload requests.

Teaching Overloads

Teaching overloads are based on the established per-course rate for the course, subject to the limitation that the overload payment may not exceed 10% of the individual's salary.

The 10% limit is a maximum, not a required payment amount. A department may pay the established course rate even when that amount is below 10% of the individual's salary.

Course rates are not based on the individual faculty member's salary. They are based on the established rate for the course, regardless of who teaches it.

Example:
If the departmental course rate on file with the Provost's Office is $7,500 per course and the internal faculty member selected to teach the course has a salary of $200,000, the internal faculty member may be paid anywhere between the established course rate of $7,500 up to a maximum of 10% of the faculty member's salary, or $20,000.  There is no requirement to increase the course payment to reach the 10% maximum.  Paying one individual $20,000 for a course that normally carries a $7,500 rate would create an inequity in course compensation and would not be financially responsible.

At no time should a course rate be established or adjusted based on the salary of the individual teaching the course.

The Provost's Office requires that each college and department maintain standard course rates. These rates should be submitted for approval to both Faculty Affairs and the Office of the Provost Finance & Personnel Team by the close of the annual Working Budget. If a department does not submit its course rates, it must follow the general College course rate.

Any changes to previously approved course rates must be approved before the revised rate is implemented or used for payment. Departments should not establish or implement a new rate first and seek approval after the fact.

Please forward the applicable course rates to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, the Director, Human Resources & Payroll, with a copy to the Associate Vice President, Finance and Personnel if they have not already been submitted or if they need to be updated.

Non-Teaching Overloads

Non-teaching overloads continue to follow the calculation that has been in place for years. This is the maximum allowable payment:

Hourly Rate × Number of Hours per Week × Number of Weeks

Non-teaching overloads should not exceed six months in duration. They may, however, be renewed for an additional six-month period when appropriate. The calculation must be in the comments. Workday calculates the number of weeks for you based on the activity dates entered.

Please ensure that overload requests are calculated and submitted consistently with the above requirements.