Welcome to the eDigest for University of Washington administrators who support academic personnel. The May issue provides important June deadlines and required actions for faculty and academic personnel processes, including promotion and tenure notifications, academic review completion, sabbatical processing, recruitment closures, and Board of Regents appointments. It also highlights key updates such as the expansion of Faculty Paid Parental Leave beginning July 1, 2026, summer hiatus processing requirements, reappointment data uploads in Workday, and eligibility for federal funding-related tenure clock waivers. Additional updates include upcoming changes to ISO visa processing fees, reminders for visa request worktag accuracy, and a pilot initiative to simplify the Summer Faculty FTE Change process for 2026.
Due Dates
As we approach the end of the academic year, please review the following important June deadlines and required actions for faculty and academic personnel processes. Timely completion and communication are essential.
June 1:
- Non-mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Notifications
Non-mandatory P&T candidates who were successfully reviewed for promotion will be notified by May 31 by the Office for Academic Personnel & Faculty. - Clinical and Affiliate Faculty Notifications
Units should notify Clinical and Affiliate Faculty of reappointment and title change decisions.
June 8:
- Librarian Promotion Notifications
Librarians who were successfully reviewed for promotion will be notified by the Office for Academic Personnel & Faculty by June 8.
June 15:
- Return from Spring Quarter Sabbatical
Process “Return Worker from Leave” in Workday to bring faculty back from Spring Quarter sabbatical.
June 16:
- Complete Academic Reviews for 9-month Faculty
All reviews must be completed, processed in Workday, and candidates notified of outcomes. - Summer Quarter Sabbatical Begins
Ensure approved sabbatical leave is entered and processed in Workday.
June 17:
- Board of Regents Appointments (July Meeting)
Submit and process appointments requiring Board of Regents approval in Workday.
Note: Appointments must be approved prior to the start date.
June 22:
- Close Recruitments (Jan–June 2025 Openings)
Disposition applicants and fully close recruitments opened between January 1 and June 30, 2025.
June 30:
- Complete Academic Reviews for 12-month Faculty
Reviews must be completed, processed in Workday and outcomes communicated. - Complete Reviews for Senior Assistant Librarians
Ensure all reviews are finalized, entered in Workday and candidates notified.
Expanded Faculty Paid Parental Leave: Key Information for Administrators
The University of Washington is strengthening support for faculty work-life balance through an enhanced Paid Parental Leave policy, developed in collaboration with the Faculty Senate. Administrators play an important role in helping faculty navigate and apply this policy within their units.
Effective July 1, 2026, eligible faculty may use up to 90 days of paid sick leave as Paid Parental Leave to bond with a new child. The policy applies to both birth and non-birth parents and includes:
- Newborns (including via surrogacy)
- Newly adopted children under age 18
- Children under 18 newly placed under legal guardianship
Key considerations for administrators:
- Faculty expecting a child later in 2026 may begin using Paid Parental Leave on or after July 1.
- Faculty with qualifying events between January 1 and June 30, 2026 may also be eligible, including possible retroactive conversion of recent unpaid leave (if equivalent sick leave has not already been used).
- As with standard sick leave, funding continues to follow the faculty member’s salary source.
Administrators are encouraged to:
- Familiarize themselves with policy guidance and timelines
- Direct faculty to consult with their unit’s assigned HR Leave and Accommodations specialist for individualized support
- Plan proactively for coverage and continuity within their units
This policy represents an important step forward in supporting faculty and their families. Additional details and resources are available on the Faculty Paid Parental Leave webpage.
Place Eligible Academic Personnel on Summer Hiatus for Summer 2026
The Workday Application Management team will place employees included on unit-submitted reports on Summer Hiatus in Workday via mass upload (EIB). Unit files must be submitted through the online submission portal (UW NetID required) by May 29.
Units are responsible for manually entering Partial Hiatus cases and placing any eligible employees not included in EIB reports on Summer Hiatus in Workday. Instructions are available on the Summer Hiatus (Full Summer Quarter) page.
To ensure faculty on Summer Hiatus who are eligible for summer quarter PEBB coverage have benefit premiums properly deducted from their June 25 paychecks, all transactions must be completed and approved in Workday no later than June 4 at 12:00 p.m.
For questions about benefits maintenance during hiatus, please contact the UW Benefits Office.
Reappointment Mass Uploads Progressing in Workday
The Office for Academic Personnel & Faculty (APF), in partnership with HRIS and Workday Application Management, will complete the 2026–2027 Spring reappointment decision loads by May 29. These updates include changes to academic appointments, positions and compensation plans for annually appointed faculty, including clinical and affiliate faculty with rank-level or track changes.
Updated files for each upload will be placed in APF/SCC SharePoint folders by School, College, and Campus by June 5 or earlier. These files will include documentation of successful records, exclusions and fallouts.
Units are encouraged to review these files and complete any required manual entries, including non-reappointment decisions, as needed. Additional guidance will be provided where applicable.
Units should also continue monitoring Workday reports R0555, R0555.1, and R0555.2 to ensure all records are accurate and complete.
For questions, please contact acadpers@uw.edu.
Federal Funding Promotion & Tenure Clock Waiver for AY 2026–27
Faculty scheduled for mandatory promotion and tenure review between AY 2026–27 and AY 2030–31 may be eligible for a one-year clock waiver related to federal funding impacts.
Eligibility applies to faculty who:
- Have no more than three previously approved clock waivers, or
- Have already submitted for the AY 2025–26 federal funding waiver
Submission of 2026–27 clock waiver extension requests for eligible faculty is due June 30, 2026.
Additional details are available on the 2026–27 Promotion and Tenure Clock Waiver webpage.
Upcoming Changes to ISO Fees
We recognize that units across the University continue to navigate tight budgets and complex planning needs. With that in mind, we want to provide advance notice of upcoming changes to the International Scholars Operations (ISO) visa processing fees. These changes will take effect on July 1, 2026, and are based on updated cost analysis designed to better align fees with the work required for each visa type while improving equity across units.
Visa requests that are conditionally approved on or after July 1, 2026 will be charged at the new rates. Updated fees will appear on invoices issued on or after July 2. These new fees will apply through June 30, 2027; units should expect that fees will change again effective on or after July 1, 2027.
For more information on visa processing fees and U.S. government visa fees, see the Visa Fees page; this page will be updated on July 1 to reflect these changes. For an FAQ on these changes, see our blog post. Please contact ISO with questions you have regarding this announcement.
ISO Visa Request Form Worktag Reminder
ISO recommends these best practices when entering worktag information on visa request forms:
- Double check that worktags are active and accurate prior to submitting
- Enter all applicable worktags (do not rely on driver worktags)
- Promptly follow up with ISO if Worktag information changes
Following these simple steps can help to avoid ISO invoice processing delays and complications. For more information regarding ISO fees and for best practices on reconciling USCIS fees, please see our Visa Fees page.
Update: Simplified Summer Faculty FTE Change Process for 2026
Based on feedback from academic units, UW Human Resources and Academic Personnel & Faculty are piloting a streamlined Summer Faculty FTE Change process for Summer 2026.
For this summer only, units are no longer required to upload offer/assignment letters or faculty acknowledgements when submitting Summer Faculty FTE Change transactions in Workday.
What remains unchanged:
- Units must continue communicating summer work expectations, agreements, and compensation with faculty
- Units remain responsible for maintaining appropriate records in alignment with policy and local practices
This pilot is part of an ongoing effort to reduce administrative burden while maintaining compliance and sound business practices. UW Human Resources and APF will monitor the impact and gather feedback throughout the summer to inform future improvements.
Thank you for your continued partnership and input in refining the UW processes.