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September 2026 eDigest

As autumn quarter begins, we want to thank the academic personnel professionals, administrators and staff whose expertise, diligence and commitment help make the University’s academic mission possible. While much of this work happens behind the scenes, it is essential to supporting faculty, academic leaders, scholars and students across all three campuses. We appreciate all that you do and hope this edition helps you prepare for the many important activities ahead.

This month’s issue includes reminders about key promotion and tenure deadlines, training related to new faculty search committee requirements, information about preparation for the 2027–28 promotion and tenure cycle, and important news from International Scholar Operations.

Key Dates

Due Dates

September 30, 2026: Last Day to Initiate Promotion and Tenure Cases

Promotion and tenure case initiation for the 2026–27 review cycle will close after September 30, 2026. Units should ensure all promotion and tenure cases are initiated by this deadline.

Training Opportunities

Interfolio Administrator Training for Faculty Search

Thursday, October 1, 2026, | 2:30–4:30 p.m.
APF is offering a virtual two-hour training for Interfolio Administrators in non-School of Medicine (SOM) units to help support faculty search processes and ensure compliance with APF requirements.

This training will cover:

  • Updates to the Evaluator access process in Interfolio
  • Verification of faculty search committee training completion
  • Key content from the required faculty search committee training

Join us to learn about recent process changes and gain the tools needed to effectively support faculty searches in your unit.

RSVP for Interfolio Administrator Training webinar

Reminder: Effective July 1, 2026, the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) requires faculty search committees in non-School of Medicine (SOM) units to complete a 90-minute training before reviewing applications. Interfolio Administrators should not grant Evaluator access to faculty search committee members until the training requirement has been met. Interfolio User Guides have been updated to reflect this process change. Please note that the APF training is separate from the UWHR Workday Learning training required for hiring authorities. The two trainings are not interchangeable.

Get Ready for the 2027–28 Promotion & Tenure Cycle

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 10 a.m.
A new promotion and tenure cycle is on the horizon. To help units prepare, APF will host a training session focused on updates and preparation for the 2027–28 promotion and tenure cycle.

For the 2027–28 cycle, all units will be required to duplicate the updated APF Foundational Template. This session will provide guidance on establishing new templates and preparing units to begin initiating cases after January 1, 2027.

The session will cover:

  • Important dates and deadlines
  • Archiving existing templates
  • Template and form updates
  • Changes to the Case Maintenance page
  • The template duplication process
  • Common pitfalls to avoid

We encourage promotion and tenure administrators to attend and get a head start on preparations for the upcoming review cycle.

Register for 2027–2028 Promotion & Tenure Cycle Preparation

Administrative Updates

Wrapping Up the FY26 Merit Cycle

As the FY26 merit and faculty unit adjustment process concludes, units have a few remaining action items to complete:

  • Validate merit and unit adjustment increases. Run the R0537: Merit Adjustment Validation Report to confirm approved increases loaded correctly into Workday.
  • Submit correction or change requests. If an increase did not load properly, or if a unit’s recommendation was submitted in error, please submit a correction/change request through Workday Help.
  • Notify academic personnel. Units should notify academic personnel of approved merit increases and faculty of approved unit adjustments.

Reminder: Meritorious faculty who received compensation at any point during the 2025-26 academic year, but who did not appear on the merit spreadsheet, remain merit eligible. These individuals must receive the equivalent of a merit increase upon rehire or return to paid status during the 2026–27 academic year.

For additional guidance, please review the UW Merit & Faculty Unit Adjustments webpage and the FY26 Merit Process Guide.

International Scholar Updates

Duration of Status Rule Implementation Postponed

On the afternoon of Monday, September 14, a federal court issued an order (1) postponing the effective date of the new D/S rule, and (2) enjoining the Department of Homeland Security from taking further action to implement the rule. This means that the rule did not go into effect as scheduled on September 15.

ISO will continue to update this blog post with further information as it becomes available. We thank all our partners across all three campuses for their hard work supporting J-1 exchange visitors over the last two months.

Gerberding Hall Reopens to the Public

After closure for most of the summer, Gerberding Hall has reopened to the public. This means that ISO’s walk-in hours are occurring in Gerberding for the foreseeable future. Units and scholars should note that only the Red Square entrance is open and all other entrances are keycard access only. See our Visas landing page for walk-in hours schedule and information.

Need Help?

APF supports academic personnel administrators, faculty and unit leaders across the University on faculty affairs, academic personnel policy, visas and related academic personnel matters. For leave, HR data, personnel records and other HR support, UWHR teams are available to help.

APF Contacts

UWHR Contacts