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Academic Personnel & Faculty

A/B Salary Policy for Faculty Retention

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Purpose

The fundamental purpose of this A/B Salary Policy for Faculty Retention is to ensure that sufficient mechanisms exist to support the retention of University of Washington tenured and tenure-track faculty consistent with the University of Washington Faculty Salary Policy (See Executive Order 64 and Faculty Code 24-70 and 24-71). This policy is founded on the principle that individual salary decisions must be based on merit assessed by a performance review conducted by faculty and administrative colleagues pursuant to the Faculty Code. Such a policy ensures that the University of Washington may compete for and retain the best faculty.

An A/B salary agreement occurring in response to a pre-emptive or competitive retention situation enables an increase in a faculty member’s base salary by allocating a portion of their salary (known as “B-component”) to non-state sources and reducing the proportion of a faculty member’s salary that is supported by state-committed funding (known as “A-component”). The proportion of a faculty member’s appointment that is protected by tenure (or that will be protected upon promotion of tenure-track faculty members) is also reduced. An A/B salary agreement does not affect a faculty member’s expectations for state-supported teaching and service nor their permanent, indefinite appointment with the University (for tenured faculty) or the timeline for mandatory promotion consideration (for tenure-track faculty), whether or not the B-component is continuously funded.

An A/B salary adjustment is associated with retention and is thus subject to the review processes in Faculty Code Section 24-71-B3. As with all retention adjustments, the recipient must agree to remove themselves from current external consideration, and an individual may generally not receive a retention salary adjustment (of any kind) for a period of three years from the effective date of the most recent retention adjustment.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an A/B salary adjustment the following criteria must be met:

  • The faculty member must be meritorious as determined by a review of the cumulative record exemplifying meritorious performance, as well as a current record of meritorious scholarship, teaching, and service, as articulated in Faculty Code Chapter 24 and Executive Order 45.
  • The faculty member must meet the requirements for a pre-emptive or competitive retention, and the procedures outlined in Faculty Code Section 24-71-B3 must be followed. If the faculty member has a joint appointment in two or more units, all appointing units must follow 24-71, and all must sign the A/B salary agreement.
  • The proposed A/B salary structure must be consistent with the purpose of the A/B Salary Policy, and the resulting total base salary must comply with existing UW salary policies.
  • There must be strong evidence of a sustainable non-state salary source, as judged by the Dean or Chancellor. There should be a proven, documented record of sustained (at least 3 years), independent funding from grants, contracts, clinical revenue, or other non-state funding sources that has a strong potential for long-term continuance as well as permission from the sponsor to be used for B-portion salary.

Procedure

  • A/B Salary adjustment agreements must be developed on a case-by-case basis consistent with unit merit and retention determinations.
  • Units must fill out the following forms in full and attach them to the employee’s Workday profile in the Maintain Worker Documents section
  • Retention Salary Adjustment Request, including the page for A/B Salary Adjustments
  • A/B Retention Salary Adjustment Agreement (see Template)
  • If the faculty member has a joint appointment, requests and agreements must be signed by the leaders of all relevant units.
  • Recommendations for the salary adjustment must be entered into Workday with the code “A/B Salary Retention” for review and approval.
  • When approved, update “Tenure Value” in Workday and change the tenure flag from “pending” (for tenure-track faculty) or “tenured” to “A/B retention – pending” or “A/B retention – tenured”.