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February 2026 eDigest

The February 2026 APF eDigest highlights key March deadlines, including H‑1B submissions, faculty reappointment notifications, and sabbatical-related actions. It announces the March 4 training session for the 2026–2027 Promotion & Tenure cycle and shares updates to online P&T resources. New and revised templates are now available for postdoctoral scholar offers and faculty annual reviews. ISO has published new guidance on EB‑1B sponsorship as part of UW’s visa pilot program, and USCIS premium processing fees will increase on March 1. Additional updates include changes to Gerberding Hall access and reminders on where to direct questions for academic personnel and visa support.

 

Welcome to the Academic Personnel & Faculty (APF) eDigest, a monthly resource for University of Washington administrators engaged in academic personnel support. Looking for additional guidance or tools? Visit the APF website for expanded resources.

March Deadlines and Reminders

Mar 1, 2026 — Submit H‑1B visa requests for appointees starting in July
Mar 13, 2026 — Notify 9‑month faculty in their first year of appointment of the reappointment decision
Mar 14, 2026 — Initiate the Return from Sabbatical Leave request for faculty returning from Winter Quarter Sabbatical
Mar 14, 2026 — Submit “Spring” spreadsheets for faculty reappointments and title changes
Mar 15, 2026 — Initiate the Sabbatical Leave request for faculty approved for Spring Quarter Sabbatical

📆View the Academic Personnel & Faculty Due Dates Calendar for more information.

2026–2027 Promotion & Tenure Cycle Refresh

Training date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 10:00–11:30 a.m.
All P&T administrators are encouraged to attend

Start the new promotion and tenure cycle prepared and confident. This essential training will cover key updates for the 2026–2027 P&T cycle, including policy changes, critical deadlines, and lessons learned from the 2025–2026 cycle to help you avoid common administrative pitfalls. The session will also include live demonstrations of Interfolio RPT, with guidance on template preparation, case initiation, and best practices for managing cases efficiently. Q&A will be available throughout.

🗒️Learning outcomes:

Stay current on all changes and critical deadlines for the 2026–2027 cycle
Identify and avoid common administrative errors from the previous cycle
Navigate Interfolio RPT with greater confidence and efficiency

💻Updated Online Resources for the P&T Cycle

In advance of the training, several Academic Personnel and Faculty website resources have been refreshed to better support your work:

These updates are designed to help units prepare early and streamline case management for the upcoming cycle.

Postdoctoral Scholar Offer Letter and Exception Templates Updated

The postdoctoral scholar offer letter and exception templates have been updated. Before initiating your next postdoctoral scholar hire, please visit APF’s Forms and Templates page to download the most current versions.

New Faculty Annual Review Template Available

A new annual review template for faculty is now available to support chairs and deans. This template provides a structured guide for conversations and a mechanism to document the discussion. Units are encouraged to adapt the template to meet their specific needs.

Learn More About EB‑1B Outstanding Researcher or Professor Sponsorship

As part of UW’s pilot program expanding O-1 and EB-1B visa sponsorship, ISO has added a section to its Visa Guidance for Unit Administrators regarding EB-1B permanent residence sponsorship for outstanding researchers and professors. The new content includes eligibility, process, and cost information regarding this specialized sponsorship pathway, as well as comparisons with the UW’s standard EB-2 sponsorship pathway. We encourage units to share this content and information with both employees and leadership.

To learn more about UW permanent residence sponsorship, register for ISO’s Permanent Residence Fundamentals training at our Upcoming Trainings and Forums page.

USCIS Premium Processing Fee Increases March 1, 2026

USCIS has announced a fee increase for the I-907 Request for Premium Processing Service from $2805 to $2965, effective Sunday, March 1. This fee will be necessary for all premium processing requests received by USCIS on or after March 1. ISO advisors will reach out to units to request new G-1450 forms where necessary. Please contact ISO with any questions.

ISO Visiting Hours and Updated Gerberding Access

In order to better address unauthorized building access, Gerberding Hall has recently closed some of its entrances to the public. Going forward, only the front/main entrance to Gerberding Hall (facing Red Square) will be open to the general public during business hours. Other entrances will have restricted access at all times. Please plan accordingly when visiting the ISO office.

 Contact Information & Support

General academic personnel matters and promotion and tenure: acadpers@uw.edu 
Visa questions: acadvisa@uw.edu 

January 2026 eDigest

The January 2026 APF eDigest include key February deadlines for non‑mandatory P&T records, Board of Regents appointments, and H‑1B submissions for June and July start dates. The 2026–2027 P&T cycle has officially opened, with important reminders about template updates, committee management, and new tools for external reviewers. ISO provides updates on recent federal entry bans and processing holds, noting limited impact on UW-sponsored visas. Additional reminders cover Interfolio Faculty Search closure steps and guidance for processing additional compensation in Workday. APF also announces deeper collaboration with UW HR through Community of Practice meetings, ensuring units stay current on policy and Workday updates. For assistance, APF and ISO support contacts are provided.

 

Welcome to the Academic Personnel & Faculty (APF) January eDigest, a monthly resource for University of Washington administrators engaged in academic personnel support. Looking for additional guidance or tools? Visit the APF website for expanded resources.

UPCOMING DUE DATES

February 2

Submit Non-mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Records

February 18

Submit Appointments for March Board of Regents Meeting

View the Academic Personnel & Faculty Due Dates Calendar for more information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

2026–2027 P&T Cycle Now Open

Case initiation is open on the Case Maintenance page (NetID required).

Before you start: Update your templates with the appropriate 2026-2027 committees.

Key reminders:

  • New standing committees may be required if membership changed from 2025–26
  • Use the Replace functionality when updating committees
  • Notify candidates when cases are ready
  • Assign a Committee Manager to steps with form requirements
  • Use only “Error” or “Candidate Withdrew” when closing cases

What’s new:

  • External Reviewer Grid template is easier to use
  • External Reviewer Nominee form is now optional if you use the Grid
  • Letter templates update coming in March

Questions? Email acadpers@uw.edu or see our recent blog post.

Recent Entry Bans and Processing Holds

Stay up-to-date on immigration changes by subscribing to the ISOcontacts mailing list! Email acadvisa@uw.edu to join.

REMINDERS

Interfolio Faculty Search Reminder

When closing positions in Interfolio Faculty Search, please reference the Managing a Position User Guide and remember to remove all search committee members except yourself before sending the position to APF.

This ensures that if APF needs to send the position back to you, only you will be notified—not the entire search committee.

Reminder about H-1B lead time for June start dates

Additional Compensation Processing

When processing additional compensation in any category, please reference the Additional Compensation page, particularly the 5 questions used for compliance with E059.

  1. Have you confirmed that this type of compensation is appropriate?
  2. Briefly describe the nature of work associated with this request.
  3. Briefly describe why this couldn’t be accommodated through workload adjustment as defined in policy.
  4. Were the terms of assignment agreed to by the employee?
  5. If the request exceeds the 25% monthly threshold set by Executive Order 59, please provide rationale and how compensation calculation was arrived at for employee.

These questions appear in the “Notes section of the transaction” when processing various types of additional compensation requests (such as ADS, TPS, and NTA) in Workday.

Key compensation mechanisms include Administrative Duty Supplement (ADS), Temporary Pay Supplement (TPS), Clinical Coverage Overload (CCO), Endowed Supplement (ENS), Non-Faculty Teaching Allowance (NTA), Period Activity Pay (PAP), and One-Time Payments (OTP). Each has specific applicability criteria and processing requirements, with some exempted from the 25% monthly threshold while others require provost approval when exceeding this limit.

APF Participation in HR Community of Practice

In November, we announced that the Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) and UW Human Resources are collaborating more closely to provide consistent, comprehensive support for academic HR administrators.

What this means:

  • APF now joins HR Community of Practice meetings to share policy updates relevant to academic personnel
  • APF participates in HCM Community of Practice meetings for Workday-related updates
  • Information previously shared in the OAP Quarterly Administrative Forum is now integrated into these collaborative forums
  • All APF training continues as usual

Take action: Please ensure that academic HR administrators in your unit are attending HR CoP meetings and have been added to the Teams channel to receive these important updates.

If you have questions about this collaboration or need to be added to the HR CoP, please contact us.

 

Contact Information & Support

Questions about promotion & tenure, and general academic personnel matters: acadpers@uw.edu

Visa questions: acadvisa@uw.edu

December 2025 eDigest

The December 2025 APF eDigest features a year‑end message from Vice Provost Fred Nafukho highlighting strengthened collaboration, expanded leadership development, and community partnerships in 2025, along with a forward-looking commitment to supporting academic personnel in 2026. Key deadlines include mandatory P&T case routing, faculty reappointment notifications, recruitment closures, and January sabbatical and reappointment submissions. Units are asked to review and correct their 2025 census data, with special recognition for schools with zero issues. ISO announces Holly Wolf as the new International Scholar Advisor, outlines holiday closure plans, and notes updated workload priorities focusing on near-term H‑1B cases. Contact information for APF, ISO, and RPT support is provided, along with an invitation for feedback on future eDigests.

A Message from Fred Nafukho, Vice Provost for Academic Personnel & Faculty

Dear Colleagues and Partners,

As we close out 2025, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you — our unit administrators, academic partners, and community collaborators for your dedication and partnership throughout this year. Together, we have advanced our shared mission to engage, elevate and support a thriving community of academic professionals.

This year, we made significant strides in areas that matter most to you:

  • Strengthening Collaboration: We worked closely with units and partners to streamline processes, clarify policies and ensure resources are accessible and transparent.
  • Investing in Leadership and Professional Development: Through expanded mentorship programs and leadership training, we are building a culture of continuous learning that benefits the entire UW ecosystem.
  • Fostering Community Connections: Our partnerships with local organizations and educational institutions continue to address critical challenges, from talent development to housing solutions.

Looking ahead to 2026, we remain committed to deepening these collaborations, anticipating evolving needs and creating an environment where every administrator and partner feels supported and empowered. Your engagement is essential to this work, and we are excited to continue this journey together in support of students, faculty and staff success.

On behalf of the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty, I wish you a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with opportunity and success.

Warm regards,

Fred M. Nafukho
Vice Provost, Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty
Professor, Management and Organization

Key Deadlines

Dec 15, 2025 — Move all mandatory promotion and tenure cases to the APF case review step in Interfolio.
Dec 26, 2025 — Notify 12-month Faculty of Reappointment Decision.
Dec 31, 2025 — Close recruitments opened between July—December 2023.
Jan 10, 2026 — Deadline to Apply for Sabbatical.
Jan 16, 2026 — Submit “Winter” Spreadsheets for Faculty Reappointments.
Jan 16, 2026 — Submit Early Non-mandatory Faculty Promotion/Tenure Records.

For a comprehensive list of activities, visit the Due Dates Calendar.

2025 Census Review and Data Validation

The Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty, with support from the UWHR HR Benefits, Analytics & Information Systems (HRBAIS) team, has completed work on the 2025 HR Hierarchy Census and the results are now ready for unit-level review, validation and corrections. Our goal is to resolve all census-impacting issues by January 31, 2026.

Action Steps for Units

  • Review your data file located in your APF/SCC SharePoint drive.
  • Follow the instructions included in each folder to guide the cleanup process.
  • Please contact Workday Help if you need assistance in making corrections in Workday.
  • Please contact acadpers@uw.edu if help is needed to determine appropriate rank/title or policy related issues before making changes in workday profiles; APF will involve HRIS if needed.

What’s in Your File?

Data Issues tab: Lists individuals with data issues and changes HRIS made based on Workday analysis.

  • Correct issues in Workday promptly. Resolutions do not need to match HRIS changes but should align with UW appointment policy guidelines (see Academic Titles and Ranks page).
  • For help resolving a profile or appointment, email acadpers@uw.edu; APF will involve HRIS if needed.
    Census tab: Contains the data that will be used for institutional reporting for 2025 and for historical reporting going forward.

We deeply appreciate the effort across our schools, colleges, and campuses (S/C/Cs) that made this year’s census process such a success. Fewer than 1% of the census population had a data issue — the lowest volume since the transition to Workday. This achievement reflects your commitment to accuracy and collaboration. Special congratulations to Dentistry, Education, Public Health, and University Libraries, which had zero issues in their data files. We also extend our sincere thanks to the HRIS team for their invaluable support in providing data files to APF and all S/C/Cs. Your partnership is essential to advancing APF’s mission and the university’s goals.

ISO Updates

(Re)Introducing Holly S. Wolf as ISO’s New International Scholar Advisor

Effective December 1, 2025, Holly S. Wolf (formerly Holly Schneidmiller) has started her new position as International Scholar Advisor. Holly has been a critical member of the ISO team, ensuring business continuity during the COVID shutdown, shaping and documenting internal procedures, and leading the shift to digitizing visa records. We are delighted to have her take this next step in her career with us.

Gerberding Hall Holiday Closure

Gerberding Hall (where ISO is located) will be closed to the public from December 17 to January 4. ISO’s scheduled walk-in hours run through December 16, but we will continue necessary in-person services during the holiday closure on an appointment-only basis. Anyone needing in-person services (including document pickup or travel validation signature) should email acadvisa@uw.edu to schedule an appointment.

ISO Workload Priorities

Following the end of the University’s pause on new H-1B filings and the federal government shutdown, ISO is prioritizing H visa requests with start dates within the next two months. We respectfully request that units and scholars not reach out with status inquiries on cases with start dates or filing deadlines after February 15, 2026. Thank you for your patience — we will be in touch soon.

Contact Information & Support

Questions about RPT processes: Susan Monusko at slmwhite@uw.edu
General academic personnel matters: acadpers@uw.edu
Visa questions: acadvisa@uw.edu

Have feedback or ideas for future eDigest? Email acadcomm@uw.edu.