Faculty Annual Performance-Based Component Guidelines

The University of Arizona seeks to establish compensation policies and practices that promote the recruitment and retention of excellent faculty.1 These guidelines provide procedures by which departments and colleges may grant an additional salary component that is awarded on a one-time basis only for the next contract year but does not become part of the faculty member’s regular salary. These guidelines do not apply to any other aspect of faculty compensation. This component is intended for faculty who have high annual performance reviews in teaching, research, and/or service.  

For the purposes of these guidelines, “faculty” shall have the meaning as set forth in Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Policy 6-201 et seq. Eligible faculty members may be tenured, tenure-eligible, or nontenure-eligible.

A faculty member’s total compensation or “institutional base salary” (IBS) may include the following, as appropriate:

  • Regular fiscal or academic salary;
  • Fiscal salary conversion amount;
  • For those holding administrative appointments, an administrative stipend (under ABOR Conditions of Administrative Service Policy 6-101 et seq., and UHAP Chapter 5);
  • Other stipends—includes interim and acting assignments;
  • Annual Performance-Based Component (APBC); and
  • Sabbatical Compensation—amount above the UA 60% commitment.

Plan Requirements

  • Factors that may be considered in determining APBC pay include (but are not limited to) academic performance; quality of work; and productivity in the areas of teaching, research, scholarly activity, and/or service.  
  • Plans must allow all qualified faculty to participate.
  • All faculty must have input in the development, methodology, criteria, and subsequent revisions to the plan. The plan must be approved by a vote of the faculty within that unit prior to submission to the Provost for approval.
  • College/department APBC pay plans must include performance-based factors, and must define
  • the criteria for determining eligibility for APBC (which may not be based solely on the faculty member’s receipt of extramural funding);
  • the manner in which APBC pay is determined;
  • the methodology for calculating APBC pay; and
  • the plan for funding the APBC pay.
  • Faculty must receive annual performance reviews in order to be eligible for APBC pay. APBC pay shall be determined annually with the individual faculty member and his/her department head and shall be approved by the dean.
  • APBC pay may only be awarded on a one-time basis for the upcoming contract term, but APBC pay may be awarded in subsequent years using the unit’s criteria and process of evaluation. An award of APBC pay in one year creates no expectation that it will be awarded in future years.
  • Failure to receive APBC pay in subsequent years will not be considered disciplinary action.
  • APBC pay may not be implemented off-cycle, adjusted during the award period, or awarded retrospectively.
  • Faculty must receive a notification in writing from the dean or department head when the APBC pay has been approved.
  • The APBC pay must be included and separately identified in the annual Notice of Reappointment.
  • APBC pay is dependent on the availability of funds.
  • Department and college APBC pay plans may be more but not less restrictive than these guidelines and must be consistent with these Guidelines.  

Timelines and Monitoring

  • Each department and college that intends to implement APBC pay must develop an APBC plan and submit it to the Provost’s Office for approval by December 15 prior to the fiscal year of implementation. The Provost’s Office will notify colleges/departments whether the plans are approved by February 1.
  • APBC pay must be determined by May 15 of every year for the following fiscal year. The identification of the source of funds and annual performance review must be sent to the dean along with the request. (The request must be submitted by the annual rollover worksheet deadlines.)
  • Monitoring responsibilities of APBC pay will rest with the dean. Grievances concerning APBC pay may be filed with the dean. The dean’s decision on APBC grievances is final and not subject to further grievance or review.

These guidelines are subject to all other applicable university and ABOR policies, including Conflict of Interest and policies related to compensation charged to sponsored grants and contracts.  

 

1 These guidelines also may be applied to continuing and continuing-eligible professionals, as defined in ABOR Policy 6-301 and Chapter 4 of UHAP, if a college or unit chooses to include such individuals in its APBC plan.