HELP Print this Page |
| Overloads are a temporary amendment to contract for additional teaching, research, or service responsibilities; defined as those activities in excess of activities expected as part of the defined workload formula. Full-time faculty at Kennesaw State University may be requested to perform service in excess of full-time effort for institutional-funded activities. Per BoR Policy (USG Academic & Student Affairs Handbook 4.11): “Under certain circ*mstances, qualified teaching faculty and administrative faculty may be called upon to take on additional teaching, research, or service responsibilities at their home institution. Whenever possible in this situation, the institutions should consider adjusting the individual’s primary duties to incorporate the extra duties associated with the overload(s). If it is determined that a workload adjustment cannot be made, the faculty member’s contract should be amended to reflect a temporary change in compensation warranted by the additional responsibilities. A contract modification should also be done when faculty are involved in joint staffing agreements that warrant additional compensation at another USG institution (see Section 5.3.3 in the Business Procedures Manual).” Contract modifications should be done using the USG Contract Addendum for Temporary Overload Compensation. Because overloads involve a modification to a faculty member’s original KSU contract, section 5.3.2 of the BoR Business Procedures Manual on Extra Compensation does not apply to faculty overloads. KSU’s procedures for complying with and interpreting Regents Policy are outlined below. Prior approvals for proposed overload compensation are expected to be secured using the required form (which is on the Academic Affairs webpage) before the overload assignment commences. Conditions of an Overload Assignment Faculty who assume overload assignments for overload pay must meet expectations in all of their normal in-load work assignments. In-load work assignments typically include the expected fulltime commitment of the faculty member to teaching, professional service (including administration), scholarship and creative activity, and academic achievement and professional development. Overload pay is not appropriate for an individual if the work can be readily assigned on an in-load basis to another qualified person or if the individual’s existing assignments can accommodate the work or can be readily reduced, rearranged, or reassigned in order to accommodate the work on an in-load basis. Whereas KSU is in full or partial operation seven days a week in the mornings, afternoons and evenings, many faculty do not share the same daily or weekly work schedules. A “normal full load” must take flexible scheduling into account, regardless of when and where an individual’s faculty-related work is done during the week. Avoiding Conflicts with Regular Duties Because faculty are salaried professional employees, overload assignments are most acceptable when the nature of the work in the overload assignment is significantly different from the nature of an individual’s work assignments in the normal full load. When the nature of the work is similar for in-load and overload pay, the potential for an appearance of a conflict of interest or conflict of obligation exists and should be avoided or thoroughly justified. Faculty members who write themselves into grants or contracts for services that involve overload pay create the potential for a perceived conflict of interest or obligation. When an apparent conflict of interest exists within a department, college, or division, an administrator at another level of authority beyond that unit must confirm that the overload compensation is appropriate and does not constitute a conflict of interest or obligation. Avoiding Conflicts with Grants Faculty can perform work as additional pay from a grant provided that it is allowable by the grant. It is strongly encouraged that a dialogue should exist between the dean/chair and faculty as to what their agreed time distribution should be at the beginning of each academic year (split between research, service, and teaching) and that no faculty member should need to regularly seek additional pay for work on a grant, rather, it should be a part of their expected duties outlined by the chair and dean. In short, use of the Contract Addendum (additional pay) for work on grants should not be an ongoing and predictable form of increasing total compensation. It would be most preferable for faculty working on grants and receiving pay from the grant(s) that this be part of the faculty member’s expected workload and the off-set savings from the portion of salary paid by the grant be used by the dean or chair to offset loss in teaching or service capacity by the college or department by, for example, employing limited term professors. Furthermore, it is important to note that federal grants explicitly do not allow for overload while working on a federal grant regardless of funding source for the overload. Some non-federal grants may also explicitly state such a restriction. Any non-federal grant supported by federal funds is also subject to federal grant restrictions. In short, there can be no additional pay for grant work unless the grant is: a) non-federal; b) not supported by federal dollars; and c) does not explicitly restrict additional pay. For additional information, contact the KSU Office of Research. |
Print this Page
