II. Academic Policies

Service Plans and Payroll Information

Regular members of the faculty on standing appointments are hired on thirty-six-week or forty-eight-week contracts. Extension of thirty-six-week contracts up to a maximum of forty-eight weeks will be by supplementary contracts negotiated annually.

Salary Payment Information

Each pay period consists of a calendar month. Faculty members on standing appointments are paid in twelve monthly installments even if they have a thirty-six-week contract. The last day of each month is payday; however, if payday falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday, salary checks are issued on the preceding workday. Employees must make arrangements to have their salary checks deposited directly in a financial institution that is a member of Automatic Clearinghouse. Salary Deposit Request Forms are available from the human resources officer in the college, the director of business services at the campus, or from the payroll department.

Mandatory deductions made automatically from payroll checks include federal, state, and local income taxes, Social Security, retirement plans, and life insurance. Optional deductions include health benefits, annuity plans, voluntary accidental death and dismemberment (VADD), long-term disability (LTD), long-term care (LTC), parking, United Way charity fund, Penn State Federal Credit Union, and contributions to the Alumni Association and to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Extra Compensation for University Service

It is the policy of the University to compensate faculty members with full-time salary for full-time service during the period of appointment. Full-time service includes a variety of assignments according to the needs of the University and the versatility of the faculty member, and may include duties that result from election or appointment to University, college, campus, and departmental committees, or to other academic responsibilities.

Generally the extra assignment of duties in addition to full-time responsibilities should be avoided. Exceptional circumstances may arise when substantial extra assignments may be required of the faculty member. In such cases, a faculty member, with his or her consent, and with the approval of the department head and dean or chancellor, may be asked to accept an assignment during his or her stated weeks of appointment that is different from and in addition to his or her regular full-time duties, and for which he or she may receive extra compensation.

If the extra assignment involves a Continuing Education program or course, any extra compensation will be based on a schedule of rates approved by the President. If the extra assignment is for other service, the amount of extra compensation will be specified in writing by the head of the academic or administrative unit making the assignment and approved in advance by the faculty member's dean or chancellor.