Instructor with Special Provision Offer Letter Template – February 2017

NOTE: Include page #s

Date

Candidate Name

Candidate Address

Dear ______:

With the approval of Dean Kevin M. Guskiewicz and the support of the faculty in the department of (name), I am pleased to recommend you for an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the (department name) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Most importantly, I am thrilled to welcome you to our community of scholars at Carolina.

I want to explain briefly the essential features of the position we anticipate for you. Your tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment in the College of Arts and Sciences will be effective July, 1 20XX (or January 1, 20XX), for a term of four years, with the possibility of reappointment for three more years. Your nine-month starting salary will be $XXXXX, paid in twelve monthly installments. For your review, please see the attached document for additional terms of employment.

The position carries our regular teaching load for research-active faculty of XX courses per semester, together with a possible share of (insert as appropriate: undergraduate honors theses, M.A. theses, and Ph.D. dissertations).

All untenured appointments are guaranteed a one-semester Research and Study Assignment (RSA) at full pay to be taken any time after the first year of appointment and prior to the tenure decision. Scheduling of this RSA is done in consultation and with the approval of the Chair of your department. During the RSA, you will be free of classroom, committee, and advising duties. In addition, competitive Junior Faculty Development Awards in the amount of $7,500 are also available to untenured faculty. Untenured faculty may compete annually for research fellowships sponsored by the Provost’s office.

As we discussed, the University will provide start-up funds during the first # years for you to (describe concisely) and launch your research program. You will need to provide a brief description of the funding request as it relates to grant support, equipment, travel and other expenses up to $XXXX.In addition, as resources permit, you are eligible for Arts and Sciences Travel Funds of $1,000 per year for travel to meetings or conferences at which you present a paper, participate in a panel discussion, or preside over a session you have organized.

Of course, all tenure-track appointments and appointments conferring tenure must have final approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina. Upon your acceptance of the terms outlined in this letter and its enclosures, we will submit your name for review by the appropriate administrative offices within the University. The Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost will notify you of this approval.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call or send me an email. We realize that this is a very important decision for you, and we are ready to do whatever we can to help you make it. Please let me know as soon as possible, but not later than (date)

This paragraph may be personalized as appropriate:

My colleagues are I hope very much that you will decide to join us. Your research plans are exciting, highly imaginative, and complement those of our current faculty. There is great potential for you to enhance many facets of our program. I believe UNC offers an exciting and challenging opportunity for you, and equally important, the University has a long tradition of successfully launching and sustaining the careers of new faculty members. On behalf of my colleagues in the Department of XXXX, we are eager for you to join us here at UNC and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Department Chair

CC:______, Senior Associate Dean (Fine Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences or Social Sciences)

Lachonya Williams, Associate Dean for Human Resources

______, Department Manager

I accept this offer according to the terms stated in this letter and its enclosures:

Signature: ______Date: ______

Enclosures:

Department of (department name) Personnel Policies

Additional Terms of Employment

Additional Terms of Employment

In addition to the terms outlined in your letter, the following terms apply to your employment:

Your eligibility for appointment to a second probationary term and for subsequent appointment, promotion and tenure will be determined under the appointment, promotion and tenure policies and procedures of the University, the College of Arts and Sciences and your appointing department(s). Further information about these matters appears in the Policies on Faculty Personnel Actions which are enclosed with your letter. These policies and procedures may be amended during your employment, and you will be evaluated for future reappointment, promotion or tenure under the policies and procedures then in effect.

If your Ph.D. degree is not awarded by July 1, 20XX, your initial appointment will be at the rank of Instructor with special provision for one year, effective July 1, 20XX to June 30, 20XX. The "special provision" means that this appointment at the rank of Instructor is made on the condition that, upon the conferral of your Ph.D. degree, you will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor for a probationary term of four years. The effective date of the appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor will be retroactive to the effective date of your appointment as Instructor, or to the July 1st or January 1st immediately preceding the conferral of the Ph.D., whichever is nearest in point of time. You will need to submit official documentation that your dissertation has been completed and your Ph.D. degree conferred. An original letter, with embossed seal, from the registrar of the university will satisfy this requirement.

The salary stated in your offer letter can be implemented as described only if approved by the appropriate University offices, state legislature and UNC General Administration. Faculty may also teach up to two courses during our summer terms, which comprise Maymester, Summer Session I and Summer Session II, earning one-ninth annual salary per course. Summer salary from teaching and research is limited to no more than one third of your nine-month base salary. In addition, if you have funds from sponsored research, those funds are paid to you in the summer months after calculating the payment for teaching summer school.

It is this institution’s position that a faculty member may not hold two permanent positions, one at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and one at another institution, as both appointments imply continuous service and a full-time obligation to a single institution. Your signature on this letter provides me with an authorization to recommend you for appointment as assistant professor (OR instructor), and, if approved by the Board of Trustees, you will resign from any applicable employment effective June 30th (for a July 1st hire date) or December 30th (for a January 1st hire date) immediately preceding your appointment at UNC at Chapel Hill.

We can provide reimbursement for actual moving expenses as described in your letter. Be sure to keep receipts for any moving expenses incurred. Also, it is important to keep in mind that the funds paid in reimbursement may be subject to income tax.Please note that all start-up funding is contingent on continued employment.

You will be provided, after your arrival, with a high-quality Lenovo desktop computer. The University has an excellent program of support as well as a four-year warranty so that if you experience any hardware or software problems, help is immediately available. Should you wish to modify the computer to a laptop or MAC, you may use the startup funds allocate above to do so.

This letter itself does not constitute a binding offer of employment, but notifies you that, with your permission, the department chair is submitting your name for professional and affirmative action review by appropriate administrative offices within the University. All tenure-track appointments and appointments conferring tenure must have final approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina. The University cannot make a binding offer without such a confirmation. The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost will notify you of this approval.

If you require a work authorization for eligibility to work in the United States, this appointment is contingent upon the procurement of an appropriate immigration and/or visa status prior to the effective date of the appointment and maintenance of an appropriate status for the duration of the appointment. This will be your responsibility. However, we will do everything we can from here to support your visa application.