Inside Iowa State
Apr. 17, 1998P&S Council
Procedure provides timeline for spring reclassification requests
by Anne Dolan
Reclassification requests for P&S employees that are submitted by March 15 will receive a response by May 1, under a procedure written by the Provost Office and Human Resource Services. The procedure was distributed to vice presidents, deans, directors and DEOs in February and discussed at the April 1 Professional and Scientific Council meeting.
Associate Provost Ed Lewis said the procedure does not change the reclassification policy, but outlines a procedure to ensure the policy is carried out properly. The deadlines were installed to avoid confusion for people who, in the past, were reclassified shortly before a new fiscal year. Whether additional dollars in their paychecks were reclassification money or annual increase money created some of the confusion, Lewis said.
The procedure only affects reclassification requests initiated in the spring. Requests submitted after March 15 or that can't be acted on for good reason by May 1 will be decided after July 1. Effective dates for reclassifications still may be retroactive.
Lewis said the Provost Office and Human Resource Services also are in the process of writing a policy on filling P&S or faculty positions in emergency situations when there isn't time for a full search. Some of the proposed guidelines include: a 9-month limit on any emergency appoint- ment, an emergency post at or below the pay grade of the person who left, and a written explanation/request from the hiring officer.
Lewis noted that once approved, this procedure would be allowed "under very limited circumstances."
In other business, the council approved a recommendation to President Martin Jischke favoring a one-third/two-thirds split of any salary improvement funds ISU receives this summer. One-third would be distributed to all employees with satisfactory performance evaluations. The other two-thirds would be used to address merit issues, including equity and marketplace value.
Following are other council highlights:
The next council meeting begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the Memorial Union Gold Room. At the noon open forum, four recipients of student recruitment and retention grants this year will present summaries of their efforts.
- 61 P&S staff members attended the annual roundtable discussion April 1. A majority of those attending elected to discuss either classification and compensation issues, or issues related to performance evaluation and salary notification. Notes from each table will be summarized and shared with the Provost Office and used in setting council goals for next year.
- Winners of the Alumni Association's P&S Superior Service Award are John Charles Morris, Extension Youth and 4-H; Gary Schwartz, residence department; Desiree Gunning, biochemistry and biophysics; and Joanne Nystrom, botany. They will be honored at Homecoming activities next fall.
- These new council members were elected last month and will be installed at the June council meeting (voting turnouts are in parentheses): Academic and Research (31 percent), Josanne Neeld, Elena Polouchkina, David Edsall; IPRT/Ames Lab (49 percent), Linda Poore, Kate Sordelet; Business and Finance (63 percent), Kerry Dixon, Lea Bartley; Extension (50 percent), Shawn Shouse, Tim Eggers; External Affairs (34 percent), Liz Kurt, Rosemary Sokolik.
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