The University of Memphis

Summer Compensation for Nine-Month Faculty

POLICIES

Summer appointments are contingent on the teaching, research, administrative, and service needs of the department and the University.  Summer assignments are separate from academic-year appointments, and compensation is based on prior academic-year salary.

Summer compensation is for work performed during the Summer Term.

To publish the limitations on summer compensation as established by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the University, and to set out the procedure for how academic year/9-month faculty will receive payment for summer assignments.

To address sponsor requirements related to the receipt of summer compensation.

The Provost’s Office publishes the dates of academic years periodically. Typically, the academic year will begin one week before the first day of classes in the fall semester and will end one week after the last day of exams in the spring semester. These dates are consistent with those included in the 9-month faculty contracts.

The three-month period between the end of the academic year and the beginning of the new academic year.

Summer compensation may not exceed maximum set forth in TBR Policy 5:02:04:10.

• Credit Instruction Limitation for Faculty of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law – The rate of compensation is $2,500 per credit hour without regard to rank, and no faculty member may exceed the limit of three credit hours per summer term.
• Credit Instruction Limitation for all other Faculty - The rate of compensation shall be 1/32 (3.125%) of the prior academic year salary per credit hour. The maximum compensation for credit instruction is 25% of the prior academic year base salary.
• Division/Department Heads – Compensation for these administrators should be commensurate with the duties assigned but should not exceed 25% of the prior academic year base salary.
• Part-Time Assignments – Compensation for work on a part-time basis should be prorated accordingly.
• Total Summer Compensation – Summer compensation cannot exceed 1/9 of the prior academic year base salary per month for a maximum of three months for faculty who:
  • work on sponsored projects during the summer.
  • provide other professional services paid from restricted funds during the summer, and/or
  • teach summer credit courses and/or
  • participate in noncredit instructional services, such as continuing education courses, conferences and seminars during the summer.

Note that summer compensation charges to NSF grants, including summer salary, for an individual typically cannot exceed two months academic year base salary. 

• Summer appointments of 3 months of full time effort for work on sponsored programs (grants and contracts) will require faculty to certify an Acknowledgement within the faculty eContract agreeing to not be engaged in any activity not directly benefiting the grant.

If any limits are exceeded, the excess will be considered an overpayment and the payee will be required to repay any excess payment to the University.

Credit Instruction During the Summer

• Administrative and Part-Time Faculty

Computer generated Credit Instruction Forms are produced by colleges and submitted by departments to Human Resources for processing. 

• 9-Month Faculty

Faculty eContracts need to be completed by departments for submission to Human Resources for processing:  www.memphis.edu/facsumcomp

Non-Credit Instruction, Research, and Other Service During the Summer

Prior to commencement of work, 9-Month Faculty must complete the Faculty Summer Compensation eContract (www.memphis.edu/facsumcomp) and obtain approval from the employee’s home department head, as well as from the employing department head to authorize work. 

The completed form may be submitted prior to completion of the work and must be submitted to Human Resources.  The amount of pay requested must be directly related proportionally to the effort expended in the respective payment period. Payment will be made on the regular monthly payroll pay date in the same manner as the employee’s regular pay, i.e., direct deposit. 

The final date to submit a request for payment of summer compensation is September 8th.  Requests submitted after this date will require Provost approval and manual certification or re-certification of Summer Term Effort.

The University of Memphis must control the reporting of compensation earnings to retirement systems. For retirement reporting purposes, TCA § 8-34-101(14)(D) limits credit for compensation from extra services to no more than 25% of base pay. Faculty and staff may earn more than 25% in any reporting period, but no more than 25% will be credited to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) or Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), as applicable.

 Principal Investigator/Program Director/Payee

• Obtain required approvals for payment of summer compensation on pay request form.
• Provide certification on the Faculty Summer Compensation eContract when all summer compensation is from sponsored programs acknowledging that no activities are being conducted that do not directly benefit the grant.
• Limit monthly summer compensation pay request to no more than 1/9 of academic salary.
• Limit total summer compensation pay request to no more than 3 months total.
• Ensure pay amount and timing of pay is commensurate with effort/work performed.
• Submit pay request forms to payroll by the required deadline – final deadline is September 8th.
• Responsible for repaying any summer compensation in excess of established limits.

  Administrator/Business Officer

• Provide guidance/assistance to payee regarding use of the correct process to be used to obtain payment.
• Provide guidance/assistance to the payee to ensure that payment limits are not exceeded.
• Provide guidance/assistance to the department chair regarding total maximum allowable payment for total summer compensation (33 1/3% limit) and monthly compensation limit (1/9).
• Assist in ensuring that payment request forms are submitted by the required deadlines – final deadline is September 8th.
• Ensure correct earnings codes are used on the payment request form.

 Departmental Chairs/Directors

• Ensure pay amount and timing of pay request is commensurate with effort/work performed.
• Ensure that payee’s summer compensation does not exceed 1/9 of academic year salary in any one month.
• Ensure that payee’s total summer compensation does not exceed 3/9 or 33 1/3% of payee’s academic salary.

  Research Support Services

• Ensure proposals comply with University or sponsor limits regarding maximum amount of summer compensation that may be requested/budgeted.
• Inform PIs during the grant proposal process of the required certification when all summer compensation is from sponsored programs.

 Human Resources

• Ensure correct earnings codes are used on the payment request form.
• Monitor to ensure that total summer compensation does not exceed 33 1/3% of academic salary.  Monitor that summer earnings do not exceed 1/9 of academic salary for any month.

https://bf.memphis.edu/spectrum/hr/facsumcomp/index.php

 http://www.tbr.edu/policies/default.aspx?id=1488

http://policies.memphis.edu/UM1490.htm

http://policies.memphis.edu/UM1676.htm