Summer School Compensation Plan for Teaching Activities

 

The major priority in determining which courses to offer during the summer should be responding to student needs, while maximizing semester credit hours (SCHs).  Because we wish to ensure that student needs are being met, we will hold funds beyond your initial budget allocations which will be made available if extra sections are needed to meet demand and you don’t have adequate resources to address the needs.  At the same time we are working to achieve robust enrollments, we must strive to offer courses at a reasonable cost. 

Faculty Summer Compensation

It is the responsibility of the Deans and Chairs to ensure the best possible summer schedule, and this can’t be accomplished, of course, simply by hiring the lowest paid instructors.  Decisions about staffing must be made locally, and based on the needs and resources available.

Direct financial incentives for large enrollment classes will be provided.  Regular faculty (those on budgeted lines during the previous fall and spring semesters) who teach “oversubscribed” courses will benefit, in fashion comparable to the structure of financial disincentives for approved, yet “undersubscribed,” courses.  Oversubscription is defined as more than 40 enrollments for undergraduate courses and more than 20 for graduate courses.  Undersubscription is defined as fewer than 15 enrollments for undergraduate and fewer than 8 for graduate. Faculty teaching so-called oversubscribed classes will be able to receive up to 25% in additional salary; lower enrollments will yield up to a 25% reduction in salary.  The schedule illustrates:

Undergraduate


Impact on Base Salary

Graduate

Enrollment

Enrollment

1 - 6

-25%

1 - 3

7 – 10

-15%

4 - 5

11 - 14

-5%

6 – 7

15 – 40

neutral

8 - 20

41 - 60

5%

21 - 40

61 - 80

15%

41 - 60

81+

25%

61+

In no case will a faculty member who has been authorized to teach a course, regardless of the enrollment, receive less than the minimum salary of $833.33 per SCH or $2,500 for 3 SCH.    However, a faculty member may receive more than the salary cap of $2,166.67 per SCH or $6,500 for 3 SCH for oversubscribed classes.  The following translates to the absolute minimum and maximum earnable salaries:

The following is a summary of the general guidelines used for summer school.

Exceptions to these guidelines will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

In the past years, there were teaching load limitations based on workload options from the old policy.  That policy has changed substantially and those options are no longer utilized.  Therefore, please familiarize yourself with the new workload policy at (http://www.unt.edu/policy/UNT_Policy/volume3/15_1_9.html). 

Deans and Chairs should handle summer teaching loads in the most responsible manner, maximizing the schedule to support student needs.  The general guidelines that underscored the summer policy should still be respected:  faculty should not be teaching more in the summer than they do in the long academic semesters. 

The summer compensation plan described above only applies to salaries for teaching activities.  Faculty engaged in other activities will have their summer salaries calculated in the manner in which it has been done in the past.   This means that faculty can continue to receive up to 33.33% of their 9 month contract salary if they work full-time at these other activities during the summer.

Study Abroad Compensation

Regular faculty who agree to lead a UNT Study Abroad program will receive their maximum base salary plus a leadership stipend for leading the program and accepting on-site responsibilities.  Maximum base salary will be computed and complied with as described elsewhere in this memorandum. There is no reduction in compensation for "undersubscribed" courses. If the decision is made to offer a Study Abroad course, the lead faculty member will be paid her/his maximum base salary. It is the responsibility of chairs and deans, in consultation with the Study Abroad Office, to determine whether a low enrollment course should be offered or canceled. If offered, compensation is not reduced.

The Leadership Stipend consists of a flat payment of $500 per course plus a prorated payment based on program duration payable to the instructor of record. The prorated portion is earned at the rate $10 per day for each day of the program up to ten weeks (70 days). A 70-day program would earn a total stipend of $1,200 ($500+$700[70 x $10]). No additional payments are earned after 70 days.  The $500 flat stipend payment is payable from department/college funds. The prorated portion is an added incentive provided by the Study Abroad Office.  Each course is eligible for one Leadership Stipend and one daily proration payment. If two or more faculty members accompany a program, they may split the stipend or agree to assign it entirely to the designated "lead instructor." Proration payments may be assigned to either instructor or split at the faculty members' discretion.

College/Department Incentives

An incentive pool has been established to provide funds to colleges/schools and departments who have achieved the greatest efficiencies in their summer offerings.  The basis for allocations back to units will be “return on investment,” calculated based on revenue generated and expenses incurred.  These funds will be allocated to the college/school for fair distribution out to the individual units, and can be used for temporary or one-time expenditures.  These funds will be eligible to be carry funds forward from one fiscal year to the next.  Allocations will be made no later than November 15th of each year. 

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Donna Asher, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, at 940-565-2496 or Donna.Asher@unt.edu, or Dilana King, Senior Budget Office, at 940-565-3949 or Dilana.King@unt.edu.