Faculty Spousal and Partner Hiring Assistance Program

The Faculty Spousal and Partner Hiring Assistance Program (the "program") is a market driven program designed to make the university more competitive for the best talent in the tenured, tenure-track, and fixed-term faculty ranks. This program recognizes that success in recruitment and retention often depends on opportunity to facilitate appointment of an accompanying academic spouse, and the Office of the Provost will assist departments and colleges by providing matching funds in support of such appointments.

The program provides funds from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost on a competitive basis to assist departments in the appointment of accompanying academic spouses. For purposes of this program, the term "recruited faculty appointee" refers to the individual being recruited and for whom there is an academic spousal appointment assistance issue. "Accompanying academic spouse" refers to a person with appropriate faculty academic credentials who is a qualifying spouse or domestic partner. The terms of the program are as follows:

• the accompanying academic spouse must become a candidate for a position and be appointed through the regular university hiring process;
• the unit which appoints the accompanying academic spouse provides a minimum of one-third (minimum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits of the accompanying academic spouse;
• the unit which appoints the recruited faculty appointee provides a minimum of one-third (minimum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits of the accompanying academic spouse; and,
• the Office of the Provost provides up to one-third (maximum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits for hiring the accompanying academic spouse.
• the salary funding for this position to which the accompanying spouse is appointed will be provided for three years.
• if the accompanying academic spouse leaves this position before the end of the three years, the salary and benefits funding in the position at the time will revert according to the initial proportions indicated above.
• the continuation of the appointment of the accompanying academic spouse shall be entirely under the purview of the unit in which that individual is appointed in accordance with all personnel policies and procedures applicable to similar appointments in the unit.

Units should direct requests for program funds in writing to the Executive Associate Provost. Requests must include the following and be endorsed by both units involved:

• a description of the market contexts in which the hiring of the recruited faculty appointee and accompanying academic spouse are to take place;
• the academic purposes served by hiring the recruited faculty appointee and accompanying spouse;
• the required documentation on EPA recruitment, including any needed waiver request; and,
• the source of the funds to be used to make the college and departmental funding match for support of the accompanying academic spouse.

Requests can be made at any time and will be considered on a competitive basis as long as funds are available to support the program. No funds will be provided to a department or college until a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Office of the Provost and participating units. Funds provided by the Office of the Provost and the unit that appoints to recruited faculty appointee to support the appointment of the accompanying academic spouse will revert to the Office of the Provost and the unit, respectively, when the appointment of the accompanying academic spouse ends.

Revisions: November 1, 2000; February 6, 2006, February 26, 2007

 

In administering the Spousal and Partner Hiring Assistance program, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost requires that the accompanying spouse/patner either be legally married to the appointee or a "domestic partner" of this individual. The definition of "domestic partner" will be the same as defined in the Faculty Serious Illness and Parental Lave policy which is: "... two individuals (regardless of gender) who have reached the age of majority, who live together in the same residence in a long-term relationship of indefinite duration with an exclusive mutual commitment, who are not married or related to the other by blood or marriage, and who are responsible for each other's welfare and share financial obligations, as evidenced by three of the following types of documentation which should be provided upon request:  (a) joint mortgage or lease; (b) designation of domestic partner as beneficiary for life insurance; (c) designation in will of domestic partner as primary beneficiary upon death; (d) domestic partnership agreement; (e) powers of attorney for property and health care; and (f) joint ownership of a motor vehicle, joint checking account, or joint credit account." 

Individuals who are engaged to be married but not yet legally married and do not satisfy the requirements of "domestic partner" are not eligible for consideration under this program.