Salary Recapture (Parking)

The College of the Environment maintains a reserve to assist schools/departments and faculty members by paying temporary expenses associated with recruitment, retention, student support, equipment replacement, and new initiatives.  These reserve funds are obtained, in part, from the salary and benefits recaptured by the Dean’s Office upon the retirement or resignation of a faculty member until the position is re-allocated.

  •  Upon resignation, permanent reduction in practical FTE, or resignation of tenure of a faculty member, the applicable base salary/benefits of the faculty member revert to the Dean’s Office until the parking period has been fulfilled.
    • If the resignation is pre-tenure and the unit proposes to replace the faculty member with a hire with similar expertise and experience (as defined by teaching responsibilities) there will be a waiver of parking and the funds will remain with the unit.
    • If the resignation is pre-tenure and the unit proposes to replace the faculty member with a hire with different expertise and experience (as defined by teaching responsibilities) parking will occur.
  • A written agreement will be completed for each position to record the specifics of parking for that position. Summer quarter is not included in counting parking quarters.  Parking periods are defined as follows.
    • Three quarters parking if the faculty member is not eligible for the retirement incentive (VEBA) or emeritus rehire.
    • Three quarters parking if the unit is covering the retirement incentive (VEBA) or rehire expenses.
    • Five quarters parking if the Dean’s Office is covering the VEBA expenses
    • Up to nine quarters parking if the Dean’s Office is covering the 40% rehire (a 40% rehire for 5 years is equivalent to two years of full-time faculty salary).
    • Units may request increase in parking up to three further quarters in order to accumulate temporary funds to be used for startup costs for new faculty.
  • Returned salary/benefits are not automatically returned to the same unit. Funds will be used to support the highest priority, college-wide needs including, but not limited to:
    • New or replacement faculty positions
    • Reallocation to existing faculty through retention offers or merit increases
    • Stabilization of unit infrastructure
  • If a unit has been approved to hire and wishes to start the new hire before Dean’s Office funds are available it may provide unit resources to cover the gap in funding.
  • Funding requests to bridge instructional needs will be considered after parking is complete but the approved hire has not yet started. Requests will only be considered to cover the gap in curriculum in the area of expertise of the new faculty member.
  • In the case where a unit is approved to redirect a faculty line for other uses (e.g., staff hires, infrastructure needs, faculty salary increases), the College will return permanent funds after any retirement obligations (i.e., VEBA or rehire expenditures) have been covered through parking. The amount returned will be assessed annually and will depend upon the College’s average cost of salary and benefits for a new Assistant Professor appointment. In FY22, $12,500 per month in permanent funding will be returned to the unit for a redirected 100% 9-month appointment. This amount will be pro-rated for redirected partial faculty lines. A memo addressed to the Dean of the College requesting a redirection of salary recapture which includes confirmation of the unit’s faculty approval and the planned uses for the funds is required to initiate this option.

Revised Date: 07/29/2021