Grant proposals will be reviewed by the Dean. When the grant requires university administration of funds or university certification under federal programs, the proposals will also be reviewed by Accounting and Budget Services and Human Resources before forwarding to the Financial Vice President for approval.
Base salaries and related benefits will be determined using established salary administration and benefit policies of the university. Grant proposals must request adequate funds to cover salaries (based on university determined base salary rates) and benefits (based on university benefit policies). In the event of inadequate funding of salaries and/or benefits, the Dean must determine whether or not to proceed with the grant proposal. To proceed, the Dean must authorize any shortfall from another source.
Charges to sponsored agreements/grants will be for those activities contributing and intimately related to work under the agreements.
Charges to individual sponsored agreements/grants will be based on planned work activity for the period, updated to reflect any significant changes in work distribution. Compensation levels and distribution to sponsored agreements/grants will be modified commensurate with significant changes in work activity. The university Financial Services office will assume the grant work is performed evenly over the grant period, unless the Principal Investigator substantiates a different work schedule.
In accordance with university policy, a decline in work activity (including a decline resulting from lack of grant funding) could result in prorated salary and benefits, loss of benefits or termination of employment. Also in accordance with university policy, retirement contributions will be limited to a percentage of base salary earnings for each fiscal year. Once this limit is reached, retirement contributions will not be made (nor will grants be charged) the remainder of the fiscal year.
Charges for work performed by faculty members under sponsored agreements/grants will be allocated using the base salary rates for the academic year. In situations when the work performed is overtime for a non-exempt staff member or analogous to an overload or summer school contract for a faculty member, charges for such work representing additional earnings will be allowable provided that a) such funds are available in the sponsored agreements/grants and b) the Dean authorizes the work plan.
On an ongoing basis the Dean will monitor the work loads of the grant participants and the grant progress. For those faculty working under more than one sponsored agreement/grant during the year, an annual statement will be signed by the Principal Investigator and the Dean stating that compensation charged to the agreements is reasonable in relation to work performed. This statement will be forwarded to the university Financial Services Office each August 31.