GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
FACULTY INFORMATION GUIDE


GENERAL EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

APPOINTMENT PERIODS

Faculty appointment periods - academic or fiscal year - will be specified in the conditions of employment document-contract, offer letter, etc. Appointments of one FTE and more than six months are required to be eligible for benefits.

ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT

The employment of faculty at the University for the first time, or upon return after having previously ended employment with the University, is called an original appointment. The effective date of the original appointment depends upon whether the faculty member is on an academic year appointment -the academic year begins August 25 - or a fiscal year appointment - the fiscal year begins June 25. Original appointments require that a Faculty Appointment Recommendation/AA-4 form be completed by the hiring department and submitted for approval by the Office of the Provost and the Equity Office. Once approved, an offer may be made to the selected candidate. The approved Faculty Appointment Recommendation/AA-4 form along with tax forms, a Personal Data Sheet and I-9 for the new faculty member is submitted to Human Resources in order to be employed and placed on the payroll.

REAPPOINTMENT/RENEWAL

Faculty are reappointed or renewed annually on June 25 or August 25 depending upon the type of appointment. Reappointment is the continuation of restricted and non-tenure track faculty from one academic or fiscal year to the next. Renewal is continuation of term for full-time tenure-track (probationary) faculty. At this time, faculty are notified of any salary or other status changes such as promotion and tenure, title change, change in distribution of effort (splits) and change in stipend. Reappointments/renewals are usually processed on the Faculty Appointment Recommendation/AA-4 form.

ACADEMIC YEAR APPOINTMENTS (9 MONTHS)

For administrative purposes, the academic-year for instructional faculty is the 9-month period August 25 through May 24 . This is the period during which faculty are paid and benefits authorized. For academic purposes, faculty on 9-month appointments are expected to be present for work approximately two weeks prior to the beginning of classes until two weeks after the end of classes. Benefits are authorized provided the appointment is for one FTE and more than six months. Faculty on academic - year appointments who work less than the full 9-month period will be paid the appropriate percentage of the full 9-month salary. Faculty receive 15 days of sick leave. Annual leave is not authorized.

FISCAL-YEAR APPOINTMENTS (12-MONTHS)

Faculty who are required to perform duties year round are placed on 12-month or fiscal year appointments for the period June 25 through June 24. These faculty receive 24 days annual leave and 20 days of sick leave. Annual leave is not authorized for certain 12-month faculty appointments which are funded through special sponsored programs. Benefits are authorized provided the appointment is for one FTE and more than six months. Faculty on fiscal-year appointments who work less than the full 12-month period will be paid the appropriate percentage of the full 12-month salary.

CATEGORIES OF UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES

INSTRUCTIONAL/RESEARCH FACULTY Faculty on contractual appointments who customarily teach, conduct research or engage in public service activities as a principal activity. Instructional faculty usually work a 9 or 12 month year and may be full-time (1.0 FTE) or part-time (less than 1.0 FTE).

ADMINISTRATIVE/PROFESSIONAL FACULTY Administrative/professional faculty perform work directly related to the administration and support of the educational and general activities of the university. Professional faculty perform professional work in education, research, athletic, student affairs and development activities. Administrative/professional faculty are usually on contractual appointments of 12-months duration and may be full-time (1.0 FTE) or part-time (less than 1.0 FTE).

GRADUATE TEACHING AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS (GTA/GRA) Graduate students are employed to teach or perform research and other teaching support duties. Students who teach must have at least 19 hours of graduate work in the discipline they are teaching and be in good academic standing. Full-time appointees work 20 hours per week. Half-time appointees work 10 hours per week. The categories of GTA/GRA are:
  • GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS (GTA) Graduate students who perform instructional activities under faculty supervision.
  • GRADUATE ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNS (GAI) Graduate students who participate in administrative activities under the supervision of an administrative official.
  • GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS (GRA) Graduate students who participate in research or research support activities under faculty supervision.
  • GRADUATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS (GITA) Graduate students who participate in specialized teaching or research for the School of Information Technology and Engineering.

PART TIME (ADJUNCT) FACULTY Faculty on temporary appointments who contract for and teach a particular course or courses on a part-time basis. Part time faculty are appointed one semester at a time, have no permanent status and are not eligible for benefits.

AFFILIATE FACULTY Guest faculty who volunteer to assist with instructional activities/research service at no cost to the University. They are not paid, are not assigned FTE and are not authorized benefits.

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES Employees assigned to staff positions of the University who are employed under and governed by the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act. Upon initial employment, classified employees serve a six-month probationary period. Thereafter, employment is indefinite, contingent upon satisfactory conduct and performance.

WAGE EMPLOYEES Employees hired on a temporary basis to meet seasonal or temporary needs. Wage employees may work no more than 1500 hours in a 365-consecutive-day period. Employment is at the will and pleasure of the University. Wage employees are not governed by the Virginia Personnel Act, and are not authorized benefits.

EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

ORIENTATION

OFFICIAL PERSONNEL FILE

While employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University maintains an official personnel file for each employee. This file is maintained by and located in the Human Resources Department. It is the confidential file that contains the documents authorizing employment and related employment and benefits records only. It does not include academic or research information such as evaluations, tenure program documents or grant and contract information. Academic information and any other information not kept in the official personnel file will usually be found in the unofficial personnel files maintained by activity heads, chairs, deans and others. Together, these official and unofficial files and any other rosters, records and reports that contain information about you constitute your official personnel record. Employees may review their own personnel files - official, unofficial or working papers, except for certain confidential medical records.