|
|
|
|
|
UC DAVIS: Office of Graduate Studies July, 19, 2002 DEANS, DIRECTORS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND CAMPUS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS Re: Implementation of the Graduate Student Researcher Title Code Upon the advice of the Graduate Council and the Academic Senate, I am writing to inform you of the process of implementation of a new title code for use in the appointment of graduate students to research positions. Beginning with Winter 2003, the Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) title (title code 3282) will become available for use on the Davis campus. As outlined in this memo (and in UCD Appendix II-B of the Academic Personnel Manual to be amended), this title will provide graduate programs a great deal of flexibility in providing support for graduate students. Implementation Beginning with Winter 2003, the GSR title code will become available for use. At that time, appointments made in the Research Assistant (RA) title (3299) or Student Postgraduate Researcher (SPGR) title (3240) may be reappointed into the GSR title. Alternatively, appointments and commitments for Winter 2003, Spring 2003 and Summer 2003 in the RA and SPGR titles may be maintained; however, appointments must have an end date prior to the beginning of Fall 2003. All appointments, new or continuing, that begin in Fall 2003 must be made in the GSR title. Beginning with Fall 2003, the RA and SPGR titles will no longer be available for use on the Davis campus. A detailed timetable is presented in Exhibit A. Appointments must be in compliance with the graduate program's compensation plan (see below). Eligibility Requirements All eligibility requirements listed in UCD Appendix II-B of the Academic Personnel Manual apply to the GSR title. These requirements include registration status; GPA and student status; Standard Dates of Appointment; Percentage of Appointment; and Quarters of Employment restrictions. Each graduate program, however, may develop their own additional qualifications for placement within the payroll steps of the title code. Petitions for Exception to Policy As with existing titles, programs may petition the Office of Graduate Studies for individual exceptions to policy, following the procedure described in UCD Appendix II-B of the Academic Personnel Manual. Some graduate programs have applied for "blanket exceptions" to policy. These have been reviewed and approved by Graduate Council. These approved exceptions will apply to appointments in the GSR title. Salary There are ten steps in the GSR title. These steps are defined in the University of California Academic Salary Scales. These tables are maintained by the University of California, Office of the President and can be accessed on the web at http://www.ucop.edu/acadadv/acadpers/. Fee Remission Graduate students must be appointed in a research title for at least 25% time for the full quarter with the appointment effective within the first week of the quarter in order to be eligible for a remission of fees. Students on filing fee are not eligible for a fee remission. · If the student appointee terminates her/his employment, he/she will receive a fee remission in proportion to the time he/she was employed. In no case will the fee remission exceed the fees charged by the registrar. To simplify the process the remission amount is tied to four-week periods. · If the termination takes place between the first day of week 1 through the end of week 4, the student will receive 1/3 of the fee remission. · If the termination takes place between the first day of week 5 through the end of week 8, the student will receive 2/3 of the fee remission. · If the termination takes place between the first day of week 9 through the end of week 12, the student will receive the full fee remission. Vacation Students appointed in the GSR title are eligible for vacation benefits as described in Sections 730 and UCD 730 of the Academic Personnel Manual. Sick Leave Students appointed in the GSR title code do not accumulate sick leave. Compensation Plans To be competitive in recruiting the very best students, graduate programs require a great deal of flexibility in the salary level they may offer graduate students employed in this title. Therefore, graduate programs will be required to file a compensation plan with their dean's office outlining the rationale for their plans, the initial step in the title code they will use for initial hiring of students, and the qualifications student will need to meet. The compensation plan should also present the qualifications for students to advance to further steps in the title code and what steps the graduate program will use in the advancement process. Graduate programs should review compensation plans on a regular basis to ensure that salaries offered to students hired in this title are competitive. For group-based programs, the compensation plan should be filed with the appropriate "lead dean." For all graduate programs, a copy of the original compensation plan and any updates to the plan should also be filed with the Director of Student Support in the Office of Graduate Studies. Programs that do not file a compensation plan will use the "default plan" shown in Exhibit B, attached, with initial hiring in step I of the title. A sample compensation plan is attached to this document as Exhibit C. If you have any questions, please contact Lois Campbell at ldcampbell@ucdavis,edu or (530) 754-6447; or Charles Duffy at caduffy@ucdavis.edu at (530)752-9303. Cristina González Dean, Office of Graduate Studies Directive Number: 02-098 Exhibit A: Timetable Winter 2003: (a) Existing appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) continue. (b) New appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) based upon prior commitments to students are permitted. Appointments must have an end date prior to the beginning of Fall 2003. (c) Existing appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) may be converted to appointments in title code 3282 (GSR) in accordance with provisions of graduate program's compensation plan. (d) New appointments may be made in title code 3282 (GSR) in accordance with provisions of the graduate program's compensation plan. (e) New appointments offered for Fall 2003 to be made in title code 3282 (GSR) ONLY. All appointments are to be in compliance with the graduate program's compensation plan. Spring 2003 (a) Existing appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) continue. (b) New appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) based upon prior commitments to students are permitted. Appointments must have an end date prior to the beginning of Fall 2003. (c) Existing appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) may be converted to appointments in title code 3282 (GSR) in accordance with provisions of graduate program's compensation plan. (d) New appointments may be made in title code 3282 (GSR) in accordance with provisions of the graduate program's compensation plan. (e) New appointments offered for Fall 2003 must be made in title code 3282 (GSR) ONLY. All appointments are to be in compliance with the graduate program's compensation plan. Summer 2003 (a) Existing appointments in title code 3241 (Student PGR) and title code 3299 (Research Assistant) continue. Appointments must end prior to the beginning of Fall 2003. (b) New appointments should be made in title code 3282 (GSR). (c) New appointments offered for Fall 2003 must be made in title code 3282 (GSR) ONLY. Appointments are to be in compliance with the graduate program's compensation plan. Fall 2003 (a) All appointments in research positions are in title code 3282 (GSR) in compliance with the graduate program's compensation plan. Programs who do not file a compensation plan will use "default plan" in Exhibit B. (b) Title codes 3241 (Student PGR) and 3299 (RA) are no longer available for use and removed from PPS. Exhibit B: Default Compensation Plan Step I: An appointee with a bachelor's degree, with less than one year of graduate study and without extensive work experience. Step II: An appointee with one or more years of graduate study or extensive appropriate work experience but without a master's degree. Step III: An appointee who has completed a master's degree but not yet advanced to candidacy. Step IV: An appointee who has advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree. Step V: An appointee who has advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree but who has not completed their thesis research. Step VI-X: An appointee who has completed thesis research but has not completed the final defense of the thesis and filed appropriate documentation of completion of requirements for the degree with the Office of Graduate Studies. Exhibit C: Sample Compensation Plan The Graduate Group in XYZ is in the top tier of programs in its field in the United States. Recent rankings by the Association of XYZ and articles in the XYZ Journal rank the UC Davis program 12th and 15th respectively. A review of research awards shows that the faculty in the XYZ group have been extremely competitive in research and training grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other large granting agencies. The Graduate Group in XYZ offers distinct programs leading to both a Master in Science and a PhD. However, the program in XYZ is facing stiff competition. Programs among the top ten have a strong reputational advantage recruiting top students. Additionally, several of these programs at University of A, B State University and DEF College offer salaries well above entry level of the GSR. Additionally, these programs typically waive or offer reduced out-of-state fees for non-resident and international students. Programs ranked slightly below the Graduate Group in XYZ are also applying pressure. For example, the program at MNO University has recently raised entry-level salaries to $25,000 in order to be more financially attractive to top-notch students. One area where the Graduate Group in XYZ can compete better for the very best graduate students is in the research salary. Because of the strong record of grant funding established by the faculty in the group, we feel confident that we can offer top students better salaries. This will immeasurably build the research effort of the group and increase the visibility of the group both nationally and internationally. The graduate group in XYZ therefore proposes the following plan for GSR appointments affiliated with the group: Master's Students Initial Step Students with a bachelor's degree only Step II Students with a bachelor's degree and at least one year of work experience in the field. Step III Advancement Students making normal academic progress will advance one step at the beginning of the Fall quarter of their second year Step IV Doctoral Students Initial Step Step II All new doctoral students with a bachelor's degree only Step III All new doctoral students with one year of substantial work experience in the field Step IV All new doctoral students with one or more years experience OR a master's degree. Step V Advancement Doctoral students making normal academic progress automatically advance one step each year at the beginning of Fall quarter, up to the maximum step available in the title code. Students do not advance any further after one year in advanced to candidacy status. Steps VI - X Submitted: _______________________ _______________________ F. Farkle Date Chair, Graduate Group in XYZ
 Office of the Chancellor | Contact Information | Current Issues | Speaking Out | Staff and Organization | Philosophy of Purpose | Principles of Community | Administrative Resources Modified: 12/14/2006 12:22:58 PM Comments: |
