I am writing to you today to announce a Voluntary Separation Program (“Program”) for eligible tenured faculty members. This program seeks to financially reward the long-standing contributions of tenured faculty, while also opening resources for reallocation in support of the university’s strategic goals and support budgetary relief as a result of COVID-19. This program offers eligible faculty members a lump sum payment equal to one (1) year’s annual base pay as stated in their UNT faculty salary notice for fiscal year 2020 in exchange for voluntarily separating from the university.
Beginning today, eligible faculty members may request to be considered for the Program. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
This Program is available only to those individuals who have completed at least fifteen (15) years of continuous service at UNT in a budgeted position by the separation date, which must be on or before August 31, 2020; and who have one of the following types of appointment during the period the Program is open to:
- tenured faculty, and
- administrators with tenured faculty appointments
Faculty members and eligible administrators whose requests are approved are required to relinquish tenure and any other right to continued employment, and waive the right to receive notice of reappointment. Additionally, faculty and eligible administrators who are approved for the Program are not eligible to be rehired into any full-time position at UNT for five (5) years from the date of separation.
Even if a faculty member meets the eligibility criteria, he or she is disqualified from participation in the Program if the faculty member:
- Is on faculty development leave between September 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020;
- Is a principal investigator on an external grant or contract that extends beyond September 1, 2020, and is unwilling to transfer the grant to another qualified individual within UNT or execute the sponsored project as an retired PI (if retirement is applicable) with carrying approval from the department chair and dean to allow continuation of the project;
- Is currently on an approved modified service agreement; or
- Has submitted a notice of resignation or retirement before the first date of the Program application period.
Faculty also may be ruled ineligible by a range of additional criteria, including the order in which the application was received, the number of faculty seeking separation in a given program and/or college, the necessity of the faculty member’s contribution to the teaching and research mission, and availability of funds.
To request participation in the Program, faculty members must complete and submit the following forms: Request to Participate in the Voluntary Separation Program, and Voluntary Separation Agreement and Release of Claims. These forms and the complete details about the Program can be found on the Faculty Success website.
The Program will remain open from May 8, 2020 through June 30, 2020 at 5 p.m. Funds for this program are limited. Requests will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis and include factors such as number of faculty seeking separation in a given program and/or college, contribution to the teaching and research mission, and availability of funds. Approval is not guaranteed even if all criteria are met for participation. Completed, signed, and dated forms must be sent via email to: Bertina.Combes@unt.edu.
Informational zoom meetings will be held on:
Should you have additional questions about the Program, please contact Bertina Combes, Vice Provost for Faculty Success, at Bertina.Combes@unt.edu.