Employment Letters of Offer

Definition:This policy assigns the responsibility for preparing offers of employment, defines minimal content of such offers, and defines unusual stipulations of offers that require presidential approval.
Authority:
Scope:This policy applies to all offers of employment for administrators, faculty, and staff except for student employees.
Responsible Division:Finance & Administrative Services
Approval Date:09/07/2000
Implementation Date:09/01/2000
Originally Implemented:09/01/2000
Signature Page/PDF:View Signatures for Employment Letters of Offer Policy


Notes

All offers of employment for administrators, faculty, and staff shall be made in a formal, written offer letter following the guidelines in the attached procedures.

Procedure

I. OFFER LETTERS
A. The President will issue letters of offer to all Vice Presidents.

B. Human Resources Management will issue employment offer letters to all other MPP staff throughout the University.

C. Divisions and Departments, after approval from Human Resources Management of salary and other factors, will issue the letter of offer or contract to all newly hired staff and faculty.

D. The President (or his designee ) must approve any side letters for MPP staff that offer tenure, retreat rights, severance, moving allowance, etc., before the offer is made.
II. PROCESS FOR STAFF AND FACULTY POSITIONS
A. The offer letter for staff (non- faculty) positions should be addressed to the new employee and include the following information:
  1. Working title of position and formal classification
  2. Starting salary
  3. Start date and end date of appointment, if applicable
  4. Status of employee (temporary/probationary/regular /at-will)
  5. Status of position (temporary full-time/temporary part-time/ permanent full time/permanent part time)
  6. FLSA status (exempt/non-exempt) for staff (non-faculty)
  7. A signature and date line of acceptance for the prospective employee to sign (the letter should be returned to Human Resources Management)
  8. On the cc line, include "Personnel File" as well as the individuals that are normally included
  9. All employees should be referred to HRM to sign on to the payroll
  10. Employees hired into benefited positions should be referred to HRM benefits division
B. Faculty offers, via letter and the Statement of Terms and Conditions of Appointment, are offered by the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
  1. 1. A copy of the signed Statement of Terms and Conditions of Appointment must be forwarded to HRM to be placed in the employee's personnel file.
  2. 2. Faculty should be referred to HRM regarding signing onto the payroll and benefits when appropriate.

C. The original signed letter of acceptance or Statement of Terms and Conditions of Appointment will be placed in the Personnel File located in HRM.

D. The department hiring the employee must develop a job description for all appointments of 90 days or longer appointments (the exception being faculty) within the first week of hire and present it to the employee. The job description should be forwarded to the Personnel File after it is reviewed with the employee and signed.
E. The President (or his designee) must approve any side letters for faculty or staff that offer tenure, retreat rights, severance, moving allowance, or salaries near or at the top of the range, or any other exceptional condition of employment before the offer is made.