Policy Summer Salaries

The College encourages faculty to apply for grants, fellowships, teaching exchanges, and other related opportunities in support of teaching and sponsored research. While the College wants to make every effort to remain flexible in distribution of external funds, there will be some changes in the coming year from practices of the past. These changes will become effective June 1, 2001.

Stipends and Summer Salary Support

Many grant proposals include support for summer salary for sponsored research. The College's policy with respect to summer salary is as follows:

1) A faculty member can ask for only up to 2/9 of projected annual salary for summer salary associated with a grant. This practice is consistent with Gettysburg's expectation of faculty as nine-month employees and with the policies of many granting agencies.

2) The College will not spread the summer salary over the entire academic year or over the entire twelve months of salary payments. Stipends or summer salary received by faculty through sponsored research will be paid during the period in which the work is done. For example, if a faculty member receives an NSF grant that includes a salary supplement for work done during July and August, the College will pay that salary supplement over the pay periods in July and August.

External Support for Salary While on Leave or on a Reduced Teaching Load

Grant proposals, fellowships, and other such opportunities often include salary support if a faculty member is taking a reduced teaching load with accompanying salary reduction, full-year leave at half pay or some other form of reduced salary.

If a faculty member receives a fellowship, a grant, or other source of external funding in support of salary for a sabbatical, research, or other form of leave, that faculty member should make an appointment with the Budget Officer in the Provost's Office to discuss how that salary will be paid, e.g., by the College, by the granting agency, by a combination of both. If there is an accompanying reduction in salary, it will be important to understand how the salary should be distributed.

Internal/External Support for Course Releases

Course releases are not usually authorized for grant work unless released time and the accompanying salary reimbursement have been included in the grant application and approved by the granting agency (see Grant Budgeting Guidelines). As in the salary support above, the faculty member should make an appointment with the Budget Officer in the Provost's Office to be certain appropriate reimbursement arrangements have been made.

Fringe Benefits Associated with External Salary Support for Faculty

If a faculty member applies for external support for a salary reduction associated with a fellowship, full-year's sabbatical, or other form of reduced salary, fringe benefits should be calculated according to the Grant Budgeting Guidelines. Should the external support application be successful, the College will pay fringe benefits as mandated by law, by the grant, and according to the College's Summary Plan Description (SPD). Questions with respect to these benefits should be addressed to the Budget Officer in the Provost's Office.

If a faculty member applies for and receives external support for summer salary, fringe benefits should be calculated according to the Grant Budgeting Guidelines. In general, the only fringe benefit paid by the College on summer salary is FICA. The College's Summary Plan Description (SPD), states that the College pays retirement benefits on base salary only. As such, TIAA-CREF benefits will not be provided on summer salary.

DRD/bjh
4/23/01