02-03.11 – Policy on Institutional Base Salary for Full-Time Faculty

  1. Policy Statement:

    Full-time faculty members may earn additional pay above and beyond their institutional base salary at Towson University (“University”) during an appointment period.

  2. Definitions:

    1. “Institutional Base Salary” (IBSAL) is the full-time faculty salary established by Towson University for a full-time faculty appointment whether that faculty member’s professional effort at the University is spent on research, teaching, or service. Additional pay/stipends are not included in the IBSAL. Examples of such excluded payments include, but are not limited to:

      1. participation in externally funded sponsored programs or research;

      2. participation in an officially approved university fellows program (with approval of chair, dean, and provost);

      3. serving as academic advisor in the First Year Experience Program during summer session;

      4. serving as graduate program director during summer session, and/or as director of a large academic program during summer session (each with approval of chair, dean, and provost);

      5. teaching credit classes during summer session or minimester;

      6. teaching non-credit classes and/or teaching off-load/overload credit classes (each with approval of chair, dean, and provost);

      7. providing extraordinary additional academic services or special duties as requested to an academic department or college, and/or instruction, research, service for a non-academic unit (each with approval of chair, dean, and provost);

      8. serving as a department chair (for chairs on 10-month faculty contract only and with approval of dean, and provost).

  3. Responsible Executive and Office:

    Responsible Executive:
    Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

    Responsible Office:
    Office of the Provost

  4. Entities Affected by this Policy:

    All full-time faculty members.

  5. Principles:

    1. The IBSAL is used as the full-time faculty salary of the faculty member in all submissions for funding for sponsored work. The IBSAL may not be increased as a result of replacing University salary funds with grant funds, contract funds, and/or other revenues. Neither the IBSAL nor the faculty member’s FTE (as shown in the University payroll system) may be increased during a fiscal year as a result of receipt or loss of salary support from grants, contracts, and/or other revenues.

    2. The standard academic year full-time faculty contract at the University is ten (10) months. Exceptions (i.e., a 12-month full-time faculty contract), must be justified by special assignments or other professional considerations, and must be approved by the Provost and President. Implicit in the contractual arrangement between the University and faculty members is that a full-time appointment constitutes a 100% commitment over the time of the contract duration, unless otherwise specified. (See USM Policies II-3.10, Policy on Professional Commitment of Faculty and II-3.20, Policy on Teaching Outside the Home Institution by Full-Time Faculty; see University Policy 02-03.20, Policy on Outside Employment, Outside Professional Services, Outside Teaching, and Offload/Overload Teaching by Full-Time Faculty)

    3. The IBSAL may be changed only at the beginning of the fiscal year, except in the following limited circumstances:

      1. the faculty member’s formal appointment, and required professional effort, is changed from full-time to part-time, from part-time to full-time, or from one required level of part-time effort to another required level of part-time effort

      2. the faculty member receives a cost of living (COLA) or merit salary adjustment as part of a University-wide adjustment of salaries that occurs during a fiscal year

      3. faculty member receives a salary increase as a result of a retention or equity adjustment, or a promotion in rank or position occurs during a fiscal year

      4. other extraordinary circumstances with the prior written approval of the President.

Related Policies:

USM Policy II-1.21, Policy on Compensation for Faculty

USM Policy II-1.25, Policy on Faculty Workload and Responsibilities

USM Policy II-3.10, Policy on Professional Commitment of Faculty

USM Policy II-3.20, Policy on Teaching Outside the Home Institution by Full-Time Faculty

TU Policy 02-03.20, Policy on Outside Employment, Outside Professional Services, Outside Teaching, and Offload/Overload Teaching by Full-Time Faculty

Approval Date: 07/13/2016

Effective Date: 07/13/2016

Approved By: President’s Council 7/13/2016

Signed By: President’s Council

How to Request the Policy PDF

This online version of the policy may include updated links and names of departments. To request a PDF of the original, signed version of this policy, email the Office of the General Counsel, .