Recommendations may now be submitted for Discretionary Salary Increases for professional employees
The following email was sent to all faculty and staff on July 2, 2021.
TO: All Full-time Professional Employees Represented by UUP
All Part-time Professional Employees Represented by UUP
All Supervisors of UUP Professional Staff (Full-time and Part-time)
FROM: Jodi Papa, Director – Unclassified
Cathy Gilbert, Professional and MC Employment Coordinator
RE: Discretionary Salary Increases (DSI) for Professional Employees (Reporting Period 6/01/2020 through 5/31/2021)
Contingent upon State Approval
UUP Professional Staff:
We are pleased to announce that recommendations may now be submitted for discretionary salary increases for SUNY New Paltz professional staff employees. The current Agreement between the State of New York and United University Professions provides a pool of funds for this purpose totaling 0.5 percent of the total of basic annual salaries on June 30, 2021, for distribution by the State University Trustees in their discretion to incumbents on the payroll on June 30, 2021, and at the time of payment.
To be eligible:
Full-time incumbents must:
have completed their first-year’s contract, and
be on the payroll on June 30, 2021, and when the payment is made.
Part-time incumbents must:
have completed their first-year’s contract, and
be on the payroll on April 30, 2021, and when the payment is made.
Payment is anticipated for early December but not later than Dec. 31, 2021, as directed by SUNY System Administration. The effective date of the increase will be July 1, 2021, for professional employees as defined. Recommendations for professional employee discretionary salary increases may come from the employee or from his or her immediate supervisor.
Criteria:
Recommendations for discretionary salary increases should include evidence of service or performance considered meritorious, superior, or outstanding. The criteria as defined in Article XII, Title C, §5 of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees may be used for such purpose. These include but are not limited to the following:
a.) Effectiveness in performance;
b.) Mastery of specialization;
c.) Professional ability;
d.) Effectiveness in University Service; and,
e.) Continuing growth.
In each case, supervisors of professional employees who have not completed current annual performance evaluations for those staff will be precluded from consideration for discretionary increases themselves. Please note: A DSI recommendation is not a substitute for an annual performance evaluation.
Process for supervisors to submit recommendations for their employees:
Immediate supervisors will submit recommendations, including a concise statement of the specific grounds for the recommendation through the chain of command up to the appropriate Vice President by July 31, 2021. Each vice president will then recommend the distribution of their discretionary salary increase allocation to the college president for his review and final action.
Process for an employee to submit a recommendation on their own behalf:
Professional employees may also submit a request for a discretionary increase to the immediate supervisor in the form of a cover memo with supporting attachments to include a personal statement, a copy of the last performance evaluation, and copies of any special awards or record of achievements received within the prior twelve-month period. These will be forwarded through the chain of command up to the appropriate Vice President with comments and recommendations, as described above, by July 31, 2021.
The college administration looks forward to rewarding those employees who have made outstanding contributions to SUNY New Paltz.
Questions regarding the DSA process may be directed to Cathy Gilbert, Professional & MC Employment Coordinator, gilbertc@newpaltz.edu or Jodi Papa, Director-Unclassified/Empl & Labor Relations Designee, papaj@newpaltz.edu.