Cooperative Extension

Temporary Duty Assignments for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff have the option of redirecting their work to include important high priority initiatives. With the increase of grant activity, new relationships with agencies and other partners, opportunities are frequently available for formally "buying out" time of faculty and staff and reassigning them to new responsibilities for a period of time. This increase in "buying out" time creates a need for the division to develop guidelines that ensure the ability of the institution to provide timely and responsive programs without damaging existing local programs.

When making decisions about "buying out’ time, good judgment will be exercised and decisions will be made on a case by case basis. In general, these guidelines will be followed:

1. Cooperative Extension maintains its long standing commitment to providing equal opportunities for employment for those considering employment with extension and for currently employed faculty and staff who desire new work experiences.

2. Unexpected personnel changes may occur which require the institution to make temporary reassignments of personnel. On rare occasions, the institution may need to make permanent reassignments of positions with similar functions or require changes in existing position descriptions.

3. Faculty and staff may be offered the opportunity to accept a reassignment of responsibilities when the new functions are closely related to existing position responsibilities. When the opportunity is short term or short term and part time, the reassignment may be made without a formal search process.

4. When the reassignment is closely related to current position responsibilities, no pay augmentation is expected. When a reassignment takes place that requires additional responsibility beyond those in the current position, a pay augmentation may take place for the duration of the reassignment. When the reassignment ends, the employee returns to their original pay rate.

5. When the need for a temporary reassignment occurs which is likely to be full time and last a year or longer, the opportunity will be shared broadly within the organization and may be advertised externally.

6. When county faculty/staff are involved, the first contact shall be made with the district director who will work with the county department head to negotiate the release and make backfill arrangements with the county. When hiring replacement staff in a county, expect a six to eight week minimum period to complete the hiring process.

Approved as policy 9/1/98

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