Martin Levine
Vice-Provost for Faculty and Minority Affairs
Dear Provost Levine:
At yesterday's meeting of the Executive Council of the School of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Leslie Bernstein informed the Council that a new form had been created for all letters of hire to be sent to persons recruited to be new faculty. She stated that the forms were the result of much hard work involving the Office of the Provost and University Counsel.
I attended this meeting to represent the Medical Faculty Assembly, and I requested from her copies of the sample letters. She agreed, and later that day I obtained copies from the Office of Faculty Affairs. I then shared the documents with the MFA Executive Board.
As we prepared to share these documents with faculty via the Medical Faculty Assembly and the Academic Senate, we thought it appropriate to include a statement introducing the documents. I am asking you to convey to the Provost an invitation to provide a statement.
The Medical Faculty Assembly meets next Tuesday, September 7, at noon. We would be pleased to distribute a statement at that meeting. I apologize for the short notice, but we only learned of these documents yesterday.
Sincerely,
Harvey Kaslow
MFA President-Elect
Attachments: Letter
of offer for tenure track faculty - all ranks
Letter of offer
for clinical track faculty - all ranks
Dear Dr. [insert last name]
It is with pleasure that we offer you an appointment at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) to commence on [insert employment date]. This appointment offer is based on your record and the enthusiastic recommendation and support of the Chair and faculty of the Department of [insert name of academic department in which this individual will be appointed].
At this time, we offer you an appointment as Visiting [insert: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, as appropriate] of [insert academic department] for the current University fiscal year, on the conditions set out below. As explained below, it is necessary that your faculty dossier be completed within six (6) months and submitted for reviews by faculty committees and administrators as provided in established School and University policy. Your official appointment, once the process has been completed, will be as [Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor, as appropriate]. You should understand that, for every non-tenured faculty member, reappointment is year to year and is not guaranteed, and that appointment at the rank of Associate Professor and Professor and the granting of tenure can only be authorized by the Provost. According to tenure policies of USC, and the records that you have provided, a decision regarding your tenure must be made by [insert the month and year of mandatory decision date] if you are still a faculty member at that time. If a formal tenure review has not been initiated by your department one year before this date, then you should bring this to the attention of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and the Provost by written notice. Please note that the tenure track clock commences with the first day of your employment. (if your appointment is approved prior to your arrival, then the employment date and the appointment date are the same.)
[For faculty with clinical activities, add the following 3 paragraphs:]
Your eligibility for appointment as a faculty member at the School of Medicine requires that you obtain and maintain all necessary approvals from the appropriate credentialing, recredentialing and privileging bodies. Your continued employment as [insert proposed faculty title and department] is contingent on your obtaining and maintaining those approvals.
In addition, your continued employment as [insert proposed faculty title and department] is contingent upon your complying with all aspects of the compliance program implemented by USC Care Medical Group. A copy of the USC Care Compliance Program Policy Manual is enclosed.
By signing below, you acknowledge your rights and responsibilities regarding credentialing, recredentialing, privileging, and participating in the compliance program and all other applicable University compliance policies and programs.
Upon receipt of your signed copy of this letter of offer, the Department of [insert academic department] will then assist you to assemble all materials for your appointment dossier, and those documents will be processed through the various School of Medicine administrators and committees for approval.
Because approval of your appointment is contingent on the appropriate administrative reviews, it is necessary that your faculty dossier be prepared for submission to the School of Medicine's Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee within six months of your initial employment. Failure to complete and submit your dossier within your first six months of employment will result in termination of your employment at the end of the current University fiscal year. However, the department will work with you to help prepare your dossier as quickly as possible.
[Insert if relevant:] Upon commencement of your employment, we have agreed to provide the following commitments to you on a [one-time basis, or continuing basis]: (list the specific commitments applicable to this offer).
[For basic science departments, insert the following sentence:] The annual salary for the 1999-2000 fiscal year will be [insert the total salary].
[For clinical departments, use one of the two following statement forms - either the CPSA language or the rebillable language. (If CPSA funding insert the following 3 sentences:) The annual salary for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, excluding funds from the Faculty Practice Plan, if any, will be $______. Of this amount, $_______ will come from departmental funds (if applicable) and $_______ will be paid by the University from external funding provided under the County Professional Services Agreement (CPSA) contract with the County of Los Angeles. External funding obtained from the County of Los Angeles under the CPSA is always dependent on receipt of such funding from the County and is never guaranteed by the University. (If rebillable funding insert the following 3 sentences:) The annual salary for the 1999-2000 fiscal year will be $_______. This compensation is made up of salary paid through the University of Southern California, which serves only as a payroll agent. The University of Southern California is not responsible for your salary support, and therefore does not guarantee your salary.
[To be inserted if a faculty member receives funding from or will participate in the Faculty Practice Plan] Funds from the Faculty Practice Plan, if any, are not guaranteed by the University, and will be addressed in a separate letter to you from the Faculty Practice Plan.
Annual merit reviews focus on research (including particularly obtaining and maintaining important sponsored research), teaching, [for faculty doing clinical activities, insert "clinical service,"] and service to the University.
Faculty are eligible for benefits upon enrollment in eligible benefits programs. The USC Benefits Office has a web page that describes current USC benefits (http://www.usc.edu/dept/Benefits). All benefit programs are subject to change by the University. Please be advised that you may wish to exercise your COBRA benefits rights from your current employer until your benefits at the University become effective. If you have any questions regarding your benefits or if you wish to enroll for benefits, please contact the Health Sciences Personnel Office. Please note that most benefit enrollments must be completed within sixty (60) days of hire.
Faculty members on twelve-month appointments are entitled to four (4) weeks' vacation, at a time agreed upon with the department of primary appointment so that it does not conflict with faculty responsibilities. No more than four (4) weeks of vacation can be accrued.
The basic duties of USC faculty members are to enhance knowledge and the public good through scholarship, professional development, and academic publications; to teach and counsel students; to participate in scholarly societies and public service; and to share in University governance through service on University and School committees and through performance of other institutional responsibilities
Your specific responsibilities and duties related to teaching, research, and service will be assigned by your chair, and as currently constituted, they are outlined in the attached letter [if applicable] from Dr. [insert the first and last name of the Chair of the department]. Chair of the Department of [insert the name of the academic department in which this individual will be appointed]. Please contact Dr. [insert Chair's last name] if you have any questions or concerns with your current responsibilities.
[Insert the following paragraph for faculty who can conduct clinical activities:] Your signature on this letter indicates that you understand that engaging in private practice is not required. If you do engage in private practice, then you agree to conduct such practice solely under the terms and conditions of the University's Medical Faculty Practice Plan, [add if appropriate the following phrase] and the Practice Plan of the Department of [insert department name].
Dr. [insert the Chair's last name] and the faculty of the Department of [insert the name of the academic department in which this individual will be appointed] join us in extending this offer to you in the hope that you will join the Keck School of Medicine faculty. We look forward to the possibility of your association with us, in the hope of years of mutually beneficial collaboration.
Please indicate your acceptance of the appointment terms as outlined herein by signing and returning the original of this letter to Dr. [insert the Chair's last name] at your earliest convenience. By signing below, you agree that this letter sets out the entire agreement between you and the University, that no previous correspondence or oral discussions are binding unless they are set out in this letter, and that any later agreement will become binding on the University only if it is in writing signed by you and the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine, the Provost, or the President of the University.
Sincerely,
_____________________________
Stephen J. Ryan, M.D.
Dean
_____________________________
Chair
Department of [insert department name]
Agreed:
_____________________________
[insert name of the candidate]
_____________________________
Date
Dear Dr. [insert last name]
It is with pleasure that we offer you an appointment at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) to commence on [insert employment date]. This appointment offer is based on your record and the enthusiastic recommendation and support of the Chair and faculty of the Department of [insert name of academic department in which this individual will be appointed].
At this time, we offer you an appointment as Visiting [insert: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, as appropriate] of Clinical [insert academic department] for the current University fiscal year, on the conditions set out below. As explained below, it is necessary that your faculty dossier be completed within six (6) months and submitted for reviews by faculty committees and administrators as provided in established School and University policy. Your official appointment, once the process has been completed, will be as [Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor, as appropriate] of Clinical [insert academic department] Thereafter, you are eligible for reappointment on a year-to-year basis. There is no guarantee of reappointment, and you are not eligible to be considered for tenure. You are entitled to notice of non-reappointment as provided for non-tenure-track faculty under established University policy.
[For faculty with clinical activities, add the following 3 paragraphs:]
Your eligibility for appointment as a faculty member at the School of Medicine requires that you obtain and maintain all necessary approvals from the appropriate credentialing, recredentialing and privileging bodies. Your continued employment as [insert proposed faculty title and department] is contingent on your obtaining and maintaining those approvals. Failure to obtain and maintain necessary credentialing, recredentialing and privileging will result in termination of your employment on thirty (30) day notice.
In addition, your continued employment as [insert proposed faculty title and department] is contingent upon your complying with all aspects of the compliance program implemented by USC Care Medical Group. A copy of the USC Care Compliance Program Policy Manual is enclosed. Failure to comply with the compliance program is misconduct that will result in termination of your employment.
By signing below, you acknowledge your rights and responsibilities regarding credentialing, recredentialing, privileging, and participating in the compliance program and all other applicable University compliance policies and programs.
Upon receipt of your signed copy of this letter of offer, the Department of [insert academic department] will then assist you to assemble all materials for your appointment dossier, and those documents will be processed through the various School of Medicine administrators and committees for approval.
Because approval of your appointment is contingent on the appropriate administrative reviews, it is necessary that your faculty dossier be prepared for submission to the School of Medicine's Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee within six months of your initial employment. Failure to complete and submit your dossier within your first six months of employment will result in termination of your employment at the end of the current University fiscal year. However, the department will work with you to help prepare your dossier as quickly as possible.
[Insert if relevant:] Upon commencement of your employment, we have agreed to provide the following commitments to you on a [one-time basis, or continuing basis]: (list the specific commitments applicable to this offer).
[Use one of the two following statement forms - either the CPSA language or the rebillable language. (If CPSA funding insert the following 3 sentences:) The annual salary for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, excluding funds from the Faculty Practice Plan, if any, will be $______. Of this amount, $_______ will come from departmental funds (if applicable) and $_______ will be paid by the University from external funding provided under the County Professional Services Agreement (CPSA) contract with the County of Los Angeles. External funding obtained from the County of Los Angeles under the CPSA is always dependent on receipt of such funding from the County and is never guaranteed by the University. (If rebillable funding insert the following 3 sentences:) The annual salary for the 1999-2000 fiscal year will be $_______. This compensation is made up of salary paid through the University of Southern California, which serves only as a payroll agent. The University of Southern California is not responsible for your salary support, and therefore does not guarantee your salary.
[To be inserted if a faculty member receives funding from or will participate in the Faculty Practice Plan] Funds from the Faculty Practice Plan, if any, are not guaranteed by the University, and will be addressed in a separate letter to you from the Faculty Practice Plan.
Faculty are eligible for benefits upon enrollment in eligible benefits programs. The USC Benefits Office has a web page that describes current USC benefits (http://www.usc.edu/dept/Benefits). All benefit programs are subject to change by the University. Please be advised that you may wish to exercise your COBRA benefits rights from your current employer until your benefits at the University become effective. If you have any questions regarding your benefits or if you wish to enroll for benefits, please contact the Health Sciences Personnel Office. Please note that most benefit enrollments must be completed within sixty (60) days of hire.
Faculty members on twelve-month appointments are entitled to four (4) weeks' vacation, at a time agreed upon with the department of primary appointment so that it does not conflict with faculty responsibilities. No more than four (4) weeks of vacation can be accrued.
The basic duties of USC faculty members are to enhance knowledge and the public good through scholarship, professional development, and academic publications; to teach and counsel students; to participate in scholarly societies and public service; and to share in University governance through service on University and School committees and through performance of other institutional responsibilities
Your specific responsibilities and duties related to teaching, research, and service will be assigned by your chair, and as currently constituted, they are outlined in the attached letter [if applicable] from Dr. [insert the first and last name of the Chair of the department]. Chair of the Department of [insert the name of the academic department in which this individual will be appointed]. Please contact Dr. [insert Chair's last name] if you have any questions or concerns with your current responsibilities.
[Insert the following paragraph for faculty who can conduct clinical activities:] Your signature on this letter indicates that you understand that engaging in private practice is not required. If you do engage in private practice, then you agree to conduct such practice solely under the terms and conditions of the University's Medical Faculty Practice Plan, [add if appropriate the following phrase] and the Practice Plan of the Department of [insert department name].
Dr. [insert the Chair's last name] and the faculty of the Department of [insert the name of the academic department in which this individual will be appointed] join us in extending this offer to you in the hope that you will join the Keck School of Medicine faculty. We look forward to the possibility of your association with us, in the hope of years of mutually beneficial collaboration.
Please indicate your acceptance of the appointment terms as outlined herein by signing and returning the original of this letter to Dr. [insert the Chair's last name] at your earliest convenience. By signing below, you agree that this letter sets out the entire agreement between you and the University, that no previous correspondence or oral discussions are binding unless they are set out in this letter, and that any later agreement will become binding on the University only if it is in writing signed by you and the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine, the Provost, or the President of the University.
Sincerely,
_____________________________
Stephen J. Ryan, M.D.
Dean
_____________________________
Chair
Department of [insert department name]
Agreed:
_____________________________
[insert name of the candidate]
_____________________________
Date